Four colonies of bees stolen

December 5, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Four colonies of bees stolen Thieves wreck honeybee safe haven It appears as though villians in Namibia have no fear and will even rob active beehives in search of the proverbial honey. Namibia''s ''king of bees'' Roland Graf zu Bentheim'' and Namibian honeybees were dealt a tragic blow when thieves stole four healthy bee box-hives and other equipment to the value of roughly N$100 000 last month.

Aside from the financial loss, the loss of the thousands of honey-producing and pollinating bees, and the likely death of the bees at the hands of the thieves, has cut deep.

The beehives, each of which was home to approximately 20 000 bees, had been settled on a plot on the outskirts of Okahandja, about 500 metres from the main house, secluded enough to cause no harm to humans and vice versa.

Zu Bentheim made the shocking discovery when he visited the hives about two weeks ago, certain that they were safe from harm. Upon arriving at the area, he immediately noticed that the gate to the fenced in area had been tampered with.

The robbers stole four valuable ten-year-old hive boxes as well as a number of zinc plates and various types of tools.

“It''s a big loss for me,” he said, adding that the destruction of the bees, a fact not confirmed, but which he is certain happened based on experience, is also a loss for the country.

A case has been opened at the Namibian police and the investigation is on-going.

Zu Bentheim suspects that apart from the value of the tools and materials stolen, the thieves wanted the honey.

He said the incident marks another setback to his goal of conserving and multiplying the number of beehives under his care, which he has stationed at various locales. “The goal of protecting bees and keeping them safe from harm is disrupted each time humans interfere with the hives,” he said.

Many of the hives are a result of countless removals he has conducted after being contacted by concerned citizens asking him to humanely and safely remove bees that had made a home on their properties.

Zu Bentheim said that the destruction of hives is widespread in Namibia, primarily by either poison or by burning the hives.

Instead, he staunchly advocates for the humane and safe removal of the hives, during which bees are removed and placed in safe havens where they can conduct their important work without disruption.

Zu Bentheim has been a professional beekeeper, and an outspoken conservationist on behalf of these critical species'', for close to two decades.

He is at the beck and call of anyone who needs a beehive to be humanely and safely removed, and can be reached at

081-635 7323.



JANA-MARI SMITH

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Homeless fire victims want audience with Geingob

December 5, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Homeless fire victims want audience with Geingob The victims of a shack fire in Walvis Bay want to see President Hage Geingob urgently.

“He is the only one who can help us. We have been suffering with fires for years without any help,” said 49-year-old mother of one, Renathe Boois.

Boois lost her shack and all belongings in a fire that left more than 40 people homeless in Walvis Bay''s Tutaleni informal settlement on Thursday.

Speaking to Nampa, victims of the fire said they want Geingob to visit them.

Fadia Khuruses, 26, said someone stole her clothes and shoes she managed to grab from her burning shack.

“I have two children who are now homeless,” said the pregnant Khuruses.

Katrina Mahoka said the fact that their informal structures are positioned so close to each other means fire spreads easily, hence people need proper brick houses.

Mahoka said she has been on the National Housing Enterprises (NHE) waiting list for a house since 2010.

“We need a tent please, we have nowhere to sleep,” Likius Salmon said.

Surrounded by her three children, Albertina Antonius said she only managed to salvage one bed from her shack where 13 adults and nine children lived.

Samaritans donated blankets and clothes to some of the victims.

The fire also destroyed two cars and two electricity boxes.

Statistics from fire chief Dennis Basson''s office indicate that 35 shacks have been destroyed in fires in Walvis Bay this year.

Basson said it is not clear what caused the most recent fire because the people who live there could not provide him with the relevant information.

He, however, suspects arson.

Walvis Bay rural constituency councillor John Nangolo told this news agency Friday he is aware of these problems.

Nangolo said arrangements are in place to solicit clothes, food and perhaps building materials to re-construct the shacks.

“They will get some donations next week; we collected some items from a local organisations and business owners.” The council will also look for tents to accommodate the victims until their shacks are rebuilt.



NAMPA

A disregarded rural school in Oshiteni village

December 5, 2016, 2:00 pm

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A disregarded rural school in Oshiteni village By Tungeni Elago

It has been 26 years since Namibia has been free from its colonisers but only a relatively small percentage of the country’s population is enjoying reaping the fruits and benefits of the labour system, which we historically all worked so hard at to achieve. I know that I am a born free as many may reckon, but this article is written with special attention for the people of my village, and with extraordinary attributes to the learners and parents (teachers) of the Ombalagelo Junior Primary School.

Allocated west of Omuthiya town is a village called Oshiteni, where the Ombalagelo Junior Primary School is situated. This school was inaugurated in 1983, seven years before independence and yet it consists of only two buildings with three classrooms in one building and four classrooms in another building. Currently this school accommodates 147 learners a number that includes classes from pre-grade to grade eight. Now I am no expert but the numbers of classes at this school are clearly in no way enough to accommodate all the learners at the school, forcing the parents of the learners at the school to gather funds to build their children classrooms that are made of corrugated iron. Currently these classrooms do not have appropriate flooring, leading to floods during the rainy season and resulting in the disruption learning periods. Summer time it’s known to get extremely hot in the northern parts of the country, the temperatures rise greatly and affect the unfit classes causing the learners to find it hard to concentrate and to participate in lessons. During winter to make matters worse, the corrugated iron classrooms get really cold and the children endure the extensive cold while being taught. In my opinion, it is actually demotivating and demoralising to come to school and sit there enduring such severe conditions more so than they suffer at home. The case I make is not to demand that these classrooms need air conditioners but I reckon that at least these children deserve to have proper sanitation and in classrooms with windows, proper floors, ceilings, proper roofs and functioning doors.

