Football tourney for schools

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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Football tourney for schools Schools in Southern Namibia are gearing up for the second edition of the Inter-Regional Senior Schools Soccer Challenge themed 'Sport Is Life – Reach For The Stars' from 30 June to 2 July at Keetmanshoop.

The annual tournament was launched last year to compensate for the lack of proper promotion and assistance of soccer at grassroots level in the //Karas and Hardap regions.

The organiser, Rhuuksie ||Garoëb said that majority of football players in these two regions are extremely talented and skilled but are overlooked by national scouts due to lack of football in the communities they live. He said that the advantage of the tournament is to help youth development in football around the two southern regions.

“Soccer starts at school level and by grooming upcoming players we will be able to cater for league clubs and in turn the national level at different age groups. The event is not for personal gain,” emphasised.

The annual event was hosted in Rehoboth in 2016 and 14 schools participated. Mariental High School was crowned champions after defeating Rehoboth High School in the final.

He added that business people in the south should put their money where their mouths are by investing in sport saying their businesses benefit directly from the hosting of such events. “Without the youth there is no future in Namibian football,”

//Garoëb said.According to //Garoëb, due to the success of the last event, organisers have received interest from schools from Windhoek and as far as Swakopmund, including football academies. “So, hopefully it will become the biggest youth tournament not only for schools, but football academies as well.”

Limba Mupetami

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Don't spice up your performance

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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Don't spice up your performance“We all knew that everyone was doped. Everyone supported it. Children look up to Olympic champions, but when I was selected for the national team, I saw that things were not quite what they seemed. Many champions are not gods or great talents, they are just liars. That's what disgusted me, the lies. These people are admired but they're just liars and cheats.”

These are the words of Yulia Stepanova, Russian athlete and doping whistleblower.

Some athletes seeking to push the boundaries of their personal performance may find it tempting to grab a competitive advantage by looking beyond their training and nutrition and adding a bit of spice to their performance levels.

These athletes for years use substances without being caught. They enter international competitions, collect medals and walk away with a lot of money. They wave to the crowds and to their young fans as they stand on podiums and boast about their achievements.

But these are all ill-gotten gains. Their lying is supported by the country officials who know quite well what is happening in the background. A classic case is that of Vladimer Putin. Putin dismissed reports commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency as unfounded and full of lies. Putin himself claimed that Russian track and field athletes were being discriminated against. He knew very well that his athletes were criminals. He supported and gave them advice on how to dope further and better.

It's baffling to the mind how people can go the extra mile to take part in such chicanery. But, it is wrong because dopers steal what legitimately belongs to athletes who work hard to reach and qualify for games without using any enhancements. They take sponsorship deals away from these athletes; cheat their way to steal by false pretences, millions of dollars and in the process, deceive the public who support them.

Look at Lance Armstrong for example. He was considered a deity. He was every young aspiring cyclist's dream. But what did he do. He shattered everyone's dream. He made everyone believe that he worked hard. Maybe he did by concocting the plan, but does it really matter now? Nobody will ever believe his lies.

He created the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme sport has ever seen. Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles after being labelled a “serial cheat”. But did his other sport compatriots learn a thing or two from his ordeal? No. Maria Sharapova was slapped with a two-year ban from tennis for using meldonium, a drug commonly used for heart disease treatment and which increases stamina and endurance.

So today I give French Tennis Federation President Bernard Giudicelli credit for daring to go where other sports officials fear to tread and denying Sharapova the chance to take part in the French Open.

It's a bold stance which sends a message not only to Sharapova and her team, but the whole world that people do not tolerate being lied to anymore.

It is painful. As sport lovers we don't want to be sceptical about every athlete who is performing well and think that they too could be on drugs. We want to enjoy the games we love and celebrate the sports men and women who bring us joy on and off the field without scorn or judgement. Yes, not everyone cheats, but if you are Russian, well the whole world will cover you with the same blanket of scorn and disgust. I would like to urge Namibian athletes performing well internationally, to stay clear of the doping turf. Yes, the Namibia Sports Commission launched an anti-doping campaign to raise awareness among the country's athletes following recent reports of doping and the rise in cases of misuse of banned athletic performance-enhancing drugs.

If you are an athlete, protect your reputation and medals by knowing the latest information about substances that are on the World Anti-Doping Agency's list.

Safeguard your career and reputation because we believe that there is true and pure talent out there and can only hope and pray that you don't need to drug taint your natural performance. The fight against doping should be every country's top priority. Some people will always find a way to cheat and hope to get away with it, but the truth is you will be caught and you will pay the price. So, if you are thinking about doing “the bad deed” or aiding dopers, think again. If you are caught you will be forced to name the source of your 'stash', along with the other athletes or doctors involved.



limba@namibiansun.com

Netball excites

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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Netball excitesNampol great contenders The Khomas Netball League is proving to be an exciting tournament with many surprises as Nampol (premier) defeated Black Africa (premier) by a large margin in the sixth round of the tournament. Nampol walked away with a 55-14 score in Windhoek at the Khomasdal Netball Court leaving Black Africa players stunned.

Nampol beat the red and black outfit to show that they mean business and that the latter’s dominance in netball circles is now history. The match was played in hot conditions but the players defied the heat and turned up to represent their teams.

In other games Afrocats (first division) defeated Tigers (first division) 38-37. Afrocats (Second division) hammered Black Africa 41-26. Wanderers (premier) narrowly beat Tigers (premier) 38 – 35.

Afrocats (premier) hammered United (premier) 52 – 35, displaying brilliant individual performance.

United (first division went down 28-40 against Nust. Tigers (second division) also lost 13-24 to Afrocats (second division).

Netball lovers can look forward to exciting action on the courts again next weekend as teams continue to fight for the top spot.

