Tension brewing among Walvis landless

December 13, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Tension brewing among Walvis landless Poverty and desperation causes conflict over resources Unemployed Walvis residents are complaining about invasions from people from elsewhere who they say are erecting shacks illegally.

Tension is brewing between legally resettled landless residents of Walvis Bay and other landless Namibians who erected shacks without permission from the local authority.

The legal residents comprise 25 families who were resettled by the Walvis Bay Municipality on a plot next to the !Nara Primary School in Tutaleni in April this year after they were evicted from a plot opposite the same school the previous month.

Conflict started last month when other landless Namibians started erecting shacks.

Nehale LyaMpingana Abel, who was settled there legally, told Nampa they do not want new people settling on the piece of land as there is not enough space for new shacks.

He also alleged that some of them steal, drink and start fights.

“We do not want strangers who are coming to disturb the peace here. We will get rid of those who misbehave,” he said.

Abel also said some people erect structures but do not stay there.

Another legal settler, Joolokeni Johannes said they do not want to fight but the fights start when the newcomers misbehave or refuse to listen to advice.

On Wednesday, the 43-year-old Neumbo Lazarus told this news agency he has no option but to erect his shack illegally, despite the tension.

“Things are bad here, those who came here first do not want us. People steal things and fight over building materials.”

He said a man was hit with a hammer on the ribs in a fight on Monday when he was found erecting a shack illegally.

Lazarus said the man was not seriously injured, but he fears such fights could escalate.

“I am unemployed, I cannot afford to pay rent every month, pay electricity for N$250 and feed my family. That is why I came to make a place of my own here.”

Lazarus appealed to the more than 100 people living there to live in peace and accept that they have to live in overcrowded conditions.

Theofilus Kambonga, 44, said he settled illegally because he was evicted from a rented shack he could not pay after he lost his job as a security guard.

“We cannot get jobs because we are not educated. Our government must find ways to get us jobs instead of asking for qualifications,” said Kambonga, who dropped out of school in Grade Four.

Other illegal and legal inhabitants complain of long queues at the toilets, and their structures being too close to each other, which means a fire could spread quickly and burn down the whole settlement.

On Wednesday, municipality Chief Executive Officer Muronga Haingura said those who came illegally will be given a verbal notice to leave but if they refuse, they will be evicted. He said the municipality is in the process of establishing a township at Farm 37 south of Walvis Bay near Dune 7, but it is not clear when the township will be finished or whether it will be able to accommodate all 35 000 landless residents in Walvis Bay.

NAMPA

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NQA welcomes 13 institutions

December 13, 2016, 2:00 pm

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NQA welcomes 13 institutions

Thirteen institutions have been accredited by the National Qualifications Authority.

Speaking at a ceremony where the certificates were handed out, the chairperson of the NQA council, Matha Mbambo, said the authority had implemented its audit function which would enable it to assess whether training providers were consistently adhering to accreditation requirements.

Mbambo said with the proliferation of bogus institutions locally and beyond Namibian borders, the NQA embarked on a marketing drive that educates the public while enhancing the NQA''s visibility.

The institutions that were accredited and reaccredited by the NQA are: Africa Institutional Management Services (AIMS), the Africa Leadership Institute (ALI), Anistemi College and Training Centre, the Centre for Training Projects Development (CTPD), the Development Aid from People to People Vocational Training School (DAPP), the Institute of Bankers (IOB), the Kambaku Lodge and Safaris CC, Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary (NETS), the Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT), Rundu Vocational Training Centre (RVTC), the Silver Spoon Hospitality Academy CC, the Tulipohamba Training and Assessment Institute and Zambezi Vocational Training Centre (ZVTC).

STAFF REPORTER

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Opuwo mayor vows to clean up

December 13, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Opuwo mayor vows to clean upInvestors shun the dirty town Opuwo residents pay for refuse removal, but there are no rubbish bins and the town is too dirty to attract investors.

The re-elected mayor of Opuwo, Albert Tjiuma, has admitted that Opuwo is failing to attract investors because it is filthy.

According to Tjiuma, several efforts have been made to lobby investors to do business in the town, but due to the omnipresent filth investors have rejected them.