Classrooms are not the only problems that the people at this school experience as one of the school’s storerooms is used as the staff room and the same time as the principal’s office. It only has one window which is not bigger than a little bathroom window. Also this room is so small that it cannot accommodate more than five of nine staff members, without colliding into each other. Apart from the office space issues, the teachers are not provided with teacher’s houses and they are not provided with proper sanitation, personally, I would refuse to wake up every morning in a shack just to go spend the whole day teaching in another shack. The school does not have proper toilets and the teachers do not have bathrooms - both staff and learners use the same pit-latrine facilities.

In addition the school does not have electricity making the work harder than it is supposed to be. A number of hardships that this school experiences without electricity is that all administrative work is done by hand including the drawing up of the master timetable or the normal timetables used by the learners and the teachers. Thus due to the absence of a secretary and electricity and computers at the school, this work is done by the principal, Understandably it is evident why teachers want their salaries to be raised, as one cannot do multiple jobs and only be compensated for one job. Thus the essential study of technology is unknown and unheard of at this school, by this I mean the learners at this school do not have practical computer classes as they do not have electricity or computers at the school, and in efforts to help the learners with basic computer education understanding the principal has to use her personal transport to drive these learners to another school which is kilometres away from their initial school, for their own well-being. Due to these factors even small essential things such as the school bell is rang manually which is time consuming to the bell ringer to attend his or her duty on time.

To sum up my article, I would like to ask the government or otherwise the education department of the government to visit this school and to make the changes needed so that the school can progress and move forward to the level at which it potentially needs to be, to help achieve and contribute to the country’s educational objectives in efficient and objective manner possible.

*Tungeni Elago is a third-year student studying towards a Bachelor of Public Management (Honours) at the University of Namibia

Inequalities: What we may discern

December 5, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Inequalities: What we may discern By Johannes Shekeni

In our quest to overcome poverty and inequalities, it is important that we do not limit ourselves to income inequality. There are some aspects that should be considered in our approaches to reducing inequalities. On face value, such aspects may seem disconnected from impact, but there is a link.

The concentration of development efforts in urban areas has demonstrated that the smaller towns struggle to grow their local economic bases. By way of example, this scenario would mean that only fewer towns in this country have the capacity to host international events owing to lack of services and infrastructure. One would have loved that some of the matches of the 2016 Cosafa Cup were held in other parts of the country other than Windhoek. Bigger local events such as the NAMA awards cannot be hosted in just any town due to lack of services and infrastructure.

Many people are becoming dependent on the telecommunication services. Imagine the teachers who are working in rural areas and would want to advance their skills through distance learning. These folks would struggle to submit documents, communicating with supervisors and conducting research online. Imagine a scenario where members of a remote area require urgent assistance but they cannot call for it because of a lack of communication networks.

MTC launched its 4G service for selected areas. The same company has embarked on selling budget smart phones targeting low earners to have access to the internet. It is said that the company invested millions in improving its 3G network to support the gadgets. However, in my last visit to my village, the connectivity remained poor. This is despite a cell phone tower in the area. Those that make regular visits to the villages would testify that one could abandon the smart phone and use ordinary phones. Without recognising it, telecommunication services are becoming one of the determining factors for certain individuals or investors to reside or set up businesses in hinterlands.

The media is not widely represented across the country. The lack of wider media coverage does not only mean that the inhabitants are deprived of important information but it also that issues in some areas remain under- and/or unreported.

We have created a precedence of institutionalising middlemen or middle service providers. Consequently the consumers bear the brunt of profit making interest by such actors. The adverse effects of having middle service providers are also true if the statement by the Oshakati Town Council early in the year holds water. The council informed us that one of the reasons why it is able to sell affordable land is because they cut out the middlemen in the provision of land.

Those less fortunate amongst us will continue to suffer for as long as there are monopoly service providers because the prices they charge on their goods and services do not consider different economic background of consumers. The less fortunate amongst us will continue to suffer for as long as we opt for import quotas instead of subsidising the local industries as a means to grow their capacity. By offering subsidies would compel the local companies to decrease prices to recover production costs (assuming it would be a subsidy condition), and the affordability of their goods would enable them to compete with the cheap imports and it would be a relief to the poor.

It is well known that some sectors are found wanting. The provision of decent public services such as health and education lag behind when compared with the demand. The same cannot be said for some sectors, especially the private sector that is serving a small number. The quality of services can be directly linked to the life expectancy or wellbeing of its dependents. Despite the good intention of creating Vision Schools, government instead was supposed to roll out the concept to all the public schools. The products of such schools are likely to fare well over ordinary public schools. Let us recall how many people we know that have been disadvantaged, crippled or perished as a results of laxity in service provision in sectors such as education, health and transport.

Wittingly or unwittingly, the overemphasis on certain professions and sectors (i.e. doctors, engineers, etc.), is creating privilege around them and as such, services they offer will be of high quality and employees from such sectors will be well off. Meanwhile, other sectors will continue play catch up and their services will remain poor.

