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Former drug addict feeds Rundu's vulnerable kids

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Former drug addict feeds Rundu's vulnerable kidsFormer drug addict feeds Rundu's vulnerable kids A chef working at a local restaurant in Rundu hosted a special day to provide soup to vulnerable children from the Kavango Orphanage Home.

Gerome Jessy Mouton, who is head chef at a popular restaurant in the town, told Nampa it was the first time he gave soup to the vulnerable but it will become a monthly event from now on.

He did so with the help of the restaurant management.

Asked what motivated him to cook soup, Mouton said it dawned on him to help the vulnerable after evaluating his transformation from a drug addict to a chef.

“Why can't we sacrifice something to people that do not have when we have?” Mouton asked.

Monica Afredo, owner of the orphanage, said she was happy to see the children provided with a meal, because it signified that there are still good people who are doing good deeds for others.

She said the orphanage takes care of over 20 vulnerable children every day, some of whom she pays for to attend a Kindergarden close to the homes.

As the children were busy drinking their soup, Rundu Mayor Verna Sinimbo had a chat with them.

Sinimbo applauded the good deed done by Mouton, adding that she wished the town had a 1 000 people like him that could think of vulnerable people and provide them with a meal.

NAMPA

Namdia set to sparkle

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Namdia set to sparkleNamdia set to sparkleHamutenya shares grandiose plans The newly appointed CEO of the country's diamond marketing parastatal is confident of its commercial potential. It is only a matter of time before Namibia can cement its position as a leading diamond manufacturer according to newly appointed Namdia CEO, Kennedy Hamutenya.

According to him, Namibia is now in a position to create a strong diamond brand that will resonate well with the rich and famous.

He made the comments during a recent sit-down with Namibian Sun to share his vision for the newly established public enterprise.

“We want to be able to go to Atlanta and sell diamonds to Puff Daddy, to Nicki Minaj, to the Queen of England, to the Sultan of Dubai,” he said.

“We want to create our brand. We want to create relationships with people already vertically integrated in the market that have strong brands. People like Gucci, it could be Versace, and it could be anybody.

We want to have a presence when people are buying diamonds in Beverly Hills and people can say these diamonds come from Namibia. This is why we want to create that footprint.”

Hamutenya was last week confirmed as the substantive Namdia CEO for the next five years.

He said the diamond marketing parastatal will be going straight to the market instead of using De Beers as a middleman.



Namibia first

“Namdia is not about selling to make quick bucks for anybody. Namdia is a company that will be selling diamonds on behalf of government. We mine our diamonds and give to other people to sell. Now we are doing this, ourselves. This is the first time we have a sovereign right to sell our diamonds,” he added.

“Instead of relying on De Beers to tell us what the price is, we are now going to Dubai, we are going to Mumbai, and we are going to New York. We are going to the market ourselves to sell diamonds. We are going to have a footprint of our diamonds in the market. For the first time, we are going to sell a purely Namibian product unmixed with any other product of the market.”

According to him, Namibian diamonds were always mixed in with lower quality gem stones which meant that the full price benefit was never enjoyed.

“You must remember when De Beers is selling a diamond they mix them with diamonds from Botswana, with diamonds from South Africa, with diamonds from Canada. That means low quality diamonds from other countries are mixed with our diamonds. We have the highest value per carat ranging from some US$500 to US$700 a carat in the market. Why, because of the high gem quality nature of our diamonds,” said Hamutenya.



Original

He said the creation of Namdia now also meant that locally mined diamonds would not easily be linked to conflict.

“With a Namdia brand we are able to give assurance and confidence that this product was mined in Namibia, it was not a product that was mined using child labour, it is an ethical product because we can guarantee where it is coming from and that it is not contaminated,” said Hamutenya adding, “we can also guarantee that it is not a synthetic diamond that was made in a laboratory.”

Hamutenya said Namdia will also be able to inform government on diamond policy in future.

“The information that we gather, the intelligence market and pricing information and the pricing information that we get from Namdia, we will file it back to government and it will inform future policy imperatives for government. Tomorrow we will know what to do with the 85%,” said Hamutenya.

He said the diamond business is always connected to negativity, a narrative he is intent on changing. “Because of the luxurious nature of the product and because of the bad legacy of apartheid, people just want to write a negative narrative,” said Hamutenya.

“We've only operated for seven months and our annual report is ready, our first annual report. In seven months we've already made profit of N$70 million and we have paid tax of some N$30 million yet people say that we are underselling. How is that possible that we have made profit of more than N$70 million that we will announce in our annual report? This in seven months already,” he said.

According to him, Namdia had been in the pipeline for some time.

“When I was the chief negotiator for De Beers, we had terms of reference and Namdia is one of the things we were asked to create.

It is not something new. Namdia is a sovereign price-checking vehicle of the government created by a cabinet resolution. Namdia is not something new. Russia has Alrosa, Angola has Endiama and Botswana has Okavango Diamond. I will tell you that it is not a new concept, except we are tailor-made to fit Namibia's needs.”

He refuted allegations that Namdia was underselling diamonds in the market.

“Why would I go and borrow money from the bank, buy diamonds from Namdeb and sell it at a discount? Why would I sell luxury at a discount? That is a fantasy and figment of people's imagination. Why would I destroy the brand of my company that I am just starting, why would we start by selling ourselves short?” questioned Hamutenya.

He questioned why nobody has asked De Beers where they sell the diamonds and who they have sold the gems to.

“Why is De Beers not subjected to the same scrutiny? Why are they not following the 85% of the diamonds De Beers is selling? We are only selling 15% and nobody is asking questions about the 85% sold by De Beers,” Hamutenya ridiculed.



NAMENE HELMICH

Poultry ban relaxed

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Poultry ban relaxedPoultry ban relaxed Namibia has relaxed the complete ban on the importation of live poultry and poultry products from South Africa with certain amendments that have been put in place.