In an interview with Namibian Sun on Monday after his re-election, Tjiuma said his council''s main priority for the next 12 months was to clean up the town. He said the aim was to make sure that the town looked neat like other towns in the country and was able to attract investors.

“Our town is very dirty and we have not done much in the past to clean it. Garbage is all over the town and there is no proper waste management in place. This keeps investors away as they have refused to do business in a dirty town.

“We have to come up with effective mechanisms to make sure our town is clean and attracts investors who can develop our town and create employment opportunities for our residents,” Tjiuma said.

Tjiuma, who is serving a second term as mayor, said the council had resolved to employ more waste collectors and implement a waste management system.

“Currently residents dump refuse wherever they want because there are no bins in their houses or in the streets. We also need more people to clean this town. We are going to establish a second group of town cleaners who are going to help achieve our mission.” Currently Opuwo has one truck that collects household waste and one company that is contracted for street cleaning.

This issue was raised by the Opuwo Community Concerned Group when they took to streets of Opuwo in June.

The group said the town was very dirty and covered in refuse. The group said in their petition that the town council charged them a lot of money for waste removal, but there were no rubbish bins.

The group also alleged that the town had no public toilets, no tarred roads, no formal open markets and no recreational facilities.

ILENI NANDJATO

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Even less spending for govt

December 13, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Even less spending for govt

International ratings agencies Moody''s and Fitch have both advised the Ministry of Finance to implement budget cuts as economic growth slows.

Moody''s recently changed its outlook of the Namibian economy to negative. The agency however still felt the economy healthy enough as so not to change the credit rating Baa3 it had assigned. Notwithstanding, finance minister Calle Schlettwein still found it necessary to explain why it was necessary to follow the advice given and cut down on wasteful expenditure.

He said: “Domestically, we are faced with liquidity constraints [cash flow problems] to finance the elevated financing needs as a result of these shocks on public finance.

“As a result of these unfavourable developments, it was necessary and timely that we respond to these shocks in a timely manner with appropriate magnitude.”

According to Schlettwein, this has resulted in reducing expenditure by 2.8% of gross domestic product or some N$4.5 billion.

“Operational budget activities for the remainder of the year have to be aligned to the new norm and development budget projects not started are deferred and those that have recently started are slowed down.

“These reforms [corrective measures] are necessary and we must follow through with our pro-growth consolidation fiscal stance, without which our hard-won macroeconomic stability and fiscal sustainability will be eroded. We are optimistic that the current difficulties are manageable and that they are transitional,” Schlettwein said.

“As a first benefit of these concerted measures, we have been able to retain our investment grade rating. It is my expectation that asset managers who are responsible for managing the country''s vast institutional savings would equally recognise this concerted policy implementation through investment in government securities going forward in line with the announced deficit reduction stance,” Schlettwein said. Schlettwein also explained that steps were taken to ensure the currency peg with South Africa could be maintained by undertaking asset swaps with the Government Institutions Pension Fund of Namibia [GIPF]. Through the asset swap, the GIPF bought government debt, thus providing the finance ministry with cash flow.

As a result, there is now enough money in the country to import foreign goods for up to a level of three months. “In regard to reserve adequacy, recent currency swap arrangements for rand assets have resulted in boosting the stock of international reserves to an estimated 3.3 months of import cover, a much better position relative to 2.8 months of coverage in 2015. We expect improvements going forward, as well as the current account balances as exports from recent real sector investments improve.”

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Police break up San meeting

December 13, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Police break up San meeting''Unauthorised'' meetings ''confuse people''s heads'' Traditional leaders say meetings cannot take place without the chief''s knowledge and consent.

The police at the Maroelaboom station are accused of having attempted to thwart a meeting held by various San communities in the Na‡aJaqna conservancy in the Tsumkwe West area last Thursday.

Sources said more than 50 people had gathered at the Omatako church hall where they wanted answers about 22 illegal settlers who had been ordered by the High Court to break down their illegal fences and remove their cattle from the area by 20 November.

Some of the evicted settlers have in the meantime instituted a Supreme Court challenge to stop the eviction. According to the sources none of them appear to be moving.

Another matter on the agenda was the possible election of new traditional leaders.

Issaskar Soub, an official at the !Kung customary court, said Agarob ''Alla'' Sauseb, secretary to chief Glony Arnold of the !Kung traditional authority, arrived with at least five armed police officers at the meeting and told the gathering that they could not meet without Arnold''s consent.

