Three die in Mariental crash

November 26, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Three die in Mariental crash NAMPA

Three women, aged 61, 74 and 84, died after their car left the road and overturned near Gibeon on Monday.

The Hardap police crime investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Eric Clay, said yesterday the accident occurred around 12:20 on the B1 road, approximately 35 kilometres north of Gibeon.

“It is alleged that the driver of a white Honda Ballade with five occupants, which was traveling in the direction of Mariental, lost control of the vehicle and it left the road and overturned, killing two of the four passengers on the spot,” he said.

The three other occupants were rushed to the Mariental State Hospital, but one succumbed of her injuries upon arrival.

Clay said the 29-year-old driver and a 30-year-old woman were admitted to the hospital, with the driver being in a serious condition.

The next of kin of the deceased are yet to be notified and the police are investigating cases of culpable homicide.

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ECN needs 69 vehicles in Kunene for today’s polls

November 26, 2019, 2:00 pm

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ECN needs 69 vehicles in Kunene for today’s polls NAMPA



By Monday the Kunene Region still needed 69 more vehicles to efficiently conduct today’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

The Electoral Commission of Namibia’s Kunene regional coordinator, Gideon Gurirab, told Nampa on Monday that members of the community initially were keen to rent out their cars when the commission announced that it needed more vehicles, but lost interest when they heard how much the ECN could pay.

He said they would have to plan how to use the vehicles at their disposal while waiting for private individuals to offer assistance.

The region had received 62 vehicles from the government but needed 69 more for transporting ECN teams and equipment, he said.

Gurirab called on citizens with suitable vehicles to assist the ECN in the transportation of personnel and voting equipment.

“Community members in the region should be compatriots and avail their vehicles to be used for a noble cause,” he said.

Gurirab said besides transport, everything else was in place for the elections.

“We are ready. The preparation training was completed for polling and returning officers, and sensitive materials that include the ink, as well as the electronic voting machines (EVMs), have arrived in the region,” he said.

He added that they had the required number of EVMs and personnel to conduct a successful election.

The Kunene Region has 152 ECN teams. Ninety-six of these teams, which are divided into 62 mobile teams and 34 fixed polling stations, will cover Kunene North, which includes the Epupa, Opuwo Urban, Opuwo Rural and Sesfontein constituencies.

Fifty-six teams - 36 mobile and 20 fixed polling stations - will be deployed in Kunene South, which consists of the Khorixas, Outjo and Kamanjab constituencies.

Two Defence Force helicopters will be used to cover the hard-to-reach areas in Kunene North.

A total of 921 polling and returning officers will be working in the region’s seven constituencies.

The first teams were sent out yesterday.

Ohangwena principals’ recruitment criticised

November 26, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Ohangwena principals’ recruitment criticisedRegional director denies handpicking candidates There have been some complaints about only nine applicants being shortlisted for eight vacancies at Ohangwena schools. ILENI NANDJATO



Ohangwena education director Isak Hamatwi has rejected claims of unfair recruitment of school principals.

The regional education directorate had shortlisted nine candidates from a pool of 120 applicants for eight vacancies.

The recruitment was done during the last school term at schools such as Ohaindongo, Mahangu, Omahenge and Enyana.

Critics claimed it was unfair to invite only nine applicants for interviews.

“For the process to be fair, they were supposed to invite as many candidates as possible to each school and interview them. Now, if the successful candidate cannot take up the position due to other reasons, who will replace them? We would like the process to be redone and make it fair enough,” one critic said.

When contacted, the regional deputy chairperson of the Namibia National Teachers Union (Nantu), Shaalukeni Darius, referred Namibian Sun to the chairperson, George Hafilwa, who declined to comment, saying the complaint had not reached his office.

The Ohangwena education director, Isak Hamatwi, denied that candidates were “handpicked” for the vacant positions.

“We received 120 applications for these eight positions. All these 120 applicants were invited for a written test interview. Unfortunately, we found ourselves in a complex situation after the nine best candidates were shortlisted at every school, because they had all applied to all the schools,” Hamatwi said.

He said there would be no point in interviewing each of them eight times, once for each vacancy.

“If we were to interview them school by school, we would just sit with the same people at all the schools, answering the same questions. We therefore decided to interview them just once. This does not mean they were handpicked for positions,” he said.

Hamatwi said in the interest of fairness the personnel office had assigned a number to each applicant who did the written interview so that the markers could not know whose scripts they were marking.

Windhoek grapples with slums

November 26, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Windhoek grapples with slums JANA-MARI SMITH



Around 56 000 of Windhoek’s informal settlement inhabitants live with only the most rudimentary emergency services such as communal standpipes and toilets.

The municipality says of the estimated 140 000 people living in the city’s 87 informal settlements, 40% live in areas where only basic services have been installed.

A rapid assessment is scheduled to take place early next year to provide an accurate overview of the numbers of inhabitants and the conditions they live in.

President Hage Geingob last year declared informal settlements a national humanitarian crisis and the municipality says according to international definitions many of the settlements qualify as slums.

“There is no doubt that there is a crisis, more so a disaster in the informal settlements of Windhoek, requiring urgent and focused attention that far exceeds in scope and size all previous interventions,” a presentation to the president in January stressed.

Officials warned that aside from the hepatitis E outbreak that has spread due to a lack of sanitation and clean drinking water, the majority of the shacks “are illegal, are built using temporary building materials thus exposing tens of thousands of inhabitants to natural disasters such as floods and extreme weather conditions.”

Tricky

The City’s recently approved Development and Upgrading Policy (DUP) prioritises providing basic services and ensuring reasonable health standards for the ultra-low-income groups living in informal settlements.

But the City’s multimillion-dollar plan faces numerous hurdles, including severe financial constraints and a population explosion that outstrips the municipality’s ability to respond.

“The biggest challenge faced is that the informal settlements are growing at such a fast rate, which makes it difficult to provide the necessary services at the required rate,” municipal spokesperson Lydia Amutenya said this month.

