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PG fails in bid to preserve US$886 722

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PG fails in bid to preserve US$886 722PG fails in bid to preserve US$886 722 The preservation order obtained by the prosecutor-general, Martha Imalwa, on 24 May 2017 to have more than US$800 000 held in the foreign currency account at Bank Windhoek by a Namibian and Spanish company - preserved as proceeds of crime – has been set aside.

The order was set aside by Deputy Judge President Hosea Angula after it was successfully challenged by the Atlantic Ocean Management Group, a registered Namibian company, and Fish Spain and Rio Algar, Spanish-registered companies.

The order had expired after the lapse of 120 days after the notice of the order was published in the Government Gazette. The prosecutor-general had not obtained a forfeiture order as required in terms of the Financial Intelligence Act and therefore the order lapsed.

After the Atlantic Ocean Management Group and Fish Spain demanded that Bank Windhoek release their funds, the prosecutor-general on 24 May 2017 filed an urgent application without notice to the respondents, pending the hearing to obtain a second preservation order in respect of the money which was granted by the then acting Judge Boas Usiku.

Atlantic Ocean Management Group and Fish Spain opposed the application and filed an application directed at Bank Windhoek, the Bank of Namibia and the prosecutor-general for an order to release the money.

The deputy judge president yesterday ruled that the prosecutor-general had inappropriately and incorrectly exercised her statutory discretion, which negatively affected the two companies' right to a fair trial guaranteed by the constitution.

“The prosecutor-general committed a number of material non-disclosures, both in respect of the first and second applications for preservation orders which compelled the court to set aside the second preservation order,” Angula ruled.

He emphasised the intention in limiting the validity of preservation order to 120 days was to balance the respondents right to property and legitimate objects of Prevention of Organised Crime Act.

“The prosecutor-general deliberately allowed a preservation order to lapse without approaching the court to have the order discharged or set aside. They should not be allowed to obtain the second preservation order because that would make the statutory period of 120 days meaningless and unduly oppressive to the two companies,” Angula stressed.

Imalwa had on 4 January 2017 filed an urgent ex parte application - without notice to the respondent - pending the hearing which was set down for 5 January 2017, in which she sought a preservation of US$886 722.20 in the accounts of Atlantic held in Bank Windhoek.

Imalwa had argued that the money was proceeds from criminal activities, namely contraventions of provisions of the Financial Intelligence Act. Any money in excess of N$100 000 must be declared to an officer of Customs and Excise at the port of entry or at the port of departure in Namibia.

Imalwa contended that Atlantic had contravened this provision when it received cash of US$59 400 and US$905 780 respectively, and that the director of customs and excise had no record of any declaration made either in Atlantic's name or its directors, and that the money was acquired from Angolan nationals.

The second applicant in the matter, Fish Spain, operates in Angolan waters.

Fish Spain, Rio Algar and an Angolan company, Sadino LDA, had concluded an agreement in terms of which the latter would charter vessels for operation in Angolan waters.

Sadino would pay the Spanish companies and would carry all the costs arising from the operation of the vessels. Subsequent to entering into agreement, the Angolan government introduced foreign exchange regulations which restricted the export of foreign currency making it difficult for Sadino to remit payment to the Spanish companies.

As a result the Spanish companies experienced a liquidity problem and at certain stage the Spanish embassy in Angola intervened to try to help the Spanish companies.

As a result, a certain Raimando Domingos, a client of Sadino, paid US$59 400 on 16 November 2016 to one of the company shareholders, Alberto Martinez, which he deposited into the account and Bank Windhoek transferred the money without any problem to Spain.

Martinez thereafter deposited US$905 780 into the same account on 17 November 2016. This amount was made up two payments Sadino received from clients. That is, US$499 512 received from Rosa Tangui Tandi and US$500 014 from a certain Mr Candido.

Martinez then instructed Bank Windhoek to transfer US$886 722.20 to the Fish Spain account in Spain, as the bank had done earlier, however the bank on 19 November 2016 informed him that the transfer had been blocked by the compliance department of Bank Windhoek.



FRED GOEIEMAN

384% hike in Keetmanshoop power

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384% hike in Keetmanshoop power384% hike in Keetmanshoop power An increase of up to 384% on basic electricity tariffs instituted by the Keetmanshoop Municipality has been met with strong opposition from local residents and business entities.

The local authority unceremoniously served notice of the hikes to customers alongside the most recent bill, announcing its effectiveness from August 2017.

The basic charge excludes monies charged for actual electricity usage and is paid by all post-paid electricity users.

The tariff is included in the units bought by pre-paid customers.

The new rates for commercial entities are N$1 200 and N$3 600 respectively, depending on the ampere (amp) power supply in place. These rates are up from N$384 and N$1 440 billed previously.

The former flat rate of N$124 for domestic use has been categorised according to power supply levels at residences.

Consumers using 35 amp now pay N$350 while 40 amp users pay N$400 monthly.

Tenants of the State-owned Daan Viljoen Old-Age Home fall under the last category with each of the approximately two dozen pensioners having to fork out N$400 per month.

The seniors, who reside in small flats in one complex, on Monday lashed out at the municipality, terming the increases as unfair and unjust, particularly towards vulnerable and unemployed citizens.

In a media briefing, the home's caretaker, Anna Forbes described the hike as a slap in the face of the Harambee Prosperity Plan.

“The municipality will take up to N$1 000 from each one of us out of our N$1 200 government pension grants, leaving us with nothing for food,” she said.

A health ministery social worker Lindi Hartung during the same occasion expressed sympathy with the larger vulnerable Keetmanshoop groups.

“We have been flooded with concerns from our community members who are all suffering. This increase in the current bleak economic climate is just shocking,” she said.

Municipality public relations officer Dawn Kruger told Nampa the new tariffs were decided on by the Electricity Control Board (ECB) and not the municipality.

“We just implement the enforced hikes,” she said.

In light of the huge outcry from consumers however, Kruger said the municipality wrote to the ECB to get answers to provide to the local community.

“Many people are knocking on our doors looking for explanations and we are waiting for a response from the ECB which we will take back to residents,” she said.