Soub said Arnold, police at Maroelaboom as well as a constituency councillor had been informed in writing of the scheduled meeting well in advance. In fact, he said, Arnold had been invited to the meeting but failed to turn up.

Soub said after Sauseb left the church hall the police officers told the gathering to disband. The police reportedly also told them that they had no right to choose their own leaders.

Community activist Raino Eino reportedly told the police that they would continue with the meeting and an argument ensued.

“It was almost like war,” said Soub. “There was a big argument.”

Sauseb confirmed that he had gone to the meeting with the police, saying: “You cannot come into the chief''s area and have a meeting without her having approved the agenda. We stop meetings like that if there is no permission because such meetings confuse people''s heads. If meetings are to take place our leaders must be present to hear what is being said.”

Soub asked: “Do we not have rights to freely assemble and to speak our minds in this country? Do we not have rights to elections in this country? Why are we banned from holding meetings?”

Eino vowed that the San communities would continue to advocate for their rights to be recognised.

The police at the Maroelaboom station could not be contacted for comment.

Background

After the High Court in August ruled that the 22 illegal settlers must leave the Na‡aJaqna conservancy area, Chief Arnold and Sauseb were accused by community members of continuing with illegal allocation of land to outsiders.

The communities further complained that illegal settlement had not stopped since the High Court ruling. Chief Arnold and her advisor, John Arnold Junior, insist that the chief is the only person who has the right to allocate land.

Disgruntled San communities who question the manner in which Chief Arnold was installed as the head of the traditional authority said they would prefer to elect their own leaders.

CATHERINE SASMAN

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Fatality at Namdeb mine

December 13, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Fatality at Namdeb mine Namdeb resumed its operations yesterday morning following a fatality that occurred at Southern Coastal Mines near Oranjemund.

Operations were halted on Monday around midday to review and affirm safety measures and critical controls at the mine after the death of 51-year-old Likius Shetunyenga.

The fatal accident occurred at about 11:00 on Monday morning on the G90 crosswall/seawall in the Southern Coastal Mines when according to Namdeb, a slump occurred which resulted in Shetunyenga and the dozer he was operating to submerge below the water, and he drowned.

Namdeb yesterday said detailed internal investigations have already commenced and that the chief inspector of mines, as well as other stakeholders, have been informed of the incident.

Asked for further details surrounding the incident Namdeb brand manager, Pauline Thomas said that they cannot release any further information as the investigations are still on-going.

Shetunyenga was from the Omusimboti village in the Oshana Region.

He leaves behind his wife, and five children. He joined Namdeb in 1992 and was working as a multi-skilled operator in the pumping section at the time of his passing.

“This was also an opportunity for everyone to reflect on the importance of safety and to remind ourselves how quickly an accident can occur. Furthermore it should be remembered that safety is our first priority and that no production target is worth the life of any of our employees,” Namdeb told its employees.

The company also urged its employees to redouble efforts in ensuring the safety of places of work.

ELLANIE SMIT

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Swartbooi booted out

December 13, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Swartbooi booted outHung Politburo session leads to high-level meeting Young firebrand Bernadus Swartbooi is said to have resigned after refusing to apologise for his comments when he publicly attacked Utoni Nujoma and his land-reform programme.

President Hage Geingob has told deputy lands minister Bernadus Swartbooi to resign, but allowed him to retain his seat in parliament and according to State House, they are awaiting the letter of resignation.
This followed after Swartbooi refused to apologise for accusing lands minister Utoni Nujoma of tribal preference in the resettlement programme two weeks ago at a meeting in Hoachanas in the south of the country.
According to sources close to the Swartbooi, he was summoned to State House yesterday afternoon where he was given his final ultimatum.
Namibian Sun understands the meeting was attended by Geingob, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Vice-President Nickey Iyambo, Presidential Affairs Minister Frans Kapofi and Attorney-General Sacky Shangala.
According to the sources the meeting did “not go well” and tensions ran high for the duration of the afternoon.
State House issued comment just before 19:00
Asked for his view, political analyst Nico Horn said it would be a really sad day if the president got rid of Swartbooi over an opinion that many people in the south felt was true.
According to Horn, Swartbooi is an asset to the country’s democracy and a brand of new politician who is very popular with the people on the ground.

