DONATIONS INTO COVID-19 PANDEMIC RELIEF FUND THROUGH MOBILE NETWORK OPERATORS

1. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development wishes to thank members of the public, the business community and relevant stakeholders for their continued donations to the COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund received through the eight (8) local commercial banks. As of today (27 April 2020), total donations stood at P2.061 billion; P2 billion being seed capital contributed by government and P61 million are contributions by the public.

2. We are pleased to inform the public that three local mobile network operators (MNOs): Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (SMEGA); Mascom Wireless (Pty) Ltd (MyZaka); and Orange Botswana (Pty) Ltd (Orange Money) have graciously offered to assist with facilitating donations into the COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund for free or no charge, i.e., only donated amount by the user will be deducted from their accounts.

The MNOs will leverage on their mobile money technologies to facilitate donations from their customer base, as an effort to encourage the use of digital payment platforms intended to prevent transmission and spread of the virus, while affording donors the convenience to make donations in the comfort of one’s home.

3. The steps to be followed when using any of the three MNOs platform are as indicated in the table below:

COVID-19 Relief Fund BTCL SMEGA Donations

1. Dial *173#
2. Enter your PIN
3. Select Option 7: “COVID19 Donations”
4. Enter amount to donate
5. Press 1 to confirm
6. Transaction completed
7. You will receive a text message confirming your donation

COVID-19 Relief Fund Mascom MyZaka Money Donations

1. Dial *167# to open the Myzaka Menu
2. Select Option 1 “Send Money To”
3. Select Option 1: “MyZaka User”
4. Enter for mobile number: “71221111”
5. Enter the amount you wish to donate
6. Enter the purpose of the funds: ‘COVID19”
7. Enter your 5 digit MyZaka PIN 1 to confirm the transaction

COVID-19 Relief Fund Orange Money Donations

1. Dial *145# to access Orange Money Menu
2. Select Option 2: “Orange Money Transaction”
3. Enter your secret code/PIN to access your account
4. Select option 6: “COVID-19 Relief Fund”
5. Enter the amount you wish to donate
6. Enter your secret code/PIN to confirm the transaction
7. You will receive confirmation message that the transaction is successful: “donation received”
8. You will also receive SMS notification on your mobile showing transactions details.

4. It is important to note that all the deposits should be adequately referenced, with the donor’s names to comply with existing protocols on Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Combating of the Financing of Terrorism (CFT).

5. The public can contact Ms. Shingani M. Magazine (Assistant Accountant General – Cash Management) at Tel: 3644135 and Mobile: 73012146 for any inquiries on the donations into the COVID-19 Relief Fund, including those done through the Mobile Network Operators.

Thank you.

[Signed]
Wilfred J. Mandlebe (Dr.)
PERMANENT SECRET