This follows the outbreak of bird flu (H5N8) in South Africa after which Namibia suspended the import and in-transit movements of live poultry, birds, poultry products, ostriches and ostrich products from South Africa.

According to a statement issued by the Namibia's ministry of agriculture, the complete ban since 23 June due to the outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N8 in poultry has been amended.

Namibia's chief veterinary officer Dr Milton Maseke said the importation of live poultry and ostriches will be allowed if the animals originate from areas approved by South Africa's agricultural department and the farms have been registered for export and have been inspected.

These areas should also be located outside a 90km radius of the Vaal Dam in South Africa where the virus was detected.

According to Maseke, raw poultry and ostrich meat and eggs from areas approved by the South African agricultural department and registered for export and which have also been inspected may also now be imported.

These products, however, must be slaughtered at approved abattoirs provided that these areas are also located 90km radius outside the Vaal Dam in South Africa.

Furthermore, the certifying veterinarian should endorse on the health certificate that the area tested negative on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or any test approved by the agricultural department in South Africa, for the surveillance of the affected areas for bird flu. It must also ensure that the results are not older than 30 days of endorsement.

Also poultry meat products processed must be in line with the World Organisation for Animal Health's Terrestrial Animal health Code.

“All other poultry, wild bird, domestic bird, or products derived from South Africa remain ineligible for imports into Namibia.”

The relaxing of the ban on poultry products comes as good news for poultry producers after Namibia completely banned poultry products from South Africa more than a month ago.

Poultry producers were concerned about the collapse of the industry should borders remain closed for more than a month.

Poultry producers renew their gene pool in cycles and every three months they put the old chickens out and get new chickens in.

The concern was that the cycle was being broken because no new chickens were coming into the country.

ELLANIE SMIT

Kora millions heading to High Court

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Kora millions heading to High CourtKora millions heading to High CourtMediation efforts between NTB and Adjovi fail A lawsuit by the Namibian Tourism Board to recover N$23.5 million from the organisers of the Kora All-Africa Music Awards will be heard by the Windhoek High Court on 21 August. The Kora Awards saga will be settled in the Windhoek High Court next month after several mediation attempts failed.

According to Digu //Naobeb, CEO of the Namibian Tourism Board (NTB), in terms of the High Court rules, the matter was put up for mediation between the parties to see whether a solution could not be found before heading to court.

The High Court set the matter of the missing Kora millions for mediation between the affected parties for December 2016 and in January this year.

However, the owner of the awards, Ernst Adjovi, failed to attend two mediation meetings that were scheduled. According to //Naobeb, because the matter has now been postponed twice, it has been put back on the High Court roll for trial.

The matter will be heard in court on 21 August.

//Naobeb says NTB had already submitted its claim and evidence to the court.

He further stressed that there was no settlement proposal made by Adjovi as has been reported elsewhere in the media.

NTB has sued Mundial Telecom Sarl, Adjovi and Tonata Shiimi for N$23.5 million, which it had paid for the purchase of a platinum tourism package which it never received.

Mundial Telecom owns the rights to host the Kora Awards while Adjovi acted as the president of the company and Shiimi was the national director of the awards.

According to court documents, NTB concluded a written agreement for a platinum tourism promotion package on 4 December with Mundial Telecom Sarl in respect of the 2016 All Africa Kora Music Awards ceremony which was scheduled to be held on 20 March in Namibia.

The ceremony was initially scheduled to take place on 13 December last year, but was postponed.

As per the contract that was signed on 4 December, NTB had to pay the N$23.5 million on or before 10 December.

However, the first payment of N$5 million was made on 22 December and the second payment of another N$5 million was made on 23 December. On 7 January, another N$5 million was transferred and on 17 February N$8.5 million was transferred.

The money was paid into the bank account of Mundial Telecom in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast.

The payments show that the last payment was done on 17 February about a month before the awards were to take place in Namibia while the promised promotional package guaranteed that at it would provide promotional television clips featuring Namibia by at least 20 January on all participating African countries television stations.

And, even though there was no evidence of these promotions taking place two months before the awards ceremony, the NTB continued to make payments.

According to NTB, it suffered contractual damages and it is therefore claiming N$23.5 million plus 20% interest.

It says that all the defendants are jointly responsible and liable to pay the contractual damages of N$23.5 million.

ELLANIE SMIT

Dausab guilty of killing student pastor

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Dausab guilty of killing student pastorDausab guilty of killing student pastor The High Court has found Andre Dausab (37) guilty of the murder of student pastor Motlamme Gotaone (33) in Windhoek about three years ago.

Judge Naomi Shivute yesterday convicted him of murder with direct intent to kill.

The court found that Dausab tried to hide behind a defence of non-pathological criminal incapacity because of loss of temper, anger, stress and frustration following Gotaone's decision to end their relationship.

“The accused cannot be exonerated from his actions as the defence cannot avail him. That he repeatedly stabbed the deceased with knives is clear evidence of direct intent to kill,” Shivute said.

About 14 stab wounds were inflicted on Gotaone's body with three knives.

Dausab, a former computer technician, murdered Gotaone, who was a trainee pastor at the Paulinium Theological College, on 22 February 2014. He was referred for psychiatric observation and was declared fit to stand trial.

Shivute said Dausab claimed that he had lost self-control due to anger, stress, fear, tension, an emotional storm and total personality disintegration. She said in order to succeed with that defence, Dausab was required to lay the basis that due to non-pathological criminal incapacity he had diminished criminal responsibility.

According to her, the State showed that Dausab exercised his free will and voluntarily committed the offence.

It was found that he had sent text messages to Gotaone expressing his anger and frustration towards her, as well as further declaring his intention to do “all those things and murder”.

“The accused fulfilled his intention. His behaviour before, during and after the murder was not consistent with conduct to be expected from person without conduct recollection of a critical moment,” she stated.

