Namibian Sun

State to appeal Hoff convictionAttempted murder not serious enough The State has been granted leave to appeal a regional court judgment that acquitted Susanne Hoff on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder and convicted her of a lesser charge.

FRED GOEIEMAN

The State is not satisfied that a woman who had conspired to kill her husband was only found guilty on a charge of attempted murder.

The Windhoek Regional Court on 10 March sentenced the 56-year-old Susanne Hoff to a fine and a period of community service for attempted murder.

Magistrate Alexis Diergaardt sentenced her to a fine of N$30 000 or to serve a six-year prison term, and also to two years' imprisonment, suspended in full for a period of five years.

High Court Judge Alfred Siboleka yesterday granted the State leave to appeal against Hoff’s conviction and said he would give the reasons for his decision on 31 July.

The appointment of a judge to preside over the appeal hearing, as well as the date for the hearing, will be determined in the meantime.

State Advocate Marthino Olivier, who had lodged the application for leave to appeal, said the State would try and prove the basis of their appeal during the hearing.

“The accused was initially charged with conspiracy to commit murder but was only found guilty of attempted murder,” he said.

He argued that attempted murder is a common-law offence whereas conspiracy to commit murder is a statutory offence and the magistrate had erred in her conviction.

Hoff was found guilty of the attempted murder of her estranged husband, Egbert Hoff.

Hoff, who pleaded not guilty, was acquitted on the original charge of conspiracy to commit murder. In her ruling, Magistrate Alexis Diergaardt said the two State witnesses had pretended to play along with Hoff.

She had emphasised that conspiracy could only exist if a definite agreement existed between two people to commit a crime.

According to the State, Hoff canvassed three men to hurt or kill her estranged husband for payment.

State witnesses Wilbard Malina and Jekonia Shipepe testified that Hoff had asked them to kill her husband for N$25 000.

In her judgment, Diergaardt said the witnesses had given three different versions of the story.

Egbert Hoff testified during the trial that a certain Malima had contacted him a few times during November 2011 to purchase used car tyres and on 30 November of that year, at 17:00, a deal was struck for the sale.

He also told the court that on the same day, a police officer from the Nampol drug squad contacted him and informed him of a potential attempt on his life.

Magistrate Diergaardt said Malima had testified that Susanne Hoff had asked him to find people to break her husband's back and that later changed to a request to kill him outright.

Malima also said that Hoff had taken him to the couple's farm and shown him a pile of used tyres under which the body could be buried.

The accused’s testimony was rejected by the court. In her defence, she said that she did have contact with Malima and Shipepe, but she had asked them to pretend to be interested in buying a horse.

She said she suspected her estranged husband was selling horses that belonged to her and was pocketing the money. She said their marriage had all but collapsed at that point.

She further told the court that she met Malima through Fanuel Haiduwa when she was looking for someone to deal with debtors at her advertising company.

Both men testified that they took the money for the hit but had no intention of murdering Egbert Hoff.

Diergaardt found Hoff guilty of attempted murder, saying that there was an attempt by her to have the murder committed. She made payments to facilitate the deed and showed the two men where to bury the body and that she followed the plan through to the end.

State Advocate Olivier lodged the appeal while Advocate Esi Schimming-Chase will act for the defendant.

TransNamib manager out on bail CATHERINE SASMAN

TransNamib’s head of procurement accused of corruption, Chris Simataa, was granted bail of N$60 000 by the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Friday and was suspended with full pay by the national carrier.

Simataa was released on bail with one condition: that he does not interfere in ongoing police investigations, direct or indirectly.

Magistrate Melissa Mungunda also ruled that the remand date previously set at 28 September remain the same.

State prosecutor Bernadine Bertollini on Thursday opposed Simataa’s bail application, arguing that the investigation into the alleged crime was still in an infant stage and the State was afraid that if granted bail, Simataa might interfere in the police investigation.

Simataa was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in a sting operation last Tuesday evening and was incarcerated in the Windhoek police cells.

It is alleged that on the day before he had tried to extort N$50 000 from Jannie Basson, whom he in return promised to award a scrap management tender.

Simataa is charged under the ACC Act for corruptly using his office or position for gratification and for corruptly accepting gratification as a reward.

TransNamib’s acting chief executive officer, Ferdinand Ganaseb, said Simataa had been to the parastatal’s head office yesterday morning to pick up the suspension letter.

Ganabeb said TransNamib was still awaiting a report from the ACC so that the parastatal could start with its own internal disciplinary process against Simataa.

Hardap alleviates Neckartal water woes STAFF REPORTER

NamWater will funnel crucial water from the Hardap Dam to the Neckartal Dam construction site in order to alleviate critical water shortages there and to ensure that building continues.

“Due to limited water sources available on or near the Neckartal Dam site, the project might soon experience water shortages,” Namwater spokesperson Hieronymus Goraseb said yesterday.

The water-supply crisis prompted the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry to ask NamWater to release water from the Hardap Dam in order to augment supply at the Neckartal Dam for construction purposes.

Goraseb said an analysis was conducted and a finding made that “releasing water from the Hardap Dam is the most viable option to resolve the water shortage at the project under the current circumstances”.

