NUNW calls for local ownership, local jobs

February 5, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: City orders compliance by carwash operators

≪ Previous: Southern settlements avoid blackout

NUNW calls for local ownership, local jobsRetrenchments are 'a bad start to 2017' The trade union federation and its affiliates say workers as the drivers of the economy should be consulted at all levels.

The National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) has reiterated a call on the government to insist on 50% shareholding in all local mines on behalf of the Namibian people.

The secretary-general of the NUNW, Job Muniaro, said at a press briefing on Thursday that the country had all the minerals needed to become an industrial nation that could create jobs through local value addition.

He said allowing raw materials to be exported without any value addition meant that jobs were being exported too.

The trade union federation also expressed concern over threatened layoffs at Skorpion Zinc, Langer Heinrich and Lewcor.

“These companies are allowed by us to shift capital abroad with no increased domestic investment, no value addition, no job creation. The Namibian workers will never allow our independence and hard-won freedom to be financed by foreigners in order to dominate our economic development. Let Namibians do the work and develop their own country,” Muniaro stressed.

The union called on Skorpion Zinc not to outsource to foreign companies but instead contract out work to local ones.

Skorpion Zinc recently announced that it had outsourced its mining operation to the South African-based company Basil Read to ensure a longer lifespan of the mine.

The NUNW, however, said Basil Read “must go”.

“We are no longer going to be sold to any company because Namibian workers are not for sale. We have trustworthy and reliable Namibian companies that can do the job better,” Muniaro said.

“We warn Skorpion Zinc to stop continuing to hire foreign companies as workers will not stand for that and Basil Read will regret it one day. Job losses in the mining sector are a serious concern. It is a bad start for 2017.”

The union also expressed dismay at news that a large number of workers would lose their jobs in the construction industry.

“The federation and its affiliates as critical social partners are fully committed and ready for engagement with government to collectively address the current situation through consultative processes,” stated the NUNW.

It said the government should take cognisance of the fact that workers were the drivers of the economy and should be consulted at all levels to bring about democratic control of the means of production and equitable distribution of the country's wealth.

It went on to say that any plans for marine phosphate mining should be stopped and called upon workers to stand up and fight for jobs in the fishing sector and the protection of Namibia's marine ecosystem.

“Namibian workers are ready to fight against marine phosphate mining, even it if will cost our lives,” Muniaro threatened.

The union demanded that the local fishing industry be protected and that the sector introduce value addition to all Namibian products to create local jobs for a sustainable economy.

It also said all government Green Scheme projects should be supported and called on the country to devise a comprehensive agricultural programme that will promote active participation by all Namibians.

CATHERINE SASMAN

↧

City orders compliance by carwash operators

February 5, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Rhino wounded by poachers dies

≪ Previous: NUNW calls for local ownership, local jobs

City orders compliance by carwash operators

The City of Windhoek on Friday granted a 28-day grace period for carwashes operating illegally on private residential properties or within business corridors.

“The mushrooming of illegal carwashes remain a great concern compounded with obstruction of traffic, damage to road surfaces, unhygienic environments, water wastage, drain blockage, just to mention a few,” the municipality stated in a public notice.

Carwash owners were informed that their businesses would be shut down unless they made all necessary arrangements to ensure compliance with municipal bylaws and regulations.

“Thus, to this end all affected owners of carwashes are hereby urged to take necessary steps to ensure that their businesses are compliant,” the notice read.

Carwash owners operating from residential properties or within business corridors must make the required structural adjustments to their operations.

At the end of the grace period the municipality will be “left with no option but to take all the necessary legal steps to ensure compliance,” the notice stated.

The municipality said the campaign against more than 300 illegal carwashes in Windhoek was in line with its aim to formalise informal businesses.

The notice said the formalisation of carwashes was crucial in order to ensure economic growth and a healthy business climate, as well as ensuring that scarce water resources are used sustainably.

“Formalised and compliant carwashes will be able to channel used water into the municipal sewerage system and hence there will be no runoffs that will pollute the environment and damage the road surface and drain blockages.”

The City emphasised that it was duty bound to enforce laws and to ensure that law and order prevailed.

“We must collectively as law-abiding citizens heed this call.”

A parallel campaign to suspend illegal carwashes in municipal road reserves, public parking areas and other open spaces is continuing.

JANA-MARI SMITH

↧

Rhino wounded by poachers dies

February 5, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Landless demand justice

≪ Previous: City orders compliance by carwash operators

Rhino wounded by poachers diesGobabis farm loses second pregnant rhino A young rhino cow that was shot multiple times by poachers at a farm near Gobabis in December, has died of her wounds.

A young white rhino cow that survived a poaching incident on a farm near Gobabis in late December has died from the gunshot wounds she sustained during the attack.

In a midday attack, during feeding time on 22 December, the gang of poachers managed to kill the patriarch bull and a female rhino that went into labour when she was shot. Her calf did not survive the trauma.

The second cow died of her wounds about 10 days ago. The young female was in the early stages of pregnancy.

Although she managed to flee the poachers, she sustained serious injuries after she was shot multiple times. One bullet had pierced her throat, damaging her trachea.