“It will be very bad for the future of this country if the youth are sidelined. I personally thought after Job Amupanda was fired that Swartbooi filled that gap. I really hope this is not the last we hear of him,” said Horn.
Another social commentator, Graham Hopwood, felt that the president’s action was understandable.
According to Hopwood, Swartbooi raised a very important issue but unfortunately personalised it.
“It is not surprising then that the president would react this way, because he criticised his senior minister on a public platform and cabinet discipline states that you do not criticise your seniors,” said Hopwood.

Other commentators expect quite a fallout from this move, as Swartbooi has popular support since he stood up in parliament and condemned the construction of a new parliament building. During his tenure as governor of the //Karas Region, he also garnered popular support for his ‘people-first’ approach.

Swartbooi could not be reached for comment.

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Hage growls at traditional leaders

December 13, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Hage growls at traditional leaders

President Hage Geingob yesterday lashed out at growing tribalism in Namibia.

At a press briefing at State House, he took issue with a recent upsurge of “tribal” remarks but added that people “only make noise when they are “hopeful”.

He criticised people who fall out of favour and then “jump on the tribal bandwagon and cry that they are discriminated against on tribal grounds”.

The president also condemned the outspokenness of traditional leaders, who according to him have become too radical.

Traditional leaders recently expressed support for deputy minister Bernadus Swartbooi after he accused lands minister Utoni Nujoma of tribal preference in the land resettlement programme.

Traditional leaders have also publicly complained about the way land is distributed, saying that minority groups are disadvatanged.

“It is a serious development, they also want to become Bantustans again, but Swapo said no to Bantustans. Be careful of traditional leaders, they do not have a constituency, they are only there to advise the president on land matters. The way I see it…unless we stop it, it will become a problem,” said Geingob.

He said people were free to express themselves but they should not create chaos or instigate others.

Political analyst Hoze Riruako agreed with the president and said traditional leaders should focus on making sure that their communities have access to material wealth.

“The chiefs should not get caught up in ethnicity issues or be fighting over who is a bigger chief or who is a king,” he said.

Greed

President Geingob also said that the level of greed in the country was unacceptable.

Responding to questions from the media during the Harambee Review briefing yesterday morning, Geingob said it was unacceptable that only one person wanted to “grab everything”.

“Even tenders must be shared. Why it is only one person who is allowed to have 100 tenders? It is not fair,” he said.

According Riruako, the president''s remarks must not remain rhetoric but must be implemented through vigorous programmes and systems of control.

“There is no way that the government will succeed to reduce poverty if lucrative tenders are going to the same individuals,” he said.

He added that the president must make sure that a strict set of programmes are in place that would ensure the equal redistribution of resources.

Presidential economic advisor John Steytler told the media that efforts to reduce hunger were on track.

He said N$15.4 million was spent between June and October this year on food parcels distributed through the food bank in the Khomas Region. He added that 22 000 households in the region benefitted, representing close to 100 000 people.

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Nam Brew withdraws from R Kelly show

December 14, 2016, 5:54 am

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Nam Brew withdraws from R Kelly show Cancels Windhoek Draught Live Music Festival

Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) has just announced that its premium brand, Windhoek Draught has officially withdrawn its sponsorship towards the 2016 Windhoek Draught Live Music Festival at which international R&B artist, R Kelly would have performed as main act. The Windhoek Draught Live Music Festival which was initially scheduled to have taken place on 25 November 2016, was cancelled after the events promoter, Namconcerts was notified by the R Kelly management that they are “experiencing internal challenges”. Ticket holders will be reimbursed as the festival for this year has been cancelled.
According to the statement, NBL has had no feedback since the cancellation from the artist’s management.
He was set to perform at the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek and at the time, it was said that the concert was postponed.
STAFF REPORTER

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Swartbooi's office locked

December 14, 2016, 9:59 am

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Swartbooi's office locked

Namibian Sun has been reliably informed that deputy lands minister Bernadus Swartbooi's office has been locked and his driver recalled. Sources indicate that his laptop's password has also been changed. This follows his refusal to apologise to lands minister Utoni Nujoma by order of President Hage Geingob for remarks made two weeks ago at Hoachanas. He has said he is waiting for Geingob to fire him and was in the office today. Allegedly the order came from presidential affairs minister Frans Kapofi.

