Iiponokela tayi ningilwa aatalelipo tayi londo pombanda

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Iiponokela tayi ningilwa aatalelipo tayi londo pombanda Oshikondo shaatalelipo moshilongo otashi kanitha ongushu yasho omolwa omaponokelo ngoka taga ningilwa aatalelipo.

Pethimbo Namibia, a wayimine uuyuni mokudhimbuluka Esiku lyOmatalelepo mUuyuni, Omupevi minista gwUuministeli wOmidhingoloko, Tommy Nambahu okwa pula ekalekepo lyegameno lyaatalelipo moshilongo.

Okutameka Olyomakaya ga piti, okwa lopotwa iiponokela ya ningilwa aatalelipo yi li itatu mOvenduka. Nambahu okwa popi kutya aakalelipo yiilongo yimwepo, ngaashi Canada naUk po oya kunkilile aakwashigwana yawo, opo ya talulule omatokolo gawo okutalela po Namibia, omolwa iimbluma mbyoka tayi ningilwa aapashiyoni mbyoka tayi londo pombanda noonkondo moshilongo.

“Iinima yili ngaaka otayi shundula ethano lyoshilongo shetu, nokuhanagulapo oshikondo shaatalelipo moshilongo, oshowo okuya moshipala oonkambadhala ndhoka tadhi ningwa kepangelo okupitila moNamibia Tourism Board.”

Nambahu okwa tsikile kutya oshizemo shehanagulepo lyoshikondo shaatalelipo otashi kala ekanitho lyiilonga oshowo iiyemo moshilongo.

Miiponokela yongashiingeyi mbyoka ya ningwa, aatalelipo yaali AaGermany oya yekwa iinima yawo moChristuskirche mOvenduka mEtiyali. Aafekelwa yamwe po moshiponokela shoka oya tulwa miipandeko na okwa hololwa kutya oya kutha ombinga miiponokela yilwe ya ningilwa aatalelipo. Molyomakaya, aatalelipo yaali oya ponokelwa kaalumentu yane ya homata oombele mepandanda lyaJohn Meinert omanga mOsoondaha, oongangala dha ponokele omutalelipo omunamimvo 57, pegumbo lyaayenda momudhingoloko gwaAvis mOvenduka.

Oongangala ndhoka otaku hokololwa dha tete ondhalate yegumbo ndyoka tali adhika mepandanda lyaSchuckmann omanga inaya ponokela omunambelewa omukeeleli gwomaliko nokumukutha ondjembo ye.

Oya yeke omutalelipo ngoka oshimaliwa shooN$7 000, ethano, okakalata kombaanga, oongodhi dhopeke, owili, olaptop nuumemory cards.



ELLANIE SMIT

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Auntie Nangy

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Auntie Nangy My kid's father cares less



Dear Auntie Nangy, I am 22 years old and I have a baby of 13 months. She is simply beautiful and I love her so much. Things have not worked out between me and my baby's father but now it seems he has no interest in his daughter at all. I feel my little girl needs her father in her life. What can I do to get him more involved?







I understand how you feel about the non-participatory role of your daughter's father. Believe me, you are not the only one facing this challenge. Many women are in this situation in the world. It seems men these days are becoming less and less responsible for the upkeep of their children since women became working mothers unlike in the olden days. If it is financial assistance that you need then I suggest you sit down with him and have a frank discussion about this issue. The challenge is once a person decides not to support the child, there is little that one can do to change his mind except God maybe. Otherwise just register your case and get him to pay maintenance for his daughter through the courts. It is sad that an innocent child conceived in a romantic relationship is denied parental love by people who made a conscious decision to have the child when the child did not have a choice. Sometimes it helps to involve someone your partner respects to talk to him and explain the importance of his involvement in raising the child and the emotional and material benefits. I wish you the best and I have you in my prayers.







