Think before you click

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Think before you click There are three types of people I want to talk about today. Cheaters, people who share personal intimate content on social media and people who entertain that idea.

There were so many things that we vouched to dump at the end of 2016 but it seems we have even upped the gear doing them. The things that people are doing now really require us to pray for our souls because we are heading down a very dirty path and it's not funny.

Guys, we need to know when to start and when to stop. I know that we are all human and sometimes there will be issues we won't be able to control but we really need to try harder when it comes to controlling our feelings. When it comes to relationships, there are things that you should and shouldn't do. It's a habit that has been associated with Namibian men but the ladies are also catching up. But, like I said, we are not perfect. This tolerance of infidelity or cheating has to stop for our own good. There are many reasons why people get into relationships. It could be for love, money, pressure from parents or some people just can't stand living solitude lives. To others, relationships gets them recognition. I always advise people to discuss with their partners what they are looking for in their romantic situations because your partner may be looking for a relationship for different reasons from yours and in the end one of you will be hurt or disappointed. People can be very understanding and it's something we underestimate. Yea, it may take two to three years for someone to get over the heartbreak of losing someone and isn’t it better to save that person the embarrassment and pain? Don't put someone in a position you won't want to be in. You may get away with it at the beginning but you never know when you will run out of luck.

I also understand that there's a time when one needs to shake things up a little bit in the bedroom but there are so many ways of enjoying each other's company without having to capture it. Yes the Americans have done it and even made millions out of it but darling, this is Namibia. And the other point is all good things do come to an end and soon after that, the person whom you thought you were in love with isn't who they are after your relationship is over. Do other things but do not get it recorded. Trust can easily be manipulated and with the evolution of the internet, it just takes one click of a button and voila, the damage is done. It is a compeltely different thing when you are being filmed without your consent but the moment he or she pulls out that phone, run! You may be thinking that no one will catch you because the videos or nudes have gone viral but investigations can be carried out and there goes your career and life down the drain. If you are angry, leave your phone and PC for some time until you have cooled down. Don’t post things while angry or upset. Your actions have serious consequences.

I’m sure all of us remember the nursery rhythm “The wheels on the bus go round” and we should be applying that in our daily lives. What happened today to John Doe can happen to you or someone close to you. The public shaming and humiliating of someone can have permanent negative effects on them. What if they commit suicide because of you? Let’s have limits guys. Karma is really bad and we all have our skeletons tucked away in our closets. Don’t celebrate other people’s misfortunes. And remember what goes around comes around!

June Shimuoshili

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We all need true love

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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We all need true love Yes, could 2017 be the year of real true love? A love that is so strong that it allows us to be vulnerable and to show a different side. Love only manifests when you allow it to. I know falling is really a scaring feeling but you will not know unless you try. Some scars are worth all the trouble in the end because happiness is a road full of roses with thorns. Sometimes you will get hurt but that will teach you to be careful next time. We should always keep in mind that love doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time to grow into what you want it to be.

Love is not measured by how soon you say the word or how fast you take your clothes off for someone or how expensive the gifts you buy. Love is one of those cheap things we all can afford to buy but if it comes with a price tag then it’s not love. This may sound stupid but the true measure of love is not giving up on your partner. Always being around without saying a word, being their life saver when they need one and most importantly, listening with understanding in order to communicate effectively.

In most cases we all don’t experience that love we want and need but don’t let that stop you from experiencing this wonderful thing called love, there is a rock for you in the sea, it takes time for it to reach the beach. In the meantime play in the sand, get your feet wet, feel the cold water between your toes. Live life and don’t wait to fall in love.

Let’s be brave enough this year to fall in love and live the love story you have been dreaming or reading about it in books. Let that movie be yours. Let’s say goodbye to being a booty call or the side piece on the plate.

Let’s be drunk with love in 2017.

Radio Presenter at Base FM /Student

Facebook Johannes Joe Orr

Havana to get hospital

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Havana to get hospitalHealth management centre also planned It will be third hospital in the Khomas Region and the first built since Independence. NAMPA



The construction of the Khomas District Hospital is in the planning phase.

Speaking on Wednesday during the official opening of the Khomas Regional Council activities for the year council chairperson Rachel Jacob said the hospital would be built in the Havana informal settlement situated in the Moses Garoeb Constituency.

“Our major plan for this year is the construction of the Khomas District Hospital,” the chairperson said.

Land has been earmarked for the project, but she could not say when construction would start.

Besides the hospital, Jacob said the regional authority planned to build a management office, renovate the Katutura Health Centre Senior Park and upgrade the National Health Training Centre.

The council will embark on other capital projects such as the continuation of the sewerage infrastructure construction at Groot Aub, which is currently at Phase 7 with 144 erven connected.

Jacob said in order to bring government services closer to the people, the council would construct more constituency offices and renovate the current ones.