“She must have died a very painful death, because her insides were totally infected from further wounds,” farm owner Walter Kinnear said yesterday.

He said after her death the team discovered that two more bullets, previously undetected, had “completely torn apart her insides”. The autopsy further revealed that scar tissue in her throat had made it difficult to breathe.

Kinnear said a veterinary surgeon found it surprising that the rhino had managed to cling to life for as long as she did.

Both the young female and a young bull, which is recovering well, received daily medical treatment and were kept under close watch.

Yesterday Kinnear said the bull was stable and had not shown signs of fever. “He is likely to survive.”

Police investigators have arrested all five suspects in the case, who had fled with two pairs of horns from the dead rhinos.

All five have been denied bail. The men are: former Brave Warriors medic Gerson Uakaerere Kandjii (51), farmworker Zee Shekumba (39), Domingo Justice Moma (32), Erwin Tjiteere (37) and David Stephanus (35).

They are charged with the illegal hunting of specially protected game. If convicted, they could face a maximum jail term of 20 years, a fine of N$200 000, or both.

Kandjii, Moma, Tjiteere and Stephanus were all out on bail in previous cases of poaching, murder and robbery when the poaching incident took place in December.

In January, Kandjii was also charged with illegal possession of ammunition after the police discovered 46 cartridges for a hunting rifle in his possession. That case was postponed to 12 April.

Kandjii is linked with Moma and Tjiteere in a murder and robbery case dating back to the killing of Reinhard Schmidt on the hunting farm Hoodia in the Kalkrand District in February 2015. That case will continue on 16 March.

Together with three others, Stephanus and Kandjii were also arrested in November 2014 for poaching critically endangered black rhinos in Etosha National Park.

They were additionally charged with possession of a firearm without licence and unlawful possession of ammunition.

Police at the time reported that they seized thousands of dollars when the gang was arrested.

Both men were released on bail and failed to return to court in August 2016.

That case was postponed to 27 February at Okahao.

In another ongoing investigation related to 18 rhino horns smuggled by a Chinese national through Hosea Kutako airport in late November, police officer Pendapala Abraham Iitula (42) made a second court appearance in Windhoek on Friday.

Iitula, who is facing a charge of defeating or obstructing the course of justice, for allegedly failing or omitting to detect the rhino horns passing through a screening point at the airport, was released on N$2 000 bail earlier this year.

On Friday the case was postponed for further investigation until 8 April.

JANA-MARI SMITH

↧

Landless demand justice

February 5, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Queen appeals for return of King Mandume's head

≪ Previous: Rhino wounded by poachers dies

Landless demand justiceReform programme 'broken' The first in a series of public meetings to be held in preparation of the second national land conference defiantly and emotionally demanded ancestral land rights.

One of the largest gatherings in decades at the J. Stefanus Stadium in Keetmanshoop's Tseiblaagte suburb on Saturday was said to be the beginning of a new trajectory in the land-reform debate.

The public meeting was to be the first in a planned countrywide campaign leading up to the promised second land conference and was spearheaded by an array of people from all walks of life, irrespective of political party allegiance or ethnic origin.

The group calling itself the Landless People's Movement plans to expand the campaign across the nation to demand ancestral land rights for those who had to endure land dispossession and a new approach to the government's resettlement programme, and for an enlargement of communal lands devastated by years of overgrazing and drought.

A key figure in the movement is the former deputy minister of land reform, Bernadus Swartbooi, who called the government's land programme a “broken land reform system” that needed serious overhaul.

“The rich and the powerful are grabbing land from weaker citizens, selling the people's land to themselves and to their business partners, even business partners from abroad,” Swartbooi told a cheering crowd.

Swartbooi, who said he was fired because he refused to apologise to lands minister Utoni Nujoma, whom he had criticised of executing resettlement unfairly, defiantly declared that he was not going to apologise “for speaking the truth”.

He said the Namibian government cannot deny the truth of historic land dispossession of Damara, Nama, OvaHerero, the San and other communities.

“Government pretends that when people ask for land, that tribalism and greed and hate drive this request. No! We lost land and we want land back! We know where the land is. We know what to do with the land.

“Government cannot insult us by calling us unpatriotic when we raise our land dispossession. Only an unpatriotic and docile undertone can utter such irresponsible statements,” Swartbooi said.

Swartbooi rubbished Nujoma's interpretation that the demand for ancestral land was a call for a return of Bantustans.

“The cause of ancestral [land] among the Damara, Nama, Ovaherero, San and other communities is not an anti-Ovambo or anti-Kavango or anti-peace movement. It is a just cause out of historic truth. We are one people: Namibians. We love peace and we work for peace as one,” said Swartbooi.

Notwithstanding the constitutional provision that every Namibian has the right to reside and settle in any part of the country, Chief Petrus Kooper of the Kai-/Khaun //Aes, said it did not take into consideration the different impact land dispossession had on particular indigenous communities.

He said the Hardap and //Karas regions were the ones where most resettlement farms were being bought without the regions' residents benefiting from it.

Kooper said the resolution that no ancestral claims to land would be made at the first land conference of 1991 was accepted “because we trusted the government to resettle those who directly lost land” during German colonialism and the apartheid regime.