Heartbroken



Dear Auntie Nangy, I am a single mother of a teenage daughter. She is making me old before my time. She is drinking, bunking school and I am sure she is having sex and smoking too. We had a good relationship but I cannot get through to her. She may be dealing with some emotional issues as her father and I had a big fight some months ago. How do I save my daughter? I fear she will fall pregnant or worse, contract a disease or even be injured. Please help me Auntie?







Many parents are subjected to this kind of trauma as teenagers wade through this growth stage in their lives. This wild behaviour is also evident even in animals and one is grateful if their child does not get overwhelmed by this phase of development from childhood to adulthood. Biologically it is called the age of puberty when boys and girls start to develop growth features that take them into adulthood. As their bodies prepare for maturity, the growth hormones play a very significant part and with it come maddening behaviour that is often linked to peer pressure. It is a very difficult period that demands one to be level-headed and requires a proactive approach rather than a reactive approach. Often we get too busy with our professions and other commitments that our children get to that stage without us having told them about growing up and how to steer clear of the dangers of teen rage. In the olden days before the advent of DStv and smartphones, elders in the society and parents used to have sessions with the teenage boys and girls where they were taught about growing up and how to avoid becoming victims of social ills and teen fathers or mothers. You really need to sit her down and try to find out from her what is wrong and convince her to tell you where she thinks things fell apart. Good communication skills are needed here and effective communication demands that you communicate to make the other person see that there is a need rather than demanding to know. It is not too late to have a meaningful and engaging discussion though it might be too late to stop her being sexual active. Consider going for counselling, the three of you, so that you are one page. Avoid being confrontational and condemning but try to make her see the benefits of your concerns. This is where Olufuko nails it.















Breasts too big



Dear Auntie Nangy, I am 15 years old and my breasts are very big. I struggle to find a bra that fits me because most shops do no sell such big bras and those that do are very expensive. I think sometimes my back hurts from this. What can I do? Is there a doctor maybe that can help me?







I feel you may be stressing over a not-so-serious problem. While you are complaining that your breasts are too big, ironically another woman is wishing she had big breasts. You are too young to know about Dolly Patton's boobs that every man longs to bury their heads in. Doctors are making money doing operations to enlarge breasts and you are stressing about yours that I feel are not worth worrying about. Shops like Milady really cater for fuller figures like you. Someone is having sleepless night over those breasts so chill and don't stress.







Alone and confused



Dear Auntie Nangy, I want to have a baby. I feel so alone in this world without family. My parents have died and I do not know any aunts or cousins. But I am afraid that if I have a baby I will not have enough money. Even if I do not know the father well, can I get maintenance for my child if I were to have one? How does that work?







How old you are will help me to offer you better advice. Right now you sound like a woman or girl who is drowning in her loneliness or circumstances and that kind of desperation is not healthy and can land you in deep trouble. I always tell my children never to rush or to be rushed. Your situation is not brow-raising. Think about the victims of earthquakes and tsunamis in recent days where there are people who have lost entire families. You are not alone and your situation is not dire. If you really want to live happily ever after let things take a natural course in your life. I am a Christian and so I always trust my God and ask Him for his intervention and the bible says we should not worry about tomorrow and not to be anxious in case you do not know it: Mathew 6:25-36 is one of the numerous verses. Why do you have to bear a child you cannot look after or bear a child because you will get maintenance? You may get the order granted but if the father is retrenched then what? Women must also discard this feeling that men must look after the children. Your also have a duty to do that. I seriously think you are misguided and need to seriously think about your intentions before you make your life miserable for the rest of it.







My Husband cheats with another man



Dear Auntie Nangy



I caught my husband in bed with another man. We have two children who are both under 10. What do I do now? What do I tell the family? We are from the north and our families will throw us away. Please help me Auntie… I am too afraid to go to my pastor for help.