Windhoek’s informal settlements grow at an estimated 7.3% per year, compared to the rest of the region at 3.9% per year, and the country at 1.9% per year, she said.

Municipal officials in January warned that the number of people living in the city’s informal settlements is set to double every nine-and-a-half years.

The municipality said it could not comment on the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia’s (SDFN) estimate that as many as 327 000 people live in Windhoek’s slums.

In response to critics who have condemned the slow pace of formalising and upgrading informal settlements, Amutenya said considering the hurdles “any reasonable person will understand that the challenge is mammoth and the interventions needed should be supportive and urgent.”

Work

By 7 November, 1 200 houses in the informal settlements of Okahandja Park and Havana were electrified, meeting 47% of the electrification goal over five years.

The Office of the President last week said following the declaration of the national humanitarian crisis, upgrading and formalisation initiatives commenced in six constituencies in Windhoek to provide basic services, including water, toilets, skips and graded roads.

Amutenya confirmed that more than a thousand families have benefited from ongoing interventions to formalise and upgrade areas since the start of the year.

The municipality confirmed that the government had allocated N$68.6 million to the municipality this financial year for upgrading of living conditions in the targeted areas.

The DUP for informal settlements states that formalising the settlements and providing full services would cost an estimated N$4 billion.

The policy notes that given the difficulties to raise the necessary funds at once, the DUP proposes that “seed capital of about N$400 million be sourced over a period not exceeding five years from a blend of development financiers or one major development financier.”

City officials in January said that in order to respond to the housing need or access to secure land tenure, it aims to provide land to between 3 000 and 4 000 households per year, of which 2 000 are in the informal settlements.

Amutenya said the City’s strategies and policies are geared towards both the provision of serviced land at affordable prices and the provision of housing.

She said the approach that has shown success is incremental upgrading of services paired with public involvement in the development process.

The DUP states that private and community organisations will be called on to assist where necessary.

Nampa dumps stringer over Fishrot debate

November 26, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Nampa dumps stringer over Fishrot debate OGONE TLHAGE



The Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) has terminated the services of a Windhoek-based freelance reporter after he had participated in a panel discussion on One Africa TV about the Fishrot kickback scandal.

Vitalio Angula’s contract was terminated by the manager of editorial services, Jata Kazondu.

In a letter to Angula, Kazondu said Nampa’s editorial policy stance had been compromised by his appearance on Sunday’s broadcast, on which the fisheries bribery scandal was discussed.

“You have risked potentially compromising Nampa’s editorial policy stance and the agency’s reputation by taking part in a highly controversial nationally discussed show, which was aired on One Africa TV on 24 November, focusing on running a story called ‘Fishrot’,” the letter reads.

Angula had been informed that no requests to participate in public debates would be entertained, it states.

“Your participation in the show was without the prerequisite permission from the news editor or myself, which was a matter that was discussed extensively with you at the coming into force of your stringer contract. I have previously warned you several times not to take part in such or similar discussions because of your attachment to the Namibia Press Agency,” Kazondu wrote.

Angula was further informed that his access to the Nampa building and its computers had been revoked.

“Please return to my office all equipment, media cards, election coverage passes and so forth that you may have been given or received because of your association with Nampa,” Kazondu wrote.

On the show, hosted by Erica Gebhard, Angula said he had a problem with an Icelandic fishing company executive saying Africans were corruptible.

Angula further accused Spanish fishing companies of illegally fishing in African waters, particularly those of Western Sahara.

Ready, steady, vote!

November 26, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Ready, steady, vote!ECN ready, military on alert More than 1.3 million Namibians have registered to vote in today’s elections, dubbed the most competitive since 1989. CATHERINE SASMAN



More than 1.3 million Namibian voters will decide the fate of the country for the next five years when they vote in today’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

Analysts regard this as the most crucial election since the one that brought the country democracy in 1989 due to an avalanche of dynamics.

While the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) yesterday said it was ready for today’s showdown, on the other side of town were army generals announcing that they were aware of alleged threats of political violence should the results not go in their favour.

“What is most surprising is the fact that the issuers of threats are purportedly doing so on behalf of certain candidates, however, none amongst those political parties or presidential candidates have ever condemned or distanced themselves from these threats,” Air Vice-Marshal Martin Kambulu Pinehas said in a statement late yesterday.

“The NDF, as the guarantor of national security, sovereignty, peace and stability has taken these threats seriously and has therefore elevated the security level and taken the necessary measures to protect national key points and the citizens,” he added.

Polling stations across the country open at 07:00 this morning where 1 358 468 Namibian voters are expected to cast their votes in the presidential and National Assembly elections.

It means if all registered voters were to cast their vote without any ballots spoiled, 14 150 votes would be required for a single seat in the National Assembly.

If turnout is 75%, 10 600 votes would be needed per seat. A low turnout of 50% would mean 7 075 votes are needed per seat.

Voting closes at 21:00 tonight, but the ECN has assured that everyone who had joined the queue before that time would be allowed to vote.

The chairperson of the ECN, Advocate Notemba Tjipueja, assured the nation that the commission was committed to free, fair, transparent, and credible elections.

Her assurance came hot on the heels of a ruling this week by the Electoral Tribunal, which dismissed an urgent application by independent presidential candidate Panduleni Itula, who had challenged the use of EVMs without a paper trail.

The tribunal ruled that his application lacked urgency.

Tjipueja encouraged all political parties, candidates, members and supporters to abide by the provisions of the code of conduct for political parties and the fundamental rights and duties of voters.

Tjipueja said the 2019 elections got off a good start on 13 November when seafarers, members of the defence and police forces, and Namibians living abroad could cast special votes.

Tjipueja said the special elections were conducted in a peaceful and calm atmosphere – which also prevailed throughout the country during the pre-election period - and no incidents of violence or intimidation were reported to the ECN.

The results of votes cast in the special elections will be collated by the returning officers along with the rest of the votes after the close of the polls today.