“Instead, people from other regions who did not lose land are resettled at the expense of those whose land was literally confiscated by those oppressive regimes,” Kooper said.

He proposed that the 1991 resolution be replaced by the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights which stipulates that indigenous people have a right to the lands, territories and resources which they originally owned.

A Swapo member of parliament and chairperson of the Nama Technical Committee, Ida Hoffmann, said the 1904 to 1908 genocide reparation negotiations could not be justifiably be addressed if the “lost land question” was not dealt with.

“These demands cannot be swept under the carpet under the guise of tribalism and a united nation,” Hoffmann said.

The president of Swanu, Usutuaije Maamberua, said hoped the outcome of the landless movement's countrywide meetings was a call for the second land conference to be brought forward from November, and that the resettlement programme be put on hold in the meantime.

Maamberua also called for the removal of Minister Nujoma from his portfolio for his alleged “disrespect and insensitivity and insult he has meted out against the descendants of the victims of the genocide”.

CATHERINE SASMAN

↧

Queen appeals for return of King Mandume's head

February 5, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: 'Geingob must get rid of A-Team'

≪ Previous: Landless demand justice

Queen appeals for return of King Mandume's head

The Queen of the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority, Martha Mwadinombo Kristian Nelumbu, has appealed for the return of the head of the late Oukwanyama king Mandume Ya Ndemufayo.

Queen Nelumbu made the call on Saturday during the centenary commemoration of the late King Mandume which took place at the Oukwanyama Palace at Omhedi in Ohangwena Region, where she appealed to those who know the whereabouts of the head to return it.

While the traditional authority has no idea where the head is, an advisor to queen, Hadino Hishongwa, told Namibian Sun that they were confident that the South African authorities must know where it is buried.

“Photos were taken of army generals with his head, that's why we are appealing to the South African authorities [to say] where the head is and return it,” he said.

Hishongwa's theory is no different of that of researchers who argue that the South African forces which attacked Mandume and his men at Oihole in Angola on 6 February 1917 afterwards decapitated him and paraded his head throughout the kingdom. His headless body was buried at Oihole.

Photos showing South African forces with Mandume's head continue to raise eyebrows and it's on this basis that people conclude that the South African authority must know where the head is.

Some believe that Mandume's head was buried in the Palm Tree Memorial Park near the railway station in Windhoek, where 12 South African soldiers who died in the battle were buried. Others say the head was taken to Germany.

The call for the return of Mandume's head goes back a long way. Former President Hifikepunye Pohamba also became involved in recent years, requesting those with more information to come forward.

While the search for Mandume's head continues, at his centenary commemoration on Saturday President Hage Geingob unveiled a bust in honour of the fallen hero.

“As we commemorate Mandume, we should bear in mind that although it is always meritorious to honour our national heroes through monuments, statues and street names, the best way we as Namibians can honour these heroes is by emulating their outstanding qualities,” Geingob said.

Today Queen Nelumbu and her delegation will be at Oihole to lay a wreath at Mandume's grave.

KENYA KAMBOWE

↧

'Geingob must get rid of A-Team'

February 5, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Joost van der Westhuizen dies

≪ Previous: Queen appeals for return of King Mandume's head

'Geingob must get rid of A-Team'

President Hage Geingob has been urged to do away with his advisory team by trade unionist Mahongora Kavihuha, who made the call in a statement yesterday. According to Kavihuha, the A-Team is expensive and duplicates functions.

“As we are preparing to hear our national budget surprises, we are urging our President Hage Geingob to be brave and bold enough to take a responsive and cost-cutting decision by reducing his cabinet and getting rid of his mini cabinet in the form of his very expensive A-Team,” said Kavihuha.

Geingob's A-Team includes former statistician-general John Steytler, former Namdeb Holdings chief executive officer Inge Zamwaani-Kamwi, former Team Namibia CEO Daisry Mathias, former Millennium Challenge Account Namibia CEO Penny Akwenye and former NBC boss Albertus Aochamub. Geingob has been accused of duplication for appointing two deputy ministers in certain portfolios.

Continued Kavihuha: “In fact the size of the cabinet is not supported by anything except political ego and in reality it makes a mockery of the very principles of democracy by reducing the parliamentary role of overseeing the executive which compromises the existence role of parliament as third institutional pillar of the state.”

Kavihuha also used the opportunity to castigate government's spending priorities.

He listed subsistence and travel allowances as unessential, while the moratorium on major construction projects hit construction workers the hardest.

“We hope this crisis will be well managed of course by using the proposal to avoid running to the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank for bailouts because it will be catastrophic to our social programmes such as free education, the old pension and free health,” he said.