NAMPA

Oshikango market opened

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Oshikango market openedOshikango market openedVendor challenges abound The N$5.8 million structure is still incomplete pending the construction of a bus terminal. Although the long-awaited Oshikango Open Market was opened for use last weekend, the Helao Nafidi Town Council is still faced with a number of challenges.

The market situated at the border town of Oshikango was opened on Friday following a council resolution made on 3 August.

The resolution was taken in order for the N$5.8 million structure, which is still incomplete pending the construction of a bus terminal, to be utilised as council fears it will deteriorate.

The open market has the capacity to accommodate about 400 vendors. When Namibian Sun visited the market last week, a number of stalls were occupied.

Vendors from the Katwitwi informal market were provided with the first opportunity to occupy the stalls along with Angolan vendors who are only allowed to sell at the open area.

As the vendors from Katwitwi used to live at the area where they conducted their business from, the Helao Nafidi Town Council has been faced with the challenge of finding a suitable area not far from the new operating area for them to be accommodated.

Some months ago, the mayor of Helao Nafidi, Eliaser Nghipangelwa, told Namibian Sun that an area for the vendors to set up their homes was identified.

However, last week he said after inspections were completed, the area was found to be unsuitable and as such, the vendors are still staying at Katwitwi.

Nghipangelwa said he is hopeful the situation will be rectified by the end of this week. “We will sort the issue out hopefully by the end of this week,” Nghipangelwa said.

At the Katwitwi informal market some individuals were still conducting business as usual although most had moved to the new open market.



Angolan factor

Meanwhile, local vendors at Oshikango say they are finding it hard to make ends meet following an increase in illegal goods being smuggled into the country by their Angolan counterparts who sell their products at a very cheap price.

The majority of the goods being smuggled into the country are rice, sugar and fuel which is said to be further crippling the economy of what was a booming Oshikango.

The situation is not only affecting the local vendors but also the supermarkets.

In the same vein government is also cheated out of taxes as people from various northern towns flock to Oshikango for the cheaper products sold by the Angolan vendors.

When asked about the matter, Nghipangelwa said it is the duty of the police to enforce that whoever is conducting business should provide documentation on the source of the goods.

He however said there was a time when council wanted to take drastic measures against the Angolan vendors but due to the good relations between Namibia and Angola, they did not want to disturb the peace.

On previous visits to Katwitwi, one could observe the presence of the law enforcement who used to confiscate the items suspected smuggled into the country.

Those vendors, however, have moved to towns such as Ondangwa where they have flooded the streets, selling their contraband all over.

According to Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) Helao Nafidi town councillor, Vilho Shimuoshili, “local authorities do not have money because of things like these, where people are allowed to do what they want. If this thing of vendors is to be taken very seriously, local authorities will not have issues of people selling wherever they want and whatever they want,” Shimuoshili argued.

He further argued that the reason why businesses in Oshikango are not doing well is because they are competing with vendors who are selling cheap products on the street, an issue he said needs to be addressed.

Amongst other products being smuggled into Namibia from Angola, fuel is brought in which over the years has attracted car owners to go to Katwitwi informal market to fill up their vehicles.



KENYA KAMBOWE

Respect Swapo constitution

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Respect Swapo constitutionRespect Swapo constitutionNandi-Ndaitwah implores youth leaders The deputy premier has advised youth leaders to work in unison for the benefit of Swapo. Senior Swapo leader Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah told the newly elected youth league leadership that it was dangerous to operate outside the ruling party's constitution.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is also the deputy prime minister and international relations minister, addressed the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) during its first central committee meeting following an elective congress in Katima Mulilo a fortnight ago.

Ephraim Nekongo from Oshana Region was elected SPYL secretary and deputised by Christine Haindaka. Nandi-Ndaitwah appealed to the young leaders to uphold the party's constitution at all times.

“You are fully aware that in all your activities you are guided by the Swapo constitution and that of the youth league,” she said.

“As leaders you must be able to promote others instead of pulling them down. An effective leader must be fully focused and proactive. These characteristics of leadership are more critical for political leaders like yourselves as you are there to safeguard the nation for any national activities, politically and economically to be carried out in a peaceful and stable environment.”

The minister also told youth leaders to see challenges as opportunities, while reminding them that they have an obligation to strengthen the party by promoting it across the country.

“To be faced with a challenge is not an end in itself rather a means to an end. People must always face challenges with positive attitude as challenges will always bring multiple opportunities. The actual challenge is how to turn challenges into opportunities. As elected leaders you must not work in isolation. Work as a team, this is the secret to success,” she said.

Meanwhile, Nekongo emphasised that his vision is to make SPYL “great again” and to devote all his time to ensure a united front.

“We have taken a number of resolutions and I will make sure that we will implement them 100%. We can only move forward as a united front,” he said.



JEMIMA BEUKES

Walvis cleans up today

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Walvis cleans up todayWalvis cleans up today A mass clean-up campaign will take place at Walvis Bay today. The town's mayor Wilfred Immanuel made the announcement at an ordinary council meeting Tuesday night.

He said for a while now, the council had been campaigning for a cleaner town and asking the public to support the idea.

The 'Team Up to Clean Up' campaign aims to consolidate efforts and bring residents together as a collective unit to keep the harbour town clean.

“I am happy to announce that so far hundreds of people have registered to participate in our clean-up. We have also received overwhelming response from some sponsors, whom we will acknowledge later.”

Wilfred said keeping Walvis Bay clean starts with everyone and further encouraged all residents to show up in large numbers today.

“I wish to appeal to residents once again to take pride in our town and its infrastructure. Our responsibility includes reporting incidents such as vandalising public facilities and other crimes immediately.”

Residents, to be guided by local authority councillors, will meet at the Mautamanene Fire Station in Kuisebmond, where the clean-up will kick off.

The campaign is expected to be a monthly exercise.

NAMPA

Ombili residents want police station

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Ombili residents want police stationOmbili residents want police station The governor's office of the Otjozondjupa Region this week pledged N$50 000 for the establishment of a police sub-station in the Ombili informal settlement at Otjiwarongo.

The governor, Otto Ipinge made the pledge at a public information sharing session where matters of health and the safety of patients in the Otjiwarongo State Hospital were discussed.

The Ombili informal settlement is situated about six kilometres east of the centre of town and has no electricity and proper municipality services.