It hurts that you caught him cheating and I don't think it matters whether he was in bed with a man or a woman because cheating is cheating. The challenge that we have is that as Africans, we involve too many people in our personal affairs and seek endorsement from the whole clan. Pastors are not perfect and infallible and many crimes have been reported on different media platforms about cheating pastors and this adultery is committed in the name of Jesus. Hello. Do you want to please the clan or ease you pain? I would say take the route that is most therapeutic for because what works for me might not work for you. It is a very difficult decision I must admit.

Theatre play in the works

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Theatre play in the worksAlmost ready for curtain call Township Productions is not showing any signs of slowing down and following their successful Madam President production, they are working on a new piece. After they successfully produced their theatrical play Madam President, Township Productions are back at it again.

The production team has been working hard on their next theatre play titled Dialogue, which takes place between a priest and a dying man.

The plot of the play centers around a dying man who visits a priest to seek redemption for his last day on earth.

Challenged by the priest to confess his sins the dying man begins a debate on the supremacy of logic and natural law and the purpose of religion.

The play is set in the 18th century and the promoter of the play, Steven Afrikaaner says it will blow theatregoers away.

“In this play, the dying man exploits the visits of the priest to challenge the principal dogmas of the church, the divinity of Christ, the original sin, propitiatory sacrifice, and everything which could not be justified in rational terms.

“Through the discussions that ensue, the priest is challenged by the urge to surrender to nature,” he said. Afrikaaner says there is an appetite from the public for theatre plays and says theatre in Namibia is becoming a popular form of entertainment. “Many people are attending the plays around the country and you can see that there is an interest for many people,” he said.

One of the actors in the play, Denzel Naobeb, known in the media industry as NSK, says they have been working hard at rehearsals to bring the characters to life.

“We are getting help from industry titans such as David Ndjavera and have been working hard in making sure that we perform at peak level for the debut of the play,” says NSK.

The actor says theatre plays are very striking and different from watching a film on a TV and implored people to start attending theatre productions to have a unique experience.

“Compared to film and movies, theatrical plays bring life to the characters and how they are portrayed.

The emotions and expressions are very different and is a great experience for anyone watching theatre plays,” he emphasised.

NSK says the play is technical and challenging but they have been persistently working to make the play a success.

Adriano Visagie plays the dying man who is in a wheelchair.

“It is not easy moving around the stage with a wheelchair while trying to act but we can manage it and the play will be a hit,” he shared.

Dialogue between a priest and a dying man is a collaboration effort between Township Productions and, College of the Arts and the Theatre School and is the second theatre production to be staged through collaborative and experimental initiatives of theatre practitioners and interest groups.

“These kinds of projects are attempting to create platforms for artists to create and stage productions through their own effort and desires.

This is despite the lack of production funding,” said Afrikaaner.

“The play was written by Marque de Sade and the play is directed by well-known Namibian actor and theatre director David Ndjavera. The actors portraying the characters in the play are Adriano Visagie (dying man) and Denzel Naobeb (priest), while Keamogetsi Joseph Molapong from Township Productions takes care of production duties.

The play is scheduled for staging on from 4 to 6 October at the Theatre School.

Shona Ngava

The Spanish are coming to dance

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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The Spanish are coming to dance As part of the Spanish National Day celebrations, the Embassy of Spain has organised two Flamenco shows in Windhoek and Swakopmund during October.

Flamenco is one of the most ancient artistic expressions of Spanish art, Flamenco and was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind by Unesco in 2010.

The Spanish nation commemorates the world renowned explorer Christopher Columbus's first successful voyage to the new world in 1492.

For this commemoration the group headed by Spanish guitarist El Macareno will present the show called Tablao Flamenco, which refers to the intimate venues and environments in which Flamenco has traditionally been performed, will include tunes inspired by its most well-known movements.

Other group members include Eva González a dancer, choreographer and dance teacher at the Cordoba International Flamenco Centre and Juan Antonio Claus Fernández a singer from Cordoba and former singing teacher in Spanish and Japanese schools.

Jorge del Pino a dancer and percussionist, specialized in the Flamenco cajón, who has performed in Spain, Italy, Poland, France, Switzerland and Hungary, also forms part of the group. Pino also has his own dance school in Cordoba and has taught dance in Switzerland and Japan.