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BA and Jacobs case postponed

December 14, 2016, 2:00 pm

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BA and Jacobs case postponed

JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA

The labour case between Black Africa and former coach Woody Jacobs, which had been scheduled for today, has been postponed to February next year.

The postponement was granted after Black Africa officials wrote a letter to the labour commissioner’s office requesting a rescheduling because of the absence of their lawyer.

Namibian Sun also understands that there was a lack of communication between the two parties and the labour commissioner when the initial date was set.

Black Africa chairman Boni Paulino said: “As far as we know, the case has been postponed to February next year.

“There was a lack of communication between the labour commission, Woody Jacobs and Black Africa.

“Our lawyer had already left for the holidays by the time we received a notification that we must meet at the labour commissioner’s office tomorrow (today).

“It is not our fault that the case is postponed because the right channels of communication should have been used for this case to start.”

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 argued that he was unfairly treated and demanded to be compensated for the way he was treated.

The coach left the club acrimoniously, stating that the new contract he had been offered was worse than the previous one.

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

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

Jacobs yesterday maintained that Black Africa was informed about the case a long time ago.

The coach said he would not dispute the rescheduling of the case, but would wait for justice to prevail.

“I am not in a hurry because I know that even if the case is postponed, we will still meet with those people.

“I believe that all the communication channels were correctly used and Black Africa claimed that their lawyer is not available,” Jacobs said.

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Iivula-Ithana applauds Salute Boxing Academy

December 14, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Iivula-Ithana applauds Salute Boxing AcademyUushona promises the best for 2017 Former sport minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana has called on the private sector to meet government halfway in funding sport.

KAINO NGHITONGO

Former minister of sport Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana has applauded the Salute Boxing Academy for aiming to meet the government halfway in sports development.

Iivula-Ithana, who is the academy’s patron, welcomed the team to her office yesterday when they presented the WBF world title belt that was recently won by Bethuel ‘Tyson’ Uushona.

She was pleased to welcome the champion and the academy that, stating that she was happy that the academy was involved in moulding the youth.

“I am very pleased that one of your objectives is really to mould the young men and women on the street to become proper human beings as our society is faced with so many things.

“What you are doing by meeting government halfway is very important and this is also the slogan of government that we as citizens should meet government halfway because government alone cannot do everything,” she said.

She also pointed out that being a sportsman does not just mean winning all the time, but “moulding character which very important for society.”

Looking back to where the country finds itself now, Iivula-Ithana said the days when she was the minister of sport after independence were more of coming up with policies and less of implementation.

She added that despite the many areas that government has to pump in much of its resources, it has not forgotten about sport although it is just not one of the areas that require urgent attention.

She however called on the public sector to meet government halfway in funding sports and also the public to start attending sport events.

Salute’s spokesperson, Fredrich Nghiyolwa, explained that their visit to the patron was to hand over a world title from the recently held boxing bonanza.

He said the bonanza was fruitful and “for us it is a remarkable achievement”.

Nghiyolwa mentioned that Salute would like to meet the government halfway and “we are here to make sure that we contribute largely to the development of Namibia through the sport of boxing”.

He also used the platform to thank the boxing fans who supported their boxing bonanza as well as their sponsors.

World champion Uushona said: “It has been a long road but I can say finally we are here and with the support of the public and government we will get even further.

“My only promise is that come next year we will take boxing to the next level.”

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Sport must fund itself, says Geingob

December 14, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Sport must fund itself, says GeingobGovernment sidelines football matters While the nation was looking to the president to rescue the local football league, President Hage Geingob has made it clear that the government will stay out of football matters.

President Hage Geingob says the government will not get involved in the problems faced by football, as FIFA does not allow politicians to meddle in the running of the sport.

Responding to questions from the media during the year-end review of the Harambee Prosperity Plan at State House on Tuesday, Geingob said he was a sport lover but his hands were tied by the rules prohibiting the government to intervene.

“We are staying outside because the rules are clear; if we intervene, Namibia will be expelled by FIFA.

