National Broadcasting Board Challenged A test case in the media field occurred on 8 December 2007 when Naledi FM, a community radio station which MISA Botswana Chapter Director, Modise Maphanyane, has described as a pioneering intervention, was pre-launched at the Naledi Freedom Square in Gaborone. In Maphanyane’s view, Naledi FM was pre-launched (with encouragement from MISA) in order to challenge Botswana’s procrastination in introducing community broadcasting. It is reported that the radio station is determined to broadcast from a neighbouring territory should the NBB continue to ignore its application to broadcast within Botswana. Conclusion There were positive developments in the media environment in 2007. Great efforts were made at diversifying the broadcast media through the licensing of three national private radios, thus breaking the monopoly of the national airwaves by the state-controlled media. Naledi FM’s initiative to challenge the NBB is also likely to produce some interesting outcome in relation to the introduction of community media. The inadequacies of the National Broadcasting Act of 1998, coupled with the lack of a broadcasting policy, will continue to pose as both an obstacle and a challenge to media practitioners. Perhaps the biggest challenge for all watch-dog organizations from now on will be the close monitoring of the implementation of the Intelligence and Security Services Act in order to safeguard the democratic rights of all citizens, and in particular, media practitioners. Already, as this article goes to press in January 2008, Justice John Mosojane of the Francistown High Court is reported to have resigned from the Independent Electoral Commission citing interference from the Office of the President as one of the reasons for his resignation. Mosojane’s resignation re-raises the question: how independent is the Independent Electoral Commission? It should be noted here that the Office of the President to which the IEC reports is the same office under which the Directorate of Intelligence Services falls. Print Media Diversity Table Newspaper Publisher Circulation Distribution Frequency Botswana Gazette News Co. Botswana (PTY) Ltd 23 000 National Weekly Botswana Guardian CBET 19 000 National Weekly Daily News Department of Information Services, Minsitry of Communications, Science & Technology 65 000 National Daily Echo Echo Publishing (PTY) Ltd 10 000 National Weekly So This Is Democracy? 2007 -25- Media Institute of Southern Africa