The lack of support systems will continue to impact the vulnerable among us. Those that are not able to access services such as counselling or rehabilitation, labour, legal, and financial assistance, will become less productive, lose their incomes and property, become junkies, thieves and prostitutes, imprisoned, crippled, commit suicide and abortion, infanticide, and ultimately, face death.

Without taking anything away from our efforts to redress gender imbalances and acknowledging that our patriarchal world has not been favourable to women, it is my hope that we do not neglect men. Observation shows that the attention given to a girl child is of greater proportion compared to a boy child. As such, the wicked men in society today are as a result of how society has prepared them. Our efforts in this regard should strike a balance instead of “robbing Peter to pay Paul”.

It is thus imperative that our drive towards reducing inequalities should address issues of their causes if we are to engender efforts that will create a more equal society.

*Johannes Shekeni is studying towards a Masters of Arts degree in political Science at the University of Namibia

You are leaving us a ‘skorokoro’ country!

December 5, 2016, 2:00 pm

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You are leaving us a ‘skorokoro’ country! Imagine a situation whereby your father promised to hand over his car to you one day. Each day you wake up and imagine youself driving that wonderful car, a car that once belonged to your father, going to places that would be difficult to access. You imagine this car assisting you in carrying out tasks that would otherwise be hard to complete physically. A mere promise of what would happen in future helps one look forward the future without fear. That said, how would you feel if every day your father drives this car drunk, bumping pavements and causing accidents? Imagine a situation, because of your father’s reckless driving, where this car that is promised to you is ever in and out of the garage. Would you look forward such a car? Would you look forward a ‘skorokoro’? What are you likely to do? Such is the situation the Namibian youth find themselves in as they see politicians and leaders plundering our country which we are supposed to inherit.

Sex tourism a reality in Namibia

December 5, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Sex tourism a reality in Namibia Child exploitation spreads along with foreign investment A new study has shed more light on the sexual exploitation of children, stating that sex tourism is on the rise in Africa. ELLANIE SMIT



The foreign investment made in manufacturing and construction by Chinese nationals in Namibia and other African countries is creating opportunities for child sexual exploitation.

A new study has shed light on the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism that has expanded across the globe and says that this type of “sex tourism” is on the rise in Africa. The report was conducted by ECPAT International, a global network of civil society organisations

The report describes sexual exploitation as a crime that is by its very nature secretive and hidden, which not only involves tourists but also business travellers, migrant and transient workers as well as ‘volunteer tourists’ intent on exploiting children, and also large numbers of domestic travellers.

The report says the worldwide growth of travel and tourism has led to more children than ever before are being affected, and no country is immune.

“New forms of travel have proliferated, such as tourism tied to volunteering (volunteer tourism) and peer-to-peer arrangements for accommodation. These have multiplied the opportunities and venues available to offenders and thus the risk to children,” the report states.

Advances in internet and mobile technology have also contributed to the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism, allowing anonymity and hidden pathways for direct contact between offenders and victims.

With regard to Africa, the report says the exploitation of children in tourism is increasing on the continent.

Over the last couple of years there have been many reports that sex tourism is on the increase in Namibia, but little data is available.

Windhoek has been labelled as the major hub of sex tourism in Namibia, while Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Oshikango – the latter popular with Angolan sex tourists - have continued to support sex tourism.

Police spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Edwin Kanguatjivi told Namibian Sun that sex tourism is most definitely occurring in Namibia, but it is difficult to determine whether it is increasing.

He referred to the fact that there is a ‘willing-buyer, willing-seller’ model which makes it more difficult to control.

Moreover, when tourists come to the country in their private capacity and without guides there is no control over what they do.

Kanguatjivi pointed out that prostitution is not legalised in Namibia, unlike other countries where more specific data can be gathered.

He referred to previous police raids on prostitutes and said there were definitely foreigners involved.

According to him businessmen travelling to Namibia may see the country as a lucrative market because of the exchange rate.

He said there was a lot of talk about truck drivers and sex workers, but it was difficult to label that as sex tourism or human trafficking.

According to a spokesperson for the tourism ministry, Romeo Muyunda, in Namibia this type of sexual exploitation has not yet reached concerning levels and is “minimal”.

“Tourists that come to Namibia do not engage in activities with under-aged children,” Muyunda said.

He said as far as he knew there had never been such a case reported to the ministry, but there could have been cases reported to the police.

“We appreciate that Namibia has managed to maintain these levels and we want to keep it that way.”

Asked whether sex tourism was perhaps just not reported, Muyunda said Namibians were “respectful of culture and did not indulge in such activities”.

He said it would be very difficult for a tourist to exploit a child in Namibia, because they would not go with strangers.

However, he urged families to inform the authorities if they knew of any unreported cases.

The ECPAT International report says in Africa sex tourism has historically been associated with North and West African countries but an influx of tourists seeking sex with children, including African travellers, is now being reported elsewhere in the region.

Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, The Gambia and Tanzania (Zanzibar) have been identified as major destinations for travelling child sex offenders.

According to the report, Chinese investment on the continent, for example, increased from less than US$100 million per year in the 1980s to $26 billion by the end of 2013.

“The bulk of this is in mining, finance, construction and manufacturing, and often requires the creation of services and infrastructure that provide opportunities for child sexual exploitation.”

The report says the region is seeing a surge in mobile data use and an increase of contraband phones with internet applications has made online access cheap and easily available, reportedly making pornography easily available to children.