“We are currently busy renovating the Tobias Hainyeko Constituency office, which is nearly completed,” she said.

The office is expected to be ready for inauguration by the end of March this year.

SARB maintains repo rate

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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SARB maintains repo rate NAMPA/ANA

The South African Reserve Bank on Tuesday left its repo rate unchanged at seven percent for the fifth time in a row as food price inflation is expected to decline following good rain in parts of the country.

Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago announced that the Monetary Policy Committee had unanimously decided to keep the repurchase rate unchanged at seven percent, just as it did in May, July, September, and November last year.

The prime lending rate, the figure charged by banks to customers, will also remain unchanged at 10.5%.

Tax amnesty season beckons

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Tax amnesty season beckonsMinistry of Finance lenient with tax defaulters N$19 billion in taxes has been outstanding since 1990. The Ministry of Finance will soon write off a portion of the interest charged on outstanding taxes, provided that the arrears and 20% of the interest are paid.

Finance minister Calle Schlettwein made the announcement yesterday.

“The incentive programme for the payment of tax, write-off of a portion of the interest and waiver of penalties takes effect from 1 February 2017 and ends on 31 July 2017. Payment for the full tax amount and 20% interest must be made no later than 31 July 2017 for one to benefit from the incentive programme.”

According to Schlettwein, no amount of the outstanding tax will be waived.

Schlettwein revealed in December 2016 that N$19 billion was owed to the state dating back to Independence. N$4 billion is made up of principal while the remainder is made up of penalties, interest and interest on interest.

The incentive programme will apply to income tax, value-added tax, value-added tax import, employee tax, stamp duties and non-resident shareholder tax.

“All individuals, businesses, companies, close corporations and other entities with outstanding debt on their tax accounts may apply to participate in the incentive programme. Payments must be made in instalments over a maximum period of six months, last instalment which must be made on 31 July 2017. Only once the full principal tax amount and 20% of interest are paid, will the remaining 80% portion of interest and all penalties be waived.

In order to determine the correct amount of tax owed, he advised defaulters to fill in outstanding tax returns.

“Taxpayers who fail to apply to the Ministry of Finance to have a portion of the interest written off during the period allocated will forfeit this benefit when the incentive programme lapses. The ministry will then enforce its collection mandate against taxpayers as if the programme was never introduced,” the minister warned.

Please note that this is a one-off programme,” he said.

The bank details for the settlement of taxes are as follows: Bank of Namibia, account name Receiver of Revenue, account number 165011 and branch code 980-172.

MUN condemns Skorpion for layoffs

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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MUN condemns Skorpion for layoffs The Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) has condemned Skorpion Zinc Mine for the intended layoffs of 278 workers expected to happen towards the end of February.

The mine is in the process of outsourcing operations of its mining department to private company, Basil Read Mining Namibia, which will absorb the affected workers on a contract basis.

MUN Skorpion branch chairperson Petersen Kambinda said at a media conference in Keetmanshoop on Tuesday that the union only learned of this development a week ago.

“Skorpion kept us in the dark about the outsourcing of mining operations and the loss of jobs. They informed us in a letter on 16 January after previously denying that they were concluding a contract with Basil Read,” Kambinda said.

He said the matter came to the attention of the union after the private company had advertised vacancies at Skorpion in newspapers last year December.

“We demand to be included in discussions on the future of the workers. We cannot allow permanent workers to lose their jobs only to be employed as cheap labourers,” Kambinda said.

He said the underlying intention of the outsourcing was to maximise profits for Skorpion and Basil Read through the exploitation of Namibian workers.

The mine's spokesperson, Nora Ndopu, dismissed the union's claim of exclusion when approached by Nampa on Wednesday.

“We are continuing to engage with the union on profits and retrenchment packages and so far we have not reached any deadlock in our meetings,” she said.

Ndopu said the company was forced to outsource final mining operations due to a lack of funds to buy the right equipment for the extraction of the last bits of zinc at the mine.

“It is no secret that the mine has reached its lifespan. We are changing our mining model to prevent full closure of the mine, which would have happened in June this year. The new model guarantees operations into the next three years,” she said.

Ndopu said the company was trying its best to retain jobs for the affected workers.

“There is a difference between retrenching and putting people on the street. The contractor will create jobs for 450 people, including the affected workers.”

Skorpion is owned by Indian mining company, Vedanta Resources, and employs around 1 500 people.

Trump orders wall construction

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Trump orders wall constructionAngered Mexico takes stand against proposal The US president acted to start the construction of the border wall and moved to limit the admission of all refugees at least temporarily. President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered work to begin on building a wall across the Mexican border, angering his southern neighbour with his hardline stance on immigration.

The US leader instructed officials to begin to “plan, design and construct a physical wall along the southern border” and - perhaps more problematically - see how it could be funded.

“A nation without borders is not a nation,” Trump said, echoing former president Ronald Reagan, as he visited the Department of Homeland Security to sign two executive orders.

“Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders,” the Republican president said.

Hours later, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto demanded “respect” for his country in a nationally televised address.

“I regret and condemn the decision of the United States to continue construction of a wall that, for years, has divided us instead of uniting us,” Pena Nieto said.

“I have said it time and again: Mexico will not pay for any wall,” Pena Nieto said.

A Mexican government official told AFP that Pena Nieto will weigh in the coming days whether to maintain a meeting with Trump in Washington on Tuesday.

Stemming immigration was a central plank of Trump's election campaign.

His signature policy prescription was to build a wall across the 2 000-mile (3 200-km) border between the United States and Mexico.

Some of the border is already fenced, but Trump says a wall is needed to stop illegal immigrants entering from Latin America.

The policy has become a clarion call for the US right and far-right –the core of Trump's support.

A Morning Consult/Politico poll released Wednesday said 47 percent of voters support building a wall, with 45 percent against.

Experts have voiced doubts about whether a wall would actually slow illegal immigration, or if it is worth the billions it is expected to cost.

“I suspect that a lot of Trump supporters would be just as happy with a big statue of a middle finger pointed south,” said Congressman Luis Gutierrez.

“Both are about equally effective as national security strategies.”

Despite the high-octane rhetoric, Trump's action was piecemeal, looking to identify existing funds that could be diverted toward the project.

The Republican-controlled Congress would need to supply billions of dollars more if the wall is to be anywhere near completed.

Trump's party has spent the last decade preaching fiscal prudence, so cuts to existing programmes would likely be required.

Trump also ordered a survey of the border to be completed within 180 days.

Much of the land needed to build the wall would have to be seized from private citizens in Texas, the state of Texas or tribal authorities.

That could lead to lengthy legal proceedings, political blowback and substantial expropriation payments.

“The only real solution to reform our immigration system is to pass comprehensive immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship for the 11 million” undocumented people in the United States, top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said.

Trump has promised to make Mexico pay for the wall, something the Mexican government has repeatedly said it will not do.

“Ultimately it will come out of what's happening with Mexico, we're going to be starting those negotiations relatively soon. And we will be, in a form, reimbursed by Mexico,” Trump told ABC earlier Wednesday.

Trump aides have weighed hiking border tariffs or border transit costs as one way to “make Mexico pay.”

Another threat is to finance the wall by tapping into remittances that Mexican migrants send home, which last year amounted to $25 billion.

“There are a lot of different ways of getting Mexico to contribute to doing this, and there are different ways of defining how exactly they pay for it,” House leader Paul Ryan said in an interview on MSNBC, while also conceding that the United States is “going to pay for it and front the money up.”

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray and the country's economy minister are currently in Washington to prepare for Pena Nieto's visit next week, which now hangs in the balance.

Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo warned that Mexico could walk away from the negotiations if the US governments threatens remittances or insists on the wall payment.

Trump is also said to be floating the idea of a ban on refugees from Muslim-majority countries, including Syria.

Around 4.8 million Syrians have fled to neighbouring countries alone, according to the United Nations. An estimated 18 000 Syrians have come to the United States. Former officials said Trump could slow the flow down by moving resources away from processing visa requests, or cutting or freezing migrant quotas and programmes. The move has prompted a fierce backlash even before it was announced.



NAMPA/AFP

The curse of structural and symbolic violence

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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The curse of structural and symbolic violence BY JOHN DOE

The liberation struggles of Africa and South America were fought largely because of structural and symbolic violence issues and before I give any current examples of the concept, I will explain it as clearly and concisely as possible.

Structural violence according to Johan Galtung, which he introduced in his article "Violence, Peace, and Peace Research" (1969), refers to a form of violence whereby an inadequate social structure or institution may cause harm to individuals by preventing them from meeting their basic needs. In the context of Namibia (and in many other “decolonised” and “liberated” countries in Africa), this is a widespread occurrence. This is especially so because of the deterioration of health services and education in particular, but also affects almost every social safety net. To give an example, a patient goes to hospital – the queue is long and the patient dies before seeing a doctor – this equals structural violence (the patient is a victim of structural violence).

The institution, which is overburdened and does not have enough staff to attend to its patients, or lacks equipment and medication, causes harm to the patient and life expectancy suffers, because of the sub-standard facilities.

The same applies to education (the great equaliser).

When the education system is not equitable for all and there is lack of books, classrooms and qualified teachers – learners suffer, they cannot progress, ultimately resulting in an inability to create better living conditions to escape from poverty. In Namibia presently, it seems we have structural adjustment initiatives (our state coffers are empty). Moreover, since our social safety nets are under threat, we are doomed to be led further down the path of structural violence, even more so than before independence. While it is laudable that we were given “free education”, would it not have been better to offer “quality education” before offering “free education”? In hindsight, “free education” has only served to overburden the entire education system, because of poor and inadequate infrastructure, leading to structural violence perpetrated on our poor children, once again. Our hospitals in the South do not even have Panados, only vitamin tablets, wrapped in pieces of paper – there are no bags to put them in, structural violence is the order of the day, some may even lose their lives as a result, but we cannot call it murder, because it is circumstance “it is how it is”.