The theme of this year’s elections is ‘Promoting Inclusive Participation’, underscoring the importance of participation by all eligible individuals and groups in Namibian society, including marginalised communities and people living with disabilities.

There are eleven presidential candidates. Republican Party leader Henk Mudge and his Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) counterpart Efrans Mukwillongo belatedly withdrew from the presidential race, hence their names remain on the ballot papers.

The RP and NEFF had approached the ECN to withdraw their presidential candidates, but the ECN declined to do so because the requests were made after the closure of the nomination of candidates on 18 October.

Fifteen political parties will contest the National Assembly election.

EVMs discontent

The ECN reiterated it would use electronic voting machines (EVMs) without a voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT), which means the provision of the Electoral Act that stipulates the use of a VVPAT for electronic voting remains suspended.

A total of 2 540 EVMs were deployed to 4241 fixed and mobile polling stations across the country.

The ECN said all EVMs had undergone a “first-level check” before being used in the elections. A total of 6 080 EVMs were checked between 9 and 24 September to ensure they were all in order, the ECN said.

Tjipueja said all political parties were invited to witness these checks.

Announcement of results

Presiding officers at each polling station will post the election results outside the stations.

But the ECN said it would not announce the results of the individual polling stations on any of its platforms.

Instead, the ECN advised political parties to have at least one representative at each of the 121 collation centres in each constituency, where they can get the combined results of votes cast in the constituencies.

The results announced at these collation centres by the returning officers will then be transmitted to the central election result centre (CERC), which is the ECN’s headquarters in Windhoek.

Namibia ready for Copa Coca-Cola Africa Cup of Nations

November 27, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Namibia ready for Copa Coca-Cola Africa Cup of NationsYouthful players set for big stage The Namibia team of players selected from secondary schools are getting ready for the Copa Coca-Cola Africa Cup of Nations Championship that will take place in Kenya next month. The Pan-African Under-16 tournament, Copa Coca-Cola, which is held to develop young footballers into the next generation of stars, will kick off on 2 December.

Namibia has selected 16 players to represent the country. They will compete against players from 11 other countries, namely host and defending champions Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Angola and Botswana.

The tournament, with the theme 'Bigger for Better', seeks to promote a level playing field by bringing together players from different backgrounds and cultures for one goal, which is to be the African champion.

“The Copa Africa Cup is a platform that will go a long way in ensuring that learners are the next generation of football stars. The array of stars the tournament has provided to the national football teams of the participating teams is a testament of the crucial nature of the games.

“Our partner, the Namibia Schools Sports Union (NSSU), has immensely supported and managed the tourney ensuring the success of the games,” said Terreisha Naidoo, Namibia Coca-Cola brand manager.

She added that Copa Coca-Cola has changed the lives of many teenagers and Namibia will be one of the markets to benefit from this tournament.

The Namibians are in pool C, where they will face Uganda and Ethiopia. They will play Uganda in their first match and complete their group stage games with a date against Ethiopia in the afternoon.

The Coca-Cola Company enables people around the world to celebrate their passion for football. The company is one of the longest-serving corporate partners of Fifa with a formal relationship since 1974 and an official sponsorship of Fifa World Cup that began in 1978.

“Previously, the company invested in taking outstanding players in specialised training in the Copa Coca-Cola global camps where they visited most of the football iconic cities.

“Now, we are exposing them to friendly professional competitions, a wide range of coaches and scouts from the best football clubs all over Africa in a bid to ensure they are scouted to continue their football journey.

“We urge all football stakeholders, parents, teachers and scouts to walk with us in this journey of unearthing African football talents and skills,” said Phillipine Mtikitiki, general manager of Coca-Cola East and Central Africa.

The games are part of the company's wider commitment to improve the sport in the continent. Since 1989, The Copa Coca-Cola tournament has been played in Africa each year, with the first country to play being Zimbabwe.



The selected players are:

James Hamupembe, Markus Elia, Eliasel Temus, Yogine Awaseb, Muhupua Urika, Romeo Routh, John Araeb, Giovanny Gaingob, Naameontu Haihuna, Efraim Mbango, Thomas Kangulu, Marc Haraseb, Ismael Ndjene, Andries Henry, Andrias Zandoke and Benediktus Thikusho.

LIMBA MUPETAMI

Liverpool's Robertson happy to let Klopp manage workload

November 27, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Liverpool's Robertson happy to let Klopp manage workloadPlayer fine with manager's choice Liverpool defender Andy Robertson is prepared to play through a niggling ankle problem during a busy run of fixtures next month but says he will let manager Juergen Klopp dictate his workload. The Scotland captain Andy Robertson was forced out of this month's Euro 2020 qualifiers against Cyprus and Kazakhstan but returned to play the full 90 minutes of Liverpool's Premier League victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

“It has been better to be fair, a bit stiff after matches but it is something I can manage with and something I'm quite happy with,” the 25-year-old said of his ankle issue.

“It's slightly painful, but if you don't have any pain in the amount of games we play then you're doing something wrong. All the lads are managing stuff and we're all good. I feel fresh and hopefully that continues.”

Liverpool was scheduled to play Napoli in the Champions League yesterday and is set to field two different squads in the League Cup on 17 December and Club World Cup the following day.

Klopp used Robertson as a late substitute in the Champions League match against Genk this month and rested striker Mohamed Salah, who also has an ankle injury, at Palace.

“We all want to play. But unfortunately sometimes it's not quite possible and people need to step in to tell you otherwise and you need to respect that,” Robertson added.

“It's about managing it. It happened with Mo at the weekend. He would have been desperate to play, but for him it was best to have an extra couple of days rest.”

NAMPA/REUTERS

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Australia boss Castle apologises to World Rugby

November 27, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Australia boss Castle apologises to World RugbyCastle compelled to maintain good relations Rugby Australia chief Raelene Castle has apologised to World Rugby for the behaviour of some members of the Wallabies entourage, led by coach Michael Cheika, at the Japan World Cup. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Rugby Australia chief Raelene Castle has written a letter saying sorry after concerns were raised by the Japanese organising committee as well as high-ranking rugby officials.