↧

Joost van der Westhuizen dies

February 6, 2017, 4:17 am

≫ Next: Van der Westhuizen dies at 45

≪ Previous: 'Geingob must get rid of A-Team'

Joost van der Westhuizen dies

Former Springbok scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen has died.
He was 45.
Van der Westhuizen was rushed to hospital in a critical condition on Saturday, his J9 Foundation confirmed.
Despite stabilising and showing signs of acknowledging those around him, Van der Westhuizen passed away on Monday afternoon.
Blue Bulls CEO Barend van Graan confirmed Van der Westhuizen's passing and expressed his condolences to his children, family and friends.
"If there's one thing we can learn from Joost it was his passion for life. That we will never forget."
Van der Westhuizen, who fought motor neuron disease since 2011, played 89 Tests for the Springboks between 1993 and 2003.
He scored a then-Springbok record 38 tries and is widely regarded as one of the game’s finest-ever scrumhalves.

SPORT24

↧

Van der Westhuizen dies at 45

February 6, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: NFA seeks CHAN funds

≪ Previous: Joost van der Westhuizen dies

Van der Westhuizen dies at 45 NAMPA/AFP

South African rugby legend Joost van der Westhuizen died yesterday aged 45 after a five-year battle with motor neurone disease, his charity foundation said.

"It is with great sadness that we confirm the passing of Joost. He passed away in his home surrounded by his loved ones. He will be sorely missed," the J9 Foundation said on its Facebook page.

The former scrumhalf, a Springbok captain who won the 1995 World Cup, was diagnosed with the condition in 2011.

The rugby world was quick to express its condolences, with Irish great Brian O'Driscoll tweeting: "RIP Joost van der Westhuizen. An incredible player and fighter to the end."

On Saturday Van der Westhuizen was described as "critical" after he was rushed to a Johannesburg hospital. He had complained about having breathing problems.

The incurable disease which damages parts of the nervous system had left him frail and confined to a wheelchair - a shadow of his athletic former self.

He had been given two to five years to live when he was diagnosed.

In 2015, a fragile Van der Westhuizen joined fellow 1995 World Cup champions at Ellis Park Stadium for an event to commemorate 20 years of the team's historic victory.

Seated in a wheelchair, he posed for photographs with his former teammates.

His doctor and friend Henry Kelbrick had told Rapport newspaper that the star had on Friday night prior to his hospitalisation complained that he was short of breath.

"His spirit never at any stage gave way to his illness," said Kelbrick.

"Whatever happens, Joost already had all his affairs in order two years ago because the disease is so unpredictable."

The flamboyant player was dogged by cheating scandals during his heyday and was estranged from his singer wife Amor Vittone, although they remained together during his illness.

The couple had two children aged 10 and 12.

"I realise every day could be my last," he told the BBC in 2013.

He set up the J9 Foundation to promote awareness around motor neurone disease.

↧

NFA seeks CHAN funds

February 6, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Van der Westhuizen dies at 45

≪ Previous: Van der Westhuizen dies at 45

NFA seeks CHAN fundsMbidi remains hopeful The Brave Warriors have been pitted against neighbours Zimbabwe in the Total African and Nations Championships (CHAN) qualifiers.

The Namibia Football Association (NFA) will begin with its quest to source funds for the CHAN preliminary round preparations and games, NFA president Frans Mbidi says.

The Brave Warriors will host Zimbabwe on 16 July in Windhoek before travelling for the second leg on 23 July.

With the ongoing financial glitches in Namibia, Mbidi admits that it is going to be difficult for the association to source funds and football players, given that the local league is currently on hold.

“We are having an extremely difficult financial period, but we have not lost hope that things will go well for us after the financial year-end.

“The smart thing we can do now is to start sourcing funds as early as possible to make sure that the team does play in the CHAN competition.

“I do not want us to have the same problem as when the country's under-20 team failed to travel to the Cosafa Games in South Africa because of money problems,” Mbidi said.

The winning team between Zimbabwe and Namibia will set a date with either Lesotho or Comoros Islands in a bid to qualify for the 2018 CHAN games in Kenya.

The president adds that it will be hard for the coach to gather players since most of them have not been active this season.

The NFA is waiting to hear from the Namibia Premier League officials on their position so that the coach and the entire NFA will have an idea of what to do as far as putting a football team together is concerned.

The CHAN competition makes things harder for coach Ricardo Mannetti because he is only allowed to select local players.

“I was informed that the Namibia Premier League held an extraordinary meeting over the weekend. We are waiting for feedback from them at the moment.

“We have plans to advise the league on several matters which we would like them to approve if football has to continue in this country.

“Lastly, I would like to reassure members of the public that the NFA will remain hard at work in order to rescue the football situation.

“Things are sometimes not as bad as the media put it and we leaders are also not as bad as we are sometimes portrayed,” Mbidi said.

JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA

↧

Van der Westhuizen dies at 45

February 6, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Drobisch wins at national champs

≪ Previous: NFA seeks CHAN funds

Van der Westhuizen dies at 45 South African rugby legend Joost van der Westhuizen died yesterday aged 45 after a five-year battle with motor neurone disease, his charity foundation said.

“It is with great sadness that we confirm the passing of Joost. He passed away in his home surrounded by his loved ones. He will be sorely missed,” the J9 Foundation said on its Facebook page.

The former scrumhalf, a Springbok captain who won the 1995 World Cup, was diagnosed with the condition in 2011.

The rugby world was quick to express its condolences, with Irish great Brian O'Driscoll tweeting: “RIP Joost van der Westhuizen. An incredible player and fighter to the end.”