Which brings us to Bourdieu’s concept of “symbolic violence” meaning that one has been conditioned by circumstance to “accept things as they are” – which prevents our minds from thinking critically about any adverse circumstances. Symbolic violence means that people have internalised the discourses of “dominant” figures in society, meaning that the most intolerable conditions of existence are perceived as acceptable, and even natural. This amounts to almost unconscious cultural or social domination known as symbolic power, which manifests in the discipline used against another to confirm an individual’s placement within a social hierarchy, mostly through system institutions – in particular, education systems. Symbolic power further includes actions that have discriminatory or injurious meanings or implications, like gender dominance, racism and tribalism.

In Southern Africa, structural and symbolic violence is rampant. Nowhere are the class disparities between the elite and the masses of poor and underprivileged more obvious. Health services are in ruins, public education sectors are ruins and economies are heading for junk. Our coffers have been plundered to the tune of billions.

New elite classes of leaders have taken over from their previous colonial masters. They have formed a new privileged class with privileged offspring bathing in the spoils of colonialism and more, while the masses continue to suffer endlessly from the structural and symbolic violence they perpetrate. At the end of the day, it is not about the land, it is about a having decent roof over one’s head. It is not about riches and greed; it is about having enough food to feed your family, healthcare, pension and a decent education. There is enough for everyone, it just needs to be shared and leaders need to care about that – deeply. We need to start looking after our people who fought hard for freedom from colonial oppression; we dare not deal them a hand worse than they had before.

Structural adjustment (in the name of austerity) affecting education, health and social services is a great evil, because it perpetrates structural and symbolic violence on the most vulnerable people in our societies.

After the second world war, Britain suffered from large scale destruction and poverty, followed by the great depression, there was no money and there was mass unemployment, Britain nevertheless provided all its citizens with social services (health services in particular). They looked after the health and welfare of their people. There is a lesson to be learnt – the people were happy, it gave them hope for the future. In tough economic times, the poor and the vulnerable must not be neglected; they need hope to face the future in spite of the hardships they have to endure. One cannot cultivate a healthy society while the elite flaunt ill-begotten riches, blatantly and unashamedly – all this in the face of those that are suffering from lack of healthcare, education and basic needs. All you stand to achieve through neglect is a society of malcontents with resentment and anger in their hearts, hungry and at the mercy of the elements, leading to social unrest. With health services in a state of disrepair, how does one deal with cancer, cholera, Ebola, HIV/Aids or typhoid, etc? – One does not – people die. Liberation struggles were fought over structural and symbolic violence issues – it appears as if the struggle continues unabatedly. The struggle for the overwhelming majority of people who continue to be subjected to structural and symbolic violence is not for “economic freedom” – the struggle is about social and educational equality and justice.

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Crack the whip on poaching

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Crack the whip on poaching How long before rhino, pangolin and even elephants are wiped out in Namibia?

An avalanche of poaching stories, of arrests and deaths, continue to flood the frontpages of Namibian newspapers.

Even for hardened journalists who on a daily basis have to step knee deep into public relations smokescreens, human rights abuses, crime and corruption, the death of yet another rhino creates a doomed sense of hopelessness and helplessness.

Each story contains similar facts.

Another dead rhino, another desperate poacher, whose greed or poverty motivates him to risk a life behind bars, and these days, even death, to brutally kill an animal.

In return, they are paid a fraction of what horns, tusks or scales are worth.

And as long as the money flows, volunteers will always step up. The long list of Chinese nationals arrested for poaching, smuggling and corruption creates the sense that Namibia's resources are viewed as ripe for looting, picking and plunder. And, if the rumours are true, many Namibians are more than willing to exchange these precious resources in exchange for a share of the ill-gotten treasure chest. How can the arrogant and unstoppable market for horns, tusks and whatever else trends in the Chinese aphrodisiac market at the moment, ever be stopped if the names of these middlemen, the Namibians and the Asians, remain outside the spotlight? If the names of the real hoodlums responsible for poaching in the country continue to evade our news stories, our social media rants, and our official press statements, then our poaching crisis will continue unabated. Who cares about the death of a rhino, or elephant, when millions are on the line? And who cares if a poacher is killed or arrested, his family left bereaved and destitute, if another will step forward to fill his shoes immediately? What about the men and women in law enforcement, who work tirelessly to trap and arrest the poachers and smugglers, risking their lives? Do they know the more senior people involved and are they actively threatened to hold back? These questions deserve answers.

Until the real big fish behind poaching are behind bars, poaching will continue to ravage our country and our wildlife.