He said the water release would begin soon, “until a maximum of 40 million cubic metres has been reached.”

Goraseb said sufficient water would be available in the Hardap Dam to continue with the usual irrigation for 18 months as from 1 August.

The water release began on 24 July and the rate of release is being limited to prevent any damage to crop fields or private property in the vicinity of Mariental.

Nevertheless, NamWater is warning people to be cautious when crossing the Fish River.

Namibian rhino to be sculpted Marble statue to raise funds A life-sized statue of a rhino is to be auctioned to raise funds for anti-poaching operations.

ELLANIE SMIT

A life-sized rhino made from Namibian marble and sculpted by a world-renowned artist will soon be auctioned off to the highest bidder in an effort to raise funds for anti-poaching activities.

The rhino sculpture will be sold at the annual fundraising auction and gala dinner of the Hunters United Against Poaching (HUAP) which will take place on 31 August to raise funds to combat poaching in Namibia.

The director of wildlife and parks, Colgar Sikopo, launched the fundraising auction and gala that kicks off with the sculpting of the rhino on behalf of the tourism minister, Pohamba Shifeta.

According to Shifeta, Namibia has over the past few years experienced high levels of poaching.

He said the level at which poaching is escalating is a serious concern for Namibia and in particular the ministry and therefore calls for immediate action.

He further expressed his gratitude to the French sculptor, Gé Pellini, who is supporting Namibia’s fight against poaching

“Pellini will sculpt a life-sized rhino from a block of exquisite Karibib marble. This noble gesture will go a long way in contributing to rhino conservation in Namibia.”

He further said it gives renewed hope to see anti-poaching efforts that are being supported across the society.

“It is a clear testimony that Namibians have had enough of people plundering the resources that are meant to benefit all the citizens of our beloved land.”

Shifeta said that he is convinced that if this is carried forward, and more sectors in society join hands with government in the fight against poaching, the war will u

ltimately be won.

He said poaching efforts are hampered by a number of factors and one of them is a lack of financial resources, making this event crucial for conservation and wildlife protection.

“The fight against poaching is not for government and should not be fought by government only; this fight is for the people of this nation and should be fought from all fronts by the people of this country.”

Artist Pellini said that the idea to do one big project for the protection of rhino started about two years ago.

“Slowly and step-by-step connections were built with stakeholders in Namibia and my dream started to come true.”

According to Pellini, Namibia is an ideal place to do this project due to great strides the government has made in anti-poaching activities.

His design for the rhino sculpture placed the emphasis on the horn of the rhino. “The horns are very large and it will be used as a symbol to discourage poaching.”

After the sculpture is completed, a three-metre aluminium horn will be placed on it on 24 August. The horn has been donated and Pellini is also sculpting the rhino free of charge.

Under-fire governor claims he was trapped ILENI NANDJATO

Omusati governor Erginus Endjala has apologised for private remarks in which he spoke against the Aandonga people and certain politicians.

An hour-long audio recording involving the governor and a friend went viral at the weekend, prompting outrage, especially on social media.

At a hastily arranged media briefing yesterday, Endjala denied being a tribalist, saying he had been trapped.

It is not yet clear who recorded the conversation. But Endjala, who said the recording was done in June, pointed the finger at Taimi Tekla Iimbili, with whom he had the hour-long conversation.

He also accused Iimbili of spreading the audio recording. “During this conversation, Taimi Tekla Iimbili had probing questions, with ulterior motives, whereby she specifically tried to lead me into that particular discussion, with her questions as set, which led to me innocently answering without knowing that I was being trapped for a specific reason, to portray me as a tribalist, which I am not,” said Endjala.

He said Iimbili was a longtime friend and that he was not worried about their discussion.

He said he was comfortable talking to her and answering all her questions.

“At some point during the conversation I intended to stop the conversation but she continued with her probing questions. It was not the first time that she had called me in that fashion and with such motives.

“However, due to reasons only known to her, she decided to record and circulated the discussion.”

Endjala is heard making mocking remarks about the political situation in the Oshikoto Region and leadership disputes within the Ondonga Traditional Authority.

In the conversation Endjala also made reference to issues of the liberation struggle, labelling the Aandonga people as “ambitious and power-hungry”.

Endjala went on to say that the current chaos in Swapo was being instigated by youth activist Job Amupanda and Swapo’s Oshikoto regional coordinator, Armas Amukwiyu. Both Amupanda and Amukwiyu are Oshindonga speakers.

In the recording he also labelled the forefathers of the Ondonga Traditional Authority as stupid.

“They mess up their traditional authority and now they want to mess up with Swapo. They are so stupid,” he was recorded as saying.

Yesterday Endjala said the recording had caused uneasiness in some sectors of society.

“It is human, and for me in my own capacity I also did not expect the private discussion to have been recorded and circulated in that fashion. I am not a tribalist as is being portrayed,” Endjala said.

Endjala said he had no intention to take any action against Iimbili for the time being.