They were believed to be related to Cheika's criticism of World Rugby and referees, and issues with Australian management during the team's time in Japan.

Rugby Australia confirmed to NAMP/AFP “there was a letter”, but said it would not be commenting further. “The issue is behind us,” a spokesman added.

Cheika, who quit at the end of the World Cup, was vocal after Fiji referred Reece Hodge for disciplinary action over a heavy tackle which left Peceli Yato concussed in their group game.

The Wallaby wing was subsequently suspended for three weeks.

“If there is one bloke World Rugby is not listening to it's me,” Cheika said at the time of Hodge's suspension. “No matter what language I spoke to them in.

“There is a bit of us versus everyone else. You know and we know that. So we are not going to let it derail us.”

He also slammed the decision to penalise Samu Kerevi for a ball carry that floored Wales fly-half Rhys Patchell, saying: “As a rugby player, a former player, I'm embarrassed,” while claiming referees were “spooked” by a crackdown on high-tackles.

The Herald suggested his attitude and overall “us-against-them” demeanour filtered down to other members of the Australian camp and Castle did her best to clear the air with her letter.

In a bombshell on his departure, Cheika revealed he barely had a relationship with the Rugby Australia hierarchy, led by Castle, apparently stemming from his powers being watered down by the appointment of Scott Johnson as director of rugby. Cheika, whose contract was due to expire at the end of the year, fell on his sword after the Wallabies were sent packing in the quarter-finals by England. New Zealander Dave Rennie was appointed as his replacement last week.

NAMPA / AFP

Oshikondo shelongo moHangwena sha tumbaleke Nghaamwa

November 27, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Oshikondo shelongo moHangwena sha tumbaleke NghaamwaTa kondjo mokuyambulapo elongo moshitopolwa she Omunambelewa Omukomeho gwOshikondo shElongo moshitopolwa shaHangwena, Isak Hamatwi okwa hokolola kutya Ngoloneya gwoshitopolwa shaHangwena, Usko Nghaamwa oku na olune nonakuyiwa yokanona kaNamibia. Hamatwi okwa popi kutya Nghaamwa ota longitha ontseyo ye yuuleli mokutunga ontompa ndjoka tayi kwatakanitha oshikondo shelongo nookuume melongo nokukwashilipaleka kutya ongushu yelongo moshitopolwa oya yambulwapo.

Hamatwi okwa popi ngaaka pethimbo lyoshituthi shokugandja iitungitho oshowo iikwathitho melongo yongushu yooN$180 000 koskola yaKapombo Combined School oshowo osekundoskola yaMungwelume, omagano ngoka ga gandjwa koPutian Love Team ongundu ndjoka ya thikama po maanangeshefa yaChina 13 oshowo aakwashigwana yaChina oohandimwe yahamano.

“Omusimanekwa ngoloneya oku li ependafule lyelongo. Oha longitha ontseyo ye muuleli mokutunga ontopa pokati kombelewa ye, elongo oshowo ookuume yelongo. Oha longo nuudhiginini na oku na oshinakugwanithwa shelongo kehe mpoka ta yi.”

“Sho tatu popi ngashiingeyi otu na opoloyeka yomuhandjo gwoskola ndjoka tayi tungwa posekundoskola yaMungwelume na oshi li oshiyetwapo she. Okupitila mookuume kelongo mboka a totopo uukume naye, otwe shi pondola okugongela oshimaliwa sha thika poomiliyona heyali shetungo lyopoloyeka ndjika,” Hamatwi a popi.

Hamatwi okwa tsikile kutya ngashiingeyi oshikondo shelongo nasho osha yi moompadhi dha ngoloneya na osha gongele oshimaliwa sha thika pooN$72 000, shoka sha gongelwa okuza mooskola dhomoshitopolwa, na osha nuninwa etungo lyomuhandjo gwoskola mosekundo yaMungwelume.

Sho aanaskola mosekundoskola yaMungwelume ya kala kaye na mpoka taya zi, Nghaamwa okwa longitha oonkondo dhombelewa ye onga ngoloneya gwoshitopolwa nokugandja elombwelo opo aanaskola ya thika po 118 yondondo onti 11 oshowo ondondo onti 12 ya kale taya zi manga metungo ndyoka lya li lya landwa kelelo lyoshitopolwa shaHangwena kongushu yoshimaliwa shoomiliyona hamano.

Nghaamwa okwa kala ta yambidhidha aanaskola mboka nomahangu nokukwashilipaleka kutya ye na oondya.

Petameko lyomvula ndjika, Nghaamwa okwa longitha oshimaliwa shooN$17 500 okuza mondjato yemwene nokulongululitha oongulu ndatu dhoskola yaNdilula Naikaku Primary School moshikandjo shEenhana ndhoka dha li dha hanagulwa po koshikungulu.

Pethimbo lyoshituthi shokugandja omagano poKapombo, Nghaamwa okwa popi kutya omasiku ga piti, ookuume ke yongundu yoPutian Love Team oye mu pula ngele ope na moshikondo moka ta pumbwa eyambidhidho.

“Pwaahena omalimbililo onde ya lombele kutya onda pumbwa ekwatho moshikondo shelongo. Otu na ooskola 266 moshitopolwa shetu na adhihe odha pumbwa ekwatho,” Nghaamwa a popi.

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ILENI NANDJATO

Omaruru: Destination for the hungriest of cattle

November 27, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Omaruru: Destination for the hungriest of cattleFarmers drive herds to town for better grazing The western town has become the go-to area for desperate farmers whose animals are starving. One of the dozens of communal farmers who have settled near towns in a desperate bid to keep their emaciated animals alive says his small herd stands a chance of survival following a stroke of luck.

“Without the help I received recently many of my cattle would not still be alive, and would all probably have died soon,” Omatjette communal farmer Lisias Karipo (62), who trekked to Omaruru in January over several days, said on Monday.

It was a last-ditch attempt for him and others to secure grazing, which has now dwindled entirely at the town.