The power of the mind

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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The power of the mind Have someone ever posed a question to you and asked you to use your imagination to come up with the answer? Chances are that if you were raised in the hood like I was, you will struggle with such a question. Well, it’s not because kids raised in the hood – the Katutura, Omulunga, Kuisebmond and Tseiblaagtes of this world – have no imagination; it’s because we were raised with a completely different set of imaginations than those boys from the suburbs.

Kids from the suburbs have a wild imagination – and so do their parents. Gary, an old school friend of mine, who recently graduated with a Charterted Accoountant (CA) qualification is one such person with a wild imagination.

Ask Gary anything, and he is bound to come up with the most outrageous answer. For instance, I recently sat Gary down and told him I have some news to tell him.

“Don’t tell me….wait, I know! You just won the lottery and the two of us will go on a road trip across the world. We will rob banks, date women and just go nuts. I will change my name to Kiko and I will call you Dudu!

Eish, I was only going to inform him that I bought a new exercise bicycle! Such a wild imagination!

It is people like Gary that allow their kids to have imaginary friends, with whom they do almost anything under the sun with. Our kids from the hood will be staring at the suburbs’ kids in awe as the kid talks to his imaginary friend, and even asks them to talk to him!

We had no imaginary friends – it was already enough keeping up with our fake friends who only came around when mommy dishes out the food! To be honest, we didn’t even know back then of the existence of such a thing as an imaginary friend.

Our imagination took us to other places – like actually believing that Daisy, the most sought-after girl at school was ours! Or that we look exactly like Denzel Washington and are the best thing to happen to girls since ‘Bu-Tone’. Ja, that was as far as our imaginations went.

Have you ever wondered why kids from the hood back in the day had difficulty understanding science fiction movies like E.T and others? Well, our brain was not made to explore and actually believe the possibility that a dog could talk, or that a cat could fly!

Show us Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris and MacGyver anytime and we will actually believe that a man can fly through a hail of bullets. That, my friends, was our kind of imagination. In fact, I believe to this very day that nothing beats Chuck Norris – the man is just tough and nothing will get him down.

So, whenever a mother tells her kid “You can be anything you set your mind to. Let the limits of your imagination be your only guide…”, we always giggled and whispered to our self that the mother had no idea what she is telling her kid.

Like, can someone really be anything, and anyone you want to be? At that moment we would all look at Chuck Norris on our TV screen and in unison shake our heads and break down in uncontrollable laughter. To us, there can only one Chuck Norris.

But living in a world full of trials and tribulations, we are at times called upon to be creative with our imagination. For instance, if your ATM refuses to give you the amount you asked for due to insufficient funds, simply slip the card back in and imagine the money rolling out of the ATM.

In fact a little prayer will help too: “By the grace of the almighty God, God of Moses who helped him part the Red Sea, God of Abraham who held his hand when he was about to sacrifice his own son, please take away any evil cast upon this ATM. I declare and decree that no insufficient funds formed against me shall prosper. I decree that I will receive that N$ 1000 I seek, in Jesus name I pray…”.

If nothing pops out by the time you open your eyes, then the ATM most probably had an imagination of its own too!

Until then…

tjatindi@gmail.com

Hitchhiker accuses trucker of rape

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Hitchhiker accuses trucker of rape A Walvis Bay trucker has been arrested by the Erongo police after a hitchhiker accused him of raping her along the Omaruru-Kalkveld road on Wednesday.

Chief Inspector Erastus Ikuyu confirmed the arrest, saying that the victim, who is aged 22, took a lift with a 31-year-old truck driver from Arandis en route to Grootfontein.

“The suspect parked his truck and demanded sex from the victim. When she refused to oblige he threatened and raped her,” said Ikuyu.

According to Ikuyu, the victim alleged she overheard the suspect talking to a person (possibly another truck driver) on his cellphone.

“He (the suspect) apparently informed this person he had intercourse with a woman in his truck and invited him to come and also have a turn. Another truck arrived and parked after a few minutes. The victim said she told the suspect that she wanted to urinate, left the truck and ran into the bushes.”

The victim phoned her boyfriend in Arandis who alerted the police and provided a description of the truck which was located at the scene of crime.

“She was rescued and her underwear was found inside the truck. The suspect is an employee of a Walvis Bay-based transport company. He will appear in the Omaruru Magistrate's Court.”

Ikuyu further warned the public especially women to be extra vigilant when accepting a lift from unknown drivers to avoid similar incidents from happening.

“Rather use public transport which is safer,” he advised.



OTIS FINCK

Mixed feelings on PPP Bill

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Mixed feelings on PPP BillMixed feelings on PPP Bill Officials in the North have expressed mixed feelings about the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Bill, which was passed by the National Assembly last year. No page of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Bill was left unturned at the public hearing that took place in Oshakati on Wednesday.