NHE declares N$69 million loss

December 5, 2016, 2:00 pm

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NHE declares N$69 million loss OGONE TLHAGE

The National Housing Enterprise has reported a comprehensive loss of N$69 million for its financial year ended June 2014.

Total assets amounted to just over N$1.1 billion; total equity amounted to N$779 million while total liabilities were N$310 million.

The total revenue reported for the period amounted to N$237 million.

The NHE did not declare a profit or a loss on the sale of project houses and there was no note to explain the omission in the financial report.

Its balance sheet did report that the value of project houses and work-in-progress amounted to N$334 million as at June 2014.

The NHE’s accounts payable was N$215 million, showing a steep increase of 41% year-on-year.

The report shows that the NHE ran at a loss for four of the six years under review, managing a profit of N$29 million at the start of the review period and a measly profit of N$448 652 recorded at the end of its financial year in 2013.

The NHE acknowledged this week that it had built only 2 711 houses in the period 2009 to 2014, or an average of 542 houses per year. It also released its financial results for the financial year 2008/2009.

Its spokesperson, Eric Libongani, told Namibian Sun that the NHE was working hard to ensure it would release its latest financial statements as per the minister of public enterprises Leon Jooste’s instructions.

Asked why the results could not be released earlier, Libongani said former chief executive officer Vinson Hailulu would be in the best position to respond.

The NHE report shows that only 25, 20, and 11 houses were constructed at Okahao, Oshikuku and Ondangwa respectively, while only 25 houses were built at Omaruru.

Although the NHE was mandated to execute the Mass Housing Programme towards the end of 2013, the report shows that only 568 houses were built in 2014 while 399 houses were built in 2015.

Eenhana received the most houses - 152 in 2014 and 147 in 2015, while 150 houses were built in Oshakati in 2015.

Eenhana was closely followed by Windhoek (317 houses) and Walvis Bay (316). At Swakopmund 262 houses were constructed and at Katima Mulilo 259 over the five-year period. The report showed that 126 houses were built for war veterans.

Towns like Nkurunkuru, Tsumeb, Rundu, Outapi, Keetmanshoop, and Khorixas did not witness the construction of any NHE houses prior to 2014.

Mutorwa rebukes ministry cliques

December 5, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Mutorwa rebukes ministry cliquesCommunication channels ''blocked'' at Agriculture Percy Msika, the new permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, has his work cut out for him. Agriculture minister John Mutorwa yesterday lashed out at his staff, saying that the formation of cliques in the ministry was dangerous and unacceptable.

Mutorwa was addressing staff members and introduced Percy Msika as the new permanent secretary of the ministry.

The ministry had been without a permanent secretary for the past 18 months. Mutorwa elaborated on the structure of the ministry and said there had to be respect for authority and channels of communication within the different directorates.

He said the channels of communication were being blocked by individuals and that would not be

allowed.

“We have many problems here and we do not talk to each other and there are those that hate each other.”

The minister said he had employees in his office crying because of the way they were treated by their supervisors and that would no longer be tolerated.

He warned staff that if he received a complaint they would be called to his office to explain.

The minister further stressed that staff members should have respect for one another.

He said he would not tolerate any discrimination based on skin colour, tribe or gender.

“Sometimes we get drunk because of our positions,” he warned.

According to him everybody should be treated with respect, irrespective of the position they hold.

“Even if you hate the person you work with, the person is a human being and should be treated fairly,” he said.

Mutorwa said the issue of delegation also needed to be addressed. “I am not the ministry. When I am gone for two weeks an issue cannot stand over for two weeks because I am not here,” he said. “Learn to delegate.”

Mutorwa said the ministry had an open-door policy, but the chain of command should be respected.

He also said that administrative bodies and administrative officials must act fairly and reasonably and comply with the requirement imposed by common law and any relevant legislation.



ELLANIE SMIT

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Harambee administration a failure – APP

December 5, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Harambee administration a failure – APP The acting secretary-general of the All People''s Party, Vincent Kanyetu, wants President Hage Geingob and Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila to resign.

“The people that are leading the Harambee administration have shown that they are failures,” Kanyetu said at a meeting in Rundu on Saturday.

The meeting was held to welcome the recently appointed APP youth league president, Sebastian Ntjamba, and about 40 new supporters who had left the DTA and Swapo for the APP.

He said the country''s poor economic outlook did not start during the term of finance minister Calle Schlettwein (2015 to present) but when Geingob served as prime minister (1990-2002 and 2012-2015).

Kanyetu said Schlettwein should not be blamed for the current economic state of the country; “if anything, he should be hailed for opening the eyes of Namibians to the reality of the country''s finances”.

He said the Harambee administration had failed beyond reasonable doubt.

Geingob launched the Harambee Prosperity Plan in April this year. It is based on five pillars, namely effective governance and service delivery, economic advancement, social progression, infrastructure development and international relations and cooperation.

Analysing Kanyetu''s comments, Unam law professor Nico Horn told Nampa it was not fair to blame the poor economic growth of the country on Geingob and Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.

Horn said Namibia was not the only country in southern Africa going through the same economic struggles, adding that the economic downturn had nothing to do with Geingob''s administration.

South Africa, which is southern Africa''s economic powerhouse, was also struggling and that contributed to the poor outlook as it was one of Namibia'' key trading partners.

“If South Africa loses, we lose,” Horn said.