Limba Mupetami

Chibok girls meet families

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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Chibok girls meet familiesFamily reunions took place over the weekend Anxious parents this weekend met with their daughters when the 82 recently freed Chibok girls were finally reunited with their families. The 82 Nigerian schoolgirls recently released after more than three years in Boko Haram captivity were reuniting with their families for the first time on Saturday, officials said, as anxious parents looked for signs of how deeply the extremists had changed their daughters' lives.

Some of the dozens of families were seen Saturday in the capital, Abuja, where the girls were taken by Nigerian authorities after their release early this month.

It was the largest liberation of hostages since 276 Chibok schoolgirls were abducted from their boarding school in 2014. Five commanders from the extremist group were exchanged for the girls' freedom, and Nigeria's government has said it would make further exchanges to bring the 113 remaining schoolgirls home.

Many of the girls, most of them Christians, were forced to marry extremists and have had children. Some have been radicalised and have refused to return. It is feared that some have been used in suicide bombings.

The mass abduction in April 2014 brought international attention to Boko Haram's deadly insurgency in northern Nigeria, and it launched a global Bring Back Our Girls campaign that drew the backing of some celebrities, including former US first lady Michelle Obama. Thousands have been kidnapped during the extremists' eight-year insurgency, and more than 20,000 have been killed.

The release of the 82 schoolgirls this month came after an initial group of 21 girls was released in October. Nigeria's government has acknowledged negotiating with Boko Haram for their release, with mediation help from the Swiss government and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The two groups of freed schoolgirls reunited Saturday, Nigeria's Channels TV reported, showing the young women laughing and embracing.

Since the latest release, many families in the remote Chibok community have been waiting for word on whether their daughters were among them. A government list of names circulated, and parents were asked to confirm the freed girls' identities through photos.

Both groups of freed girls have been in government care in the capital as part of a nine-month reintegration program that President Muhammadu Buhari has said he will oversee personally. But human rights groups have criticized the government for keeping the young women so long in the capital, far from their homes.



NAMPA/AP

Three to die over Hamas commander killing

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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Three to die over Hamas commander killing A court in the Gaza Strip on Sunday sentenced three men to death over the assassination of a Hamas military commander that the Islamist movement accused Israel of masterminding.

After a trial that lasted four days, two of the accused were sentenced to be hanged and one to be shot, the military court announced.

The assassination of Mazen Faqha in the middle of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on March 24 shocked the Islamist movement and raised the possibility of a new round of violence with Israel.

Hamas immediately blamed its arch-enemy, with which it has fought three wars since 2008, and implemented strict border restrictions on those seeking to leave the Palestinian enclave.

Israel has not confirmed or denied the accusations.

In Sunday's court ruling, the chief suspect, Ashraf Abu Leila, 38, was sentenced to hang after being convicted of murder.

The others were identified only as Hisham A., 44, who was also sentenced to hang, and Abdallah N., who was to face the firing squad. They were convicted of collaborating with Israel.

Faqha had been in charge of forming cells for Hamas's military wing in the occupied West Bank.

He had spent years in an Israeli jail before being released as part of a 2011 prisoner exchange deal.

Last week, Hamas released what it said was a recording of the confessions of the accused.

Images allegedly showed three men, presented as the murderer and his two accomplices, confessing to their roles, although their faces did not appear.

No independent bodies had access to the suspects, and the images and recordings were impossible to verify.

"Widespread coercion, torture and routine deprivation of detainees' rights by Hamas security services in Gaza call into question whether these confessions were in fact voluntary or may have been extracted under duress," Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch director for Israel and the Palestinian territories, said last week.

Shortly after Faqha's killing, the security services launched a campaign against so-called collaborators.

On April 6, Hamas hanged three men accused of collaborating with Israel in cases unrelated to Faqha's death.

Executions in the Gaza Strip have drawn intense international criticism, though Hamas has pressed ahead.

Hamas says Faqha played an important role in major assaults, including a suicide attack in the Israeli settlement neighbourhood of Gilo in east Jerusalem in 2002 that killed 19 people.

They were part of a wave of suicide attacks that killed hundreds of Israelis during the second intifada, or uprising, between 2000 and 2005.

Israel sentenced him to nine life sentences plus 50 years, but he was released in a 2011 deal for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier Hamas had held for five years.

The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli blockade for a decade, while Egypt's crossing with the enclave has also remained largely closed in recent years.

NAMPA/AFP

Shot of the day

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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Shot of the day HOLY: An Angolan woman pays homage, walking on her knees at the Fatima Sanctuary in Fatima, central Portugal. Two of the three shepherd children, who reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal a century ago, were declared saints on May 13 by Pope Francis. PHOTO: NAMPA/AFP

What's with the land?

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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What's with the land? At the outset, allow us to state emphatically that we support any group, community or tribe of people that seek self-determination within a country and a place to call their own. We consider this a basic right of all and see it too, as essential for the dignity of all.

However, of late, the call for plots, land and resettlement farms, and more recently, the landmark case of the Hai//Om, a San group that can also be described as one of Namibia's first people, has brought some serious questions to the fore.

What happens if everyone who wants a plot, gets one? What happens if ancestral land is provided for and groups are successful in their claims? What happens if resettlement farms are given to the people that inhabit, historically, that area?

The concern is that those who are making these calls are marginalised. This is a given otherwise why make the call?

But what will they do with a plot or a farm or a stretch of ancestral land?

The Hai//Om, in as much as they come from Etosha, cannot ever go back to their nomadic way of life. An unemployed person who gets a plot, serviced or not, cannot pay for that plot and can, at most, afford to erect a shack. What does a dirt poor family do on a farm of say, 5000 hectares?

It is not the call for land; it is what will be done with the land after it is awarded.

Surely we cannot, every single time, turn to government, asking for infrastructure, clinics, farm schools, water points and cattle?

We cannot turn away from the rapid growth of shacks which pepper the outskirts of almost every town in this country.