Stakeholders who attended the meeting criticised the bill, saying it will move Namibia from being a mixed economy to a capitalist economy because of the emphasis on profit-making.

The PPP Bill was initiated by the finance ministry and was passed by the National Assembly late last year. The National Council has now embarked on nationwide consultations through a seven-member select committee.

However, during Wednesday's meeting, the majority of officials did not welcome this procedure any longer, saying the input of stakeholders should first be considered before a bill is tabled in the National Assembly.

The aim of the PPP Bill is to provide a legal framework for PPP projects, to establish the PPP committee, to regulate the PPP from project initiation, preparation, procurement, conclusion, management and implementation as well to provide for incidental matters.

Government has been pushing the public-private partnership agenda in order to lessen the pressure on budget spending for public services of the state. Oshikoto Region Chief Regional Officer Frans Enkali told the committee that the bill is centrally focused and there is no indication that public officials serving on the regional council and local authority levels would be considered in the decision-making.

“The bill in itself is central focused, if the bill should benefit all of us the modus operandi needs to be looked at,” he said. He further went on to say that the PPP committee should include those at national level, regional level and local authority level as the country is moving into the direction of decentralisation.

Regarding the bill itself, Enkali said that although private companies will agree to partner with government in capital projects, it is worth noting that such firms are also run on business principles and are profit-driven.

He emphasised the importance of including the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development as their line of reporting, adding that the bill needed to be amended. When the bill was introduced to the stakeholders, it was highlighted that the proposed PPP agreements should run between 30 to 50 years. According to Enkali, Namibia is not yet ready to have agreements of this magnitude and timeframe.

“I am only in office for five years,” he remarked. Philip Shilongo, Ohangwena's acting CRO, was in total concurrence with Enkali. He raised concern that consultations were only brought to stakeholders once it was time for the National Council to review bills. He also added that in most cases people fail to understand bills during consultations as they are not included from the onset.

Victoria Haihambo of the Opuwo Town Council said the PPP Bill would bring transparency as well as support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). She also added that projects will be completed on time.

She was, however, concerned with the fact that there was no indication how the PPPs would create employment.

“We did not seem to see how the PPP agreements will create employment to reduce the unemployment rate in our country,” she said.

She said the bill does not have a clause which automatically disqualifies companies with bad records to enter into PPP agreements.



KENYA KAMBOWE

Drowning victim's body found

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Drowning victim's body found The body of a 28-year-old man from Mondesa who drowned at the Mole in Swakopmund on Sunday was found on Tuesday.

According to the chief of the Swakopmund fire brigade, Adri Goosen, the body was found at 17:00 by an overseas tourist.

“The man and his wife were walking on the beach in the vicinity of Maritime flats in Strand Street when he saw the body floating in the water. He went into the ocean and dragged the body out to shore after which the authorities were alerted,” said Goosen.

The deceased, David Thomas, was swimming north of the Mole with his brother and friends when he ended up in deep water.

Thomas's brother tried to help but then swam to shore to save himself and to sound the alarm. Emergency services were called at 15:50 and responded in full force. According to the West Coast Safety Initiative an initial search and rescue operation was conducted by the Sea Rescue Institute of Namibia [SRIN]. This operation was scaled down to a search and recovery operation and SRIN divers were called to search for the body. The search proved to be futile due to a strong undertow and poor visibility, and the matter was handed over to the police.

Goosen said the body was identified a family member.

JESSICA BOTES

IUM appoints acting vice-chancellor

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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IUM appoints acting vice-chancellor The International University of Management has announced the appointment of Professor Kingo Mchombu as its acting vice-chancellor.

Mchombu will replace Virginia Namwandi, who is taking a sabbatical to finalise various projects, the university's founder Dr David Namwandi said yesterday.

Mchombu's appointment is effective 1 January 2017. Mchombu is a respected academic.

He has held various teaching and administrative positions at different universities.

He served for the last ten years as the deputy dean and later dean at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Namibia.

He has also worked in Botswana and Tanzania.

His academic qualifications include a PhD and Masters degree in Information Studies from the University of Loughborough in the UK, as well as BA degree in Political Science and Literature from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

With an academia experience of 20 years, the professor has also worked closely with the International Development Research Centre in Canada, Oxfam and Book Aid International of which he is the current president. He is also a board member of the Namibia Institute of Democracy.

Mchombu has conducted research in several African countries including Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Botswana.



STAFF REPORTER

Namibia ranked 53rd on corruption

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Namibia ranked 53rd on corruptionScores 52 points on index The index offers a yearly snapshot of the relative degree of corruption by ranking countries from all over the globe. Transparency International, the leading civil society organisation fighting corruption worldwide, has ranked Namibia 53rd out of 176 countries in its latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

Namibia scored 52 points on the corruption index, dropping one point since the previous year. According to the index Namibia is ranked as a country where citizens face the tangible impact of corruption on a daily basis.