We are running the government, do not expect us to run football; it is impossible for us to run football,” he said. On funding, Geingob said sport must fund itself.

He said sport leaders were quick to accuse the government of failing to run the country while they were failing to run football clubs.

“Our stadiums are always empty when teams are playing. People must go to the stadiums and pay.

Look at other countries, when there is football, the stadiums are packed. What is the difference? Something is wrong there,” he added.

The president''s remarks seemed to suggest that the government will not be doing more than it is already doing not only for football, but sport in general.

Football in Namibia is currently going through difficult times as no Premier League games are being played due to lack of funding.

Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) withdrew its sponsorship offer of N$15 million after the Namibia Premier League (NPL) failed to source an additional N$9 million after presenting a N$24 million budget.

Meanwhile, Namibian diamond company DebMarine came to the rescue of Namibian football when it announced a sponsorship for the Namibia Football Association (NFA) Cup for the next three years.

The diamond company announced on Thursday that they would sponsor the competition to the tune of N$14.1 million, with a commitment of N$4.7 million to the Cup.

NAMPA

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Good start for Nam volleyball teams

December 14, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Good start for Nam volleyball teams Namibia''s women''s volleyball teams started the Zone Six Club Championship on a promising note when both won their opening matches on Monday.

The 2016 Zone Six Club Championship is taking place at The Dome in Swakopmund, with the finals scheduled for Saturday.

In the opening games, Namibia''s SKW defeated R/SKINS from Lesotho 3-1, while the Swaziland Police team, RSP, lost 0-3 to Namibia''s Revival Volleyball Club.

Namibia entered five teams - two women''s and three men''s sides.

The men''s teams are the Navy, Namibian Police Force (NamPol) and Namibian Defence Force (NDF). On Monday, the NDF lost 0-3 to Lesotho''s RSP men''s team, but NamPol managed to beat R/SKINS 3-2. In their second match on Monday, NamPol lost 0-3 against Zimbabwe''s NABA.

The women''s teams have three more matches to play before knowing whether they have made it to the final or not.

Speaking to Nampa at the venue on Tuesday, the vice-president of the Namibia Volleyball Federation, Hillary Dux Imbuwa, said they hoped more spectators would show up in the middle of the week or during the final games.

“The visitors are really impressed with our venue. They love the courts and everything we have and that is something good for Namibia,” he said.

Other participating countries are South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola and Malawi.

The same countries will compete in the Zone Six Beach Volleyball Club Championship taking place on 18 and 19 December at the beach volleyball court at The Dome. Unlike the Zone Six Club Championship which takes place indoors, the Beach Volleyball Championship is an outdoor event.

There are no cash prizes but the winners will qualify for the African Club Championships.

Bank Windhoek sponsored the event to the tune of N$40 000 while Refuse Solutions assisted with the construction of the volleyball courts at a cost of N$150 000.

NAMPA

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Koeman goads Wenger

December 14, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Koeman goads WengerArsenal struggled to deal with physical game Ashley Williams''s 86th-minute header ended Arsenal''s 14-game unbeaten run and kept Arsene Wenger''s side from the Premier League summit.

Ronald Koeman reacted sarcastically to opposite number Arsene Wenger after Everton ended Arsenal''s nine-month unbeaten away run in the Premier League in an eventful 2-1 victory at Goodison Park.

Arsenal manager Wenger, defeated for just the second time this season, blamed referee Mark Clattenburg for awarding the first of a series of corners from which Ashley Williams headed in the 86th-minute winner.

But Koeman responded bullishly and claimed he had targeted Arsenal''s weak points by instructing his players to adopt an aggressive approach against the Premier League title hopefuls.

“I''m not surprised about Wenger''s comments because it is the third time in a row that I won as a manager at home against Arsenal,” said the Everton manager after Tuesday''s game.

“And that is three times in a row that it was about the referee. OK, sorry Arsenal. We won through the referee tonight, sorry!

“Their weakness is if you go face-to-face and win battles and you run and you go. Then you need a bit of luck and we deserved that.

“If you fight for every ball and are aggressive, you see the reaction of the crowd and with a lot of aggression, you can make life difficult. Then it is really difficult to beat Everton here.

“We showed that after 20 minutes. We went face-to-face against them and that''s what you have to do against teams like Arsenal.”