Swapo to deal with Swartbooi JEMIMA BEUKES

Swapo secretary-general Nangolo Mbumba says the ruling party will deal with parliamentarian Bernadus Swartbooi over controversial comments he made at the weekend in Keetmanshoop.

Swartbooi, who is part of the Landless People’s Movement, used a Keetmanshoop event to criticise the ruling party’s governance style, among other things. Mbumba said the party leadership had been following the developments closely, adding that the party would deal with the matter internally.

“We saw that on television, but we are not going to respond to one newspaper only,” he said.

Swartbooi accused Swapo “of trampling on and oppressing impoverished minorities”.

He labelled Swapo a corrupt system established to provide only for a certain elite. Swartbooi also said he had no plans to quit Swapo even though he had lost faith in the ruling party.

Swartbooi served as the //Karas Region governor for four years before his election to the National Assembly on a Swapo ticket.

He is also a former deputy land reform minister and was fired by President Hage Geingob last year for criticising his senior, Utoni Nujoma.

“Why must I resign? I am there (parliament). I am elected by the people to represent them in parliament. Let them (Swapo) push me out, they lied to the people that I resigned from the deputy minister position… But I am not going anywhere this time, I am using my seat to speak up and to question Swapo,” he said.

Swartbooi, who is the patron of the Landless People’s Movement, told people at a recent gathering about land ownership that the “apartheid government had built homes for people” something which according to him the Swapo government had failed to do in the last 27 years.

He added that he had completely lost faith in the party during his time as governor and instead began sensitising and educating people about injustices.

“People can ask me what I have done as a governor. What I have done can perhaps not be seen – but they must tell me whether what I have done can be compared to the ministers and politicians who are sacrificing the wellbeing of Namibians.

“I told people to send their children to school, so that they can better their lives. I encouraged people to go on despite what they are facing,” he said.

He added that he was fed up with the status quo in Swapo where the voices of minority members were suppressed.

“When people like Emil Appolus returned from exile in 1987 and said Swapo was a Wambo thing people laughed at them, but look at what is happening now,” said Swartbooi.

According to him, Swapo members from minority groups are afraid to speak up and have instead become like “jelly-babies that are stretched, defaced and eaten”.

“They are hurt and pained but they are afraid. The time has come to free the country of one-party rule,” he said.

Engineers want jobs for locals Govt accused of not being practical and strategic The professionals say the understudy ‘experiment’ of the Ministry of Works and Transport is not yielding any fruit for the country.

Catherine Sasman

The Namibian Society of Engineers (NASE) has made an appeal to the Ministry of Works and Transport not to renew or extend Zimbabwean engineers’ five-year contracts, which were entered into under a memorandum of understanding between the two countries in 2012.

Earlier this month it was reported that the ministry had given a three-month contracts extension to the 85 expatriates employed there. It stated that it still had to decide whether these contracts would be renewed or not.

The secretary-general of NASE, Rachel Kakololo, said it was not clear why the ministry would consider a renewal of these contracts, since there were qualified and professionally registered Namibians who were unemployed and not given opportunities to be considered for the same jobs at the ministry.

NASE says this “experimental” and “unproductive” programme had failed Namibian graduates and should be immediately stopped.

“What government lacks in technical professions is not manpower. That was 15 years ago, not today. It lacks practical and strategic planning,” the organisation said.

It wanted to know what kind of research either the ministry or the Public Service Commission (PSC) have conducted for these bodies to believe that there are not enough Namibian engineers, architects and quantity surveyors to be considered for the ministry’s understudy programme, which is yet to be implemented years after it was conceived.

An understudy programme is aimed at preparing interns for registration with the Engineering Council of Namibia (ECN) or the Council of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (NCAQS). The minimum duration of an internship is three years.

NASE says the ministry’s understudy programme had been running for the last five years and had produced not a single registration, while similar programmes at other state-owned enterprises had produced yearly registrations.

In December last year NASE met with Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, works minister Alpheus !Naruseb and cabinet secretary George Simataa to share an updated list of all registered Namibian engineers, architects and quantity surveyors.

“NASE does not believe that there are sufficient reasons for your office [works ministry] and the wider government to renew or extend any expatriate’s contract without advertising the positions (even if still on contract) for registered Namibian professionals to be considered first with the exact same special benefits currently accorded to expatriates,” Kakololo said.

NASE said the understudy programme did not have to be manned by expatriates, and also pointed out that an unregistered person could not mentor anyone else under the Engineering Professions Act and the Architectural and Quantity Surveying Act.

The Confidante newspaper reported in the middle of last year that most of the Zimbabweans could not get registered with the ECN or NCAQS. The handful that did register, were registered as professionals in training.

It was also reported that most got paid N$30 000 while Namibians got paid N$15 000 on average.

The Namibian government at the time of the signing of the MoU undertook to pay for their air travel (economy class), accommodation and transport needs while here, assistance to obtain relevant documents for them, their spouses and children, and to assist them in getting their children registered at schools.

“[Namibia] is spending so much on an unnecessary expedition and reaping completely nothing out of it. Meanwhile, understudy programmes that have been led by Namibian professionals elsewhere, such as SOEs and the private sector, have produced far better and tangible results,” Kakololo said.