Health officials members of the police as well as the regional police commander, Commissioner Heinrich Tjiveze, attended the meeting, among others.

Otjiwarongo residents used the platform to discuss other issues of concern and asked the police to set up a sub-station at Ombili as they said crimes such as housebreaking and general theft are on the increase in the area.

Tjiveze told the gathering that his office was willing to set up a police station for the Ombili residents if the resources are available.

Ipinge said his office is prepared to release the funds for the establishment of the police station at any time.

The meeting was organised in response to many concerns by residents which included entry to the State hospital last year by a gang armed with knives.

The community was also unhappy about the alleged bad attitude of some nurses at the hospital and the unavailability of ambulances.

During the meeting, the community asked that the dormant local health advisory council be revived so that it can continue to mediate between residents, the constituency office and State hospital.

Otjiwarongo constituency councillor, Julius Neumbo who organised the meeting said it was a success.

He said the meeting resolved that the Ombandje Security Company, which provides services at the hospital be capacitated to patrol wards and conduct body searches on visitors entering and exiting wards.

The police promised to work closely with the security company.

More than 100 people including police officers and health workers attended the meeting.

NAMPA

Suspects in bank theft denied bail

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Suspects in bank theft denied bailSuspects in bank theft denied bail Three of the six suspects arrested for a break-in at Bank Windhoek's Rehoboth branch, where N$1.3 million was stolen, have appeared before the Rehoboth Magistrate's Court.

Natahan Christopher Seboa, 21, Titus Sterhanzo Beukes, 23, and Andre Franklin Cloete, 29, were charged with theft and robbery.

They were denied bail and the case was postponed until 21 September.

Beukes and Seboa were employed as tellers at the bank. Beukes is also known in local rugby circles.

According to Deputy Commissioner Edwin Kanguatjivi, the police spokesman, the other three suspects, who are also from Rehoboth, were released without charge for lack of evidence.

All six suspects were arrested on Monday after a manhunt by the Rehoboth police following the break-in at the bank early that morning.

That same day an amount of N$525 000 was recovered. Kanguatjivi yesterday said that no further cash had been recovered since then.

Burglars broke into the bank at around 03:00 on Monday morning.

According to the police they entered through an open window and then disconnected the CCTV cameras.

They then opened a code-locked door to the tellers' section and took the keys to the vault.

They stole the cash and fled.

ELLANIE SMIT

Pay rise for domestics

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Pay rise for domesticsPay rise for domestics'Still not quite a living wage' From 1 October the minimum pay for domestic workers will be N$1 502 per month. A new mandatory minimum wage for domestic workers will come into effect on 1 October 2017.

Also, employers of domestic workers are urged to register with the labour ministry by no later than 30 November.

These developments were announced yesterday by the permanent secretary in the labour ministry, Bro-Matthew Shinguadja.

Effective 1 October, the new minimum wage for domestic workers will be N$1502.05 on a monthly basis, N$346.89 on a weekly basis, N$69.37 on a daily basis and N$8.67 on an hourly basis.

The daily rate for part-time domestic workers who work for five hours or less will be N$43.35.

According to Shinguadja, the increases are based on the ordinary eight working hours per day and 40 working hours per week applicable to domestic workers.

The adjustment was also done with the annual inflation rate in mind, Shinguadja added, saying factors affecting the living standard of domestic workers were taken into consideration.

“It is of utmost importance to inform the public that the new minimum wage was decided upon after considering the social factors and the 2016 annual inflation rates on food, non-alcoholic beverages, housing and utilities, which are considered as most pertinent to the domestic workers,” he said.

Part-time domestic workers would be guaranteed a minimum payment of wages equivalent to five working hours in a day.

Shinguadja acknowledged that while the wage was not sufficient, it was a means to ensure a decent standard of living for domestic workers.

“The minimum wage does not constitute a living wage that will ensure a decent standard of living, it is a bare minimum,” he said.

According to him, the raise was necessitated by the poor working conditions domestic workers often had to contend with.

“Vulnerable workers, including domestic workers, are traditionally subjected to exploitative practices such as extended working hours without lunch breaks or rest periods, unpaid annual and sick leave, non-registration with relevant authorities such as the Social Security Commission and sometimes without written contracts,” said Shinguadja.

Employers are now required to provide a written employment contract to a domestic worker employed to relieve another domestic worker.

OGONE TLHAGE

Director, minister differ on new curriculum

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Director, minister differ on new curriculumDirector, minister differ on new curriculum The education director for Oshikoto Region, Lamek Kafidi, says more qualified teachers are needed for the revised education curriculum to be realised.

The authorities have undertaken broad-based reforms in basic education aimed at addressing high dropout rates and improving the quality of learning.

These include the abolishing of the external grade 10 junior secondary examinations by 2019. At the end of 2018 grade 9 learners will write the first junior secondary semi-external examinations, following which they will be promoted to the senior secondary phase, starting with grade 10.

This will mark the start of a new, extended senior secondary phase of education, taking the form of a two-year Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary Level (NSSCO) course.

After that, grade 12 will allow learners to complete the one-year Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Higher Level (NSSCH) course.

Kafidi, however, is worried that with the repetition rate in grade 9 already high, the new curriculum will result in many learners dropping out.

Kafidi says for the revised curriculum to succeed, the government must go all out to enlist the services of qualified teachers to handle the new reforms.

“The new curriculum will mean that the grade 9 examination will be set at national level and marked at schools.

“This will come with more challenges because currently many complaints are coming to my office that some of teachers have not marked papers,” Kafidi said.

He was speaking during the Oshigambo Circuit annual teachers' conference, which was also attended by education deputy minister Anna Nghipondoka.

“If we have a semi-external examination depending solely on the schools, it calls on us as managers of the system to make sure that schools have professional teachers to do the marking,” Kafidi said.

He added that teachers have to live up to the expectation of the government by ensuring that learners progress to the next grade.

In defence of the new changes, Nghipondoka said the revised curriculum was demand-driven and that is why vocational subjects were introduced.

“We are trying to move away from the system of producing learners into the street and too many white collars. We would like to start teaching people to meet the demand of the country.

“We want when people are leaving school in grade 9 they are ready for the job market,” Nghipondoka said.

She urged teachers to apply effective teaching methods, focusing on the progress of the learners and not only on failure.