On Saturday Van der Westhuizen was described as “critical” after he was rushed to a Johannesburg hospital. He had complained about having breathing problems.

The incurable disease which damages parts of the nervous system had left him frail and confined to a wheelchair - a shadow of his athletic former self.

He had been given two to five years to live when he was diagnosed.

In 2015, a fragile Van der Westhuizen joined fellow 1995 World Cup champions at Ellis Park Stadium for an event to commemorate 20 years of the team's historic victory.

Seated in a wheelchair, he posed for photographs with his former teammates. His doctor and friend Henry Kelbrick had told Rapport newspaper that the star had on Friday night prior to his hospitalisation complained that he was short of breath.

“His spirit never at any stage gave way to his illness,” said Kelbrick.

“Whatever happens, Joost already had all his affairs in order two years ago because the disease is so unpredictable.”

The flamboyant player was dogged by cheating scandals during his heyday and was estranged from his singer wife Amor Vittone, although they remained together during his illness.

The couple had two children aged 10 and 12.

“I realise every day could be my last,” he told the BBC in 2013.

He set up the J9 Foundation to promote awareness around motor neurone disease.

NAMPA/AFP

↧

Drobisch wins at national champs

February 6, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Cameroon topple Egypt to win Afcon

≪ Previous: Van der Westhuizen dies at 45

Drobisch wins at national champs Namibian professional cyclist Til Drobisch won the Pupkewitz National Road Race Championship in Windhoek on Sunday morning.

Drobisch, who successfully defended his individual time trial title on Friday after defeating Costa Seibeb, also won the road race for the first time when he beat Dan Craven in a sprint to the finish line.

Drobisch is a professional cyclist, racing for Team 0711/Cycling in Germany.

He completed the 147km race in three hours, 36 minutes and 42 seconds (3:36:42), with the defending champion, Craven, coming second in 3:36:43 and Seibeb third in 3:36:47.

Drikus Coetzee, who won the second series of the 2017 Nedbank Windhoek Pedal Power (WPP) Road Cycle Series a week ago, crossed the line fifth but came fourth overall in the elite men's category, crossing the line at the same time as Ingram Cuff with a time of 3:37:45.

Martin Freyer came fourth overall in 3:37:02 and won the U-23 men's category.

Vera Adrian won the elite women's category for the third year in a row after completing the 101km event in 2:53:50.

Michelle Doman came second more than five minutes behind in 2:59:25, while Irene Steyn came third in 2:59:35.

NAMPA

↧

Cameroon topple Egypt to win Afcon

February 6, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Gondwana launches self-drive safaris

≪ Previous: Drobisch wins at national champs

Cameroon topple Egypt to win AfconBassogog named Man of the Tournament It's all done and dusted for the Africa Cup of Nations that was won by Cameroon, while countries will now look forward to the 2019 AFCON qualifiers starting in July.

Cameroon celebrated the most improbable of victories at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday which coach Hugo Broos hoped would pave the way for a bright future for his team.

The Indomitable Lions showed remarkable character to come from behind and beat Egypt 2-1 in a brilliant game at the Stade de l'Amitie in Libreville with Nicolas Nkoulou and Vincent Aboubakar scoring to spark wild celebrations.

It was the first time a team had come from behind to win the final since 1994 and it was a first continental title for Cameroon since 2002, their fifth in total.

The triumph, witnessed by a crowd in the Gabonese capital made up of a majority of Cameroonians, completed a remarkable journey for a side who had been written off prior to the tournament. Eight players, notably the Liverpool defender Joel Matip and the Schalke striker Eric Choupo-Moting, had refused call-ups to the squad, leaving Broos to work with a young and inexperienced side.

That team had already eliminated the hosts Gabon, much-fancied Senegal and Ghana en route to the tournament finale, where they claimed Cameroon's first win against Egypt in a Cup of Nations final at the third attempt.

“I brought in some new young players and we started working. We did a good job and now today we have a team,” said Broos after Sunday's match.

His man management has been remarkable and on Sunday it was notable that two substitutes scored the goals. Nkoulou, the Lyon defender, started only once during the tournament and came on as a first-half replacement for the injured Adolphe Teikeu.

Aboubakar, the powerful centre-forward currently playing for Besiktas in Turkey, also started only one game in Gabon, but he had scored the decisive penalty in the shoot-out against Senegal in the last eight and his winner in the final was stunning.

“It is the best way to win a final. I think we took a bit of a blow to the back of the head in the first half but the substitutions changed the match in the second half,” said the forward Clinton N'Jie.

Defender Michael Ngadeu, one of the stars of Cameroon's run, heaped praise on his Belgian coach, under whom the Indomitable Lions have been beaten just once since his appointment last year.

“He is a magician. The team has been reborn under him,” said the Slavia Prague defender, who scored the opener in the semi-final against Ghana.

“A lot of them didn't believe in him, I'll admit. A lot of Cameroonians criticised him. But today I think he is the hero. He should get a medal for what he has done.

“He has given us this solidarity, this mentality. He has given us a 'joie de vivre'.”