The judge emphasised that the circumstances of the case revealed that Dausab at all times was conscious and was able to direct his conduct or actions and distinguish between right and wrong.

“The accused cannot be exonerated from his actions.

The defence of non-pathological criminal incapacity cannot be availed to him,” she stated. Shivute stated that Dausab, by saying he became blank or he had a blackout, was trying to disassociate himself from his actions.

“The fact that he was able to recall what had happened and told Dr Ndahambelela Mthoko, a psychiatrist, and a police officer about it is a clear indication that he knew what he was doing,” the judge found.

Dausab admitted that he had been in a romantic relationship with the Gotaone since 2011 and that prior to the stabbing they were quarrelling.

The case was postponed to 30 August for sentencing.

FRED GOEIEMAN

HIV pill now available

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HIV pill now availableHIV pill now available An anti-HIV medication called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, which can significantly reduce the risk of HIV infection, is now locally available.

According to a specialist medical consultant of infectious diseases in South Africa, Dr Kevin Rebe, who yesterday facilitated a media seminar, the medication is 92-100% effective in preventing HIV infection.

“PrEP is an evidence-based and highly effective HIV prevention tool that complements current treatment programmes and 90-90-90 initiatives,” Rebe argues.

The seminar follows the launch of pilot runs by the Society for Family Health (SFH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Walvis Bay Corridor Group, Intrahealth International and the Namibia Planned Parenthood Association (NAPPA).

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a way for people who do not have HIV but who are at substantial risk of getting it to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day.

According to Rebe, PrEP offers an active referral pathway for HIV negative patients and increases testing and recurrent testing.

“This allows for the referral of positives quickly into care. PrEP also supports the identification and treatment of STIs and therefore prevents new infections which eventually reduce future burden on ART programmes,” he said.

According to SFH country director, Taimi Amaambo, the drug is currently available in Walvis Bay at the Walvis Bay Corridor Group clinic and the Nappa clinic in Windhoek.

The drug is also available at Onandjoke, Omuthiya, Tsumeb, Odobe and Oshikuku.

“In two weeks' time we are launching it in Oshikango targeting key populations, but we are not turning anyone away. The drug is free of charge, even if we have targeted groups anyone that is interested can access it through these points currently,” she said.

The drug has been available at the WBCG clinic for than a month while Nappa started offering it last Friday.

The project will be guided by the Namibian antiretroviral therapy (ART) guidelines.

According to Amaambo, the outcomes from this project are designed to provide the the ministry with data that can inform future PrEP rollout in the public sector.

Sarah Thomas from the health ministry's special programmes directorate pointed out that the government's plan to implement PrEP interventions at state facilities was at a very early stage.

According to her, it will likely be rolled out through the existing family planning and ante-natal care programmes in the ministry.

“We are currently working on the guidelines and modalities on how to roll it out in the public sector.

Health workers need to be sensitised on how to provide these services in a sensitive manner,” she said.

PrEP can be taken during specific periods of risk and does not need to be continued for the rest of a person's life.

JEMIMA BEUKES

Move the Red Line north

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Move the Red Line north Move the Red Line north Kavango West farmers want market access Another call has been made for the veterinary cordon fence in northern Namibia to be moved in order to give emerging farmers access to international meat markets. KENYA KAMBOWE



While many are calling for the removal of the veterinary cordon fence known as the Red Line, Kavango West inhabitants say it should rather be moved further north in order for farmers to penetrate the big markets.

This was one of the submissions made during a regional consultative workshop held at Nkurenkuru in preparation of the second national land conference scheduled for September.

According to the chairperson of the Shambiyu Traditional Authority interim committee, Bonifatius Wakudumo, small-scale commercial farmers north of the fence are being denied access to international markets.

“We cannot enter international markets because of the Red Line. There are a number of small-scale commercial farmers along the Red Line who have hundreds of cattle which they can sell to make a living and even penetrate the international market but they cannot do so,” Wakudumo told Namibian Sun on the sidelines of the conference.

He acknowledged the importance of controlling animal disease, which is why he did not want the fence removed altogether. Instead, he wanted it moved north to help farmers.

Wakudumo said if the fence was moved the government must then set up blocks that are demarcated as a control measure. If an outbreak is suspected on one farm, the infected cattle will not be able to mix with the non-infected ones.

“Through this we are not just addressing the Red Line issue but the poverty issue. Farmers with a lot of cattle are encouraged to sell their livestock but where will they sell them? If the Red Line is moved up a bit it will surely address this issue,” Wakudumo said.

The fence, which has been in place for many decades, is used to isolate foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in the north from the farms in the southern part of the country.

Calls for the removal of the fence have increased over the years, especially when in January 2016 Namibia was declared free of FMD and all restrictions that had been imposed following an outbreak of the disease in the northern communal areas in 2015 were lifted.

However, last week the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry confirmed a new outbreak of the disease in the Kabbe South Constituency of the Zambezi Region.

This outbreak affects two kraals and approximately 1 000 cattle are at risk of being affected at Musele Island in Kabbe South.

KK: Swapo is a party in crisis

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KK: Swapo is a party in crisisKK: Swapo is a party in crisis Outspoken former cabinet minister, Kazenambo Kazenambo, came out guns blazing in his condemnation of ruling party secretary-general Nangolo Mbumba's assertion that that the party would “deal” internally with Bernadus Swartbooi's comments made over the weekend.

At a dinner of the Landless People's Movement (LPM) at Keetmanshoop, Swartbooi said people from the north had no right to lecture others on ancestral land rights and claimed that Swapo was only looking after the interests of one ethnic group.

“In a democracy we do not say we are going to deal with people. How are you going to deal with them?” Kazenambo questioned.

He continued: “As a member of the Politburo and central committee of the Swapo Party leadership, the position of the secretary-general leaves much to be desired. It shows signs of a leadership crisis. If Mbumba's response is correctly reported on, then red lights are flickering that there is a leadership crisis both at political and administrative level.”