Better option

NASE is of the opinion that there is no need for 85 professionals in the works ministry, arguing that there is need for only five under a performance-based contract at the ministry’s head office and five at each regional office in the 14 regions.

It suggested that all graduates be dispatched to understudy the five registered professionals at head office and in the regions, including at engineering projects and sites that are being run by SOEs countrywide.

N$2.2 million for CHAN finalistsPrize money would relieve NFA burden Namibia will receive more than N$2 million if they manage to beat the Comoros islands in their next CHAN match.

Namibia Football Association (NFA) president Frans Mbidi believes that the money CAF has promised to the teams that qualify for the African Nations Championships (CHAN) will reduce the NFA's expenditure on the team.

The Kickoff website on Monday reported that each team that qualifies for the tournament is guaranteed close to N$2.2 million.

The teams can bag more money if they finish in higher positions in the competition.

This means that Namibia will guarantee themselves at least N$2 million if they qualify to the tournament.

“It is something great for CHAN to be giving out that money, but I can tell you that it is not enough even if it sounds so much.

“In that competition, players require performance bonuses and all other payments.

“Yes, the money will help us on our expenditure, but will not really make a significant impact on the NFA's finances,” Mbidi said.

Namibia will play the Comoros islands next month in a two-leg match in the last round of CHAN qualifiers.

The Brave Warriors had to salvage a victory over neighbours Zimbabwe to set a date with the Islanders.

Mbidi expects the Comoros trip to empty the NFA's pockets, given the cost of air transport.

“I can tell you now that we are already facing a very high expense trip to the islands. “All we can hope for is that the boys manage to bring good results back home like they did in their previous encounters,” he said. The fifth edition of the CHAN finals will be held in Kenya from 11 January to 2 February next year, with 16 teams competing for the grand prize of U$1.25 million (N$16.2 million).

JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA

Khomas appoints technical team The Khomas Region this week appointed the technical team that will be responsible for coaching the regional team for the Skorpion Zinc under-17 youth tournament.

The team will begin its preparations for the tournament this weekend.

Lazarus Xoagub was appointed as the team manager, while Herman Naobeb will be the head coach.

Naobeb will be assisted by Immanuel Tobias and Jacobus Stein will be the kit manager.

Khomas Region football administrator David Goagoseb said they used a fair recruiting process.

“All the candidates came for interviews and we chose the people who we believe can lead this team to glory,” Goagoseb said.

Last year, the tournament did not take place because of the financial difficulties the company had faced.

This year, the competition will take place in Windhoek on 9 September.

“This also serves to inform all players born on 1 January 2001 to report for trials on 29 July at 07:00 at the NFA technical centre.

“Please bring along the full birth certificate as a prerequisite to be allowed to take part in the trials,” he said.

The mining company has committed itself to a N$1.4 million sponsorship for the Namibia Football Association (NFA) to stage the youth tournament.

The last time the tournament took place in 2015, Omusati Region defeated Oshikoto Region 1-0 to lift win the Skorpion Zinc Cup.

A total of 70 goals were scored in that competition as some exciting football was displayed.

This year, the competition has drawn the defending champions Omusati Region alongside the Omaheke, Otjozondjupa,

//Karas and Kunene regions in group A.

Group B will see the Kavango East, Erongo, Ohangwena, Oshikoto and Khomas regions battling for the knockout stages.

Group C has only four teams: Kavango West, Oshana, Hardap and the Zambezi regions.

JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA

Boxers gear for bonanzaBoxers to defend their titles The MTC Nestor Sunshine Boxing and Fitness Academy's 'No Mercy Part 7' boxing bonanza will take place at the Windhoek Country Club on 9 September.

Local boxers such as Paulus 'The Hitman' Moses and Sakaria 'Desert' Storm Lukas will defend their titles at the upcoming boxing bonanza.

Moses will headline the bonanza by facing Saidi Mundi from Tanzania.

Moses is the defending World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Africa lightweight champion and is ranked fourth by the same boxing board.

The former world champion needs to win this fight as it will place him in a good position to challenge for a world title again.

Moses has an impressive record of 39 wins and three losses from his 43 fights, while his opponent has 19 wins, three defeats and one draw from his 23 fights.

The main supporting bout will see undefeated WBO Africa featherweight champion Sakaria 'Desert Storm' Lukas fighting Mudde Ntambi Rabisa from Uganda.

Lukas is currently ranked number six by the WBO and a win will bring him a step closer to a shot at a world title.

He has an unblemished record of 19 wins from 19 fights.

His opponent has a record of 27 fights, 22 wins, one draw and four losses.

Jeremiah 'No Respect' Nakathila will be looking to reclaim his WBO Africa junior lightweight title after losing the title in a closely contested fight Russia in 2016.

He will fight Said Chino from Tanzania for the WBO Africa junior lightweight title.

Nakathila has 11 wins and one defeat, while Chino has 13 wins, five defeats and two draws.

NAMPA

Plan your future by savingThe thought of retirement should not be scary To enjoy a long, comfortable retirement, start saving today, says Sanlam Namibia.