Is this what we want for our people?

Or do we want our people to have a job, a home constructed of brick, a tax number and a fully paid-up account at their local municipality. Do we not want successful commercial farmers producing meat and grains for the food security of our people?

We need to make a plan to find out what we will do once we have that piece of earth that we are crying for, because with it comes financial responsibilities and hard work.

Ondangwa up in arms

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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Ondangwa up in armsConstruction of new hospital divides Oshana Ondangwa's leaders and citizens say they are being left out from government's development plans after the hospital plan was scrapped. The leadership of Ondangwa Town Council and community members in the constituency expressed their disappointment at the governor of the Oshana Region, Clemens Kashuupulwa, for, as they say, always snubbing their town when it comes to government's development projects.

This came to light after Ondangwa was stripped of the plan by the health ministry to construct a district hospital that was already budgeted for in the 2015 to 2020 mid-term expenditure framework.

It is reported that the plan to construct a district hospital in Ondangwa has been scrapped and replaced with an immediate plan to construct a referral hospital for the northern regions without any undertaking that it will be in Ondangwa. This is despite the fact that the town council has already donated land that has been mapped and surveyed.

Kashuupulwa failed to recommend Ondangwa for the planned hospital, nominating Ongwediva instead.

Regional councillors and the leadership of the town say many government developmental projects that were earmarked for Ondangwa have been diverted to Oshakati and Ongwediva towns.

On Saturday, the Ondangwa Urban Constituency Youth Forum organised a community meeting where they invited the town council officials and political office bearers seeking clarity on what happened to the planned hospital.

Ondangwa's CEO, Ismael Namugongo, told the meeting that the plan for the district hospital has been cancelled.

He said that it was clear from the consultative meeting held between the health minister, Dr Bernhard Haufiku, with the regional leadership on 11 May, as well as the meeting with the regional leadership on Friday that there is not much support for them to get the new hospital.

“We were very shocked to hear from this meeting that our planned district hospital has been cancelled. We first came to know about it as a rumour and we wrote a letter to the governor on 8 May. Our letter got no response and then we were informed to go attend a meeting with the health minister,” Namugongo said.

He said that Haufiku told them in his meeting that his ministry cancelled the plan for Ondangwa district hospital as they are now going to upgrade the already existing district hospital facilities in the northern regions and construct a referral hospital. He said the meeting agreed that the referral hospital will be constructed in Oshana Region and the platform was given to the regional council to decide on the site.

“This is what disappointed us the most. Our regional council suggested that Ongwediva and Ondangwa must identify the land. We already donated our land that was planned for the sport stadium to the ministry for the district hospital. They confirmed to us in writing that the land was too big and they would only use a portion. It has already been surveyed. Why are they not taking the same land for the referral hospital?” fumed Namugongo.

Namugongo said Ondangwa's representatives left Haufiku's meeting disappointed and requested for a meeting with the governor and the regional council which was held on Friday, but the decision remained that Ondangwa and Ongwediva must offer land.

A source told Namibian Sun that the Friday's meeting was heated. Regional councillors say the hospital must be in Ondangwa, but Kashuupulwa allegedly does not support this move.

“In the meeting, regional councillors said Ondangwa is being ignored in terms of government projects, but the governor refused,” a source said.

When contacted, Kashuupulwa refuted the accusations and said that the resolution from the meeting with Haufiku was final and binding. “We must not talk about discussions that were brought after the meeting with the minister otherwise we will confuse the nation. Let us stick to what was decided in the meeting with the minister,” he said.

Ondangwa mayor, Paavo Amwele, said that he will fight for Ondangwa's development. He thanked the youth forum for organising the meeting, but argued for them to remain constant and refrain from violating national rules.

ILENI NANDJATO

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Banks must help with housing

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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Banks must help with housing The Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Sophia Shaningwa, has called on banks to meet the government halfway in its efforts to provide affordable housing to Namibians.

Shaningwa was speaking at a house handover ceremony to Ndinoita Shimoshili by the City of Windhoek at Okuryangava. The house was constructed by Oluzizi Engineering Construction company.

“It is for you the banks, our financial institutions, to come on board and work with the municipalities countrywide and with the City of Windhoek which has a problem that needs to be changed and this problem can only be solved if we join hands,” said Shaningwa.

Shimoshili who is wheelchair-bound applied for land in November 2015 and the City decided provide Shimoshili with a house using its corporate social responsibility programme. An emotional Shimoshili said he was grateful for the donation from the City and the government for offering him a house for him and his family to live in.

“Thank you to the mayor of Windhoek, the president and the minister of lands for donating the house,” said Shimoshili with such gratitude that it drew tears, not only from Shaningwa, but many of the people in attendance.

The two-bedroom house cost approximately N$180 000 to construct.

Shona Ngava

Doing it for themselves

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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Doing it for themselves Shack Dwellers get busy creating homes It's all hands on deck for the more than 200 members of the Otjiwarongo branch of the Shack Dwellers Federation as they take on the mammoth task of clearing land for the 65 brick houses the federation will start constructing this year.

For the 65 recipients of the one-bedroom brick houses, their new home will represent the first time they have lived in anything other than a home constructed out of corrugated iron.

Currently, members rotate to clear the area on a daily basis, using shovels and other implements to clear away vegetation, with the goal of to start servicing the land by the end of May.

The backbreaking work is “hard, but worth it,” Gottert Hipona told Namibian Sun.

Hipona, one of the recipients of a brick home, says he currently lives in a corrugated iron home in Otjiwarongo's informal settlement.

He says the corrugated iron homes are uncomfortable, partly because in summer they are too hot and in winter, they are freezing.

“Dust is also a big problem,” he adds.

The erven, situated southwest of the Tsaraxa-Aibes Combined School, will be divided into 65 plots ranging in size of between 345 square metres and 600 square metres.