ILENI NANDJATO

Rhino owners must vet workers

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Rhino owners must vet workersRhino owners must vet workersPoaching on farms mainly an inside job Owners of white rhinos have been warned to be careful when employing workers. With increased anti-poaching efforts taking place in Namibia the trend of rhino poaching has shifted to black rhino under custodianship and privately owned white rhinos.

At the first national workshop on rhino security on custodian land and private white rhino farms, owners were urged to start vetting employees, with evidence indicating that in the majority of poaching cases either a current or former employee was involved. According to the minister of environment and tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, 27 rhino have been poached this year. Eight of the animals were white rhino, of which seven were poached on privately owned properties, and one in Etosha National Park. Of the 19 black rhino poached, 13 were in Etosha National Park, four in the free-ranging Kunene population, and two on custodian properties. Shifeta said the situation demands a review and update of current strategies and measures to curb illegal hunting on black rhino custodian and private farms with white rhino.

“As poaching groups increase in size, number and sophistication, it is more important than ever that law enforcement responses are robust, reliable and effective.”

According to Shifeta wildlife trafficking has become a multi-million-dollar criminal enterprise that has expanded to more than just a conservation concern. “The increased involvement of organized crime in poaching and wildlife trafficking promotes corruption, threatens peace, strengthens illicit trade routes, destabilises economies and communities that depend on wildlife and their livelihoods.”

He said the number of black rhino under custodianship has grown to such an extent that the programme has become its own source of animals for further translocation, and a few animals could even be translocated back to Etosha as required. The custodianship programme now hosts over 500 black rhinoceros from 24 freehold properties.

According to him the number of privately owned white rhino has increased steadily over the past few years to over 700 animals on 69 freehold properties by the end of 2016, mainly through imports from South Africa. “The sudden increase in rhino poaching in South Africa during the past few years made Namibia, amongst other southern African countries, such as Botswana, very attractive as a country of import for white rhinoceros despite an increase in rhino crimes in Namibia.”

Shifeta added that short and longer-term strategic measures that have been put in place to help combat wildlife crime involve matters of human capacity, surveillance, patrols and detection, investigative and intelligence work, criminal investigations, legal frameworks and prosecution, community care and engagement, monitoring and database support, as well as proactive planning and adaptive management.

“One of the measures our farmers have to take is to cooperate in proper vetting of all employees at their respective farms.”

He said the ministry is also aware that custodians are concerned about the risks of poaching, including the safety of themselves and their personnel and the lack of mechanisms from the side of government to offer more assistance and create greater incentives for keeping black rhinos.

“I would like to take this opportunity to publicly condemn ill-intentioned activities of rhino and elephant poaching and call upon all those involved to refrain from such activities with immediate effect or risk their chances of being caught and face the full wrath of the law.”

The inspector-general of the Namibian Police, Sebastian Ndeitunga, also called on farmers to cooperate with police and to do proper vetting of employees that work with rhino.

In a speech read on his behalf by the head of human resources of the Namibian police, Commissioner Abed Kashihakumwa, he said proactive measures to poaching are not fully harmonised with farmers and therefore they should be more vigilant when safeguarding rhino.

Ndeitunga expressed concern over the new trend in poaching on privately owned farms and said strategies are needed to address the onslaught on rhino.

According to him the police are closely interacting with the ministry in an effort to combat poaching and a total of 280 police members have been deployed on a three month rational basis in national parks.

However he pointed out that although successes have been recorded much still needs to be done, especially with regards to rhino custodians and private rhino owners that have now become targets.

Ndeitunga said farmers must cooperate more closely with the police and establish conditions of employment and screen workers.

The majority of cases that are being reported on privately owned land involve employees, he said.

He urged farmers to do proper patrols and establish a dedicated anti-poaching team, saying that this is paramount.

ELLANIE SMIT

King refuses to be seen

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King refuses to be seenKing refuses to be seen A weekend vigil planned by hundreds of Ondonga community members at the Ondonga palace has been called off.

King Immanuel Kauluma Elifas refused a demand by hundreds of his followers to see him.

The rejection was announced in a press release issued by the king's spokesperson, Naeman Amalwa.

One of the organisers of this weekend's planned vigil at the Ondonga palace, Pendapala Nakathingo, said they called off the gathering after receiving the communication from the king.

Nakathingo said they were informed that the palace at Onamugundo is not Ondonga Traditional Authority property, but a private residence for the king and his wife.

“Our gathering was a peaceful one and we wanted to see the king. After receiving a communication stating that the king refused to see us we decided not to go ahead with the gathering,” Nakathingo said.

Hundreds of Ondonga community members were planning a three-day vigil at the palace at Onamugundo, starting today, and their demand was to be addressed by King Elifas.

“There are many procedures to see the king or visit the palace, but the one you suggested is not appropriate. The king respects your request, however, he refuses to see you,” read the statement.

“The king's words are final and binding and if you proceed with your action you are doing it against the king's will,” it continued.

Asked about the palace, Amalwa said that after realising last year that the palace did not belong to the traditional authority, they started raising funds to build a new palace for the Ondonga kingdom where the old King Nangolo dhaAmutenya's palace was.

“We are busy with plans to construct an Ondonga palace that will be housing all the kings of Ondonga. Onamungudo palace is a private home for the king and his wife. We were not supposed to use a private residence as a palace,” Amalwa said.

The tribal infighting stems from a succession race, which took a major twist in April this year after Elifas denounced his supposed successor, Fillemon Nangolo Shuumbwa, even though he had written to the Ministry of Rural and Urban Development in 2002 naming Shuumbwa as his successor.

In July this year Elifas ordered the dismissal of senior traditional councillors including former traditional authority chairperson Peter Kauluma and former spokesperson Joseph Asino.

Four councillors were also given their marching orders by Elifas.

They included senior headman John Walenga and former Oshikoto governor Vilho Kamanya. Three other councillors - Kashona kaMalulu, Tonata Ngulu and Fillemon Nambili – were also dismissed.

A faction close to the king's wife has been accused of capitalising on his poor health to suspend and fire councillors.

The lawyers representing the fired councillors have particularly questioned the signature stamp used by the traditional authority in their correspondence announcing the firing and hiring of new councillors.