Did you know that July is National Savings Month? Originally, savings month was a savings awareness campaign developed in South Africa but soon found its way to Namibia.

Savings month is aimed at promoting debate around key aspects of saving, raising awareness of the benefits of short-, medium- and long-term planning, building relationships with key partners to leverage future opportunities and getting consumers to move from ennui into action.

I am sure we can all agree that there are many things that one has to save for, but saving for your retirement is most important and unavoidable. When one starts out one's career, one is advised to save 15% of one's gross salary for retirement. This means that one has to save for about 35 years to live the same quality of life after retirement.

Traditionally, one reaches retirement at 60 years of age and with life expectancy in Namibia increasing, we are generally living longer and hence the need to save for our retirement years. The latest statistics by the World Health Organisation indicate that life expectancy in Namibia has risen to 64 years for men and 69 years for women.

The importance of saving for retirement can therefore not be overemphasised. According to the Financial Literacy Initiative (FLI), 89% of salaries in Namibia are used to service debt, leaving very little household disposable income, let alone anything for savings.

At the same time, research indicates that 51% of Namibians are financially literate, but only 32% of this population implements their knowledge of financial literacy.

This data paints a clear picture: that Namibians do not have enough long-term saving plans such as retirement savings for future use. While retirement can seem so far in the distant future, it is important to have a special retirement savings plan to be able to afford oneself the same quality of life as before retirement.

All too often people entering retirement do not place enough emphasis on personal planning to ensure they maximise their opportunities. This often results in people having to work long past their retirement years to make ends meets or elders depending on their children to look after them during their retirement years.

It is imperative to take the time now - at an early stage in your planning process - to think about the choices available to you in preparing for your retirement. Saving for retirement should not be left to the last minute, with proper planning you can start saving for retirement today.

This can be done either by investing a lump sum or some of your salary each month, or you can grow your money over time so that you can retire comfortably. Regardless of how much you need to or can afford to save, the most important thing is to start and stay committed to saving.

Retirement plans such as the Sanlam Namibia's Retirement Annuity is an effective way to save for retirement because your savings provide you with an income in your retirement years and when you retire you may take up to one third of your accumulated savings in a cash lump sum. The rest is used to provide you with a monthly income, your retirement annuity contributions to Namibian registered pension, provident or preservation funds reduce your taxable income up to certain limits, and the growth on your investment is tax free.

Your retirement savings are safe regardless of any personal financial loss you may suffer. This means your savings are protected from creditors.

A retirement annuity gives you an option to add other benefits like death cover, disability cover and waiver of premium.

To ensure you retire comfortably and maintain the lifestyle you desire, make the smart move and start saving today. Planning for your retirement is essential, and retirement investments that you make today will pay off in the long run.

STAFF REPORTER

Lifeline for Langer Heinrich owner

The administrators of embattled uranium miner Paladin Energy, the owners of the Langer Heinrich mine, recently secured some US$40 million of additional debt, announcing on Monday that they had entered into agreements with Deutsche Bank.

Under the agreements, Deutsche Bank would acquire an existing US$20 million revolving credit facility from Nedbank, and would increase this to US$60 million.

Under the terms of the Deutsche Bank facility, Paladin subsidiary Langer Heinrich Uranium could draw down up to US$45 million for its working capital, with Paladin Finance and Paladin Energy able to draw up to US$15 million.

The new bank facility will have a term of 12 months, and additional security has been given to that provided under the original Nedbank revolving credit facility.

The additional debt comes just days after Paladin announced that it could receive some US$416 million from the sale of a 75% interest in the Langer Heinrich mining operation, a stone's throw from Arandis, to joint venture partner China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

Paladin has interest-bearing loans with a face value of around $254 million outstanding to Langer Heinrich.

Paladin on Friday reported that while the independent expert's valuation was final, the company was in the process of reviewing the valuation for errors, and was continuing to consider the validity of CNNC's potential option.

Meanwhile, despite its best attempts to maintain its Canadian listing, Paladin will delist from the TSX at the close of market on 10 August, after the TSX imposed the delisting on the grounds of Paladin's failure to meet its continued listing requirements.

The administrators told shareholders that they would seek to transfer the Toronto Stock Exchange register to the Australian Stock Exchange as part of a proposal that would result in the company retaining its ASX listing.

MINING WEEKLY

Banks engaged on securitisationPublic opinion already submitted The Bank of Namibia is seeking consultations from the banking sector on securitisation.

The Bank of Namibia has engaged the banking sector to provide submissions on a securitisation process following a similar process that was conducted in January in which public scrutiny of the process was sought.

Bank of Namibia spokesperson Kazembire Zemburuka recently updated Namibian Sun on the process.

“The Bank of Namibia is at present engaging commercial banks on the draft general notice and thereafter submits the notice to the ministry [of finance] for consideration and gazetting,” he said this week.

“By way of providing context, securitisation is a process by which relatively standard loans are pooled together and sold off to a special-purpose entity or vehicle that will in turn issue marketable or tradable debt securities or debt instruments against the pooled assets to raise funding,” Zemburuka explained.

The central bank also sought public opinion on the matter when it asked for written submissions to be presented on the matter towards the end of last year. The deadline for public commentary has since passed.