The unserviced land was allocated to the federation by the Otjiwarongo municipality at a steal at the beginning of the 2017.

Otjiwarongo Municipality's chief executive officer (CEO), Ismael

/Howoseb described the allocation of the land as “almost a kind of donation”, as the plots were sold for around N$10 per plot.

/Howoseb said the allocation is the largest yet to the federation and forms part of the town's target to help eradicate poverty and address housing shortages “in the spirit of Harambee.”

Chairperson of the federation at Otjiwarongo, Erenst Muraranganda, who spoke to Namibian Sun while helping with the clearing of the land, said that the houses will consist of one bedroom, a kitchen, lounge and a bathroom.

For Isabel Guruses (53), her future brick home is a “dream come true”. She says she will live there with her daughter, and plans to create a large garden “with a lot of flowers.” She added that she wants to paint the house a calm shade of cream with a tint of orange and beige.

Team work

Muraranganda said although not all members are current beneficiaries and that it is a team effort to prepare the area and much of the work will be undertaken by the federation members themselves.

This includes the laying down of water and sewage pipelines and the construction of the houses, which will be undertaken by the federation's members.

Bricks will also be made by members themselves.

Other building materials for the building of the houses will be funded by loans from the federation.

Muraranganda said the federation hopes to start servicing the land next month and to commence with the construction of the houses by August.

The federation has approached architects and land surveyors to assist with some of the more technical aspects according to /Howoseb who says they have had a positive response to date.

Muraranganda says since the news of the land allocation spread, more people enquired about joining the Shack Dwellers Federation.

Membership requires an annual contribution of N$800, which can be paid in monthly installments. The selection of beneficiaries for the houses is based on four pillars, which include a member's active participation in the federation, their financial contributions and assisting other federations across the country. According to a Nampa report, the secretary of the Otjiwarongo branch, Christa Jeomba last week thanked /Howoseb for allocating the land to them.

“I would like also to call on the CEO to expect us in 2018. We need more residential plots, including unserviced land so that we can develop it ourselves,” said Jeomba.

JANA-MARI SMITH

Tour operators give back

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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Tour operators give back The tour operators of the 2016 Responsible Tourism Awards held by Namibia Media Holdings gave their prize money back to community projects.

Tourvest Destination Management Namibia/Sense of Africa was the winner at last year's Tourism Expo and received N$25 000, while Ultimate Safaris came in at second place and received N$15 000 and pack Safaris got N$10 000 for third place.

Tourvest Destination Management Namibia/Sense of Africa donated their prize money towards the Bishop Kameeta Kindergarten, which is a non-profit day-care and pre-primary centre for vulnerable children in Golgotha Katutura. The centre was established by Anna Fredericks and has been supported by the tour operator since 2009.

Tourvest Destination Management Namibia/Sense of Africa used their prize money to buy interlocks, sand and other building materials for the kindergarten. Future projects aim to move the kindergarten to a bigger property in Katutura.

High school graduates that have an interest in tourism will also be given an opportunity to begin training at Tourvest Destination Management Namibia.

In addition, Ultimate Safaris and the //Huab communal conservancy entered into a joint venture and built a mobile camp in collaboration with the Save the Rhino Trust (SRT), allowing rangers to follow rhinos in the wild.

This new development will assist in creating an income for the local community whilst contributing to wildlife conservation efforts and improving conditions in the field for rangers, who sometimes spend up to four weeks working in the bush. To aid people working in the field further, a radio tower was constructed to improve communication with the headquarters of SRT at Palmwag.

Pack Safaris donated their prize money to the second phase of a building project for the Ngatuve Vatere orphanage at Kalkveld. This money came in handy for the upgrading, painting and plumbing of the orphanage buildings.

All in all, the cost of the building material, workers, electricity and tents amounted to more than N$75 000. Pack Safaris contributed N$20 000 and Chameleon more than N$55 180.

MET faces serious money woes

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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MET faces serious money woes The Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamaba Shifeta, on Friday painted a grim picture of the years to come with the ministry facing massive budgetary constraints.

This may have an impact on anti-poaching activities and the mitigation of human-wildlife conflict.

Already last year, staff members have been faced with working without S&T and overtime, and the fiscus has now granted N$30 million to the ministry for these outstanding monies.

However, Shifeta stressed that although the ministry is going to face challenges over the next couple of years coupled with the budget difficulties, it must learn to prioritise and work with less.

Shifeta was addressing staff members on Friday regarding the 2017/18 financial year when he said that 2016 was a very tough year for all ministries and government agencies with frequent budgetary constraints. He said that the last year was especially tough for his ministry, which was marred by frequent budget cuts in the wake of the increasing poaching and human-wildlife conflict cases. “I am happy that together as a team we managed to weather the storm.” He pointed out that staff members in the ministry devoted their time to protect resources without remuneration such as S&T and overtime last year.

“We owe you a high level of gratitude.”

However, this year and the next few years to come are not going to be much better as the budget has been significantly reduced.

He stressed that the activities of the ministry have to be prioritised as it has to be able to do more with less resources.

He told staff members that they must exercise patience with the lack of money.

However, at the same time Shifeta said that there will be zero tolerance against laxity, laziness and other related unproductive behaviour.

“If anyone of you is one of those rotten apples that do not take their work seriously, this is the year you should leave such habits behind, or else the system will push you out. We cannot afford to have different elements pushing in different directions in one organisation,” he warned. Shifeta said that one of the greatest challenges for the tourism sector over the past three years remains poaching.

“This has become a grave concern, regardless of the efforts and resources that have been put in. Even though there has been a decrease in poaching numbers, the trends are disturbing and it needs to be brought under control.”

According to him poaching is driven by international criminal syndicates and it is a complex phenomenon.