ILENI NANDJATO

RCC goes under knife

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RCC goes under knifeRCC goes under knifeCould be a potential 'cash cow' A cabinet committee has decided to throw the beleaguered parastatal a lifeline by putting its operations under curatorship of the High Court. The next parliamentary session which opens on Tuesday will be asked to deliberate on a decision by the Cabinet Committee on Overall Policy and Priorities (CCOPP) to file an application with the High Court that beleaguered Roads Construction Company (RCC) be placed under judicial management. The CCOPP took this decision after many hundreds of hours of discussions and head-butting on the RCC's critical financial status, which the minister of public enterprises, Leon Jooste, yesterday described as the most precarious among all SOEs. This is in all likelihood the first time that a parastatal is being placed in this situation and Jooste stressed that the CCOPP decision was – in the end – a collective one. “We are convinced that as we looked at all the options for the RCC, our collective decision is that this is the preferred option for the RCC,” Jooste said. The entire judicial management process is captured under the Insolvency Act and the Companies Act, which stipulates in which conditions judicial management can be applied. Jooste said the RCC has many creditors who will have to wait and see their claims against the company settled while the company is under judicial management.

This means that once parliament endorses the CCOPP decision and the High Court grants the judicial management process, the court will employ a judicial manager who will for the period of the process serve on a permanent basis as a “replacement CEO”.

During that time, neither the shareholder (the government) nor the board will be “disempowered” and will have no influence or powers over the parastatal.

“If the board were to decide to oppose this decision, the shareholder will have no other choice but to dissolve it and replace it with an interim one,” Jooste said.

He said that the current, and former board since 2015, have been part of the entire process and that have been granted ample opportunity to share its views and insights.

The current board chaired by Fritz Jacobs was informed yesterday morning, a day after the CCOPP had reached its decision.

“We think this is in the best interest of all stakeholders that this process is not delayed. We have spent enough time deliberating on this and hope it will happen as soon as possible,” Jooste said.

“We are not concerned by the process considering that the initial proposal was to liquidate the RCC. The wisdom of CCOPP is to ensure that the RCC continues,” said Jacobs yesterday afternoon.

It is expected from attorney-general Sacky Shanghala to have the submission to parliament ready by next week.

Should parliament endorse the decision and the High Court determines to place the parastatal under judicial management, the company will continue to operate.

During the period, however long or short it may take, all current 393 RCC employees will be paid their basic salaries from the treasury, which translates into N$7 million per month from the treasury. This, however, does not include any bonuses or other extra benefits, Jooste said.

All other costs related to the judicial management process will be borne by the RCC.

One of the first things the judicial manager will have to do is to pro-actively seek ways to restructure the debt of the company and to respond to financial and legal demands on the company.



Jooste stressed that the outcome of the process cannot be pre-empted.



The judicial manager can at the end of the process recommend that the company be wound up or that there is a chance to salvage it. In the end the shareholder will have to decide the fate of the company.







Hybrid governance model

Jooste said his ministry was also planning to fix other public enterprises that are under financial constraints, firstly by implementing the proposed hybrid governance model.

“We have a complete strategy on transforming commercial public enterprises. It is a multi-pronged strategy dealing with all issues. We have done a lot of benchmarking with other countries that have been very successful at transforming their SOEs.

“It is very long and complicated process. We will try to leapfrog certain processes and expedite that to generate positive results as soon as possible. The reality is that these things take time. We need a mind-shift, a culture change in these enterprises,” Jooste said.

The move to the hybrid governance model will mean that all 16 000 employees at SOEs will have to be led through change, Jooste said.

“We will not entertain too many excuses. We are convinced that in most cases commercial public enterprises are more than financially viable. Some of them occupy monopolies. Of course, some of them have important strategic roles to play and we should not put too much emphasis on profits in all cases.”

Jooste said the RCC is a case in point of some of the SOEs that can be “cash cows” for the government:

“The RCC should be able to generate profits because what we see in the private sector operating in that industry generates profits for their shareholders. Why has our own entity operating in the same sector, which is enjoying some preference, not been generating the same levels of profits? We will not be happy to hear enterprises reach break-even points and are not financial burdens on the shareholder any more. We will be demanding dividends.”

CATHERINE SASMAN

NPL to engage MTC, FNB and NBL

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NPL to engage MTC, FNB and NBLNPL to engage MTC, FNB and NBLA new chapter begins The newly elected executive committee of the Namibia Premier League (NPL) met last week to decide on the way forward. The Namibia Premier League Executive Committee (Exco) has begun its quest to seek for a sponsor for the league.

The committee met last week where it drew resolutions to pave the way forward for the league.

It was decided that the committee will engage MTC, FNB Namibia and Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) for a possible sponsorship deal.

The talks with the three companies are just a continuation of negotiations which had already started earlier this year when the NPL had an interim committee.

The Exco members also agreed to meet the Namibia Football Association (NFA) executives for introduction purposes.

The members unanimously agreed on a roadmap building up to the league to kickoff.

In a letter send to the clubs, the committee announced that the Board of Governors (BOG’s) meeting will be held on 20 September.

The NPL will be represented by its members, Boni Paulino, Peter Nakurua, Gabriel Tjombe and Victor Hamunyela at the NFA congress on 30 September.

On 4 October, the NFA will hold its ordinary congress at a venue still to be decided.

The committee will later on 11 October decide on a tentative date for the launch of the new season.

A lack of sponsorship for over a year led to the resignation of NPL leaders and infighting within the football fraternity.

The problems of the league have affected more than 400 players, coaches and referees.

However it appears that the league is finally picking up the pieces after a new chairman, Patrick Kauta was elected.

Jesse Jackson Kauraisa

Nam has one likely IBF title contender

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Nam has one likely IBF title contenderNam has one likely IBF title contenderOnly after Lipinets fights The MTC Nestor 'Sunshine' Tobias Boxing and Fitness Academy so far heavily relies on their former world champion to fight for the IBF super featherweight division world title. Promoter Nestor Tobias has revealed that former world champion Julius 'Blue Machine' Indongo is the likeliest to fight for IBF super lightweight world title in his stable.

Indongo lost the belt to America's Terence Crawford last month in a title unification bout.

Crawford however vacated the IBF belts after he was mandated to defend the title against Sergey Lipinets just a few days after snatching it from Indongo.