Many have left now, with the last grazing gone, including the riverbed reeds that had kept the animals alive for months. Others stayed because owners fear their starving cattle would not survive the long walk back home.

Karipo remains, however, after he met Annika Barty six weeks ago, when she noticed his thirsty cattle next to her property's fence while she was watering her garden.

“You can't see an animal dying next to your fence and not do anything. How can you witness this terrible suffering, cattle that are just skin and bones, and do nothing?”

In an effort to secure feed donations for Karipo's surviving herd of 27 cows and calves, she placed an SOS alert on an online platform last month.

“Omaruru is a beautiful small town in Namibia known for its art, landscape and history, but now it has become a graveyard for cattle and orphaned calves devastated by the drought,” the post read.

Her call for assistance resulted in a donation of 50 bales of ­lucerne from Nico Brand and 30 bales from Henriette le Grange's Farmers Drought Aid Programme so far.Barty says with the economic pressures faced by most Namibians it can be daunting to help others.

Nevertheless, “if everybody puts a drop in the bucket, it will overflow.”



No choice

Barty, a former commercial farmer, currently cares for five of Karipo's orphaned calves, while the rest of the herd are fed and watered on a small patch of land next to the property. Over the past six weeks, the herd has regained much-needed strength, with daily access to water and feed.

“These are the happiest cows in Omaruru,” Karipo said.

Barty warns that the drought is a countrywide problem and “touches all of us, including farmers and townspeople”.

She says the knock-on effects of the drought will be felt by all in the long term, and every little bit of help now will lessen the aftershocks.

“One doesn't expect everyone to give their whole salary, but it is incredible how far just a little can go to help.”

The aim is not to fatten up the animals, but to keep them alive.

Despite the heavily stacked odds, Karipo says he and others are reluctant to kill their livestock.

“If I kill them, or I sell them, and I get that little bit of money, then what? I will have money in my purse, and then that will be gone too. What then?”

Each month he buys feed with a portion of his meagre government grant, but it is far from enough.

Barty says for Karipo, and other communal farmers, their cattle represent their entire livelihood and wealth.

“He will push to keep them alive up to the end. It's easy to say kill or sell the animals, but this is all he owns. He does not have his own land. This herd is his future, his entire wealth and livelihood.”



The other side

Karipo's plight has opened Barty's eyes to the unique struggles communal farmers face.

She says with no land ownership, they cannot get bank financing during times of crisis.

Moreover, a communal farmer's management of grazing is restricted, as they share their land with others, with little control.

The Namibia Chamber of Environment CEO, Dr Chris Brown, agrees.

“Everyone is affected, but on freehold land people can plan their rangeland management on their own farms, without being threatened by other farmers coming in and taking some of their grazing. They can exclude others, thus they are in control of their planning.” He said commercial freehold farmers have title deeds they can lean on in times of crisis, to access loans and other benefits.

“By contrast, communal farmers are in open systems. If they set aside some grazing for bad times, other farmers move their animals in. Communal farmers, under present rangeland systems in Namibia, simply cannot plan and manage for drought. That is why policy reform is so urgently needed.”

Brown added that overall, “not enough is being done in a coherent, coordinated and timely way to help vulnerable people who are affected by the drought – not just farmers, but many other poor people living in rural areas”.

He warned that as droughts become more frequent and more severe as climate change progresses, Namibia requires a national strategy as a standing operational practice to avoid responding to droughts on an ad-hoc basis each time.

An account has been set up at Kaapagri at Omaruru where deposits can be made for feed. Annika Barty can be contacted for more information at annikabarty@gmail.com

JANA-MARI SMITH

Education director denies handpicking candidates

November 27, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Education director denies handpicking candidates Ohangwena education director Isak Hamatwi has rejected claims of unfair recruitment of school principals.

The regional education directorate had shortlisted nine candidates from a pool of 120 applicants for eight vacancies.

The recruitment was done during the last school term at schools such as Ohaindongo, Mahangu, Omahenge and Enyana.

Critics claimed it was unfair to invite only nine applicants for interviews.

“For the process to be fair, they were supposed to invite as many candidates as possible to each school and interview them. Now, if the successful candidate cannot take up the position due to other reasons, who will replace them? We would like the process to be redone and make it fair enough,” one critic said.

When contacted, the regional deputy chairperson of the Namibia National Teachers Union (Nantu), Shaalukeni Darius, referred Namibian Sun to the chairperson, George Hafilwa, who declined to comment, saying the complaint had not reached his office.

The Ohangwena education director, Isak Hamatwi, denied that candidates were “handpicked” for the vacant positions.

“We received 120 applications for these eight positions. All these 120 applicants were invited for a written test interview. Unfortunately, we found ourselves in a complex situation after the nine best candidates were shortlisted at every school, because they had all applied to all the schools,” Hamatwi said.

He said there would be no point in interviewing each of them eight times, once for each vacancy.

“If we were to interview them school by school, we would just sit with the same people at all the schools, answering the same questions. We therefore decided to interview them just once. This does not mean they were handpicked for positions,” he said.

Hamatwi said in the interest of fairness the personnel office had assigned a number to each applicant who did the written interview so that the markers could not know whose scripts they were marking.

ILENI NANDJATO

Air Namibia warns of closure

November 27, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Air Namibia warns of closureBailout seems unlikely The national airline has cut its operating costs to the bone while waiting for a cabinet decision on its N$2.5 billion bailout request. Air Namibia says it will be forced to close down if no bailout package is forthcoming from the Treasury.

Finance minister Calle Schlettwein recently expressed doubt whether the airline's request for a N$2.5 billion bailout could be met, saying the government was unable to fund the airline's operations.

Air Namibia spokesperson Paul Nakawa says the airline is trying to operate on a shoestring budget.

“In an event support is not granted, day-to-day operations will be affected. It is a situation where we need to learn to do more with less, as a nation,” Nakawa said.

“Austerity measures are being put in place, and that is the way forward,” he added.