“In our efforts to address this problem, we should recognise that we are not dealing with the normal subsistence poaching as it was in the past. Rhino and elephant poaching have become commercialised and there are huge financial incentives for people to get involved and participate in such commissioning of crimes. It is therefore crucial that we remain on high alert and keep on refining our strategies and tactics.” He said that since the start of the current elephant and rhino poaching problem, government through the ministry has been putting measures in place to address poaching in the country. More resources have been allocated to fighting poaching; more government agencies have come on board to support the efforts including the police, the defence force, National Central Intelligence Services, the judiciary, as well as the private sector.

“We have made a significant number of arrests, but our prime focus remains to break the syndicates and also to catch those on the ground.”

He said that last year a total of 222 suspects were arrested that were involved in elephant and rhino poaching.

Also 32 rhino horns were confiscated while 56 full elephant tusks were confiscated, and 79 pieces of elephant tusks recovered.

ELLANIE SMIT

State blunders in murder trial cause 5-year delay

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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State blunders in murder trial cause 5-year delay A blunder by the State of not bringing forward a crucial document before the court in a murder, rape and housebreaking trial saw a bail ruling postponed to tomorrow.

Oshakati High Court Judge Marlene Tommasi on Thursday held to her ruling in the bail application of Uunandapo Eliaser, 29, who stands accused of the murder of Wibartine Nambahu Ekaku, 38, on 19 March 2012 at Onghali village in the Ondangwa District in the Oshana Region.

This came after the defence counsel, Phineas Nsundano, in his bail argument, indicated that his client was arrested unlawfully 13 March 2015, citing that there is no affidavit attached to the documents before the court, a legal requirement when a warrant of arrest is issued.

Deputy Prosecutor-General Johan Pienaar, representing the State, admitted in court that the document did not form part of those before the court, saying that he would try and source it from the lower court where the warrant of arrest was issued.

Meanwhile, while seeking a bail of N$600 for his client, Nsundano justified his bail application saying that when the case was transferred to the High Court from the Ondangwa Magistrate's Court on 18 May 2015, his client was not made aware of his right to bail.

Pienaar, on the other hand, objected to the application arguing that Eliaser may interfere with the State's witnesses and that there is a risk of him absconding, and endangering public safety.

He added Eliaser should remain behind bars while the investigation continues.

Nsundano reminded the court that his client was released in December 2013 after his original arrest when the matter was struck off the roll, saying the State did not have substantial evidence on him.

Eliaser was released at that time after his matter had been remanded 11 times in the lower court while a decision by the prosecutor-general was awaited.

The court eventually released him in December, striking the matter off the roll.

Eliaser was rearrested a year and a half later, on 13 March 2015.

Nsundano told the court that his client could have absconded then, but did not and was rearrested at his home.

He added that the State had had five years in which to complete its investigations and that his client's rights were prejudiced because of the delay.

Eliaser has been behind bars since his second arrest two years ago.



KENYA KAMBOWE

TIPEEG: 75% spent, 80% incomplete

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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TIPEEG: 75% spent, 80% incompleteReport on the project as yet still unavailable About 251 projects remain incomplete in the now failed TIPEEG programme and although job creation targets were not met, a substantial number were created. It is now three years since the Targeted Intervention Programme for Employment and Economic Growth (TIPEEG) come to an end, but the National Planning Commission (NPC) cannot provide the final report on how N$14.4 billion was spent and why so many projects remain incomplete.

By the end of January 2014, the programme had used N$11 billion of the budgeted N$14.4 billion, but only 61 of the 312 projects were completed, while 251 projects remain incomplete and are still in limbo.

To make matters worse, the NPC cannot provide accurate figures of the money used by the programme apart from the estimated figures that were published in January 2014. Neither the NPC's permanent secretary, Leevi Hungamo nor the public relations officer Fillemon Nangonya responded to enquiries in this regard.

In April 2011 former president Hifikepunye Pohamba launched TIPEEG as a four-year mid-term expenditure framework to run from the 2011/12 to 2013/14 financial years. This was done with objective of creating employment opportunities - both permanent and temporary - by focusing on selected economic sectors and public works and to ensure speedy implementation by introducing suitable conditions and modalities under which capital projects are to be implemented and to put in place the required infrastructure necessary for economic growth.

“The total estimated expenditure for TIPEEG including public works was N$14.7 billion.

“The total cost of TIPEEG excluding public works was estimated at N$9.1 billion.

“A total of N$14.4 billion of the estimated expenditure has been released so far and N$11 billion (as at end of January 2014) has been spent, resulting in an overall execution rate of 76.6%,” read the January 2014 report.

The report further stated that during the first year of implementation (2011/12), 260 projects were implemented, but only 22 projects were completed.

Thus, 238 projects were carried over to the 2012/13 financial year with an additional 12, which made the total projects for 2012/13 250, but only 27 were completed. Again, 223 projects were carried over to the final year of implementation with additional 40 new projects, putting the total at 263, but only 22 were completed.

“TIPEEG was a total failure. Some 251 projects are still not complete and they are now completely forgotten. It has been three years, but everybody is quiet about it,” said a source which chose to remain anonymous.

The source further questioned, “If the project money was N$14.4 billion and N$11 billion has already been used up, what was that money used for? What happened to the remaining N$3.4 billion and when is the NPC going to release the final report?”

However, the TIPEEG report indicated that the amount released under the TIPEEG a sector (which refers to agriculture, transport & logistics, tourism, and housing and sanitation) was N$9.7 billion of which N$7.6 billion (as at end of January 2014) was spent translating into an execution rate of 78.3%.

The total number of jobs created under the targeted sectors so far (as at end of September 2013) was 49 770 which represents 47.9% of the 104 000 jobs targeted.

It further indicated that a total number of 83 315 jobs (including those created under public works) were created under TIPEEG. Of these, 67 485 were on a temporary basis while 15 829 were permanent. This represents 44.6% of the 187 000 jobs estimated to be created under TIPEEG, including public works.