Therefore, Lipinets who is a mandatory challenger will have to face a top rank boxer in that division for the IBF world title.

At this point, the most likely boxer to face Lipinets is said to be Akihiro Kondo of Japan.

Tobias however explained that the prospects for Indongo to fight for the title again just after Lipinets fight for the title are highly likely.

According to Tobias, Indongo is the only super lightweight boxer he has that can quickly get a chance to fight for the title given the rankings he will get.

“We are however waiting to see what will happen after a meeting where Indongo will be rated in that division.

“I am saying that it is difficult for other boxers in our stable to fight for the super lightweight world title now because of the rankings.

“I am however positive that Indongo will get a positive rating that can make it easy for him to become a challenger for that title again,” Tobias said.

Indongo is currently said to be taking a break in order to recover from the defeat he suffered last month.

Jesse Jackson Kauraisa

Valke strong for Welwitschias

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Valke strong for WelwitschiasValke strong for Welwitschias The Windhoek Draught Welwitschias surrendered a lead in their third game of the Currie Cup First Division competition. The Windhoek Draught Welwitschias on Saturday suffered their second defeat of the Currie Cup First Division competition after Valke beat Namibia 56-47.

Namibia had the chance to put the game to bed after leading 42-36, but they however surrendered their lead in the second half of the game.

The team could not repeat its heroic performance of last week which saw them beating Eastern Province 51-25.

The team however looks a much-improved figure compared to when they played in the same competition last year.

They also appear to be playing better than they played in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge earlier this year.

Lyn Jones's men are not conceding record high scores as they did in the previous competition.

The defeat leaves the Windhoek Draught Welwitschias chasing for more points on the table.

The team will have to improve if they want to win the competition this year.

Johan Tromp has proved to be a much better player over the past few weeks and his tries have helped the team register points on the board.

Theuns Kotzé was also inspirational on the defeat after converting several points for the home team.

Valke started off the game with a 10-point lead in the first half of the match, but struggled to hold on to their lead as Namibia staged a comeback.

Valke however left it late with Errol Jaggers scoring a drop goal in the dying minutes of the game.

Coach Lyn Jones is positive that his team will keep improving despite the narrow defeat at the hands of Valke.

Etokolo lyonakuyiwa yaRCC lya ningwa

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Etokolo lyonakuyiwa yaRCC lya ningwaEtokolo lyonakuyiwa yaRCC lya ningwaOmahangano ga yama kepangelo taga hwahwamekwa opo ga vule okwiithikamena Okwa ningwa etokolo oshiwike sha piti, opo elelo lyehangano ndyoka tali nana nondatu lyoRoads Construction Company (RCC), li tulwe kohi yelelo lyompangu. Omutumba gwoPaliamende ngoka tagu tameke ngula, otagu ka pulwa opo gu tale ketokolo ndyoka lya ningwa koCabinet Committee on Overall Policy and Priorities (CCOPP) opo elelo lyoRoads Construction Company (RCC) li tulwe kohi yelelo lyopampangu.

CCOPP oya ningi etokoo ndyoka sha landula oowili omathele dhomitumba ndhoka dha ningwa taku kundathana onakuyiwa yehangano ndyoka lyiiyadha mompumbwe yoshimaiwa, nonkalo ndjoka oya popiwa kOminista yOmahangano ga yama kEpangelo, Leon Jooste, kutya oya nika oshiponga okuyeleka komahangano agehe ngoka ga yama kepangelo.

Otashi ka kala shotango mondjokonona, ehangano lyepangelo tali tulwa kohi yelelo lyoludhi ndoka, naJooste okwa tsu omuthindo kutya etokolo ndyoka oli li mondjila.

Minista okwa popi kutya RCC oku na omikuli dhaantu odhindji nooyene yomikuli ndhoka oye na okutegelelwa opo omikuli dhawo dhi futwe omanga ehangano li li kohi yelelo ndyoka.

Ngele Opaliamende oya zimine nokutsa kumwe netokolo ndyoka nena elelo lyehangano ndyoka otali ka tulwa kohi yelelo lyompangu, na otaku kuulikwa omukomeho gumwe, ngoka ta pingenepo ehangano ndyoka, muule wethimbo ndyoka.

Muule wethimbo ndyoka epangelo itaali ka kala li na oonkondo dhasha kehangano ndyoka.

Okwa tsikile kutya elelo lyehangano ndyoka lya kala miilonga okutameka 2015, oli li oshitopolwa shoonkundathana ndhoka, na oya tseyithilwa oompangela ndhoka tadhi pangelwa oku ningwa.

Okwa tsikile kutya Omunashipundi gwelelo ndyoka Fritz Jacobs, okwa tseyithilwa oshiwike sha piti, konima yesiku limwe shoo CCOPP ya ningi etokolo ndyoka, kombinga yonkalo moka tamu tulwa ehangano ndyoka.

Okwa tsikile kutya otashi ka kala muuwanawa waayehe ngele aakuthimbinga ayehe oya kambadhala opo etokolo ndyoka kali endithwe kashona.

Hahende gwepangelo, Sacky Shanghala oye kwa tegelelwa a ka tseyithe etokolo ndyoka lya ningwa, mOmutumba moPaliamende .

Muule wethimbo ndyoka, aaniilonga yehangano ndyoka ya thika po-393 okwa tegelelwa ya ka futwe ondjambi dhawo okuza moshiketha shepangelo, noondjambi ndhoka tadhi kala poomiliyona 7 momwedhi, nomiifuta mbyoka inamu kwatela iifuta yolupandu nomauwanawa galwe ga gwedhwa po.

Jooste okwa popi kutya otaya pangele woo okuhwepopaleka onkalo miiputudhilo yilwe yapangelo mbyoka yi li mompumbwe yiimaliwa. Okwa popi kutya oya manitha nale omulandu ngoka tagu ka longithwa mehwepopaleko lyonkalo ndjoka, kwa talika kiilongo yimwe muuyuni, mbyoka ye shi pondola okuyambulapo iiputudhilo yawo mboka ya yama komapangelo, na oya kala monkalo moka tamu adhika iiputudhilo mbyoka yaNamibia.