The airline recently announced that it would stop serving meals on its regional flights.

A dry snack with fruit juice, still or sparkling water will be offered in the place of the hot meals previously served. This applies to all flights of less than two-and-a-half hours, irrespective of the time of departure or aircraft type.

The airline also announced that alcoholic beverages, tea and coffee would no longer be offered to economy-class passengers.

The airline currently serves only water on its domestic flights to Katima Mulilo, Rundu, Ondangwa, Lüderitz and Oranjemund.

Air Namibia is determined to maintain its international flights to and from Germany, although there are other airlines serving the European routes.

“Air Namibia is still the only airline that provides year-round daily flights between Frankfurt and Windhoek. We also designed a schedule that allows maximum connection from the entire Europe to Namibia via Frankfurt Airport,” Nakawa said.

“Regarding the subsidy, it is important though to understand that the minister has a difficult task of having to balance the limited resources among the many critical and important competing national priorities,” Nakawa acknowledged.

Asked about the airline's bailout request after the mid-term budget review in October, Minister Schlettwein said: “We have not made money available to bail it (Air Namibia) out.

If you look at Air Namibia, you have to realise that for the last 29 years there was not a single year where Air Namibia contributed to the state coffers; it has never made money.”

This situation was further exacerbated by the airline's inability to turn a profit despite interventions to steer it to financial viability, Schlettwein explained.

“The drain on coffers was becoming worse and that was despite two turnaround strategies that were aimed at improving it.

“We are at a point where we have to crucially think; if we put in what they have asked us to put in, that is N$2 billion, is that the best way to spend money to create jobs, to grow the economy? The answer is obviously no,” said Schlettwein.

“The N$2 billion we give to Air Namibia would not create a single job, it would just pay debt and perpetuate a situation that is unsustainable… if we give N$2 billion this year, the same request would come to Treasury next year, another N$2 billion and maybe another N$3 billion,” the finance minister said.

OGONE TLHAGE

They are 'not special'

November 27, 2019, 2:00 pm

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They are 'not special'Fishrot Six to be treated like any other criminal suspects The police chief yesterday said the six men arrested for alleged fishing quota bribery must prove their innocence in court, as the police would not extend special treatment to them. Police chief Sebastian Ndeitunga says the six men arrested yesterday in connection with the Fishrot bribery saga – including two former cabinet ministers who resigned a fortnight ago – will not be treated with kid gloves because of their status in society.

However, Ndeitunga also hastened to say that the police would not be pressured into victimising the suspects just to impress the public.

Former justice minister Sacky Shanghala and Investec Asset Management ex-managing director James Hatuikulipi were arrested at a farm yesterday, having arrived in the country on Tuesday.

They had previously promised to surrender to the police if arrest warrants were issued for them.

The two had been in Cape Town for nearly two weeks after resigning amidst a storm of allegations that they formed part of a syndicate that had accepted bribes in excess of N$150 million in return for allocating fishing quotas to Icelandic company Samherji.

Former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau was also re-arrested yesterday. He had been released from police custody on Sunday following an urgent court application in which he challenged the technical aspects of his arrest.

Esau's son-in-law Tamson Fitty Hatuikulipi a cousin of James Hatuikulipi's – was also arrested yesterday.

Two other men, Ricardo Gustavo and Pius Mwatelulo, were also arrested.

Gustavo is a former colleague of James Hatuikulipi at Investec, where he is currently on suspension, while Mwatelulo is James's cousin.

Mwatelulo worked for Hanganeni Investment Holdings, a company owned by Shanghala, among others.

“We have arrested all six of them,” Ndeitunga confirmed yesterday.





Following Esau's release on Sunday, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) was criticised for botching the arrests after it was concluded that they were not executed in line with the law.

Namibian Sun understands that a high-level meeting took place yesterday between representatives of the ACC, the police and the prosecutor-general's office to ensure the arrests were legally watertight this time.

“Law is a technical field and we didn't want to repeat the way the first arrests were made,” Ndeitunga commented yesterday.

The six men must now prove that they were not party to briberies received in exchange for allocating quotas to Samherji, which itself faces growing pressure in its home country.

It is alleged that Namibian laws were amended to allow Esau to strip fishing quotas from many private fishing companies in Namibia and hand them over to state-owned Fishcor under the guise of 'Namibianising' the fishing sector.

But soon after that, Fishcor passed some of its allocated quotas to a foreign company, Samherji, at a discounted price.

This happened while James Hatuikulipi was chairperson of Fishcor, a position to which he was appointed by Esau.

Fitty Hatuikulipi was then appointed as a 'local consultant' to Samherji, helping to facilitate business between the company and Fishcor.

ACC said last weekend that it had gathered enough evidence pointing to looting of national resources by the suspects.

Commenting on the arrests yesterday, Ndeitunga said: “We went back to the drawing board to ensure the arrests can no longer be challenged in court.

“These allegations are very serious. It's not a case of common assault or something at that level, that's why we are putting them in custody. If these were simple allegations, we could have just opened a case and let them go home but these are serious allegations so our actions have to match that.

“They can apply for bail and the courts will decide.”

The bank accounts of some of the suspects have been frozen with the help of the Financial Intelligence Centre, an arm of the Bank of Namibia.

STAFF REPORTER

Election littered with glitches

November 27, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Election littered with glitches Several glitches with electronic voting machines (EVMs), the voter verification process and generally slow-moving queues marred a relatively peaceful 2019 general election in Namibia.

There were also complaints that the buttons on EVMs did not line up with the candidates and parties contesting the presidential and National Assembly elections, while at the coast an EVM allegedly fell from a table and officials couldn't get it to work again.

It is not clear what the Electoral Commission of Namibia intended to do with votes that were already cast using the broken EVM.

Officials scanning voter cards at the Khomasdal community hall complained that the new cards were difficult to scan, while those from 2014 were easily recognised by the system.

At the Red Cross Kindergarten in Katutura, there were several complaints about queues not moving fast enough and voters trying to sneak their way into the polling station ahead of those who had been there much earlier.