Mbumba yesterday would not expound on what he meant when he said Swartbooi's comments would be dealt with internally.

“I have said to other newspapers 'no comment'. 'No comment' means no comment,” said Mbumba.

Kazenambo's take on this, however, is that there are plans afoot to haul Swartbooi before a disciplinary process, to recall him from parliament, or to oust him from the party.

“Swartbooi was fired from his ministerial position for doing nothing.

What he is doing is articulating the plight of the poor and now he is being threatened to be recalled or to be dealt with. This is a man articulating the frustrations of a community and his sentiments are shared by many, whether you like it or not,” said Kazenambo.



Kazenambo said the manner in which Swartbooi was being dealt with was a sign of “autocratic leadership” within the ruling party and government.



“We are no longer a democratic country. We live in a false democracy. It is time for progressive forces in this country to wake up and smell the coffee. We are not only faced with an economic crisis; we are faced with a leadership crisis at political and other levels,” Kazenambo said.



Kazenambo said Swartbooi was merely a “messenger, articulating issues that should be a concern for any progressive citizen of this country”.



“Swartbooi is not the cause. He has never been the cause. Swartbooi is articulating the issues affecting the plight of the poor and we are silencing him. This is un-Swapo.



“Swapo has been a progressive organisation founded to respond to the plight of workers, the lumpenproletariat and peasants. We are silencing him in a style that Swapo fought against. Swapo is a party for freedom of expression, justice, solidarity and fairness. Swartbooi is calling for fairness, never mind the region [he originates from],” said Kazenambo.



He said it was indicative of a wider malaise within the ruling party, which manifested itself in the dismissal of Dr Joe Diescho as head of the Namibian Institute for Public Administration and Management (Nipam) and “somehow” the dismissal of leaders of the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement from the ruling party.



“There is a serious problem here. Swapo is now being used as an instrument of oppression. Swapo is a progressive organisation if it is not being polluted and contaminated by dictatorial, self-serving, autocratic tendencies disguised as protecting the interests of Swapo while in reality it is undermining the interest of Swapo,” Kazenambo said.



He said if Swapo wanted to “manage diversity and change” it had to immediately call a commission of inquiry into allegations of tribalism and elitism within the ruling party and the government.



“If you are progressive, let us stop tackling individuals; let us start tackling issues. Let us start setting up investigative teams to find out what the problem is,” said Kazenambo.



He said Swartbooi was “being threatened economically”, while those responsible for millions being lost by the SME Bank, the N$47 million purportedly spent on the genocide legal case, the Kora Awards, GIPF and other instances were not being dealt with.



“Is Swapo now representing the interests of a few or is it representing the interests of the majority?” questioned Kazenambo.



Swartbooi earlier indicated that he had no intention to leave the ruling party or to start a new party. As member of the LPM he has also repeatedly stressed that the LPM is not a political party but a social movement.

CATHERINE SASMAN

Poaching stats confusion

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Poaching stats confusionPoaching stats confusionFewer than 80 arrests last year The ministry of environment and tourism has issued corrected statistics on wildlife crimes since 2014. Huge inconsistencies have been uncovered in the environment ministry's statistics on wildlife crimes, with conflicting statistics on the number of poaching suspects arrested.

Last week, the ministry released figures on the nationalities of people arrested in wildlife crimes in Namibia between 2014 and 2017.

These figures did not correspond with the figures issued to Namibian Sun in February during an exclusive interview with the environment minister.

Upon enquiry, the ministry issued new figures yesterday, saying there had been some confusion in the delivery of the data.

The conflicting data, for instance, indicated that hundreds of people were arrested last year for poaching, but a few months later the ministry's July data showed that fewer than 80 suspects were arrested in 2016.

According to figures released in February, the total number of suspects arrested in 2016 was almost as high as the number arrested from 2014 to 2017 (data released last week).

Figures released by the ministry at the beginning of February indicated that 231 suspects had been arrested during 2016 and January this year.

Apparently, the majority of these suspects were arrested in 2016 when 222 people were arrested for poaching.

However, the new statistics released by the ministry last week indicated that between 2014 and June this year 246 suspects had been arrested.

According to yesterday's figures released by the ministry, only 78 people were arrested in 2016 for wildlife crimes.

In 2015 a total of 96 arrests were made, in 2014 there were 29 people arrested, and this year 43 suspects have been arrested.

However, the February figures indicated that during last year 83 Namibians were arrested for poaching, along with eight Chinese, 17 Zambians and 14 Angolans.

Furthermore, there were 100 people whose nationalities were not specified.

According to these statistics, the arrests for 2017 indicated that 28 suspects were Namibians, two were Zambians, seven were Angolans, two suspects were from Botswana, two were Chinese and two Congolese.



For 2016 there were 53 Namibians, 11 Zambians, eight Angolans and six Chinese.



Namibian Sun sent the two sets of contrasting figures to the ministry, which responded that the February statistics were inflated and in some instances the cases and arrests were counted together.



The ministry yesterday confirmed the discrepancies in their data for rhino and elephant poaching arrests.



According to the ministry it has been using data from various sources.



“After careful scrutiny it was realised that some cases which have been opened were reported as arrested suspects.”

The ministry informed Namibian Sun that it had verified and released new figures.

It said someone had been employed to coordinate with stakeholders to ensure such discrepancies did not occur again.

According to the new data 252 people have been arrested since 2014. This year 49 people were arrested and 78 were arrested last year. A total 96 suspects were arrested in 2015 and 29 in 2014.

Breaking down the nationalities, the ministry said 14 Chinese had been arrested since 2014 - three of them this year.

The number of Namibians arrested totalled 185, including 33 arrested last year.

Twenty-three Angolans were arrested - seven last year - and six people from Botswana, including two last year. One Tanzanian and three Congolese were arrested.