The Windhoek show will take place at the National Theatre of Namibia (NTN) on Friday 13 October 2017 at 19:00.

Tickets are available at the NTN and Computicket for N$70.

The Swakopmund show will take place the Namib Primary School Hall on Saturday 14 October 2017 at 19:00.

Tickets are available at Die Muschel Art Gallery for N$70.

All the proceeds will be donated to Physically Active Namibia (PAY), an organisation providing after-school education and sport training to children in Katutura.

STAFF REPORTER

Don't fight the media

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Don't fight the media Over the past few months there have been artists who took to social media to share their disappointment with some media houses and some of their journalists. The journalists usually in question are entertainment journalists and radio personalities. I am not an entertainment journalist but I've been watching from the touchlines as the petty fights go on.

There needs to be a clear distinction that has to be made - the media and its journalists need artists and vice versa. Artists are not better than journalists and journalists are not greater than the artists. Whether we want it or not we both need one another to get the best out of each of our jobs. The media needs to expose and cover the artists and the artists need the promotion, expertise and reach of the media houses. Some radio personalities and entertainment journalists have over the past few years been accused of favouring a few other artists over others while ignoring others. Whether it is true or not that media personalities are favouring artists… it is not my platform to speak on that. Some media personalities have been accused of trying to be celebrities themselves instead of covering celebrities. I am not sure how it works but I have seen many entertainment journalists build their brands and following based on their reputation as reporters and not because they are trying to be famous. Whether we want it or not, journalists do have some sort of fame attached to their name, that's just the nature of the industry we operate in. Journalists are usually judged on the merit of their work and their ethics. Entertainment journalists over the years have made it a point in their work to unearth new artists, document the careers of Namibian artists and present an accurate representation of the Namibian entertainment industry. The journalists I speak to have made it possible for the industry to grow and the remarkable pace it is at right now. Journalists have taken some artists from their small studio rooms into the hearts of their adoring fans through radio, TV, newspapers and many other forms of media. I am not discrediting the hard work and dedication of the artists and their talent and as well as contributions to the entertainment industry, but I am highlighting all the ways that journalists and artists can work together to serve the entertainment industry.

“Elke persoon in hulle se baan” if we really want to work together peacefully. Let us not fight one another, but appreciate all the efforts we put into making the industry at large very successful.









shona@namibiansun.com

End of the road for P-Square

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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End of the road for P-SquareBrothers' spat drops curtain on duo Paul and Peter Okoye, better known as P-Square, will no longer entertain fans across Africa following a spat that split the duo for good. Those who are saying that the P-Square brothers might return in their second coming should forget it because the centre cannot hold again as estranged singing duo, P-Square had a heated fight in their lawyer's office following the ongoing disagreement and split of the group.

The fight, purportedly recorded in a video currently trending on the internet showed Paul and Peter Okoye with their elder brother and manager, Jude Okoye in the lawyer's office. Jude, whose wife gave birth to a baby girl Monday, was seen threatening to beat up Peter who was behind the camera while Paul was heard telling Peter, “shame on you”.

Hours after the video began to trend online, Paul took to his twitter handle @rudeboypsquare to respond; “Wow!!!! And he finally released the all mighty video lol.”

News broke on Monday that the hip-hop twins who have dominated the Nigerian music scene for many years, had split up following a letter sent by Peter to their lawyer, Festus Keyamo. Peter demanded for a termination of the agreement as a group based on serious allegations against his twin Paul and their elder brother and manager, Jude. He accused Paul of no longer willing to co-operate with him; going as far as cancelling their scheduled music tour to the United States.