At the Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo polling station in Oshana a voter verification device (VVD) rejected regional governor Elia Irimari's voter card, but he was allowed to cast his vote after filling in a declaration.

President Hage Geingob and First Lady Monica Geingos voted at Mandume Primary School in the capital shortly after 07:00.

Geingob's fiercest rival in the presidential race, Panduleni Itula, also voted at the same centre.

Geingob afterwards said: “Whoever wins, we accept, hug each other and move on. If I lose I will accept defeat.”

Soon after they voted, Vice-president Nangolo Mbumba also voted at the same venue.

Dentist Itula said he was confident of a landslide victory.

Former president Sam Nujoma voted at the Eros Children's Home in the Windhoek East constituency.

He said he was confident that Geingob would emerge victorious in the presidential race, while Swapo would dominate to the National Assembly poll.

Another former president, Hifikepunye Pohamba, cast his vote at the Auas Hills old-age home in Windhoek.

Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani voted at the Hadino Hishongwa polling station in the Goreangab Dam area in Windhoek, and said afterwards his party would surprise many.

Landless People's Movement (LPM) leader Bernadus Swartbooi voted in Khomasdal, his residential neighbourhood.

In Kavango East, many polling stations opened at around 07:00 apart from the Sauyemwa Primary School polling station which opened at around 08:00 due to a technical error with the EVM's control unit. A technician was called in to fix it.

Namibian Sun also communicated with a number of young people on the street who said they were not going to vote, primarily because of the long queues and, secondly, because they do not see any point in voting.

Sebastian Nginga, spoken to at the Dr Romanus Kampungu Secondary School polling station, said: “Being a Namibian, knowing the whole history of the country which includes what our forefathers did and went through to earn us this right to vote, is the reason why I am here to vote as I am honouring their sacrifices so that we have a better tomorrow.”

Magreth Mathe da Rocha at the Dr Alpo Mbamba Junior Secondary School polling station remarked: “The way I feel about this year's election is wonderful because it is a dynamic election and I am happy to be amongst this year's voters. This is the opportunity for us to make a difference through our votes.”

Augustinus Poroto, speaking to Namibian Sun at Rundu Beach, said he visited the recreation spot in order to carefully think of who to vote for.

“I just want to get my thoughts together as I am about to go and make an important decision. I am just giving myself some minutes just to reflect on my decision.

“Unfortunately I met a few young guys who indicated that they are not going to vote. Most of them are saying because they believe their vote is meaningless.”

The ECN was scheduled to have a press conference late yesterday evening, but it was unclear what it would be about.

STAFF REPORTERS

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Sandman fever grips coast

November 28, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Sandman fever grips coast300 triathletes descend on Swakopmund The gruelling, multi-sport FNB Sandman triathlon race will take place in Swakopmund this weekend. The highly anticipated FNB Sandman triathlon race, which the coastal community has enjoyed for the last 31 years, will take place this Sunday at the Mole.

According to one of the organisers of the event from OTB Sport, Yvonne Brinkman, FNB has made the longevity of the event possible by taking up the role of main sponsor for over 10 years.

“With FNB's support, participating numbers this year have peaked at over 300 participants, with ages ranging from 7 to 70 years,” Brinkman said. A total of 272 competitors participated in the popular triathlon last year.

Some have opted for participation in the ultra category, which consists of a 91km swim, 90km cycle and a 21.1km run.

The standard category consists of 1km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run, whereas the sprint comprises of a 450m swim, 20km cycle and 3km run and the category consists of 150m swim, 6km cycle and 3km run.

There will be tough competition, especially in the youth division, with favourites in the sprint category including eager triathletes Nathan Chase and Ethan Snyders.

Others like Sebastian Pahl, Sonja Obholzer and Benita Kasch also want to make their mark, as they are favourites in the standard category.

Michael Greeff and British veteran David Gardner are favourites in the ultra category.

Brinkman said the race remains an open playing field in all distances and that there will be surprises, without a doubt.

OTB Sport thanked FNB for its generous sponsorship and also OCNAM and Herco Marketing for their contribution to the triathlon.

Last year Team Triple Thread, consisting of Phillip Seidler, Justin Vosloo and Erich Goeieman, brushed off tough competition to win the FNB Sandman triathlon.

The trio completed the event in just over four hours. It was Seidler and Goeieman's third ultra-event win in a row. The duo always recruits a cyclist to compliment them at the event.

LIMBA MUPETAMI

LIMBA MUPETAMI

Chiefs regain 10-point log lead

November 28, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Chiefs regain 10-point log lead Kaizer Chiefs' Samir Nurkovic bagged a brace as his club regained their 10-point lead atop the Absa Premiership standings with a 4-0 win over Stellenbosch at the Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Siyabonga Ngezana opened the scoring for the Amakhosi in the Mother City, as the visitors made it six wins from six matches on the road this season. Dumisani Zuma rounded off the rout in second-half stoppage time.

The defeat leaves Stellies in 14th spot on the log standings, but now just a mere point above bottom-placed Chippa United.

Chiefs got off to the perfect start as Ngezana found the back of the net in the 11th minute of the match. The centre-back rose highest from a Lebogang Manyama corner-kick to give the league leaders an early lead.

The onslaught continued after the break and the Glamour Boys should've been three goals up just before the hour mark, as Manyama and Nurkovic linked up once more, but the latter failed to direct his diving header on goal.

Stellenbosch's first shot on target came through Marc van Heerden in the 68th minute, with their best chance following two minutes later as Waseem Isaacs shrugged off Yagan Sasman, before directing his shot from an acute angle straight at Daniel Akpeyi's face.

Nurkovic finally completed his double in the 76th minute, heading home after Zuma's initial shot was saved by De Jong.

Zuma, though, bagged a goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time to complete an emphatic win for the visitors.

The attacker scored from close range to fire Chiefs 10 points clear of second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns.