ELLANIE SMIT

Swartbooi officially recalled

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Swartbooi officially recalledSwartbooi officially recalled Following rumours of a recall by Swapo of Bernadus Swartbooi circulating on social media last night, the firebrand politician and outspoken land activist has just been recalled. The chief whip of the Swapo Party, Eveline Taeyele, has just delivered a letter to Swartbooi. This follows a politburo meeting last night.
On Monday, Swapo secretary-general Nangolo Mbumba told Namibian Sun the ruling party will deal with the parliamentarian over controversial comments he made at the weekend in Keetmanshoop.
Swartbooi, who is part of the Landless People’s Movement, had 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.
STAFF REPORTER

Sport investment needed

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Sport investment neededSport investment neededNational sport director Shivute Katamba has called on businesses that receive government tenders to invest in sport development all over the country. Katamba urges companies to invest The national director of sport, Shivute Katamba, says companies that benefit from government tenders should join the list of those contributing to sport development in the country.

Katamba was speaking yesterday at a reception held at First National Bank on Independence Avenue for four Namibian para-athletes who had taken part in the 2017 IPC World Championships in London.

He said the athletes' achievements might not be much, “but if you look at the statistics you might agree with us that the Paralympic athletes have become our national symbol at the recent championships.

“There were 92 participating nations which totalled to 1074 athletes. On the performance log table we were listed 51 and in Africa we are number seven,” he said.

Katamba said proper preparation needed sufficient funding to achieve objectives. “Government does not have enough funds for all sport codes, and thus needs the private sector to come on board to support sport development.”

He also spoke about the fifth National Development Plan (NDP5) plan of the country, saying that it advocates the professionalisation of sport in the country so that athletes can make a living out of participating in sport.

“This effort will require a big capital injection into sport development. As a nation, it's time we considered sport as an alternative option for national development.

“With the current unemployment rate, sport can be taken up as a development catalyst for the country because in sport it is not only about winning and health aspects, but it unites the nation,” he said.

Revonia Kahivere, manager for corporate social investment at FNB, said what stood out was how each athlete exemplified commitment and courage in their focus on the task at hand, making personal sacrifices to compete and giving their all for the country in the competition with the very best from across the globe.

She also said that at a time when so much of the world is downcast because of a grim economic climate, the athletes shone as a beacon of light, representing all the great things that motivate and inspire the Namibian nation.

FNB aided the athletes with N$220 000, ensuring that they travel to London.

From the four athletes, Ananias Shikongo and Johannes Nambala returned with silver medals. Shikongo won silver in the men's T11, 100m and Nambala won two silver medals in the 200m and 400m races.

Nambala said he was proud of his achievement even though they struggled to get to the championships. He said they trained in Katutura and not at the Independence Stadium as they could not afford the fees to use the grounds.

He added that athletes from other countries had started preparing for next year's Commonwealth Games and that they would like to do the same.

LIMBA MUPETAMI

Debmarine rescues Netball Namibia

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Debmarine rescues Netball NamibiaDebmarine rescues Netball Namibia Debmarine Namibia came to the rescue of a financially struggling Netball Namibia with a sponsorship of N$1.8 million for a period of three years.

Netball Namibia will receive N$600 000 each year from the diamond-mining company until the contract ends.

The code has become the second recipient of a lucrative sponsorship from the company after the Namibia Football Association (NFA) also received a sponsorship last year.

The funds will be used for staging a senior national championship and an annual five-nation tournament which will see Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe challenging for top honours.

N$10 000 will be distributed to the 14 regional leagues, while the other funds will be used for administration.

Debmarine CEO Namibia Otto Shikongo believes that the sponsorship will make young people's dreams a reality.

“At Debmarine Namibia, we believe in social investment as a means of making diamond dreams a reality.

“These two sponsorships will without doubt foster socio-economic benefits for communities.

“Partnerships are the cornerstones of our businesses and therefore through these sponsorships we show our commitment towards supporting the government,” Shikongo told reporters at a media briefing yesterday. Netball Namibia's president Lydia Mutenda thanked the mining company.

She said the sport had faced difficulties after many potential sponsors closed their doors on them.

Mutenda assured Debmarine Namibia that Netball Namibia would account for every cent of the sponsorship.

“It is a great honour to extend our gratitude to Debmarine Namibia for liberating Netball Namibia.

“We ran like wounded dogs for days looking for sponsors and got rejections after rejection.

“We commit to making this sponsorship a success and we will not disappoint our sponsors,” Mutenda said. Deputy minister of sport Agnes Tjongarero urged Netball Namibia to use the funds appropriately and lauded Debmarine Namibia for coming on board.

It’s our time for glory

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It’s our time for gloryIt’s our time for gloryBest time for Magic to lift the Cup - Lombard Tura Magic have vowed to beat Civics in the 2017 Debmarine Namibia Cup this weekend. The Tura Magic side is prepared to brush aside the Civilians when the two meet in the quarterfinal clash at Gobabis on Saturday.

Tura Magic have never won the Namibia Football Association (NFA) flagship competition but their experienced defender Tiberius Lombard believes his side has a good chance this time around.

“I have been with Tura Magic for years now and we have never won this cup and now is the best time for us given our passage so far. Civics will be the sternest test for us but if we beat them, we will lift the cup because of the quality we have in our team,” Lombard said.

The Brave Warriors defender said the experience of his teammates would come in handy as they prepare to take on the Civics side, which they have not seen playing this season.

“We have no idea who is at Civics but we have Charles Hambira, Itamunua Keimuine and Oswaldo Xamseb, who has been part of the national team for over a month now, and some of us have had the necessary game time at national level and I hope that will show on Saturday.

“Civics have Edward Maova, a very good goalkeeper who saved a penalty for the Brave Warriors to progress in the 2018 CHAN qualifiers, but we will see on Saturday,” said Lombard.