In order to provide guidance to the industry, the Bank of Namibia drafted a general notice to be issued by the minister of finance that will enable securitisation transactions to be facilitated by banks and non-banks in Namibia.

“In light of this, public consultations were launched and concluded on 31 January 2017,” he said.

“By making immobilised long-term loans more liquid, securitisation could be a better way to spread the market, credit and liquidity risk to which banking institutions are exposed,” said Zemburuka.

The central bank studied the concept of securitisation in an occasional paper which was published in March 2008.

According to the occasional paper, securitisation could increase the number of investment instruments and thus contribute to the development of the financial sector.

“Moreover, securitisation could enable local authorities to raise the funds necessary for urban infrastructure development and thus increase the provision of housing,” the Bank of Namibia wrote in an occasional paper released in March 2008.

“Securitisation has its own merits and demerits. On the positive note, securitisation can serve as an alternative source of liquidity for a bank, a means for diversifying risks, a tool for managing interest rate risks. On the negative side, securitisation might aggravate the problems of asymmetric information regarding the true quality of loans. Securitisation is complicated, time consuming and expensive,” the occasional paper noted.

OGONE TLHAGE

Records tumble at weaner auctionGrootfontein sees huge price jump The weaner auction at Grootfontein saw very high prices paid per kilogramme and many records were broken.

This year's Grootfontein weaner auction was a huge success and exceeded previous records.

With 2 155 weaner calves sold at an average price of N$6 684, the sales of N$14.4 million was a record turnover for the day.

The average price for weaner calves recorded on young oxen was N$33.33/kg with the highest price of 35.12/kg.

Heifers recorded an average price of N$31.12/kg with the highest price of N$34.21/kg. The purchasing power was at its strongest in years, with representatives from 10 South African feedlots.

Agra's general manager for auctions, Titus Koen, highlighted the quality of the calves delivered on both the Grootfontein and Outjo auctions.

“The animals are of the highest quality and we congratulate the farmers on their eminent products.”

Koen further encouraged producers to contact Agra Auctioneering Services and participate in the weaner competition to yield full advantage of the current favourable market prices.

This is the 6th year that Agra is hosting the National Weaner Competition. The main sponsors are Bank Windhoek, Sanlam, Santam and Feedmaster. The total sponsorship for this year amounted to more than N$400 000, which will be used for various category winners at the auctions and the awarding of the national champion.

Agra, in collaboration with Feedmaster, also presented a first for this year's weaner competition, which is for every weaner sold, the producer will receive a N$10 voucher that can be redeemed when purchasing a 50 kg bag of Feemdaster feed or lick at any of the Agra branches countrywide.

STAFF REPORTER

Dairy matters under discussion

The Dairy Producers Association (DPA) held their annual general meeting this weekend during which it was stressed that if the regulation of dairy imports is not realised soon, the industry will face a serious crisis.

The retiring chairperson, Japie Engelbrecht, applauded the high quality milk supplied by dairy producers who are members of organised agriculture.

He however cautioned that should the regulation of dairy imports not be realised soon, the total industry would face a serious crisis.

He thanked Namibia Dairies for their excellent cooperation and for the trust that exists between them and the producers.

Speakers for during the day included Anton Faul, the senior trade advisor of the Agricultural Trade Forum strengthened ties with the producers and discussed dairy in a global context.

Jompie Burger from ‘Dairy Standards SA’ discussed bio-security on dairy farms and how it affects the quality of milk produced.

Engelbrecht, who served the agricultural sector for 30 years, decided to formally retire from management. The new management elected for is Kokkie Adriaanse as chairperson, Dirk van Wyk, Christo Strydom and Pieter Strydom.

The association also honoured dairy producers for their high quality milk at their annual gala dinner

The Dairy Producer of the year 2017 (Intensive) winner was !Aimab Superfarm with Willie Aggenbach in second place and Kokkie Adriaanse in third place.

The Dairy Producer of the Year 2017 (extensive) winner was Hennie van Niekerk with Christo Lottering second and Dirk van Wyk third.

Dirk van Wyk was also appointed as the producer with the overall lowest bacterium count and !Aimab Superfarm walked away with the award for the producer with the most accurate milk production forecast. !Aimab Superfarm was also awarded the Japie Engelbrecht floating trophy for the producer with the best quality milk for 2017.

Prizes were sponsored by Namibia Dairies, Polyoak Packaging and Komnik & Frank (De La Val)

Sponsors for the rest of the event was made possible by Feedmaster, Kaap-Agri, Namibia Breweries, Bank Windhoek (Gobabis branch), !Aimab Superfarm.

STAFF REPORTER

Ngoloneya aniwa a kengelelwa

Ngoloneya gwoshitopolwa shaMusati Erginus Endjala, okwa gandja ombili omolwa omapopyo guukwamuhoko ngoka a ningile aakwashigwana Aandonga oshowo aanapolotika yamwe po.

Oonkundathana dhopaumwene dhuule konyala yowili yimwe, ndhoka ya li ya ningi nakuume ke, odha nyanwa koyendji na odha ningi oshipopiwa shehuliloshiwike lya piti, komapandja gomakwatathano gopainternet.