“Although there have been challenges in the implementation of the programme, positive outcomes have been recorded in terms of employment creation and empowering the local people as most of the TIPEEG projects are implemented by SMEs and the majority of the manpower is drawn from the regions where the projects take place.

“As we conclude this programme this financial year (2013/14), NPC is optimistic that the target of the 104 000 will be achieved at the end of the programme.”

ILENI NANDJATO

LWF fails to act on dungeon appeal

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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LWF fails to act on dungeon appealRecognises the genocide The just concluded 12th Assembly of the Lutheran churches has not taken any action on a demand for an apology and to facilitate healing over human rights abuses committed in exile. The 12th Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) as well as its council has failed to take any decision regarding the appeal by civil society organisations to pronounce itself on alleged human rights violations by Swapo in exile.

The civil societies, Forum for the Future (FFF) and NamRights, demanded that the LWF takes responsibility for its alleged silence on the abuses and to assist with the truth and reconciliation process in Namibia.

Ralston Deffenbaugh, LWF's assistant general secretary for international affairs and human rights, said the assembly, which concluded on 16 May, and the LWF council that concluded its first meeting on 17 May, did not consider the appeal.

Deffenbaugh did, however, acknowledge that the appeal was indeed received.

Some consideration was given to what has transpired in exile in a booklet “The Lutheran World Federation and Namibia” that was published in advance of the 12th Assembly.

In it the communion office makes mention of reports, first confidential and then public, that it received in the mid-1980's containing allegations that Swapo was detaining hundreds of Namibian refugees allegedly as South African spies.

The booklet states that the reports included allegations of disappearances, killings and tortures.

“The LWF took these reports very seriously,” it states in the booklet. “Together with Namibian church leaders, the LWF voiced its deep concern with the Swapo leadership, on numerous occasions and at the highest level. In 1987, Swapo invited an LWF delegation to visit Namibian refugees in Angola. However, the delegation was only given access to the civilian refugee settlements.

Given the scope of the visit, the delegation was not able to draw informed conclusions to substantiate the allegations. The full extent of Swapo's human rights violations did not become widely known until survivors were repatriated to Namibia and began telling their stories.”

Phil ya Nangoloh of NamRights said the organisation and the FFF is still considering their reaction to the LWF's repeated silence on the matter.



Genocide

The Assembly has, however, taken note of the current negotiations between Namibia and Germany on the 1904 to 1908 genocide of the Nama, Ovaherero and other indigenous people by imperial Germany.

It stated that the painful memories caused can only be healed until they are addressed.

“Only when the truth has been told and justice is sought can genuine reconciliation over the pains of the past take place,” the LWF stated.

It said it is encouraging to know that the Namibian and German governments have taken up this matter and are committed to a process of telling the truth and doing justice, adding that it is grateful for the role of churches and civil society groups that have promoted and continue to support processes of reconciliation and healing of memories.

Catherine Sasman

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The case of the Hai//Om & Etosha

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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The case of the Hai//Om & EtoshaLegal expert says the group has a strong claim According to a legal expert, the claim by the Hai//Om is well founded and will be an interesting and landmark case for Namibia. The Namibian government is faced with its first claim for ancestral land with papers filed in the High Court in Windhoek by the Hai//Om seeking restoration of their rights to Etosha National Park and 11 farms in the Mangetti. While the matter is being heard in preparation for trial, it has, justifiably so, attracted a lot of attention.

The Hai//Om, led by Andrew Corbett (SC) under instruction of the Legal Assistance Centre, seek ownership of portions of the park and 11 farms in the Mangetti, exclusive beneficial occupation and use of the said land, as well as full rights to development and other claims of use. In the alternative, they seek an “award of land of equal extension and quality to the land described and compensation in the amount of N$3.9 billion”.

A portion of the proceeds made by the national park from 1958 and other developmental and cultural claims are also described in the voluminous application.

The matter will become a watershed case for the country and if legal expert Professor Nico Horn is correct, the group have a very strong case.

“In the first instance, Article 144 of the Namibian Constitution states that any international agreements signed by the government form part of the law in Namibia,” Horn told Namibian

Sun.





There are a host of these agreements which give legal impetus to the Hai//Om covering ancestral, cultural, human and other rights, which are all listed in the papers and which the government is a signatory to.

According to Horn, two very important rulings in this regard are critical to consider for the Hai//Om claim. In a research paper Horn penned in 2005, regarding the rights to land of the Ovaherero and Nama people in light of the genocide, he lists the Eddie Mabo matter in Australia and the ruling of the International Court of Justice on the case of the Western Sahara.

In October 1975, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion after Morocco, backed by Mauritania, requested a ruling on its claim of sovereignty over the Spanish Sahara. In its ruling, the court said that “the materials and information presented to it do not establish any tie of territorial sovereignty between the territory Western Sahara and the Kingdom of Morocco or the Mauritanian entity.” It thus ruled in favour of the right to self-determination of the Sahrawi people.

In the case of Eddie Mabo, a landmark case in Australia for Aboriginal people, his people's ancestral land on Murray Island was restored 18 years after he began to fight for it. In 1975 he discovered that he, along with hundreds of thousands of others across the world, was a victim of res nullius.

Res nullius was a principle applied by colonial powers, both in Australia and elsewhere across the world, to state that the area was uninhabited when they arrived or, that the people who lived there had not cultivated the land. When that failed they applied a theory of European supremacy.

According to Horn: “This theory was clothed in morality by legal theorists, who pointed out the benefits that would be brought to the backward people through Christianity and through European culture and civilisation.”

This implied that all colonial land acquired by the subjects of colonial powers belonged to that colonial power and only the property rights acknowledged by the powers were valid.