Minista okwa popi kutya omalunduluko ngoka taga ningwa otaga ka gumwa woo aaniilonga ayehe yiiputudhilo mbyoka yeli 16 000, na okwa popi kutya itaya kiidhidhimikila omaipopilo gontumba nongandi.

Okwa popi kutya iiputudhilo mbyoka oya pumbwa okukala tayi ningi iiyemo opo yi vule okuhupa pehala lyokukala owala tayi thipi ombinzi epangelo.

Sho a gandja oshiholelwa shehangano lyoRCC, okwa popi kutya ehangano ndyoka olya li lya pumbwa okukala tali ningi iimaliwa, a yeleke nomahangano omakwawo ngoka geli mongeshefa ya faathana moshikondo shopaumwene, ihe go otage shi pondola okuninga iiyemo, nokwiithikamena.



CATHERINE SASMAN

Ompumbwe yiimaliwa ya kateke eyandjakaneko lyomeya mOkangwati

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Ompumbwe yiimaliwa ya kateke eyandjakaneko lyomeya mOkangwatiOmpumbwe yiimaliwa ya kateke eyandjakaneko lyomeya mOkangwati Onkalo yompumbwe yiimaliwa moka tamu iyadha epangelo lyaNamibia ngashiingeyi, oya etitha ekateko meyandjakaneno lyomeya gokunwa molukalwa lyaKangwati moshikandjo shEpupa, moshitopolwa shaKunene.

Omukundu ngoka ogwa hololwa kuTjimutambo Kuuoko, ngoka a yi moonkundathana nonzokundaneki yoNampa, na okuli omunambelewa Omukuluntu gwiilonga mOmbelewa yOshikandjohogololo Epupa.

Kuuoko okwa popi kutya oomboola ndatu dhomomboola ne ndhoka dha mboolwa momukunda Ohamaremba moshikandjo shoka, odhi na omeya ga gwana aanamukunda momukunda Okangwati.

Ohamaremba otayi adhika oshinano shookilometa 14 muuzilo waKangwati. Sho a koleke onkalo ndjoka koNampa, omunambelewa gwochief control officer mombelewa yoshikandjohogololo, Tjikunda Kulunga, okwa popi kutya nonando emboolo ndyoka olya manithwa aakuthimbinga mopoloyeka ndjoka otaya kongo omikalo dhiiyemo opo ku vule okumanithwa oopoloyeka ndhoka. Kulunga okwa lombwele oNampa kutya ompumbwe yomeya oyimwe yomiikundathanwa ya ningwa momutumba gweyambulepo lyoshitopolwa ngoka gwa ningwa mOkangwati momasiku 15 gaAguste. Okwa popi kutya aakalimo yomoshikandjo shoka oya pumbwa omeya gokunwa ihe kape na iiyemo ya gwana okumanitha opoloyeka ndjoka yokumboola oomboola dhomeya gokunwa.

Pahapu dhe, Kulunga okwa popi kutya okwa ningwa omakonaakono gopamudhingoloko na okwa monika kutya openi tapu vulu okutulwa ominino ndhoka. Kuuko okwa popi kutya opoloyeka ndjoka oyali yi na okukala ya manithwa muNovemba, ihe shoka ke wete we tashi vulika.

Okwa tsikile kutya Okangwati oshi li oshilandopangelo shoshikandjo shoka naatalelipo oyendji ohaya piti mehala ndyoka uuna yuuka kEpupa, hoka taku adhika omahala gaatalelipo nomagumbo gaayenda oshowo oosasiyona ndhoka dha gandja iilonga kaakalimo yomoshikandjohogololo shoka.

Aakalimo yomOkangwati oya kala nompumbwe yomeya ga yogoka uule woomvula 30 monena, na otaya thiminikwa konkalo ndjoka opo ya longithe nokunwa omeya inaga yogoka okuza momithima.

Omboola ndjoka tayi adhika momudhingoloko ngoka, oyi na omeya goshimongwa ngoka itaga vulu okulongithwa.

NAMPA

Aatungi itaya gwanitha po iilonga inaya pewa we ootendela – Ndeitunga

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Aatungi itaya gwanitha po iilonga inaya pewa we ootendela – NdeitungaAatungi itaya gwanitha po iilonga inaya pewa we ootendela – Ndeitunga Omukomeho gwOpolisi yaNamibia, Sebastian Ndeitunga, okwa popi kutya aatungi mboka ihaya manitha oopoloyeka dhepangelo, oya pumbwa okutothwa mo molwaashoka otaya hepitha ethimbo niimaliwa yepangelo.

Ndeitunga okwa popi kutya omukalo ngoka aatungi mboka yaha pewa owala omakunkililo itagu longo, naamboka inaya pumbwa we okupewa ootendela dhiilonga yoopoloyeka dhepangelo.

“Aatungi yamwe inaya itula mo shili. Pehala lyokulanda iitungithi nokufuta aaniilonga ohaya ka longitha po iimaliwa mokulanda iihauto yondilo. Oopoloyeka adhihe odhi na ethimbo ndyoka tadhi tameka nethimbo lyokumanithwa,” Ndeitunga a popi.

Omapopyo gaNdeitunga oga landula sho oshifokundaneki shoNamibian Sun, sha pula kombinga, yemanitho lyopoloyeka yoombonge dhOpolisi yaMusati yongushu yoomiliyona 54, ndjoka tayi tungwa mOutapi.

Momasiku ga 5 gaJuni, oNamibian Sun oya lopota kutya , iilonga yopoloyeka ndjoka oya thikama, sho ehangano lyokutunga lyoAmupolo Building Construction CC, lyomunangeshefa Erasmus Amupolo, lya kuthwa po popoloyeka ndjoka, omolwa iilonga yongushu yopevi. Opoloyeka oya li yi na okukala ya manithwa mo23 Mei 2015.

Oshifo shika osha talelepo ehala lyiilonga yopoloeyeka ndjoka naaniilonga yoshikondo shoprocurement and logistics mUuministeli wOpolisi oya adhika taya longo opo ya vule okumanitha opoloyeka ndjoka.

Aaniilonga mboka otaya manitha iilonga mbyoka inayi manwa ngaashi iikwamalushenp, okupainda, ominino dhomeya, omakumba nomiyelo.