Williams struck from Ross Barkley''s corner after Alexis Sanchez''s 20th-minute opener for Arsenal, a deflected free-kick, had been cancelled out by Seamus Coleman''s 44th-minute header.

Citing Clattenburg''s decision to award a corner despite the ball appearing to have gone out off Everton substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Wenger said his side had been hard done by.

“Of course it was not a corner,” said Wenger. “It was the wrong decision.

“You could see from outside that it was no corner. I''m very disappointed because Clattenburg was in a very good position to see the player had the ball out.

“It is not the first time we are unlucky with his decision this season. But overall I don''t want to speak about the referee too much.”

The high stakes, with Everton looking to end a five-game winless run and Arsenal seeking a win that would have taken them to the top of the table, spilled over at half-time as the teams left the field.

Rival players exchanged words and traded pushes, with James McCarthy seeming to accost Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil.

“I was close to it and didn''t see a lot there,” said Wenger. “A little bit of pushing, but nothing dramatic.”

Wenger also insisted his players had not frozen on a big occasion and with a fervent Goodison crowd growing ever more vocal as the game progressed.

“No,” he said. “We were a little bit less fresh and maybe we lost a little bit of urgency when we were 1-0 up and perfectly in control of the game.

“We are used to playing away at places like this and when you play nine months away from home unbeaten, then you have that normally every week.

“They made the game physical, they defended well, they played a cup game and made a big difference from what I had seen from them, the past few weeks.

“They fought for every ball. I don''t think they can repeat that every single game.”

Everton will have to do that in their next game, the home Merseyside derby with Liverpool on Monday, and Koeman said the victory was perfect preparation.

“Of course now it is a totally different situation to go into Monday,” he said.

“We have three points in the pocket, a good performance and we know we are very strong at home.

“We are still unbeaten at home. We know everything about the Merseyside derby and if we play with the passion we showed tonight (Tuesday), we can have a good result.”

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No time to rest - Ambunda

December 14, 2016, 2:00 pm

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No time to rest - Ambunda JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA

Former world super bantamweight champion Paulus ‘The Rock’ Ambunda says December for him will be all about working harder to maintain fitness rather than going on a long, expensive vacation.

The boxer says the reason he wants to work out during the festive season is because he has gained a few kilograms.

Speaking in an exclusive interview yesterday, Ambunda said: “I think my holiday was in August and now it is about time I work harder.

“I will be in the gym this festive season preparing for an incredible comeback in 2017.

“I have gained seven to eight kilograms and that is why reducing some of the fat will be important.

“I really would love to work hard in order to make it back into the top boxing rankings and eventually fight for a world title again.”

Ambunda’s last fight ended in defeat at the hands of Mexican Moises Flores in an IBO and WBA super bantamweight world title bout in June.

Since then, the former world champion has devoted his time to recovering from the horror night in Windhoek.

The loss in June meant that Ambunda now has two losses and 24 victories from 26 fights.

He expressed optimism that his promoter Nestor ‘Sunshine’ Tobias will secure him a fight at the beginning of next year.

“Right now, I would like to wish all the people a wonderful and safe festive season.

“I would also like to congratulate our new world champion Julius Indongo on the victory.

“Indongo set a great example to many boxers in this country and therefore he must also have a great festive season,” Ambunda said.

Ambunda made his debut in 2007 before going on to win two world titles and several African titles in the bantamweight and super bantamweight divisions.

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Rand weaker against greenback

December 14, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Rand weaker against greenbackFed hike expected Expectations are that the Federal Reserve will hike US interest rates.

The rand traded a tad weaker against the US dollar yesterday in a market braced for a US Federal Reserve interest-rate hike.

By the start of the day, the rand traded at 13.6550 to the greenback, down 0.37% from its New York close at 13.6050 on Tuesday.

Equally, consumer inflation data is expected to have little impact, but will keep door open for South African Reserve Bank to hike domestic rates in January if it pulls further above 3-6% target band.

The rand is still on track to end the year up more than 13% versus the dollar, which would be its first annual gain since 2010, helped mainly by investors'' search for yield in emerging markets.

Stock futures index edged up 0.28%, pointing to a slightly firmer start for the Johannesburg bourse. Government bonds retreated in early trade, pushing the yield for 10-year debt up 4 basis points to 8.94%.