He added that Paul was also slandering his wife and children with lies on social media, and alleged that his family was being threatened with threat messages. Peter further accused his older brother Jude of once threatening to kill him and to shoot his wife Lola. Peter stressed that he was tired of the “drama” and want to end their business relationship. Keyamo, has stated that none of the talented P-Square brothers is at fault or wholly justified and correct in their individual positions. In his reaction to the on-going feud between the brothers in online, print and electronic media, Keyamo said in a statement Wednesday that none of these materials were released from his chambers, adding that his law firm was saddened and embarrassed by these developments. According to him, he has been inundated with calls from the media to authenticate the correspondence Peter Okoye sent to his office, indicating his intention to terminate the contract between the brothers for various reasons.

He also noted the online video showing a purported scuffle between the brothers in his chambers. Keyamo stated that as their close friends and lawyers over many years, his firm has done its very best to manage their differences over time, adding that very prominent personalities have also been invited in the past to intervene.

“We are well aware that we have a duty to keep the details of their disagreements confidential, so we shall say nothing here on the issues at stake. But since the disagreement is now in the public domain, and our name has been dragged into the fray, we wish to appeal to members of the public to refrain from jumping into uninformed conclusions about this feud. None of these talented brothers is at fault. None of them is also wholly justified and correct in their individual positions. We also wish to state categorically that, contrary to widely held opinions, none of their wives is at fault. In fact, the wives have kept their respectable and dignified distances from all the issues involved,” Keyamo explained. “We also want to state that whilst all the three brothers may have genuine grievances, nobody's life is at risk. All the various incidents that happened in our chambers (some as late at midnight and 02:00 and one of which was captured in the online video) arose out of various meetings that were genuine attempts at resolving their differences.

“Whatever was said by all of them that were provocative were done in the heat of passion, emotion and anger. In fact, the incident in the video circulating online happened sometime around May 2016.

“After all those arguments, we all still sat down and signed agreements and we were all happy,” Keyamo added.

He appealed to Nigerians to grant the Okoye family the privacy, prayers and support that they need at these trying times, stressing that he has also appealed to all of them not to grant further interviews so as not to escalate the issues further.

THIS DAY

Rapper with a difference

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Rapper with a differenceSocially conscious, relevant and welcome Namibia's hottest rapper at the moment, KP Illest, says that everything is going well since he dropped his first album and called for cooperation and hard work in the industry. KP Illest has established himself as one of Namibia's most brilliant and resounding hip-hop artists.

He has previously walked away with an award from the Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMA) and is also signed to The Dogg's music label Mshasho Productions.

The rapper recently dropped his debut album titled Price of Ambition which he says is an ode to his music abilities.

The artist says ever since the album dropped the response from his fans regarding his new project has been overwhelming.

“The response has been electric. So far I've received nothing but positive responses. People really understand that I took real time with this one to perfect the art and every song so far on the album has been received well by the fans,” shared KP Illest.

He added that he sold out all 200 actual physical copies of his new album and is looking towards digital platforms to sell his album now.

“I printed 200 copies of the album and they are all sold out.

“I wanted to sell physical copies first before selling digitally,” he said.

He said he has been showered with support from many people in the past few months and says as an artist he is excited about his place in the industry.

“There is a perception that in Namibia we do not get a lot of support from many people but once you go through the right avenues, the people will support you regardless,” said KP Illest.

For his new album he said he had to take a different route and says he had to challenge himself as an artist to come up with a quality album.

“Halfway through the production process of the album I had to change the whole entire creative direction and flipped it completely.

The album turned into something that I hardly expected it would be,” he said.

KP Illest who is well-known for being a very conscious and lyrical rapper, says he had to create a balance between being commercially viable and conscious.

He says he had to break away from the norms and expectations that people put on rappers and how they should be, and had to let the music decide how he would express himself on his album.

“Conscious rap does not necessarily mean social awareness but it can be about topics that have substance and that people can relate to. I just wanted to be socially relatable on this album,” he shared.

The rapper says he is fortunate to be mentored by The Dogg and says the musician has helped him build his brand and has given him advice on how to work within the music album.

“The Dogg understands the way music is supposed to be constructed and he lets me have my freedom as an artist.