Mighty Gunners will take on Try Again at 11:00 and Tura Magic and Civics will take to the field in the second game at 13:00.

Local Premier League newcomers Young African will then take on Rundu Chiefs at 15:00 in the feast of football at the Legare Stadium. The final game of the day at 17:00 will see another Gobabis-based side, Eastern Chiefs, locking horns with Oshakati-based Premier League side Young Chiefs.

Each club that made it to the quarterfinals received new playing kit and N$20 000 for travel and preparations, and the same goes for the semi-finals. The fees will be increased to N$30 0000 for the two finalists.

The man of the match in each game will receive N$1 500 in the quarterfinals; N$2 000 in the semi-finals and N$5 000 in the final match. A charity of their choice will receive an equivalent amount.

Tickets for Saturday cost N$20 and are available from Computicket and at the gate.

STAFF REPORTER

Top Score 7-A-Side tourney kicks off in Oshakati

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Top Score 7-A-Side tourney kicks off in OshakatiTop Score 7-A-Side tourney kicks off in Oshakati KENYA KAMBOWE

The much-anticipated northern leg of the Top Score 7-A-side tournament was launched on 25 July in Oshakati and 28 corporate teams will compete for top prizes.

Namib Mills sponsored N$165 000 for this year’s tournament, which includes the prize money and the cost of hosting the event.

Speaking at the launch of the tourney, Namib Mills spokesperson Ashante Mannetti said the company was committed to giving back to the community and investing in sport was one of the ways.

“Namib Mills is committed to Namibia. This sports initiative aids the company in investing in a vital staple in the development of our country through its sports,” Manetti said.

Manetti said the hosting of the tournament for the second time was the result of increasing demand from soccer fans and competing teams.

The team representatives expressed excitement about the event.

The prizes up for grabs include a floating trophy, N$10 000 and gold medals for the winning team, N$5 500 and silver medals for the runners-up, N$3 500 and bronze medals for the third-placed team and a cash prize of N$2 000 for the fourth-placed team.

All matches will be played at the Oshakati Independence Stadium starting at 18:00, except for Saturday’s semi-final and final matches, which will start at 14:00.

Supporters are encouraged to show up in numbers to support their favourite teams as they compete for this prestigious title.

Kazapua to miss Comoros clash

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Kazapua to miss Comoros clashKazapua to miss Comoros clash NFA

The Brave Warriors’ victory over Zimbabwe has come at a price for goalkeeper Lodyt Kazapua, who dislocated his right shoulder on Sunday.

Kazapua was replaced by second-choice goalkeeper Edward Maova in the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN) second-round qualifier. Maova will take his spot for the duration of his injury.

The first-choice goalkeeper has been unbeatable in goal for Namibia since the CHAN qualifiers started, but will now sit on the sidelines and watch as his team attempts to book a ticket for the continental showpiece in Kenya next year.

“The scans have spoken and now I have to be out. I’m very disappointed but I’m glad that it was in the line of duty. I have helped the team to beat a very good Zimbabwe side and I would have loved to help the team all the way to Kenya but this is the reality and I have to deal with it. I have no doubt that the boys will do well,” Kazapua said.

Brave Warriors coach Ricardo Mannetti said it was sad that Kazapua would miss out on the Comoros game, but it would give Maova a chance to impress.

“Kazapua has been a very dedicated and good goalkeeper for our CHAN team over the years and our number three for many as well and Edward has been number four and sometimes five and this time around he has a chance to take the number one jersey and help the team qualify for the CHAN.

“Maova’s confidence is high after the penalty he saved against Zimbabwe and he got the trust of his teammates as well and that can only help with team unity,” Mannetti said.

Another player who will miss training for a week is captain Ronald Ketjijere, who is nursing a muscle injury. “The captain will be out for two weeks but we are confident that he will be ready to face Comoros on 13 August in the first leg,” said Mannetti.

The Brave Warriors will play Comoros away on 13 August and again in Windhoek at the Sam Nujoma Stadium on 20 August in the third and final round of the 2018 Kenya CHAN qualifiers.

Great platform for South African rugby

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Great platform for South African rugbyGreat platform for South African rugbyEurope will help Boks as well – Franco South African rugby is set to benefit from players who will take part in European rugby leagues. Toyota Cheetahs director of rugby Franco Smith believes his team's possible move to playing in Europe could be beneficial for South African rugby as a whole.

With SA Rugby and Pro12 both confirming they are in discussions to add two South African teams to the competition, the Toyota Cheetahs' and Southern Kings' recent departure from Vodacom Super Rugby means that they are favourites to join the competition in Europe, with a final announcement expected shortly.

Smith, who coached the Cheetahs in the Super Rugby tournament this season, has swopped places with Rory Duncan, and now will be director of rugby for the Bloemfontein team in order to ready them for an entry into European competitions that he believes will be beneficial not only to the Cheetah brand, but also to the Springboks as a whole.

Smith says while there may have been unhappiness from fans initially when the announcement was made, he believed playing in Europe will help develop test match players for the Springboks.

“I believe the original upset was the uncertainty, it was never about changing competitions but rather about the uncertainty about what will happen next,” Smith says.

“I believe an opportunity to play in Europe will benefit both the Cheetahs and also South African rugby. We will always play test match rugby, and it is a lot different to championship rugby but I believe the experience of playing in Europe more often will benefit South African rugby a lot. I think test match rugby is similar to what is happening up north, less opportunity, less space because of the conditions.

“I think a lot of us, especially the Cheetahs, grew up with a dry ball, and it was always a pleasure, and we grew up a certain height above sea level that is quite different. Now suddenly where the ball doesn't travel that far, or where it is colder, or where it is not possible to move the ball across the park as we do here, it is a type of skill and mindset that you will only develop while experiencing it, and I feel Europe offers that.

