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Blog, Botswana

Facts to assist you while travelling to Botswana

Current Botswana population

6 million.

Official Language(s)

English, Setswana.

Office Hours

08:00 – 17:00.

Weekend

Saturday – Sunday.

Time Zone

UTC +2.

Calling Code

+267.

Tipping

If a service charge is not included in the bill a tip of 10% is acceptable.

Embassies

Most countries are represented by embassies or consulates located in the capital city.

Government

Mokgweetsi Masisi is the fifth and current president of Botswana. He is associated with the Botswana Democratic Party.

Climate

Botswana is semi-arid due to its short rainy season. However, the relatively high altitude of the country and its continental situation gives it a subtropical climate. The country is remote from moisture-laden air flows for most of the year. The dry season lasts from April to October in the south, and to November in the north, where the average rainfall is higher. The south of the country is most exposed to cold winds during the winter period which lasts from early May to late August. During this time the average temperatures are around 14 °C (57.2 °F). The whole country has hot summers with average temperatures around 26 °C (78.8 °F). Sunshine totals are high all year round although winter is the sunniest period. The whole country is windy and dusty during the dry season.

Transport

Botswana’s main airport is the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, which is located in Gaborone. A sparsely populated, arid country, Botswana has nonetheless managed to incorporate much of its interior into the national economy. An “inner circle” highway connecting all major towns and district capitals is completely paved, and the all-weather TransKalahari Corridor Highway connects the country to Walvis Bay in Namibia.

Economy

The economy of Botswana is one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Botswana’s main industries include diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, livestock processing, and textiles. Manufacturing and tourism are another two sectors that also contribute greatly to its economy.

Hospitality

The Tswana, one of the local ethnicities in Botswana, are known to be friendly people. When receiving visitors from abroad, Tswana people enjoy engaging with foreigners through their traditions. Such interactions usually occur on various occasions, festivals, and celebrations. The Tswana people communicate and share their cultures with foreigners without compromising any of their institutional and cultural integrity.

Greetings

Greetings are essential in Botswana culture. They typically will greet someone with a handshake, although this depends on the age and gender of the person and the formality of the situation. Handshakes are customary and often accompanied by a smile. Depending on the situation, the handshake can also be accompanied by a traditional greeting such as “Dumela,” which means “hello” in Botswana. You can also say “Lumela,” which is more formal and means “greet you.’’ In informal settings, you may also ask “Gosobotša?” This means ‘’How are you?’’ It is polite to respond when asked this question, even if the response isn’t always the truth.

Money

The Pula is the currency of Botswana. It is subdivided into 100 thebe and has the code BWP. The word ‘’Pula’’ literally means “rain” in Setswana and was chosen due to the fact that rain is very scarce in Botswana—home to a large portion of the Kalahari Desert—and therefore it is valuable and a blessing.

Transportation

The majority of roads in Botswana are well paved, especially intercity roads or major access routes in and out of the country. Most, if not all, major roads in the town centres are also paved, however, the condition of the roads may change somewhat depending on where you are driving. Some roads may have potholes and others might be gravel roads. The conditions of the roads also change throughout the year and may be worse in the wet season as a result of increased rainfall. The speed limit on majority of the roads is 60km/h in towns and villages, 80km/h on intersections, and 120km outside of urban areas.

Safety

Botswana is undeniably considered a safe country. Just like any other country, however, crime does occur, and visitors are advised to watch over their valuables when travelling. In large crowds it is also best to watch your pockets. Most areas in the country are not well lit, so walking around late at night might be risky. Other than that, Botswana is a friendly nation, and its people are warmly welcoming.

Culture

In the past, most ethnic groups lived pastoral lifestyles in permanent settlements, except for Botswana’s nomadic bushmen. These villages were traditionally located in hilly regions, or around reliable water sources where grazing conditions for animals were best. All of the citizens of Botswana are referred to by the plural for of the word, Batswana, or its singular form, Motswana. The population consists of the Setswana-speaking people and the non-Setswana-speakers. Over 60 percent of the population traces their heritage to one of the Setswana-speaking groups that reside in the country.

Shops

Every major town or city in Botswana has at least one shopping centre or mall. They may also have major supermarkets, clothing stores, liquor stores, furniture, homeware, and electronic shops, in addition to local banks and ATMs.

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Written by Saudika Hendricks

Edited by Eloise Williams

Africa, Blog

Paying your employees a salary is just the beginning – payroll reports entail a whole lot more. From essential documents to intricate calculations, meeting payroll requirements involves various tasks.

In this informative article, we will delve into the realm of payroll reporting and outline the necessary steps for employers. Get ready to gain a clear understanding of your obligations in the world of payroll reporting.

What Are Payroll Reports

Payroll reports encompass a collection of documents that gather vital information about a business, its employees, departments, teams, and more.

These reports play a crucial role in the payroll process, serving as a means to track employee salaries and disbursed funds. With their relevance extending to accounting and tax functions, payroll reports hold significant importance in ensuring accurate financial records and meeting regulatory requirements.