Of the sub-Saharan African countries, Namibia is ranked fifth, dropping one place from 2015.

The Corruption Perceptions Index is the leading global indicator of perceived public-sector corruption, offering a yearly snapshot of the relative degree of corruption by ranking countries from all over the globe.

This year's results highlight the connection between corruption and inequality, which feed off each other to create a vicious circle between corruption, unequal distribution of power in society, and unequal distribution of wealth.

Higher-ranked countries tend to have higher degrees of press freedom, access to information about public expenditure, stronger standards of integrity for public officials, and independent judicial systems.

The lower-ranked countries in the index are plagued by untrustworthy and badly functioning public institutions like the police and judiciary. Even where anti-corruption laws are in place, in practice they are often ignored.

Botswana is once again the least corrupt African country with 60 points. It is followed by Cape Verde, Mauritius, Rwanda, Namibia and Sao Tome and Principe.

For the tenth year running, Somalia is the worst performer on the index, this year scoring only 10.

Overall, only five out 46 African countries that qualified to be captured by the index scored above 50 points.

Denmark and New Zealand performed best with scores of 90, closely followed by Finland (89) and Sweden (88).

Transparency International says although no country is free of corruption, the countries at the top share characteristics of high standards in open government, press freedom, civil liberties and independent judicial systems.

The CPI 2016 used nine out of the 13 data sources of independent institutions with a high level of credibility to compute the index for Ghana. The sources include the World Bank Country Policy and Institutional Assessment, African Development Bank, Bertelsmann Foundation Transformation, World Economic Forum and World Justice Project.

The rest are Economic Intelligence Unit, Political Risk Service International Country Risk Guide, Varieties of Democracy and Global Insight.

ELLANIE SMIT

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Conditions at game ranch to be probed

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Conditions at game ranch to be probedDead rhino had sand in her stomach Not only does the environment ministry say that a rhino at Otjiwa Game Ranch was not shot, but it is also investigating grazing conditions there. Further investigations will be conducted into the Otjiwa Private Game Ranch to establish whether rhinos at the game farm are being fed enough, after 20kg of sand was found in the stomach of a dead white rhino there.

The owner of Otjiwa, WP Barnard, this week discovered the carcass of a white rhino cow and said it had been shot and left for dead by poachers.

However, the ministry of environment said preliminary investigations indicated that the animal had not been shot.

“The ministry has conducted an investigation in this case and preliminary findings indicate that there is no evidence the rhino was poached,” it said.

The carcass was scanned for evidence of a gunshot and according to the ministry no signs of foul play could be found.

According to the ministry the carcass had a wound that could have been the result of fighting with another rhino. The horns were intact when the carcass was discovered and were removed post-mortem.

Barnard confirmed that the horns were removed for safekeeping after the carcass had been found.

The minister of environment and tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, told Namibian Sun yesterday that investigations into the incident were continuing and that a team would be sent to Otjiwa to investigate conditions at the farm.

He said during the post-mortem of the rhino 20kg of sand was found in its stomach.

“It is horrific to find this amount of sand in its stomach.”

He said the investigation would determine if the rhinos at the farm were being fed properly and if the grazing was adequate.

According to Shifeta the grazing at the farm is not very good and it was possible that the animals are not receiving enough feed or that feeding is not properly monitored.

“I am not saying that this is the case at the farm, but it is strange to find this amount of sand in the animal's stomach.”

Shifeta said if any farmer found it difficult to feed their animals, especially endangered species such as rhinos, they should contact the ministry to relocate the animals.

He also urged rhino owners to call the ministry and the police immediately upon discovering a suspected poaching, to ensure that the scene is not contaminated.

When contacted for comment, Barnard described the finding that his rhino had not been poached as a farce.

Barnard asked whether the environment ministry was actually at the scene.

“My attitude towards the entire incident is turning sour and this entire thing is being blown out of proportion,” he said.

He said it was impossible that the dead rhino's wound could have been caused by fighting.

“I have been feeding these rhinos for years, I know their reactions. If it was as a result of fighting there would not have been only one wound, but thirty or forty wounds. This is a total farce.”

Deputy Commissioner Barry de Klerk, head of Nampol's Protected Resources Unit, confirmed that no evidence of poaching had been found yet. He said the cause of death was still being investigated.





ELLANIE SMIT

Many illegal weapons surrendered

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Many illegal weapons surrendered A large number of illegal weapons have been surrendered to the police during the amnesty announced last year.

A total of 1 170 firearms, 95 824 rounds of ammunition and 81 explosive devices were surrendered over the past five months. The latest progress report on the amnesty, for the period 18 August to 18 January, has just been released.