Pethimbo lyomutumba gwiikundaneki ngoka, a ningi mOmaandaha, okwa popi kutya ke na uukwamuhoko ta popi kutya okwa li a kengelelwa.

Kakushiwike kutya olye a kwata oonkundathana ndhoka, ihe Endjala okwa popi kutya oonkundathana ndhoka okwe dhi ningi muJuni naTaimi Tekla Iimbili.

Okwa gandja woo uusama kuIimbili kutya okwa topola oonkundathana dhawo dhoka painternet.

“Pethimbo lyoonkundathana dhetu ndhoka,

Taimi Tekla Iimbili okwa kala ta pula ndje omapulo ogendji e na omalalakano, na onda kala tandi yamukula ndaana owino kutya otandi kengelelwa, opo ndi ningwe kutya ondi na uukwamuhoko.”

Okwa popi kutya yo naIimbili oya kala ookume ethimbo ele onkene kali e na omalimbililo kutya ota kengelelwa kukuume ke ngoka.

“Omathimbo gamwe mookundathana dhetu ndhoka onda mwena, ihe okwa tsikile nokupulandje omapulo ogendji. Hasho shotango ta dhengelendje ongodhi nokupulandje omapulo momukalo guli ngaaka. Omolwa omatompelo geshiwike owala kuye okwa tokola okukwata omawi goonkundathana dhetu nokuga topolela moshigwana.”

Endjala okwa uvika ta popi kombinga yonkalo yopolotika moshitopolwa shaShikoto, oshowo elelo lyopamuthigululwakalo lyAandonga.

Okwa popi woo kombinga yekondjelomanguluko nokupopya kutya Aandonga oya sa ondjala yelelo. Okwa tsikile kutya omananathano ngoka geli moSwapo, otaga etithwa kuJob Amupanda oshowo omukwatakanithi gwoSwapo, mOshikoto, Armas Amukwiyu. Ayehe Amupanda na Amukwiyu aapopi yelaka lyOshindonga.

Okwa tsikile woo kutya oohekulululwa yelelo lyaNdonga, omalayi.

“Oya piyaganeke Ondonga ngashiingeyi oya hala okupiyaganeka oSwapo. Mboka omalayi.”

Endjala okwa popi kutya oonkundathana ndhoka odha e ta eivo nayi moshigwana.

“Oshi li pauntu, nangame mwene inandi tegelela oonkundathana dhopaumwene dhikwatwe nokutopolelwa oshigwana. Kandi na uukwamuhoko ngaashi tashi popiwa.”

Endjala okwa popi kutya ke na ehalo lyokukatukila Iimbili oonkatu dha sha manga.

ILENI NANDJATO

Swapo tayi kuungaunga naSwartbooiSwartbooi a kanitha einekelo moSwapo Bernadus Swartbooi omolwa omalaka ngoka a popi moKaiti mehuliloshiwike lya piti.

Amushanga gwongundu yoSwapo okwa popi kutya ongundu otayi kuungaunga nomunapaliamende,

Swartbooi, ngoka eli oshilyo shoLandless People’s Movement, okwa longitha oshigongi shoka sha ningwa mondoolopa yaKaiti mehuliloshiwike opo a nyane omukalo gwelelo ngoka tagu longithwa koSwapo. Mbumba okwa popi kutya ongundu otayi kuungaunga naye onga oshikumungu shomeni.

“Otwa mono kotv,ihe itatu ka yamukula koshikundaneki shimwe owala,” Mbumba ta ti.

Swartbooi okwa popi kutya Swapo ota thindile kongudhi aakwashigwana yamwepo, na oyi Ii ongundu yi na uulingilingi noonkondo ndjoka tayi yambulapo owala aanenentu. Okwa popi kutya ke na oompangela dhokuza mo mongundu nonando okwa kanitha einekelo mongundu ndjoka.

Swartbooi okwa longa onga ngoloneya gwoshitopolwa sha//Karas uule woomvula ne omanga ina hogololwa a ninge oshilyo shomutumba gwoPaliamende kokatekete kongundu yoSwapo.

Okwa li woo omupevi minista gwomavi nomatulululo na okwa tidhwa miilonga komupresidende Hage Geingob omvula ya piti, omolwa okudhina aniwa omukomeho gwe miilonga, Utoni Nujoma.

“Omolwashike ndi na okwiikutha miilonga? Omo ndili mopaliamende. Swapo nakuthendje mo, oya fundju aantu kutya ndiikutha miilonga onga omupevi minista. Ethimbo ndika itandi ikutha mo miilonga, otandi longitha ompito ndjoka mokupopya nokuningila Swapo omapulaapulo.”

Ehwahwameko ndyoka olya lombwele aakuthimbinga momutumba ngoka gwa ningwa kombinga yuumwene wevi nomagumbo ngoka ga li ga tungilwa aantu kepangelo lyokatongotongo, oshinima shoka Swapo a ndopa okuninga muule woomvula 27.