Types of Payroll Reports

There is a variety of different payroll reports, below are just a few, our next article explains them in detail:

Company payroll reports
Employee payroll reports
Payroll tax reports
Certified payroll reports
Time tracking reports

Relocation Africa offers a full payroll reporting and expense management reconciliation reports.

Click on the link below to find out how our team of experts can help you:

Contact Us

Africa, Blog

Global Payroll Challenges

Global payroll is challenging. There’s no other way of putting it. Compliance, standardisation, automation, and reporting.

The challenges of running a multi-country payroll are numerous. So numerous and versatile that even experienced HR and payroll teams struggle when it comes to managing international payroll operations.

But what are the different global payroll challenges that businesses face when operating in multiple geographies? And more importantly: How can they be overcome?

Let’s elaborate on those…

Payroll Compliance On a Global Scale

According to the Global Payroll Management Institute (GPMI), the number one global payroll challenge faced by companies is global payroll compliance. Every country has its own deadlines for filing reports and paying taxes, which makes it hard to ensure everything is submitted on time.

Plus, payroll taxes and their respective rates vary between jurisdictions, and so do the rules for tax deductions and administration benefits. Another important compliance aspect to consider is employee misclassification.

Payroll compliance is always a challenging task for organisations, but with a global payroll, the complexity level rises with each additional geography. Businesses can minimise compliance risks by getting advice from local experts or by outsourcing payroll completely to an external service provider.

At Relocation Africa, our remuneration department specialises in payroll for the entire African continent, who each has different deadlines for filing reports and legal processes.

Why Choosing a Single Payroll Provider for Africa is Better

Choosing the right payroll service provider can in itself be a global payroll challenge. There are loads and loads of payroll professionals out there that offer their services in one or even several countries.

Comparing their service features and pricing to make sure they meet all the necessary requirements is a very time-consuming and daunting task.

To avoid wasting time comparing numerous providers, organisations can look into a regional payroll solution.

At Relocation Africa, our Remuneration department have a unique platform to keep everything in the same place, for all of the African countries.

Multi-vendor management

In the 2021 “Getting the world paid” survey, the GPMI found that 43 percent of companies with global operations work with between two and five payroll partners. Another 19 percent even have to manage between six and ten providers. Working with multiple payroll vendors means having to deal with various different processes and systems, which is complicated and inefficient.

That’s why payroll integration is an important aspect when choosing a global payroll solution. Global payroll platforms allow for integration with regional payroll systems used by the different providers so that businesses can have access to payroll data and insights from multiple systems through one centralised platform.

Lack of transparency and visibility

Data coming from different payroll vendors isn’t standardised, which makes it hard to track global payroll costs and compare different geographies. Yet data transparency and detailed insights into global workforce costs are crucial for strategic decision-making.

To solve this global payroll challenge, businesses should invest in a payroll solution that standardises and consolidates all their payroll data into a centralised system. This is where regional payroll reporting capabilities offer even more insights into data.

Manual data handling

The 2020 Deloitte Global Payroll Benchmarking Survey showed that 30 percent of organisations identified manual data entrance as the most time-consuming aspect of payroll processing. The problem increases as soon as data from different payroll providers needs to be entered manually into the central HCM and accounting systems.

Not only does this mean wasting valuable time on dull administrative tasks, but it also creates more room for errors. This global payroll challenge can also be solved through payroll consolidation via a centralised platform consolidating payroll information from regional providers, such as Relocation Africa for Africa.

Data protection and security

Employee payroll data is very sensitive, hence the need for strong data protection. Running a global payroll means having to comply with different data security laws. What’s more, the various different data streams to and from the business’s central system can quickly become a real security risk if not managed properly. Reducing the number of payroll partners and focusing on a regional solutions that report in centrally will assist in the data security of personal information.

A good payroll service provider will offer high data protection standards with regard to their internal systems and guarantee compliance with major data protection regulations like GDPR. Data security during transfers between systems can meanwhile be ensured through the use of a global payroll platform that integrates with the different regional vendor systems and uses encrypted data transfers.

Different currencies and cross-border payments

Another global payroll challenge identified by the GPMI survey is paying employees in different currencies. Businesses have to make sure that the right amount of money is available in foreign currency to pay their global team and allow for additional time for the payments to go through. Plus, transaction and conversion fees can be high.

In many cases, businesses can solve this issue by having their regional/local payroll partner manage employee payments. In some countries, however, there’s a legal requirement for salary payments to be made by the employer through a local bank account.

Time zone, cultural, and language barriers

Going global always comes with cultural differences, language struggles and time zone issues, and global payroll is no exception to that. Reporting and tax filing needs to be done in the local language, and organisations must understand local cultural practices linked to employee benefits. Payroll-related communication is also more complicated and slower across different time zones therefore working with a regional payroll partner will solve these cultural barriers.

Working closely with regional payroll partners reduces the risk of not complying with local payroll practices, since they can offer advice on cultural differences and common practices with regard to payroll and compensation. Having an regional payroll partner also is a big advantage with regard to communicating with local authorities. Time zone issues can be solved through asynchronous communication.

Having an African regional payroll partner can speed up the process. Relocation Africa has the necessary structures in place and the necessary knowledge and experience, they can implement a regional payroll infrastructure much faster than the organisation itself.