The Australian High Court took cognisance of international law and the advisory ruling of the International Court of Justice finding that res nullius is a territory not belonging to anyone. The International Court of Justice had ruled that agreements signed between tribal leaders and colonial powers are in fact derivative roots of title and not original titles on the land obtained as terrae nullius.

They found, and were unanimous in their ruling, that Western Sahara was not a res nullius when it was occupied by Spain in 1884.

In his paper, Horn writes that “the essence of the judgement entails the acknowledgement of the High Court of Australia that the pre-colonial rights of the Aboriginal people not only survived colonialism but that those rights are enforceable by law.

“The importance of the Western Sahara case is that it excludes the possibility of considering inhabited land as terra nullius based on technical terms or some test of civilisation.”

Interestingly, the Namibian government has repeatedly expressed their support for the self-determination of the Sahrawi people of Western Sahara.

Mabo launched his case in 1974 but died in 1992, five months before the court ruled that his people, the Meriam people, had an inalienable right to Murray Island.

According to the BBC, “he petitioned, campaigned and questioned terra nullius for 18 years. The judges ruled that Aboriginal people were the rightful custodians of the land. They satisfied themselves that Aboriginal people had been in Australia first, did have a long, rich culture that denoted civilisation and had voluminous evidence of land demarcation, usage and inheritance, to back up their claims of longevity and history.”

In the documents filed on behalf of the Hai//Om in Windhoek, much of their history, cultural and familial claims to several waterholes in Etosha, burial sites and more, are discussed. Further to this, the group also told the court that in the 1960s, the Odendaal Commission created homelands for all Namibia's indigenous people, save the Hai//Om.

In 1958, they were put off the land and in their papers they say that by 1990, they “had lost all access to their ancestral lands save for the Mangetti, other than in subordinate capacities such as farm labourers, domestic workers, park employees, squatters or temporary visitors. They were landless, marginalised and living in conditions of great poverty.”

After 1990, the Hai//Om told the court that the government “has failed to take any substantial or adequate measures to address the vulnerability and marginalisation of the Hai//Om. The [government] has breached its constitutional and international law obligations to the Hai//Om.”

According to Horn, in his article on the land rights of the genocide victims, the idea that one more than one right can exist over a farm is not unknown in both common and statutory law in Namibia. He cites mining rights and lease contracts as examples.

“The white farmers have emphasised their constitutional rights in terms of Article 16 of the Constitution. However, none of the parties have thus far attempted to place their points of departure in a historical context. For the government, the original inhabitants of the land are synonymous with the previously disadvantaged and on the other hand, the white farmers have thus far not made an effort to consider the possibility of other rights that may exist on their farms.”

He told Namibian Sun that he is of the view that a land tribunal would have dealt with these issues effectively. He said he is “sorry that government has waited and has not instituted a land tribunal to deal with various claims”.

He added that “according to international law, even if you lose land through colonialism, it is still yours. And the groups can all prove it. The old names still exist in so many places across the country.”

Ancestral land has long featured in local debates and President Hage Geingob himself said on 21 March this in Rundu that “In terms of ancestral land, we welcome proposals from all concerned Namibians so that we are able to reach a national consensus before proceeding with new measures to address the land problem. Of course, one question I ask when addressing land is, who the owners of Windhoek and surrounding areas are? The San people always seem to be left out of the discussion on land even though they, more than any other group of Namibians, have more of a right to claim a large proportion of this country's land.”

There is no doubt that the Hai//Om matter will be closely watched, also by international spectators and rights groups. Experts agree the Hai//Om have a strong case and all say, it will be a landmark case for Namibia.

YANNA SMITH

Councillors defy OTA

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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Councillors defy OTA The Ondonga Traditional Authority (OTA) remains in a quagmire of disarray as it is alleged that Vice-President Nickey Iyambo was denied entry to the palace.

To further compound matters, the authority's suspended traditional councillor for the Oshongwe sub-district, Kashona kaMalulu, has opened another can of worms, adding to the chaos currently reigning in the OTA.

Malulu told Namibian Sun that they approached the deputy chairperson of the eight traditional authorities of the north, the chief of Ukwambi, Herman Ndilimani Iipumbu, to intervene in the current strife the authority is experiencing. However, he said Iipumbu met with King Immanuel Kauluma Elifas but never came back to them after the meeting.

Elifas is the chairperson of the eight traditional authorities of the north and their intention was for Iipumbu to liaise with the king and bring an end to the problems of the authority.

“We sent a delegation to him so that he and the other six traditional authorities of the north could help us resolve matters. He promised that he will go to the palace, which he did, but he never came back to us and he also refuses to talk to us. To date, he has never spoken to us on the outcome of his visit to the palace,” Malulu said.

Iipumbu confirmed to Namibian Sun that he was at Onamugundo (Ondonga palace) on 23 April, but he refused to divulge what the visit was about.

“We are busy with the preparations for the Omagongo festival and I will only be able to give you comment after the festival,” Iipumbu said.





Malulu also confirmed that they were reliably informed that the vice-president Dr Nickey Iyambo also went to the Ondonga palace last month, but was denied entry. The purpose of Iyambo's visit is also unknown.

“At that time, we were already out of the OTA office, but there are many people who saw his convoy going into Onamugundo, but it was refused entry.”

The Office of the Vice President could not be reached for comment as his personal assistant Moses Pakote's number was not reachable. However, Namibian Sun spoke to many sources privy to the affairs of Ondonga and the palace, who all confirmed that the vice-president was indeed denied entry.

Kawana's community court meeting

To add fuel to the fire, confusion erupted on Saturday when the suspended OTA secretary, Joseph Asino and suspended senior councillor and former Oshikoto governor Vilho Kamanya accompanied Fillemon Shuumbwa Nangolo to the community court consultative meeting with the justice minister, Albert Kawana, in Ondangwa.