“This will be important in the complete development of the type of players we have in South Africa. We're always linked to a quick game in the southern hemisphere, because of the conditions we play in and I think New Zealand was a bit ahead of us in this regard because they have both conditions in their own country, and now we are going to experience a bit of the north.

“Sometimes there will be heavy fields, although they will also lead to synthetic pitches, so it will be different. But it will suit us in a certain way, but definitely by us playing there, we can develop another type of player that can be suitable for South Africa in a test match environment.”

Smith says while the Cheetahs love to play expansive rugby, small adjustments need to be made if they are to be successful in Europe.

“I think there are small adjustments that need to be made, it is more about game management, more than anything else. It will be to our advantage to play at home in particular.

“If we have the ability to adapt to the rain and other conditions, we will be fine. I must say that in my six years in Treviso, we didn't play every year more than four games in the rain.

“I think we have an edge in terms of attacking play, but our emphasis will now be to make the defence better. The attack in Europe is very different to the attack in the southern hemisphere and our set piece needs to be better. Their scrums, lineout drives and other facets are very good.

“We definitely need to make adjustments but nothing that is too difficult.

“To be honest, if people analyse the way we play they will realise we play a combination of game plans. A team that drives well can play good rugby, because you tire the opposition's front five and you make the space between the defenders better. Mauling is a big part of our game already and scrums are a big thing with Daan Human and his experience of five or six years in Toulouse, helps him because he will know what is needed.

“What we have seen over the last two-and-a-half years is that through hard work you can make any player into the type of player you need. It will be important to have a good pack of forwards, which aren't particularly light but who manage themselves well, but the rest of the team will fit perfectly into the type of team we want them to be.”

A final decision on the team's participation is expected shortly.

SUPERSPORT

City spending spree not over – Pep

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City spending spree not over – PepCity spending spree not over – Pep Pep Guardiola has confirmed Manchester City are “still looking” to add to their £200-million summer spending spree, although he refused to comment on the possibility of hijacking Real Madrid's move for Kylian Mbappe.

City have been the major shoppers in the transfer market after splashing out a Premier League record total of £200 million to bring Benjamin Mendy, Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker, Ederson, Danilo and Douglas Luiz to the Etihad.

But it remains likely that they will continue their haul after being strongly linked with moves for Arsenal frontman Alexis Sanchez and Monaco teenage striker Mbappe.

Mbappe has been on City's radar throughout the summer, although there have been strong suggestions in Spain that Real have agreed a fee of £160 million for the 18-year-old.

Ahead of Wednesday's International Champions Cup encounter against Real Madrid, in Los Angeles, Guardiola wasn't being drawn on either.

“They are Monaco and Arsenal players, so nothing to say,” he said.

But he did confirm that City was still looking at options in the market, albeit he was coy on whether another striker was on the agenda.

“We have the two exceptional forwards in Gabriel (Jesus) and Sergio (Aguero),” he said. “We will see. “The market finishes on August 31, which is not good for the managers.

“The competition (Premier League) starts on the 12th (of August) and the market is still open. That is not good for all the clubs.

“We will see until the end of the transfer window.”

Mendy became City's latest signing earlier this week when the left-back arrived from Monaco in a £52 million deal.

The 23-year-old is still around a fortnight from featuring in a City shirt due to injury, but Guardiola is delighted to have brought in a defender who made such an impression during Monaco's Champions League campaign last season.

“He can attack inside and outside,” Guardiola said. “He's a young player so sometimes you have to pay a bit more for them.

“But we have one guy for the next five or six years.”

Bringing in younger players at the back was clearly on Guardiola's mind this summer after jettisoning the 30-something quartet of Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna and Aleksandar Kolarov to bring in fellow full-backs Mendy, Danilo and Kyle Walker.

City spent £130 million on that trio alone, yet Guardiola believes they will offer long-term value for money.

“Manchester City didn't invest in their full-backs for six or seven years and all four were 30-31 years old,” he said. “We decided to make the squad younger and we tried to get the best full-backs possible.

“Dani Alves was free but decided to go to Paris. Kyle, Mendy and Danilo were the best options we had.”

Long jump champion withdraws from 2017 world championships

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Long jump champion withdraws from 2017 world championshipsLong jump champion withdraws from 2017 world championships Reigning long jump champion Greg Rutherford has withdrawn from next month's world championships in London because of an ankle injury.

Rutherford, who won Olympic gold at London 2012 prior to claiming the 2015 world title, said he was “gutted”.

Richard Kilty, who was selected for the 4x100m relay, has also pulled out of the event with a broken finger.

But Shara Proctor, Jazmin Sawyers, Lennie Waite, Marc Scott and Jess Turner have been added to the GB squad.

“With an incredible start to the year in training, and very promising early season form, I have had a difficult series of setbacks as the season progressed,” added Rutherford, who also won Commonwealth gold in 2014 and the European title in 2014 and 2016.

“Most recently, a badly damaged ankle ligament and a sportsman's hernia, really put paid to my plans. The injuries have taken longer to heal than we hoped, and I have been unable to even jump at all in training, let alone compete.

“I am truly gutted. That stadium is such a special place for me, I am so devastated that I won't be competing in front of the best fans in the world, in the stadium that changed my life.”

“Greg is one of only a few British athletes to complete the 'Grand Slam' of medals, but that won't make missing London any easier,” said Neil Black, performance director for British Athletics.

“He desperately wanted to defend his world title in front of the home crowd, but unfortunately his injury hasn't cleared up in time and the hard but sensible decision had to be made to withdraw.”

Meanwhile, Proctor and Sawyers will contest the long jump; Waite will run the 3 000m steeplechase, Scott the 5 000m and Turner will be in the 400m hurdles.