Cameroon were the first African nation to make a major impression at the World Cup and for a long time were the leading footballing force on the continent, but those days had seemed behind them following recent struggles. Their last Cup of Nations final appearance had been in 2008, when a side featuring Samuel Eto'o lost 1-0 to Egypt in Accra, Ghana.

Eto'o, now 35, was among the crowd in Libreville on Sunday and later tweeted: “Champions of Africa!! Today the Cup of Nations, tomorrow the Confed Cup!!!”

Cameroon will now represent Africa at the Confederations Cup in Russia in June, where they will be in a group with Chile, Australia and world champions Germany.

They have a crucial double header with Nigeria to come in August and September as they look to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and they will also host the next Cup of Nations in 2019.

“We are still not on the highest level. We need to be much better, but it's already a great beginning,” said Broos.

NAMPA/AFP

↧

Gondwana launches self-drive safaris

February 6, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Mining Indaba kicks off

≪ Previous: Cameroon topple Egypt to win Afcon

Gondwana launches self-drive safaris

Experience Africa like nowhere else. Discover what makes Namibia so special, how it should be, easy, up close and unforgettable, with Namibia2Go, Gondwana Collection's new and unbeatable self-drive safari packages for two.

Namibia2Go will take you on a journey to Namibia's greatest highlights, and through some of Africa's most dramatic scenery, all at your own pace. Packages include the comfort of Gondwana Collection's trusted lodges, a 4x4 vehicle, and detailed on route map guide.

Let the Namibian sunshine warm your skin and explore its wide-open spaces.

Take the wheel, and take control of your own trip, knowing that you are in safe hands with support throughout your journey. With a good road network and safe environment, let our roads lead you into the far reaches of the country.

Discover true freedom among the sand dunes and along the canyons, and bring your very own Namibian story to life.

Go Big is a 12 day self-drive safari, taking travellers on a journey through the heartbeat of Namibia. Stopovers include the Kalahari, Fish River Canyon, Wild Horses of the Namib, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Damaraland, Etosha National Park.

Go Wild allows you to discover the Big Five. It is a 10 day self-drive safari through our National Parks. Stopovers are Etosha, Okavango, Zambezi Region with the Bwabwata, Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara National Parks.

Go Epic is full of wonder and is a 10 day self-drive safari. Stopovers include the Kalahari and Namib deserts and Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Damaraland and Twyfelfontein as well as the Etosha National Park.

Go Active offers a full-time 10 day self-drive safari with stopovers in Swakopmund, Damaraland and Twyfelfontein, Etosha National Park, Okavango and the Zambezi Region.

Have a personal experience that only Namibia can offer you.

Your Self Drive Safari will take you to the famous Namibian locations and through the most beautiful landscapes that will make you yearn for the vast open spaces long after you return home.

STAFF REPORTER

↧

Mining Indaba kicks off

February 6, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Bruwer new NWR COO

≪ Previous: Gondwana launches self-drive safaris

Mining Indaba kicks offHuge turnout expected The Mining Indaba remains pivotal to Africa's aspirations.

The mineral resources sector remains “critically important” to the African continent, which is why the Investing in African Mining Indaba has consistently been regarded as an event of “paramount significance”, said Mining Indaba managing director Alex Grose.

This is also a key motivation for the at least 24 African government representatives attending the conference this year, as it will enable them to promote the mineral resource sectors of their countries.

Despite the challenging market conditions facing the global mining industry, Grose highlighted that companies worldwide regard the event as a “must-attend conference”, where they receive information about potential mining business opportunities on the continent.

The event was founded by former US-based International Investment Conferences president Sandy Lawrence, who realised the importance of attracting investment and mining companies to not only South Africa but also Africa through such an event.

About 100 people attended the first Mining Indaba, held over just two days, in Cape Town.

However, since then, it has become a premier event on the global mining calendar, attracting thousands of the most important players in the sector worldwide.

“It brings together three integral industry players, mining companies, investors and African government mining authorities,” added Grose. Countries that have confirmed the attendance of their Ministerial delegation to the Mining Indaba include South Africa, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Zambia, Morocco, Mali, Rwanda, Gabon, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, Kenya, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Liberia, Lesotho, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Togo, Sudan and Angola.

Grose told Mining Weekly that South African mineral resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane played an important role in encouraging his peers in Africa to attend the event, hence, the expected attendance of a large number of African Ministerial delegations.

Mining Indaba sales director Fred Noce explained that the Mining Indaba was started in 1995 as a post-apartheid event to reintroduce international mining companies and investors to the potential that existed in the South African mineral resources sector.

The Indaba will be held in Cape Town from 6 to 9 February.

MINING WEEKLY

↧

Bruwer new NWR COO

February 6, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Bannerman launches updated feasibility study

≪ Previous: Mining Indaba kicks off

Bruwer new NWR COO

Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) recently announced the appointment of former SABMiller Namibia managing director Cobus Bruwer as its new chief operations officer (COO) as of 1 February 2017.

Bruwer joins NWR with vast operational experience that will greatly benefit the organisation in steering it towards maintainable growth due to his previous experience. Before his appointment to NWR he was the director at Taranga Ventures - Tourism Project Management and Consulting.