He acknowledged that there was concern about the current administration''s overspending, particularly the large entourage Geingob travels with and the bloated bureaucratic system.

Horn said he did not see the need for two deputy ministers, who are in any case just advisors, as well as the many advisors the president has.

“If the president is serious about addressing the economy of the country - that would be a good place to start,” Horn said.

NAMPA

Struggle kids turn violent after car accident

December 5, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Struggle kids turn violent after car accident ILENI NANDJATO

Chaos erupted yesterday morning between police and the ‘children of the liberation struggle’ camping outside the Ruben Michael Danger Ashipala Police Training Centre in Ondangwa after one of the ‘kids’ was hit by a car over the weekend.

Paulus Shimwinyo, 30, is recovering in the Onandjokwe hospital from injuries sustained when he was struck by a Toyota Venture while crossing a road on Saturday afternoon.

This irked the group and they blocked the entrance to the training centre with branches, timber and steel objects around 07:30 yesterday, saying they should be allowed to camp inside the centre.

A large group are camping on both sides of the main road in Ondangwa, putting their lives at risk as they cross the road all the time.

Traffic on the Ondangwa-Ongwediva road come to a standstill for about an hour as the struggle kids started throwing stones at the police when they refused to disperse from the entrance.

The Special Reserve Force of the police was called in after the regional commander for operations, Deputy Commissioner Karel Theron, failed to persuade the protesters to leave.

The group leader was arrested and the group turned angry, pelting the police with stones. They ran into Okapale location, which made it difficult for the police to arrest them.

“We have been requesting for a meeting with the training centre’s management for them to accommodate us inside the training centre, but they never listen to us. Following the incident of a fellow member who got hit by a vehicle, we decided to block the entrance as a move for them to come to us. Here our lives are at risk,” said Simeon Shikulo, a group leader.

About 80 exile kids from the Swapo office at Okandjengedi relocated the Ruben Danger Ashipala Police Training Centre about a month ago. This followed a move by the government to accommodate over 200 struggle kids who were marching to the Simon Mutumba Police Training Centre in the Zambezi Region. The government intervened and took them to the Ruben Danger Ashipala Police Training Centre.

The regional police commander for Oshana, Commissioner Rauha Amwele, said those inside the centre were not being accommodated by the police, but were waiting to be relocated by the government.

“Those inside are just there temporarily there while waiting to be taken to their destination. We cannot allow those outside to go in because we are not the ones responsible for those already inside. We are not pleased with their behaviour but at least no one was injured and those who were taken in by police were only warned,” Amwele said.

She confirmed that one of the struggle kids was hit by a car while crossing the road on Saturday afternoon. “He was admitted to Onandjokwe hospital and I understand he is in stable condition,” she said.

Clinton tears into Nujoma

December 5, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Clinton tears into NujomaMinister’s handling of resettlement process ‘unacceptable’ Deputy lands minister Clinton Swartbooi has condemned minister Utoni Nujoma’s resettling of northern Namibians on farms in the south of the country. FRED GOEIEMAN



The deputy minister of land reform, Clinton Swartbooi, says his senior at the ministry, Utoni Nujoma, must be called to order for the manner in which he is handling the land resettlement process.

Swartbooi has accused Nujoma of resettling people from as far as the Zambezi Region in the south, and on land that had been seized by the imperial German regime, ahead of the local Nama people.

“It is unacceptable what Utoni does with resettlement. He must be called to order. I do not work for him. I work for President Hage Geingob,” he said at the Kai//Khau festival at Hoachanas on Saturday.

Swartbooi added that the priority of government resettlement programmes should be to first resettle those who had lost land.

According to him, after the Nama and OvaHerero genocide between 1904 and 1907 the colonial administration took all productive land from those tribes, leaving them with useless land.

He said that resulted in most of the productive land being taken over by German settlers.

Swartbooi said according to statistics from the land reform ministry, by 1913, 1 331 farms were owned by white settlers, which amounted to 13.4 million hectares of land.

After the implementation of the Odendaal Plan of 1963, the then 17 native reserves in the police zone were consolidated into seven ethnic homelands and purportedly the total land used by black Namibians increased from 22 million hectares to 32.7 million hectares.

The Odendaal Plan advocated for separate development for whites and blacks.

However, Swartbooi said this increase of land was not impressive as most land in the native reserves was unproductive and semi-desert.

“Eighty-seven percent of land given to the Damara under the Odendaal Plan fell in the semi-desert agro-ecological unit. The entire Nama communal areas are in semi-desert areas and at least 30% of land given to the OvaHerero was not suitable for agriculture and did not have any water,” Swartbooi said.

According to him, the communities in southern and central Namibia, such as the Nama, OvaHerero, Damara, Khoisan and Basters, predominantly led a pastoral existence.

“The scarcity and unpredictability of pastures required the communities to disperse widely over territory in small groups in order to utilise existing resources efficiently,” he said.

He added that as a result, no fixed boundaries existed between different communities although loosely defined areas of jurisdiction were recognised.

Contrary to that, the indigenous population in northern Namibia combined settled agriculture and animal husbandry.

People in the northern areas retained access to land as crop production had not been affected by the Rinderpest pandemic which forced pastoral peasants into wage labour.

He argued that the colonialists were interested in southern and central Namibia because of its mineral and marine resources, and thus dispossessed the indigenous people of their land.

According to him, that explains why there is less communal land in the southern and central areas compared to the northern parts of the country.