The World Championships take place from 4 to 13 August at the London Stadium and an 81-strong team will represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

BBC SPORT

Defender series set for 2019 return

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Defender series set for 2019 returnDefender series set for 2019 returnFamily of models planned “We believe it will not only live up to the previous Defender's legacy, but forge a new path, much like the Series I did in 1948.” When the Defender Series was discontinued last year, the world wept as the iconic British explorer rode off into posterity, leaving behind an oil trail and millions in dire anticipation of what the future would hold for their beloved bundu-bashing, continent-crossing personification of British safari-ready sensibility.

The news of Land Rover setting 2019 as the year in which the Defender would be reborn, could have only been dampened by the somewhat ill-received DC100 Concept that was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, which other than hinting at a sexy 'lil convertible a la Evoque, irked purists with a somewhat dinky-looking front end.

Thankfully, JLR design guru Gerry McGovern, prompted by the public reaction, announced that this way only the start of a long journey to developing the successor to brand-bolstering Defender, which by the way, was last redesigned 30-years ago.

Fast forward to 2017 and with an onslaught of premium Land Rovers out, they've reclaimed the luxury-SUV segment, but desperately need the rugged charms and brand legitimacy that only the Defender can offer, if they want to save the brand from becoming more about prefect hair and designer coffee rather than being hardy and hearty with a healthy affinity for epic-story inducing safari-scratches.

At the launch of the All-New Discovery in Windhoek last week, Jaguar Land Rover Windhoek dealer principal, Albert Pretorius, confirmed that we will be seeing a “family” of Defenders models locally in 2019 and says that from what he has heard from people who have seen and driven the new-generation Defender, that it won't let us down.

“We believe it will not only live up to the previous Defender's legacy, but forge a new path, much like the Series I did in 1948.”

It's believed that the Defender will also benefit from Land Rover's homogenous approach by receiving an aluminium monocoque architechture and many components from other models in the range.

We know that we can expect them to be available in 90, 110, 130 Series models, meaning a two-door, a seven-seater and a pick-up, as well as the funky looking two-seat convertible concept they showed off in Frankfurt… which simply was too popular not to put in production and shares some similiarities with the Evoque convertible.

There have also been rumblings of a high-performance SVR version, a hard-core off-road SVX and everything in between. The SVR would go up against the G63 AMG, and will undoubtedly be exceedingly popular in the bling and slightly brash markets in Russia, China and yes, Namibia.

While purists hope to be won back by a terra-firma taming Defender as those from days of yore, they'll have to accept Land Rover's general move towards refinement. Having said that, they can be cautiously aware that the new Defender cannot go soft, because it's one of the products that give the Land Rover brand the equity to sell thousands of Range Rovers, Discoverys and the sort.

And so we wait...



YOCHANAAN COETZEE

Oonakwiikuthila evi taya pataneke etokolo lyompangu

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Oonakwiikuthila evi taya pataneke etokolo lyompangu Oonakwiikuthila evi taya pataneke etokolo lyompangu Konyala aantu yeli pomulongo mboka ya tindi okukuthapo omalugumbo gawo ngoka ya dhike shaali pamulandu moNa?aJaqna Communal Conservancy muKotomba gwo-2016 inaya kutha po natango omaloogolo gawo, sho taya ningi oonkambadhala okupataneka etokolo lyompangu ndyoka lya ningwa muAguste gwomvula ya piti.

Nonando Ompangu yoPombandeelela moshilongo oya tseyithile aaningi yeindilo mboka kutya ethimbo lyawo lyokuninga eindilo olya puko muDesemba gwomvula ya piti, aakalelipo yopaveta yaantu mboka oya holola kutya natango otaya ka ninga eindilo.

MuDesemba ompangu oya tseyithie Isaacks & Associates, kutya nonando oya tula mo eindilo itali vulu okutalika molwaashoka ethimbo ndyoka yuuthwa okutulamo eindilo olya pita.

Braam Cupido, hahende a za kehangano lyoohahende lyoIsaacks & Associates ngoka ta kalelepo oonakuninga eindilo ndyoka okwa popi kutya aaayakulwa ye oya pewa elombwelo opo ya thigepo ehala ndyoka, ihe natango otaya ningi eindilo.

Oonakutulamo eindilo ndyoka ongaashi Hilda Nakashole, Andreas Haashela, Onesmus Valombola, Nghidinwa Hamunyelwa, Axel Nambahu, Michachu Muulu, Leonard Paulus, Sakaria Handiya, Fillemon Kapula naWilhelm Kafidi.

Mboka oya tokola okupataneka etokolo lyompango nomatompelo kutya oye li pehala mpoka shi li paveta.

Inaku gandjwa uuyelele kutya aaikuthili yevi yalwe 22 oya zi po ngiini pehala ndyoka sha landula etokolo lyompangu.

MuApilili gwomvula ya piti, iilyo yehala ndyoka lya gamenwa meyambidhidho lyoLegal Assistance Centre (LAC) oya shanga oombaapila mbali, taya pula Elelo lyEvi lyAayehe li kwashilipaleke kutya aantu mboka oya tula miilonga etokolo lyompangu.

Elelo lyevi olya ningi omutumba momasiku 22 gaJune nuumvo, niilyo mbyoka oya tegelela natango omayamukulo.

Iilyo mbyoka oya popi kutya nonando okwa gandjwa elombwelo kompangu, aantu mboka natango oye li pehala mpoka ya dhike omalugumbo gawo, nokukalekamo iimuna yawo.

Omvula ya piti, Omupanguli, Shafimana Ueitele okwa lombwele Elelo lyoPamuthigululwakalo oshowo Elelo lyEvi lyAayehe opo ya kwashilipaleke kutya omalugumbo ngoka oga kuthwa po.

Ominista yOmidhingoloko, Pohamba Shifeta okwa popi kutya okwa lombwelwa kutya omalugumbo ogendji oga kuthwa po, naangoka inaga kuthwa po otaga kuthwa po mbala.

JANA-MARI SMITH
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