When asked what he would pay special attention to, Bruwer said: “As Namibia is growing its popularity on the international destination charts, we need to ensure that we provide all our visitors with exciting and memorable experiences. At the onset, we are going to focus our efforts in making sure our property infrastructure and service levels are reviewed and aligned to match best practice industry standards. We will ensure that we have first-class operating procedures in place and that our operating resources are well managed and employed in line with operational needs.

“In addition, we are going to roll out a performance-driven management system to ensure the organisation is fully aligned and employees are clear about our immediate delivery goals.”

NWR managing director Zelna Hengari is enthusiastic about his selection, as this affirms her vision of making NWR a great company to work for. She is delighted with the fact that this appointment sees her having a team member who can hit the ground running due to the urgent matters that need his attention.

Added Hengari: “Now that there is a team member dedicated at improving service levels and maintenance, we certainly look forward to a much-improved customer experience for our guests.”

STAFF REPORTER

↧

Bannerman launches updated feasibility study

February 6, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Legal battles to test Trump visa ban

≪ Previous: Bruwer new NWR COO

Bannerman launches updated feasibility study

Prospective Australian miner Bannerman Resources recently announced that it was pleased to commence with its Etango Definitive Feasibility Study Update following successful conclusion of the Etango Heap Leach Demonstration Plant Programme.

The six-phase Heap Leach Demonstration Plant Programme demonstrated the strong potential to achieve and exceed the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) metallurgical parameters.

The Demonstration Plant test work provides the opportunity to review the processing aspects of the DFS. This will occur in parallel with assessment of other potential operating and capital cost reduction opportunities identified by the company in conjunction with AMEC Foster Wheeler, Bannerman announced.

Its chief executive officer, Brandon Munro, said: “Our two-year commitment to the Etango Demonstration Plant programme has been a remarkable success.

“Not only have we consolidated Etango´s position as one of the most advanced large uranium projects globally, but we have also generated substantial opportunities to enhance and further de-risk the Etango project.

“Combined with the excellent internal engineering our team has undertaken over the last year, and partnering with AMEC Foster Wheeler, we can now evaluate a stream of potential capital and operating cost wins that should collectively deliver a DFS Update which substantially improves Etango's forecast economics.”

Bannerman completed a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) on the Etango Project in 2012, in conjunction with an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment. The respective confirmed the technical, economic and environmental viability of the project at historical term uranium prices. During 2015 Bannerman undertook a DFS Optimisation Study, which predominantly focussed on project enhancements generated by optimised mining methods and design, but did not consider changes to the processing flowsheet.

Bannerman has now also commenced a DFS Update in conjunction with our key consultants, AMEC Foster Wheeler.

“This process will target substantial capital and operating cost improvements through incorporating the results from the Etango Demonstration Plant and evaluating other value accretive opportunities in processing, mining and infrastructure that have been developed through internal engineering undertaken by the Bannerman team,” the prospective miner said.

“The DFS update will focus on the key results obtained from the Demonstration Plant and other work including potential improvements on communition, heap leaching, processing, infrastructure and mining,” Bannerman said.

OGONE TLHAGE

↧

Legal battles to test Trump visa ban

February 6, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Vying for the presidency

≪ Previous: Bannerman launches updated feasibility study

Legal battles to test Trump visa ban

President Donald Trump's temporary immigration ban faced on Monday the first of several crucial legal hurdles that could determine whether he can push through the most controversial and far reaching policy of his first two weeks in office.

On Monday, the government has a deadline to justify the executive order temporarily barring immigrants from seven mostly Muslim countries and the entry of refugees after a federal judge in Seattle blocked it with a temporary restraining order on Friday.

The uncertainty caused by a judge's stay of the ban has opened a window for travellers from the seven affected countries to enter the United States.

Trump has reacted with attacks on the federal judge and then the wider court system which he blames for stymieing his efforts to restrict immigration.

Democrats, meanwhile, sought to use Trump's attacks on the judiciary to raise questions about the independence of his Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco over the weekend denied the Trump administration's request for an immediate stay of the federal judge's temporary restraining order that blocked nationwide the implementation of key parts of the travel ban.

But the court said it would reconsider the government's request after receiving more information.

The government has until 01:00 today to submit additional legal briefs to the appeals court justifying Trump's executive order. Following that the court is expected to act quickly, and a decision either way may ultimately result in the case reaching the US Supreme Court.

Top technology giants, including Apple, Google and Microsoft banded together with nearly 100 companies on Sunday to file a legal brief opposing Trump's immigration ban, arguing that it “inflicts significant harm on American business.”

Noting that “immigrants or their children founded more than 200 of the companies on the Fortune 500 list,” the brief said Trump's order “represents a significant departure from the principles of fairness and predictability that have governed the immigration system of the United States for more than 50 years.”

The controversial executive order also “inflicts significant harm on American business, innovation, and growth as a result,” the brief added.

Trump, who during his campaign called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, has repeatedly vowed to reinstate the 27 January travel ban on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and a 120-day bar on all refugees in the name of protecting the United States from Islamist militants.