NAMPA/REUTERS

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Diamond sales suffer

December 14, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Diamond sales suffer De Beers, the world''s biggest diamond producer, had its smallest sale of the stones so far this year as demand was hurt by India''s crackdown on ''black money''.

The company sold US$418 million of diamonds in its 10th cycle, compared with US$476 million at its previous offering, according to a statement on Tuesday. For the same period last year, sales were US$248million.

“While the trade in lower-value rough diamonds is experiencing a temporary slowdown as a result of the demonetisation programme in India, demand across the rest of the product mix continued to be healthy,” chief executive officer Bruce Cleaver said.

“Overall sales remained in line with seasonal expectations.”

The industry has been hit by India''s war against so-called black money after the government invalidated existing 500-rupee and 1 000-rupee bank notes. De Beers has responded by moving to ease restrictions on buyers in India as the government''s actions suppressed demand.

NEWS24

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Governor's charity day hosted

December 14, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Governor's charity day hostedEarly Christmas cheer for Epukiro residents Christmas celebrations started early in the dusty settlement of Epukiro in the Omaheke Region when the regional council hosted a charity day.

The Omaheke governor''s office last week donated food items such as sugar, pasta, tinned and fresh fish valued at around N$80 000 to Epukiro community members.

This was done as part of the annual Governor''s Charity Day, initiated by Governor Festus Ueitele last year, after seeing the need to give back to communities.

This is done under the Governor''s Trust Fund which is supported by individuals and business people who donate items throughout the year.

One of the companies that contributed to the initiative this year was Ohere Fishing Company, which donated two tons of fish.

Advisor to the governor Pijoo Nganate said the idea behind the initiative was to instil the value of giving and caring, and to maintain human dignity within communities.

He said the country''s long-term goal was to create employment for its people and to teach them to be independent one day through the act of giving.

Nganate said the event was successful and that his office looked forward to working with individuals, especially the business people and farmers in the region, to assist the social fund to help the poorest of the poor.

“We want every day in Omaheke to be a Christmas Day, not only in December,” he said.

The governor''s office opted to go to the grassroots level of the region''s community to establish who really was in need of help.

Last year, the office donated food to almost 800 households. This year about 450 households received food.

The governor''s personal assistant, Brenda Tjijombo, was one of the people who distributed food to the Epukiro community.

She said there was a time when people used to take care of each other as part of the African heritage.

“If one person is unable to do it, the other would assist and this is what we would like to see in the entire Namibian nation,” said Tjijombo.

She added that it was essential to “work together and move in the same direction” to fight poverty.

NAMPA

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Power consumers become suppliers

December 14, 2016, 2:00 pm

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Power consumers become suppliersCoW to bank electricity Users of green energy can now sell any excess electricity they generate to bulk users such as the City of Windhoek.

OGONE TLHAGE

Windhoek residents who make use of photovoltaic solar systems to power their homes can now expect to be credited at a rate of N$1.13 per kilowatt hour of electricity fed into the City’s grid.

This follows a recent Twitter announcement by the Electricity Control Board chief executive officer that net metering had been gazetted.

Net metering can be defined as a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid. For example, if a residential customer has a photovoltaic system on the home''s rooftop, it may generate more electricity than the home uses during daylight hours.

City of Windhoek spokesperson Lydia Amutenya says: “The net metering rules have just been promulgated. They were placed in the government gazette on 15 November 2016. The City of Windhoek will now start banking electrical energy imported from grid-connected generators at a rate of N$1.13 per kilowatt hour and the energy shall be used within a council financial year.”

This is the first of many anticipated policy interventions where electricity consumers will be paid for the power they feed into the national grid.

A plethora of policy interventions were recently announced by mines and energy minister Obeth Kandjoze at the Invest in Namibia International Conference. These included a review of the single buyer model which makes provision for state-owned utility NamPower to be the sole supplier of bulk electricity.

Kandjoze used the same opportunity to announce that many energy policies were subject to review. The White Paper on Energy of 1998 would also get a review.

Work on the electricity bill and energy regulatory authority bills is expected to be completed by March 2017, while work on the gas bill is expected to be completed by December 2017, Kandjoze announced at the conference.

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