He said that any government that has access to statistics must correct the question of land dispossession and emphasised that it is high time the government practices restorative justice to those who lost land.

Swartbooi further added that it was utterly nonsensical to resettle someone from Zambezi in the south while ignoring the descendants of those who had lost the land.

Nujoma could not be reached for comment yesterday as he was said to be in a meeting. He did also not answer questions sent to him via SMS.

Land question

The land reform minister recently said that a total of 281 foreign nationals owned 1.4 million hectares of agricultural land in the country.

In addition, the government had between April 2015 and February 2016 acquired 36 farms to resettle 57 families at a cost of N$290 million.

Since independence the government has acquired 408 farms measuring 2.9 million hectares for resettlement purposes.

Jacobs and BA await conciliation

December 6, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Jacobs and BA await conciliation JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA

Namibia Premier League club Black Africa and their former coach Woody Jacobs will meet at the labour commissioner’s office on 15 December for conciliation.

Jacobs dragged his former club to the labour commissioner after the club terminated his contract and gave him a new one in June, with 12 months to go before the old contract would have expired.

Jacobs argues that he was unfairly treated and demands to be compensated for the way he was treated.

The coach left the club in acrimonious circumstances, stating that the new contract he had been offered was not better than the previous one.

The conciliation was slated for 1 December, but BA requested an extension to 15 December.

“I am doing this because I was not respected and therefore have been demanding an apology from Black Africa,” Jacobs said.

“The club showed that it already had someone else in mind and that is why it treated me the way it did.

“Clubs must learn to honour contracts because it is totally unfair, the way they treat players and coaches when it comes to contracts.

“It is terrible that Namibian football has been failing to transform into greater standards, which makes things difficult for players,” Jacobs said.

If conciliation fails, the case will proceed to arbitration, from where it can move on to the labour court if no solution is found between Black Africa and Woody Jacobs.

Black Africa officials could not be reached for comment before this newspaper went to print.

Stars issue settled

Jacobs also revealed that another former club, African Stars, have settled the debt they had owed him since he left the club after the 2014/2015 season.

The two parties last met in September, where African Stars compensated the outspoken coach.

“African Stars handled the thing professionally even though we had issues at the start of the discussions.

“I like the way things went between us and I can confirm that they gave me enough,” Jacobs said.

“It was not all that I needed, but it was satisfactory in the manner that we went about to conclude the problem.”

Jacobs had previously coached Ramblers, Monitronics and Tura Magic before he made his big-money moves to two of Namibia’s most decorated clubs.

Jacobs is currently employed as Orlando Pirates FC first team coach.

We can learn from each other – Tobias

December 6, 2016, 2:00 pm

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We can learn from each other – TobiasPromoter willing to share boxing knowledge The Namibian boxing industry has grown over the years, seeing more promotions joining, but top promoter Nestor Tobias wants those in the fray to work together. KAINO NGHITONGO



Boxing promoter Nestor Tobias says local trainers and promoters should be open to learn from each other to build boxing in the country.

Tobias said it is important that promoters and trainers seek each other’s advice on how they operate in their camp.

“We are all working towards building boxing in the country, so we must not shy away from approaching each other for advice, especially when it comes to training,” he said.

He added that advising each other would also help in getting boxers to fight for recognised titles instead of just any old titles.

“I know there are a lot of coaches in Namibia but I am saying let us work together, all of us, whether you are a promoter or a coach.

“Come to me and ask how I do it, then next time it will be you to produce a world champion.

“Producing world champions is good for the country, but as an individual come to me and ask how I have done it then I can tell you what to do,” he said.

Tobias questioned the rewarding of sport achievers, stating that professional boxing champions also deserve rewards from the nation.

“We have won five world titles already and they are all big titles but I didn’t see any of the boxers get recognised or get some reward like other sport codes,” he said.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that the City of Windhoek has approved Tobias’s application to buy Erf 1429 in Khomasdal.

According to Tobias, he only learned from the media that he had got the land he had applied for in 2008.

“We heard in the media that we got land but we did not get any letter yet so we will wait and see if it’s true, and if it is then that would good for the future of boxing because it is in our hands,” he said.

He indicated that the academy’s aim remains to grow boxing and develop more kids and “with our current one there is no question about it as it has really been successful.”

Under-20 team departs for Angola

December 6, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Under-20 team departs for Angola NAMPA

Team Namibia left for Luanda, Angola on Tuesday for the 2016 African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region Five Under-20 Youth Games, which start on Thursday.

The games end on 19 December.

Namibia will compete in football (women), basketball (men), track and field events, boxing, netball, swimming and tennis.

A delegation of 150 people, including 120 able-bodied and disabled athletes, is representing the country.

General team manager Musutua Tjeripo, who is from the Namibia Sports Commission, told Nampa on Tuesday the athletes had been in a training camp for the past week and were ready to compete.

“We had to cut the team from over 200 athletes to 120 due to financial constraints, but we are going to fight for medals,” he said.

Coaches, administrators and medical personnel will accompany the athletes.

Tjeripo was confident that despite having a smaller team, they are going to improve on Namibia’s last performance in the 2014 Region Five games held in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Namibia ended fifth overall with 45 medals (seven gold, 15 silver and 23 bronze).

South Africa were the overall winners with 121 medals of which 64 were gold, followed by Zimbabwe with 92 medals (18 gold); Angola third with 20 medals (11 gold); and Botswana fourth with 32 medals (eight gold).