His critics have said the measures are discriminatory, unhelpful and legally dubious.

NAMPA/REUTERS

↧

Vying for the presidency

February 6, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Investigate Huang's riches

≪ Previous: Legal battles to test Trump visa ban

Vying for the presidencyDlamini-Zuma launches her campaign Former wife of Jacob Zuma, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, formally launched her campaign for the presidency on Sunday.

Former AU commission chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma officially launched her ANC presidential campaign on Sunday.

Although she did not directly speak about accepting the nomination to run for president, a church service hosted by the Faith Ministry Church and the ANC Women's League was seen as setting off her campaign since her return from Addis Ababa.

“Africa needs more women presidents,” said Dlamini-Zuma.

She said at the moment the continent had only one female president, Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, whose second term ends in October.

The ANC's National Working Committee had written to structures asking for them to hold off on the succession debate as it hadn't been opened as yet. The Women's League had been one of the structures guilty of defying the ANC leadership on the matter. Its president, Bathabile Dlamini, did so yet again.

“The NWC said we shouldn't discuss this until the succession debate has been opened, but here we are supporting a very humble person,” said Dlamini.

She also compared Dlamini-Zuma to Jesus

“She is also a lion and a lamb,” said the ANCWL president.

The marathon church service was held under the theme women in power, but for the most part it resembled a rally with the pastor at the church Pastor Velaphi Ndebende throwing his weight behind Dlamini-Zuma to take over the reigns as ANC president.

President Jacob Zuma, who is set to step down after finishing off two terms at the helm in December, has also publicly supported calls for a woman to take over from him.

“I am taking this women in leadership [talk] across the country and by December it will be boiling,” Ndebende told cheering crowds.

The Women's League has already made a pronouncement that Dlamini-Zuma is its preferred candidate for the ANC presidency, and it's believed some of the guests at the event shared a similar stance.

Minister Des van Rooyen, chairperson of the Umkhonto Wesizwe Military Veterans' Association Kebby Mapatsoe and MP Humphrey Memezi were among the crowd who sat through several hours of the service in honour of women.

Although Dlamini-Zuma did not say she was ready for the role personally, she shared stories on how women were born to lead and examples of her own approach to leadership.

“Women are practical, they want to see things done. I always say to people that I worked with, I will never punish you if you make a mistake working,” she said.

Corruption can't tolerated

Dlamini-Zuma said corruption was not only robbing people, but also eroding the trust they had in the government.

'You can't use government money or church money to enrich yourself,” she said.

She said it was also corrupt to earn a salary but not do the work one is mandated to do.

The former AU Commission chair who's hardly said much on the state of South Africa and its politics over the years, said South Africans were looking for a responsive government.

“You can't be responsive if you don't want to work,” she said.

Dlamini-Zuma also shared her thoughts on a long-standing debate about the future of the country as far as energy is concerned.

“We mustn't listen to those who say we must only use renewable energy,” said Dlamini Zuma.

No developed country uses only renewable energy, there must be a mix she said.

NEWS24

↧

Investigate Huang's riches

February 6, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Shot of the day

≪ Previous: Vying for the presidency

Investigate Huang's riches Last week's arrest of influential Chinese businessman Jack Huang has set tongues wagging. Huang is implicated in a high profile tax evasion, fraud and money-laundering case in which he is now officially listed as suspect number 5 in the matter that is before the Windhoek Magistrate's Court.

The loud brouhaha raised over Huang's arrest should be understood in the context that it involves a significant N$3.5 billion and probably Namibia's biggest fraud case to date. Of interest is the fact that Huang is a well-connected businessman, who has donated millions to Swapo, especially during their election campaigns. He is also a self-proclaimed friend of all three Namibian presidents. However, it is his business relationship with President Hage Geingob that has been hogging the headlines of late. According to media reports, Huang and Geingob co-own a real estate company African Sunrise Investment, which wants to build a township outside Windhoek. The firm wants to build 400 apartments, 24 villas, two mansions and a hotel in the upmarket area east of Windhoek. All this information only came to the fore last year, forcing the president to clarify his relationship with the Chinese businessman. Many people have drawn various conclusions as far as Huang's business dealings are concerned, with an absolute belief that there is more to his riches than meets the eye. The same Huang has been linked to the 'killer vessel', Ryazanovka, which has been at the centre of a storm around an application to export live marine mammals to Chinese zoos. Surprisingly government is yet to publicly pronounce itself on this matter, which begs the question of whether the authorities are doing enough to protect its citizens from abuse of power. Yes, it is Huang's right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. But that should not lead to a deafening silence when it comes to his business dealings and by extension his relationship with the number one citizen of this country. If there are business people who sought to capture the state for selfish reasons, then it should warrant an investigation by the authorities and Namibians need to know exactly how much business personalities like Huang are worth and how they acquired their money.

↧

Shot of the day

February 6, 2017, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Drones agitate Omatjete ellies

≪ Previous: Investigate Huang's riches

Shot of the day

AFRICAN CHAMPIONS: Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions celebrate being crowned Champions during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Finals on Sunday. Photo: DAILY MAVERICK

↧

Latest Images