It states that the majority of illegal firearms (801) were surrendered in the Khomas Region. In second place was the Otjozondjupa Region, where 71 illegal firearms were surrendered, and third was Karas with 68 firearms. Illegal firearms were handed over in all 14 regions. With regard to ammunition, 55 633 rounds were handed over to police in the Kavango West Region, 21 904 in the Otjozondjupa Region and 8 477 in Oshikoto. Kunene was the only region where no ammunition was surrendered.

Explosives were surrendered in only three regions - 45 in Otjozondjupa, 21 in Khomas and 15 in Karas. The police have urged people who still have unregistered weapons in their possession to take them to the nearest police station. The amnesty was initially scheduled to end on November 18 last year but it has been extended to 18 February this year.

ELLANIE SMIT

ACC considers probing RCC tender

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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ACC considers probing RCC tender Anti-Corruption Commission boss Erna van der Merwe has confirmed that the ACC has received a formal complaint against the awarding of N$1.5 billion worth of tenders by the Roads Contractor Company (RCC) for the supply and delivery of 420 pieces of heavy equipment.

She did stress, however, that the ACC was still deliberating on the information provided and was yet to decide whether to investigate the allegations.

The RCC on Tuesday denied that there was anything untoward about the N$900 million tender awarded to Kwane Fleet Services, which had been registered only three months earlier, and a N$600 million teder awarded to Sumbawa Island Investment.

It insisted that the contracts would enable the RCC to fulfil its mandate and improve efficiency and cost effectiveness.

The acting chief executive officer, Tino !Hanabeb, said the RCC had decided on four strategies to arrest the parastatal's financial decline, poor corporate governance, lack of talent and low morale, which led to poor project delivery.

These strategies are: increasing and diversifying its revenue base, improving capital asset management, improving plant and operational efficiency, and enhanced personnel management.

!Hanabeb said the implementation of these strategies depended on a financial injection by the government and the allocation of capital projects – be it roads, dams, buildings or rail – to the RCC by the government, the Roads Authority and other government agencies.

“However, there is need for RCC to have capacity to execute the projects,” !Hanabeb added.

The RCC said a needs assessment of plant and equipment requirements was completed in March last year and the RCC board on 29 March approved the purchase of new equipment to maintain and increase capacity.

It said current equipment levels deployed at RCC projects were “very low” as opposed to the target of 80%.

It said given the size of projects, the RCC should have acquired quality new equipment a few years ago.

Therefore, it stated, the RCC now planned to source funding from projects instead of hiring equipment from third parties or joint ventures.

CATHERINE SASMAN

Geingob off to Addis for AU summit

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Geingob off to Addis for AU summitDelegation to attend various meetings The theme of this year's AU summit is 'Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth'. President Hage Geingob will leave for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, today to attend the 28th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

He will attend the summit and related meetings from 28 to 31 January. he theme of the summit is 'Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth'.

The 28th Assembly will be preceded by the Assembly Summit on the Security and Developmental Issues of the African Union.

According to a statement issued by State House the trip is in compliance with Namibia's obligations to the African Union and also an opportunity to interact with fellow heads of state and government on matters of national and continental importance.

The summit will elect a new chairperson and deputy chairperson of the AU Commission.

Because of the relatively high regard many leaders on the continent hold Namibia in, Geingob received several envoys lobbying its vote for their candidates, such as those from Uganda, Kenya, Senegal, Equatorial Guinea and Chad.

Other appointments such as the eight commissioners of the AU Commission and the members of the AU Advisory Board on Corruption will also be voted on.

Paulus Noa, director of the Anti-Corruption Commission, is a candidate for the latter.

Preceding the Assembly is a meeting of ministers on gender, where Namibia will be represented by gender minister Doreen Sioka.

The Assembly will consider a request by Morocco to become a member of the AU, while reports on the reform and the financing of the AU will be presented to the heads of state and government for consideration.



STAFF REPORTER

Namibian arrested for 13 tusks gets bail

January 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Namibian arrested for 13 tusks gets bail The two Angolans who were arrested this week for trying to sell 13 elephant tusks in the Kavango East Region were refused bail, while the Namibian accused was granted bail of N$2 000.

The three men were arrested during a joint operation by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Namibian Police in the Kavango East Region on Tuesday night. Thirteen elephant tusks were found in their possession.

The two Angolans, Alex Andriano Dighogho and Mushongo Marcus Uukushe, and the Namibian, Moyo Haingura Matheus, appeared before the Rundu Magistrate's Court yesterday.

All three suspects were charged with possession of controlled wildlife products.

The Angolans were also charged with contravening the Immigration Control Act, as they had entered Namibia illegally.

Their next court appearance will be on 23 February.

The joint operation was a response to a tip-off from members of the public.

The incident occurred on Tuesday night at about 23:45 at Tjova village in the Mukwe District in Kavango East.

The village is located about 55km from Divundu.

Two other suspects, who are also believed to be Angolans, apparently fled to Angola.

The police have appealed for information that could lead to their arrest.

ELLANIE SMIT