Coaching course attendees look to improve

December 6, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Coaching course attendees look to improveNamibians attain top licence Namibian coaches Mervin Mbakera and James Britz are willing to expand the knowledge they gained in Germany. James Britz and Mervin Mbakera are looking at improving Namibian football after they were presented with their International Coaching Course A-Certificates by Germany''s deputy head of mission to Namibia, Ullrich Kinne.

Mbakera and Britz were among 26 coaches from developing countries that included Surinam, Kosovo and Pakistan, who attended a three- week course in Hennef, Germany, in September as part of the German government''s support to the developing world.

They were presented with their certificates by Kinne on Monday afternoon, accompanied by the NFA technical director Timo Tjongarero.

“The coaches we met there are from countries like ours and of course they have different ways of doing things with limited resources and it was all about youth coaching and I believe we are better equipped now to take the challenge further and improve our game,” national women''s under-17 coach Mbakera told Kinne.

He added that youth football is integral to the game in any country and they were hoping to influence the game in various ways at home.

“We are involved with youth players a lot and James is also with the under-20 men and other youngsters at Tura Magic, so for us this course added value which we can only now impart and see the changes later,” Mbakera said.

Kinne said the idea behind meeting the participants was to gauge their experience and see how best the course can be improved.

“It is important for us to see how the participants of courses offered in Germany or by Germany are doing and support them so that we can see positive results. This interaction can also help us in motivating for Namibia to have people attending these and other courses in the future,” Kinne explained.

He added that there is an alumni portal at http://www.alumniportal-deutschland.org, which former participants of courses offered by or in Germany are encouraged to join to share information.

Some of the Namibian coaches who have done this course are Jacqui Shipanga, who is a member of various technical study groups thanks to her technical prowess, 2015 Cosafa Senior Cup-winning coach Ricardo Mannetti, as well as Timo Tjongarero, who guided the national under-17s to their first Cosafa triumph earlier this year. National under-20 coach Gerhard Gunter is also a graduate of the course.

SPORT REPORTER

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Airport Eagles crowned champions

December 6, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Airport Eagles crowned champions CHAMPS: Airport Eagles FC ignited Gobabis.

Airport Eagles won the first edition of the Kalahari tournament that took place at Gobabis last weekend.

The champions defeated Tycoon FC 2-0 to lift the Kalahari Homeless trophy and take home N$25 000.

Tycoon FC were compensated with N$16 000 for their efforts in reaching the final whilst semi-finalists Real Tigers United FC and Manokile FC each took home N$4 000.

PHOTO: Contributed

Burnley survive in Premier League – Robinson

December 6, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Burnley survive in Premier League – Robinson NAMPA/REUTERS

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes Burnley have the character and skill to survive in a much tougher Premier League than the one he played in a decade ago.

The 37-year-old made his first league appearance since 2012 when Tom Heaton was ruled out of Burnley''s 2-1 loss to Manchester City on Nov. 26 with a calf problem.

That defeat and the 2-0 loss to Stoke City that Robinson also played in on Saturday left the Turf Moor club 15th in the league but the former Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn Rovers custodian felt they would avoid relegation.

"I think the team spirit and the togetherness, without the talent we have in that dressing room, is enough to keep us up," Robinson told the club website.

"There is a will to win and a desire not to get beaten. The type of people we''ve got in there, there''s more than enough to stay in this league."

Robinson, who joined Burnley in January, said the top flight of English football had been transformed since the heyday of his career.

"I think the game as a whole has improved ... I think the game ... from 10 years ago is a completely different game," he said.

"Players are fitter, stronger ... running further ... ability levels have gone up. The level of football ... has grown due to the money and the depth management teams go to.

"People are looking how to get every single little advantage from a player and from a team, which can possibly get to make you the very best you can."

Burnley host 10th-placed Bournemouth on Saturday.

Thompson explodes

December 6, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Thompson explodesThunder coach Billy Donovan praises Westbrook The Golden State Warriors rudely blasted the Indiana Pacers 142-106 as Klay Thompson seized a career-high 60 points in his three quarters of play. Klay Thompson exploded for a career-high 60 points in a phenomenal individual display as Golden State steamrolled the Indiana Pacers 142-106 on Monday.

Thompson tormented Indiana with a mesmerising performance which saw him rack up 40 points in the first two quarters alone.

A further 20 points in the third quarter gave Thompson the highest individual game tally of his career and the highest of any player in the NBA this season as the Warriors improved to 18-3.

Thompson sat out the entire fourth quarter so was denied the opportunity to improve his tally, which included eight three-pointers.

Kevin Durant added 20 points for the Dubs with Stephen Curry chipping in with 13, but the night belonged to Thompson, who had the Oakland crowd on its feet as baskets rained down from all angles.

“It was fun, I was in a great rhythm, took all good shots for the most part. Still missed a few wide open threes I wish I''d got, but it was a fun night, to say the least,” Thompson said on court afterwards.

Thompson declined to speculate on what his point tally might have been had Steve Kerr not elected to sit him in the fourth quarter.

“Good question,” a smiling Thompson said. “Who knows?”

Paul George led the scoring for the Pacers with 21 points as Indiana fell to 10-11 for the season.

Thompson''s virtuoso display was the highlight of another busy round of NBA games which saw Russell Westbrook maintain his extraordinary run of form with a sixth straight triple double.