Iilonga mbyoka oya tameke momasiku 20 gaAguste na okwa tegelelwa yi manithwe okuya pehulilo lyomvula ndjika.

Sho a pulwa kombinga yetokolo ndyoka ya ningi po ya manithe opoloyeka ndjoka, okwa popi kutya shoka oshi li ehupitho lyiimaliwa yepangelo.

“Otwa tokola okulonga po iilonga mbyoka molwaashoka aatungi yopoloyeka ndjoka oya thigi po iilonga. Ongundu yetu otayi ka manitha mbala iilonga mbyoka ya hupako, na otashi kala ombiliha kepangelo na otatu ka hupitha oshindji.

Ndeitunga okwa ti ongundu yaatungi mboka muuministeli wawo oye na iilongitho ayihe na oyo ya tungu oombelewa dhopolisi moshilongo ashihe.

KENYA KAMBOWE

Kwa tulwa miilonga ondjambi yaaniilonga yomomagumbo

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Kwa tulwa miilonga ondjambi yaaniilonga yomomagumboKwa tulwa miilonga ondjambi yaaniilonga yomomagumbo Okutameka esiku lyotango lyaKotomba, ondjambi yopetameko yaaniilonga yomomagumbo otayi kala poo-N$1502 naagandji yiilonga, kaaniilonga mboka otaya pulwa opo ya shangithe aaniilonga yawo nUuministeli wAaniilonga.

Onkundana ndjoka oya tseyithwa oshiwike sha piti ku amushang agwUuministeli wAaniilonga, Bro-Matthew Shinguadja.

Okutameka 1 Kotomba, ondjambi yopetameko yaaniilonga mboka otayi kala ooN$1502.05 komwedhi oshowo N$346.89 koshiwike ooN$69.37 nomowili ooN$8.67.

Ondjele yondjambi yomesiku yaaniilonga mboka ihaya longo omasiku agehe, na ohaya longo owala oowili ntano nenge dhili pevi otaya futwa ooN$43.35.

Pahapu dhaShinguadja, omagwedhelo ngoka ogiikolelela koowili 8 mesiku nenge oowili 40 koshiwike. Omagwedheo ngoka oga ningwa woo kwatalika onkalo yondjele yoondando moshilongo, oshowo iinima mbyoka ya guma aaniilonga yomomagumbo oya talika. Shinguadja okwa koleke kutya nonando ondjambi ndjoka kayi shi oyindji okutala konkalathano nonkalo yakehe esiku, otayi kwashilipaleke onkalonawa yaaniilonga yomomagumbo.

Okwa tsikile kutya, egwedhelo netulo miilonga lyondjambi ndjoka, olya etithwa konkalo yiilonga yanayipala ndjoka aaniilonga yomomagumbo haya iyadha muyo. Okwa popi kutya aaniilonga mboka ohaya monithwa iihuna, nokulonga oowili oondeendeka yaahena ethimbo lyomwiha nenge omafudho. Ihaya mono omafudho taga futwa nenge guuwehame noyendji inaya shangithwa nOkomisi yoSocial Security. Ethimbo limwe ohaya longo yaahena ookondalaka dhiilonga.

Aagandji yiilonga ngashiingeyi otaya pulwa kompango opo ya kale ye na omikanda dhookondalaka dhiilonga naaniilonga yawo.



OGONE TLHAGE

No will, no way

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No will, no wayNo will, no wayEstate planning in the event of your death If you have dependents, it is very important to have a will to ensure that they are taken care of and that your assets are distributed as you want them to be. If you were to die today how would your family get by without the support you provide? Do you have a plan on how your money and assets will be distributed to loved ones? Are your documents in order or would you leave your family the painful task of scrambling through your documents to sort out your estate, settle your debt and sell off any property you might have?

While we all hope to be blessed with long lives, the fact is that death is a part of the circle of life which can happen unexpectedly.

Knowing this, regardless of how much money you make, you have a responsibility to ensure your will is in place and can be found easily in the event of your passing.

A will is a legal written document containing your wishes as to how your property should be distributed upon your passing as well as who should look after your minor children.

A will gives you sole discretion over the distribution of your assets. It assists the surviving spouse or children in the administration of your estate.

If you have a will which states how your property and other assets should be divided, your surviving spouse, children and even your extended family will receive any benefits as assigned to them in your will.

The following are few things to consider when preparing your will:

Take the time to draft your will – preparing a will can be a daunting and emotionally draining activity as it forces you to think about your possible death as well as how you will ensure your property, money, children and any other assets are taken care of and distributed. It is not something to be taken lightly so put in the time and do it correctly.

Use a professional – its best when drafting your will to approach an accredited financial planner to assist you in drafting your will.

This is because the financial planner is an expert and will take the time to go through all the steps with you while asking the right questions to ensure nothing is left out.

Choose your executor well – every will requires an executor to be named.

This is the person who you give the legal responsibility to take care of all your remaining financial obligations which includes everything from disposing of your property, paying off your debit and taxes etc.

It is also useful to appoint two executors in case one of them dies before you.

While you are free to appoint anyone from your spouse and children above the age of 18 to be your executor, it's advisable to have someone with specialist knowledge appointed as your executor.

This is because the process can be long and cumbersome and you want to avoid mistakes being made.

Appoint a guardian for your children – if any of your children are younger than 18, your will is the correct tool to use to appoint guardians for them. These are the people who will care for your children. Again it is important to appoint at least two people to take over this role.

This is because the one person might refuse or might have passed away before you and you had not reviewed or updated your will.

It is important when choosing a guardian for your children to first speak to the person and ensure they accept the responsibility and will take good care of your children upon your passing.

Review your will – while it's important to draw up a will, it is equally important to review it every so often especially when your circumstance change.

This can happen either when you get married, divorced, have a baby or buy new property. Reviewing your will during these important changes in your life helps to ensure the will is up to date and everything is still as you would like it to be.

Keep your will safe – a will is very important document and should be kept in a safe place but were it can be found upon your passing.

The best way of doing this is keeping a copy with your financial planner or with your family lawyer.

Creating a will minimise any tensions among survivors and extended family members. Relatives battling over your possession can weaken strong family bonds and leave families divided for years. For assistance with your estate planning, drafting of your will, contact a Sanlam financial planner, or visit your nearest Sanlam office.

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