NAMPA/ANA

Archers strut their stuff

November 28, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Archers strut their stuffIndoor champions crowned Local archers competed in the second indoor archery championships held at Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) last weekend. Archery in Namibia is growing from strength to strength, with the recent indoor archery championship hosted by the organising committee together with Hemco Paints, producing thrilling wins.

“In the recurve barebow class, we might soon see new rising star Lutz Wahlers participating internationally.

“A well-known name in archery circles, Francois Marais also attended the shoot, amongst a number of newcomers since indoor archery was introduced in Namibia as a world archery discipline of target archery last year,” said Christo Brandt from Archery Namibia.



The results were as follows:

Compound boys' under-13: Wessel du Plessis (gold) and Marcel Imhof (silver).

Compound girls' u-13: Mia Karsten (gold).

Compound boys' u-13: Christiaan Delport (gold) and Franco van Zyl (silver).

Compound cadet men: Manuel de Rebeira (gold), Paul Jordaan (silver) and Danie Delport (bronze).

Compound junior men: JP Viljoen (gold), Cobus Barnard (silver) and Jaco Becker (silver).

Compound master men: Moritz Hoff (gold).

Recurve barebow men: Lutz Wahlers (gold).

Recurve women: Margot Louw (gold) and Nelleke Louw (silver).

Recurve junior men: Adriaan Grobler (gold) and CF Brandt (silver).

Compound men: Louw Nel (gold), Jannie Meuwesen (silver) and Dirkie de Bod Jr (bronze).

Compound women: Jacqueline Coetzee (gold), Bianca Karsten (silver) and Cecilia Brandt (bronze).

The next indoor archery event will be the Swakopmund year-end indoor shoot, hosted by the Swakopmund Archery Club on 21 December at the SFC grounds.

Interested parties can contact Pieter du Plessis at 081 128 0723.

SPORTS REPORTER

Building a brand

November 28, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Building a brandFusing different genres With their current radio friendly songs, BnT Music is popping. How many groups within the music scene have we seen break up at some point?

It's not rare that at the first sign of trouble, a group's foundation begins to crumble, because of the change. Well there's one super duo that has managed to move through it all and keep the bond as tight as ever since 2014. We are talking about BnT Music.

With their current hot single called Adrenaline, there is no denying their consistency, and this is why tjil had a chat with them.



tjil (t): Before we get to the music; how is BnT Music doing?

BnT Music (BM): We are doing great, we have a healthy relationship within our camp and management. Barney recently became a father in the middle of this year to a beautiful, strong, healthy daughter.

t: You recently dropped a single with Chubby Beats, how has the response been like so far?

BM: Adrenaline is massive. Phones are buzzing. The song has a unique summer sound. It's catchy and has a lot to say about ladies, good times and good friendly people. It also has a lot to say about being judgemental towards a lady that isn't in the limelight, forgetting that it just takes money, the right outfits and likes on her Instagram to contest. The message in the song is no one is ugly, we are just broke. We are happy with how the fans have received this song.

t: Can we expect a body of work from you soon? If yes, please give us all the details

BM: Yes, we are working on some new music. On top of that, we are also working on more visuals lately. We have an in-house photographer who makes sure you don't miss anything. So with that said, expect a lot from us.

t: How do you describe your sound?

BM: Our sound is out of this country, something familiar but with different fuses on a song. We do Afropop, dancehall, kwaito, house and Qom. We are versatile; we give you a 'lekker' music cocktail. We enjoy fusing different kinds of music genres.

t: You have been around since 2014, what has been the highlight of your journey so far?

BM: It has been a remarkable journey, with highs and lows. We have had our differences. There was a time we had given up on the group, but reconciled. But on the highlights, we were nominated at the Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMAs) in the Best Kwaito category.

MICHAEL KAYUNDE

Pushing electro house

November 28, 2019, 2:00 pm

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Pushing electro houseTeamwork makes the dream work We got the scoop on House Guru Gang's latest work and current direction. House Guru Gang are not newbies in the game or noobs, as nerds would call it, if you are new to the 'game'.

This self-established crew has been constantly on the rise, with hardly any slip-ups; or wait, maybe it's because they are a gang and can't be touched? Hmm, let's find out.

Made up of Richard Kahengutji, Gerson Batista and Sacky Matheus, the trio recently released their fourth studio album Bad Neighbours.

“This album is a wave, it's a vibe. On Bad Neighbours we decided to go all out and bring our fans what they don't expect from us. We feel like our people love that in us. They always get surprised by our new sounds and like to keep it that way.

“The songs vary from tropical house, Amapiano to township Afropop. It's a 19-track album,” explained Kahengutji

House Guru Gang shared that the album roughly took two and a half years to make.

Production was mainly done throughout this time. But most of the lyrical content was done from the beginning of this year, as they had to explore the current narrative as far as telling stories is concerned.

“There is a song called Trade love on the album and it was done a few months before the album was release, and it is one of the best songs.”

The trio describe their sound as feel-good music, but maintain that the feeling you get from every song varies as you go down the track list. The album caters for both the young and adults.

“All in all, after listening to this album, you will be inspired to love, laugh, dance or have the zeal to chase your dreams.

“Another song people can look forward to is titled Let Us Be Children, But Only For A While. The message on that song is to basically tell adults not to resist the feeling or urge to be young at heart every now and then,” added Batista.

Bad Neighbours features big names on the Namibian music scene including Lize Ehlers, Oteya, Gazza, Teqla, Ees, Zhondie Baga Baga, Nouwa and Cardinal Max.

“We are also grateful to have worked with Sam-Lee Jones on production. He is a true music genius. As for the rest of the songs, they were produced by House Guru Gang at Cool Aid Studios,” said Matheus.

The trio mentioned that their latest album has so much tropical house influences, so the idea is to take it international.

“We have been locally based since day one. This time we decided its Trace, MTV Base and all the international platforms. The music video to Royal is already out and we got confirmation that it's going to start airing on Trace Africa. The aim is to put good Namibian music on the map,” said Kahengutji.

MICHAEL KAYUNDE