When contacted for comment, Asino and Kamanya said that they were invited to attend the meeting and the invitation went through the OTA offices.

“The invitation letter clearly stipulated who was to attend. I was invited as the OTA secretary, Kamanya as the Ondonga community court judge and Nangolo as Ondonga King Immanuel Kauluma Elifas's representative,” Asino said.

Contacted for comment, the OTA acting secretary and former bodyguard to Sam Nujoma refused to comment.

“If you want me to comment, you must tell me who your sources are. If not, I am also not going to comment,” Nepando said.

Last month, Elifas wrote a letter to Asino stating that he has suspended him as OTA secretary. The king added that he also suspended OTA council chairperson Peter Kauluma, and senior councillors John Walenga, Tonata Ngulu, Kashona Malulu, Joseph Akawa, Fillemon Nambili and Vilho Kamanya.

Another letter from Elifas was addressed to Nangolo informing him that his nomination as his designated successor was withdrawn.

Malulu said that they are not suspended, only forced out of the OTA offices. He told Namibian Sun that those who took over the OTA offices are not interested in the affairs of the traditional authority, they are only interested in the office.

“How can you suspend someone but you do not appoint a new person to do that work? We are still the ones responsible for the traditional authority's matters at our respective villages and districts. They forced us out of the office and they don't have the interest of the authority at heart,” he said.

ILENI NANDJATO

Kambwa kills lion

May 22, 2017, 4:19 am

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Kambwa kills lion Another marauding lion has been shot and killed in northern Namibia.
This time around the lion was killed by well-known businessman David Kambwa Sheehama of Kambwa Trading.
He shot and killed the lion yesterday in the Ongandjera grazing area. He told Namibian Sun that four lions entered his Okerina cattle post – about 12km from Etosha National Park – on Friday evening and killed two cows.
"We took our rifles and went to hunt them down. We only managed to get them on Sunday afternoon, but we could only kill one,” he said.
The other three lions are still on the run.

ILENI NANDJATO

India targets Africa

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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India targets Africa India will unleash its highest level of economic diplomacy at the next week’s African Development Bank (AfDB) conference in the western city of Ahmedabad, with the aim of setting quantifiable targets of international economic and trade cooperation between the continents in a bid to counter China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative.

The first conference of AfDB to be held outside Africa will be inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with top representations from economic ministries including finance minister Arun Jaitely, coal and power minister Piyush Goyal and human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar.

The 23 to 26 May conference will host 5 000 delegates from African countries, including central bank chiefs of 54 African countries.

“The annual meeting of AfDB this year will be another opportunity to discuss issues facing regional member countries and India would seek to leverage this occasion to further deepen our economic cooperation with African countries through various initiatives that have been planned,” an official Indian government statement said.

It is learnt that during the conference, India’s top political and diplomatic leadership will lay down a roadmap to ramp up India-Africa trade to about US$100 billion over the next two financial years, from US$72 billion in 2014/15.

Although not officially confirmed, it is also learnt that India is likely to extend fresh lines of credit (LoC) to support specific projects that may be part of the “Project Asia-Africa Growth Corridor” that AfDB is expected to unveil during the conference in India.

During the 2015 India-Africa Summit in New Delhi, the Modi extended US$10 billion in credit for various projects in Africa. To date, India’s Exim Bank has 152 operational LoCs in 44 African countries aggregating at US$7.62 billion.

Although not stated explicitly for strategic and diplomatic reasons, India’s highest level participation at the AfDB conference comes in wake of it boycotting the Belt and Road Conference in Beijing to promote the China-led OBOR economic corridor project, which will focus on building ports, railways and pipelines across Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Through this initiative, China aims to connect by land its remote western provinces with Central Asia and then through the Middle East to markets in Europe. It also proposes to link China’s maritime trade routes from the East and South China seas and the straits of Southeast Asia through to the Indian Ocean and East Africa.

Underlining the participation of Japan at the AfDB conference, Indian government officials said that counterfoil to OBOR would be laid down at the conference and much of the background work had already been discussed between Modi and his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, at India-Japan Summit Meet in November.

Significantly, officials have also pointed out that neither India, nor Japan are participants at the Beijing conference, while only two African countries are participants at the conference.

The sources say that India-Japan will push for its ‘Free Ocean’ and ‘Partnership for Infrastructure’ jointly developed by the two countries and extend it to African countries. The first will include construction of a network of ports connecting the partner countries leveraging Japanese technology and investment and India’s broader diplomatic and economic relation with the African continent, the officials said.

Also not explicitly stated, but such a network of ports would be a counter foil to the maritime network plans under China’s OBOR.

Government officials laid stress on the fact AfDB platform would be to promote ‘participatory and inclusive economic cooperation in energy, industrialisation, agriculture, natural resource and connectivity’ in sharp contrast to the ‘top down framework of OBOR controlled exclusively by Chinese capital’.

ENGINEERING NEWS

Candidates get cold feet

May 21, 2017, 4:00 pm

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Candidates get cold feet Manchester had already said it did not want to host on its own, but the city could still stage some events as part of a successful bid from Liverpool.

Australia, Canada and Malaysia are also interested in hosting the Games, which were stripped from Durban in March.

A decision on a formal UK bid will be made later in 2017.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has said a final decision on a replacement for the South African city is unlikely to be made before early autumn.

"It is great that four countries - including several UK cities - have expressed an interest in bidding to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games," a statement from the Mayor of London's office read.

"While London remains focused on delivering the biggest sports event of this year - the IPC and IAAF World Athletics Championships - we wish the UK bidders every success in winning the rights to host the Games in 2022."

The Commonwealth Games are held every four years and feature athletes from more than 50 countries, mostly former British colonies.

Britain last hosted the Games in Glasgow in 2014, while the 2002 event was staged in Manchester. The next edition takes place on Australia's Gold Coast in 2018.

BBC SPORT