Westbrook moved to within one game of equalling Michael Jordan''s seven consecutive triples in 1989 when he secured his 10th assist midway through the third quarter of Oklahoma City''s 102-99 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Westbrook eventually finished with 32 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists as the Thunder improved to 14-8.

The 28-year-old is now three away from matching the legendary Wilt Chamberlain''s all-time record of nine consecutive triple-doubles set in 1968.

Westbrook has compiled 11 triple-doubles so far this season - the same number as the rest of the NBA combined.

“What Russell is doing is incredible, remarkable. It''s something the league hasn''t seen like this in a long, long time,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “But I also give Russell, and our guys, a lot of credit. We''re a team... They''re all trying to make each other better.”

Westbrook, who is averaging triple double numbers for the season of 31 points, 10.9 rebounds and 11.3 assists, made 10 of 22 from the floor and 9 of 14 from the foul line.

“He does so many different things,” said Thabo Sefolosha, Westbrook''s former Thunder teammate who was given the thankless task of attempting to guard him.

“He has such a high energy level. You have to try to take his air space, contest his shot. He made a bunch tonight.”

Donovan meanwhile praised Westbrook''s ability to read the game before choosing when to strike.

“I think he was just kind of biding his time, seeing what was going to be open,” Donovan said.

“He''s reading the game in his mind and then he''s going to take advantage of the opportunities that he thinks are there.”

In Toronto LeBron James scored 34 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers snapped their three-game losing streak with a hard-fought 116-112 win over the Raptors, a repeat of last season''s Eastern Conference Finals showdown. James led the scoring for the Cavs, who also saw Kevin Love pour on 28 points with 14 rebounds as the Raptors'' six-game winning streak came to an end.

The Cavs had looked to be easing to victory after opening up a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter.

But a determined Raptors fightback saw them move to within four with two seconds left, sending the game down to the wire before Cleveland dug deep for a win which boosted them to 14-5.

“It''s always a tough place to play,” James said. “Their fans are incredible and their team is very good and well-coached. It''s absolutely tough to get a win in here; and, for us to be able to do that twice already, it''s big for our team.”

NAMPA/AFP

Chapecoense awarded title

December 6, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Chapecoense awarded titleAtletico Nacional gets fair play award The South American football governing body has awarded Chapecoense the cup title, while Colombian side Atletico Nacional got the fair play award. The Brazilian football team wiped out by a plane crash in Colombia last week have been awarded the Copa Sudamerica title, South American football''s governing body CONMEBOL said on Monday.

Meanwhile Atletico Nacional de Medellin, who had been due to play Chapecoense in the tournament''s final, were bestowed with a one-off fair play award.

The announcement came a week after 71 people died when a chartered flight carrying the Chapeceoense football side crashed just before its planned destination near Medellin.

The victims included 19 Chapecoense players and all of the club''s coaching staff. There were six survivors.

“The (CONMEBOL) board has decided to name the Chapecoense Football Club as champions of the 2016 Copa Sudamerica with all the sporting and financial benefits that it entails,” the Paraguay-based body said in a statement.

In addition to the trophy, the Brazilian club received two million US dollars in prize money.

Atletico Nacional wrote to CONMEBOL last week requesting that their rivals be awarded the region''s second most important continental club title.

On Wednesday, at the same time the first leg of the two-match final had been scheduled, Atletico Nacional staged a moving tribute to Chapecoense with a candlelight vigil at their Anastasio Girardot stadium.

Fans dressed in white packed the 45 000-seat stadium with thousands more congregating in the surrounding streets after being unable to enter the venue. The fair play accolade included a cheque for one million US dollars, CONMEBOL said.

“For CONMEBOL there is no greater example of the spirit of peace, understanding and fair play ... than the solidarity, consideration and respect shown by Atletico Nacional towards their brothers of Chapecoense,” the statement said.

NAMPA/XINHUA

Federer, Serena skip IPTL

December 6, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Federer, Serena skip IPTL Tennis stars Roger Federer and Serena Williams have both pulled out of an exhibition tournament in India next week as a result of the country''s cash crunch, organisers said on Tuesday.

The two former world number ones had been the big-name draws of the Indian leg of this year''s International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) which is scheduled to take place in Hyderabad from 9-11 December. But the IPTL said in a statement it was “sad to announce that Roger Federer and Serena Williams won''t participate at this year''s IPTL”, citing the “uncertainty” sparked by the government''s decision last month to withdraw high-denomination notes from circulation. “We have had challenges this year, and we were hoping to get past them,” said Mahesh Bhupathi, the veteran Indian tennis player who is a founder and managing director of the IPTL. “With the current economic climate in India and the uncertainty of spending money, I reached out to both Roger and Serena to explain the situation,” said Bhupathi, but he was ultimately unable to convince them to appear as planned. “They have been both been very supportive of the IPTL the first two seasons and we look forward to bring them in future years.” The tournament was to have marked the comeback of 35-year-old Federer, who has been sidelined since July with knee problems.The government''s so-called “demonetisation” scheme has caused major cash shortages across India, with big queues outside banks now commonplace after authorities placed a daily limit on withdrawals. Hyderabad is the third and final leg of this year''s IPTL which promotes a shortened version of the game that organisers say is more television-friendly than the traditional format. The first leg was held in Tokyo from December 2-4, while the second leg began on Tuesday in Singapore.

NAMPA/AFP