Okwa popi kutya okwa kanitha einekelo mongundu yoSwapo pethimbo a li ngoloneya na okwa tameke ta nongeke aantu kombinga yokwaahena uuyuuki hoka kuli moshilongo.

Okwa popi kutya okwa tsu aantu omukumo opo ya tume aanona yawo kooskola opo ya vule okukala noonkalamwenyo dhili nawa.

Okwa popi kutya kuuvitile nawa omukalo ngoka tagu longithwa kuSwapo, sho ina hala okupulakena komakemo gaakwashigwana yomwaalu omushona moshilongo. Ta tsikile kutya sho aantu ngaashi Emil Appolus ya galukile moshilongo mo-1987 oya popi kutya Swapo ongundu yAawambo ihe oya li ya yolwa ihe nena otashi ulike.

Okwa popi kutya aakwashigwana yomuhoko ngoka omushona moshilongo ohaya tila okupopya omolwa okatongo hoka taya ningilwa.

JEMIMA BEUKES

White farmers urged to give a littleZimbabwean farmers union warns SA’s landowners The president of a Zimbabwean farmers union says White farmers in South Africa must sacrifice some of their land to their black counterparts.

Zimbabwe's Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) has reportedly urged white South African farmers to agree to a deal to share land with the black majority to avoid suffering the same fate as their Zimbabwean counterparts who were evicted from their properties, often with accompanying violence.

According to New Zimbabwe, CFU President Peter Steyl said that it would be better if South African white farmers gave away a little bit of their land now than to risk losing everything later.

"They are facing the same situation in South Africa. I would tell them… it's better to give a little bit now than lose everything when things go too far," Steyl was quoted as saying.

Steyl, however, cautioned South African authorities not to emulate Zimbabwe's land reform programme, which according to reports led to the country's economic demise.

He said that Zimbabwean white farmers were arrogant and did not think that they could lose their farms, as they believed they were crucial for the country's economy.

"We were arrogant. We thought they would never take the land because we were too important for the economy.

"You never think it will happen until people turn up at your door armed with machetes...," Steyl reportedly told Reuters.

President Robert Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF party launched the controversial land reforms in 2000, taking over white-owned farms to resettle landless blacks.

Mugabe said at the time that the reforms were meant to correct colonial land ownership imbalances.

At least 4 000 white commercial farmers were evicted from their farms.

The land seizures were often violent, claiming the lives of several white farmers during clashes with veterans of Zimbabwe's 1970s liberation struggle.

Critics of the reforms blamed the programme for low production on the farms, as the majority of the beneficiaries lacked the means and skills to work the land.

Meanwhile, the CFU acting director Ben Gilpin has disputed the country’s finance minister Patrick Chinamasa’s claim that his government had paid US$134 million in unbudgeted money in compensation to the white commercial farmers who were driven off their land, reported Voice of America.

Gilpin said that they were no farmers who have been compensated.

"We haven't seen or heard of those payments from people whom we have been in contact with. We would need to check where those payments have gone," Gilpin was quoted as saying.

Reports indicated that Zimbabwe had plans to compensate white farmers for their lost land and that the government had begun evaluating the properties.

Chinamasa was quoted at the time as saying: "It [compensation] is under our constitution, this is an obligation under our constitution as far as I am concerned."

NEWS24

Road safety falls on deaf ears The issue of road safety cannot be overemphasised in our country. Despite interventions here and there seeking to bring an end to road deaths, it appears road safety messages are falling on deaf ears. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death in the country and the World Health Organisation has ranked Namibia as one of the countries with the highest number of road deaths per 100 000 citizens. The Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund is directly impacted by the high death toll on our roads and has really tried to create awareness when it comes to road safety. Other important stakeholders, such as the Namibia Road Safety Council, are unfortunately not visible enough. It has to be said that the dramatic costs of road accidents create a number of difficult consequences for our countrymen and -women. The provision of medical treatment and other healthcare services is also a huge burden on the authorities. In most cases it is the economically productive people aged between 16 and 35 that make up over 40% of the total fatalities. The question remains - are we doing enough to keep people safe on our roads? Are our road safety campaigns effective? The fatality rate on our roads suggests we have a long way to go. Road safety is everybody's responsibility. Although agencies such as the MVA Fund and the National Road Safety Council are expected take their in-house responsibility to road safety very seriously, each and every road user also has a moral obligation to help improve road safety. Perhaps it is also time that we re-evaluate our road safety strategies. Road safety interventions must make travel safer and should be helpful in effecting change. We all can contribute in many ways to arrest the status quo. Our attitude on the road stinks and it is incumbent upon us to practice better driving patterns and follow the law so that we do not become part of the statistics. We must at all times observe speed limits, while being considerate to other equally important road users.

Shot of the day

ALWAYS REMEMBER: Relatives attend the unveiling of the National Monument for the MH17 victims in Vijfhuizen, on July 17. Three years after Flight MH17 was shot down by a missile over war-torn Ukraine, more than 2 000 relatives gathered to unveil a "living memorial" to their loved ones. A total of 298 trees have been planted in the shape of a green ribbon, one for each of the victims who died on board the Malaysia Airlines flight en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. PHOTO: NAMPA/AFP