His mentors me on how I can navigate the industry and pushes you in the right directions,” he said.

The rapper says that the playing field in the hip-hop industry is up for takes and shares that people are reacting positively to the music that rappers are releasing.

“Anyone can make it in the hip-hop industry right now.

DJs are playing our songs. NGA-I is one rapper that I predicted can make big in the industry and today a lot of people have a lot of respect for him,” he said.

For KP Illest, the state of hip-hop in the country is in a good place and says artists need to improve on the quality of work they produce and that they have to invest in their craft to make a meaningful impact.

“We need the balance of consistency and persistence in every hip hop artist.

As rappers need to invest in ourselves and exploit all opportunities we have.

The infighting and issues we have also need to stop and as hip-hop artists we need to make a bigger statement,” said KP Illest.

He says the next move for him is to spread his wings and work with other artists in Africa and the rest of the world.

“The next step now is to do international collaborations. So far I've identified Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria as one of the places I can penetrate and I believe that I can represent the country on international level,” said KP illest.

Shona Ngava

Setting realistic poverty reduction goals

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Setting realistic poverty reduction goals The Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare this week launched the national blueprint on wealth redistribution and poverty eradication. The document is largely aimed at advancing strategies to combat poverty and the high levels of inequality in our society. This is not the first time that government has come up with proposed interventions and programmes to tackle the contentious issue of poverty. Despite such interventions, there has been average success and even outright failure. There is a growing divide between the haves and have-nots. Tin shanties or slums continue to blight most of our towns, accommodating thousands of households. The same can also be said about the mansions, golf estates and high-end security villages sprouting up around the City of Windhoek. Towards the end of last year, the Namibia Statistics Agency announced three new poverty lines, with households having N$293 per month for food classified as being extremely poor. A typical Namibian household comprises of four or five people. The second class of food poverty is for the severely poor, which was set at N$389 per household per month. The third poverty line is for all those classified as poor, and is set at N$520.8 per household per month. The NSA argued there has been an overall reduction in the proportion of the population which is classified as poor from 28.7% during 2009/10 to 18% in 2015/16. The severely poor dropped from 15.3% to 11%, while the extremely poor came down from 7.3% to 5.8%. This is debatable and we are convinced that thousands of Namibians will disagree with this declaration. The time has come for us to shift the narrative on poverty and practically do more to tackle high joblessness, poor education, spatial inequality, widespread corruption, uneven public services and failing healthcare system, among others. It is useless for us to come up with unrealistic targets in the first place owing to our poor implementation success rate. Our country is well-endowed with natural resources. We need to fully utilise our resources to help alleviate poverty in our country. These resources should not just benefit a selected and well-connected few.

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Meet Tjipenandjambi Nguasananongombe!

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Meet Tjipenandjambi Nguasananongombe! A friend of mine, Tjipenandjambi Nguasananongombe, just returned from a year’s stay in the United States - minus his sense of humour and his ability to speak Otjiherero, the language he used for over 30 years. In fact, the brother had insisted that I organise a welcoming committee at the airport as he touched down at Hosea Kutako International.

The man hardly recognised me as I ran up to him with open arms to welcome him to the land of the brave. He was encircled by three huge muscular dudes who he ordered to stop me from touching him. I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing.

Well, being the well-mannered boy my mother raised, I opted to play along just to see how far my friend would push this stunt. Oh, did I mention that his name changed to Shiznit Aka K.A.M.

Ja, the man says he has been liberated and has seen the light. He says his old name reminds him of how his people suffered in the village of Otumborombonga. By the way, that village is now also to be known as Tumboro City.

“So, broer what’s with the new image”, I asked him at one point on our way home from the airport.

“You see Charlie from Omaheke, you boys don’t get life. Life is about living and is for the living and not for those who are not living. So live your life like you are alive …”

I thought long and hard on whether I should really continue with the conversation, given the line of argument that my friend seemed to be advancing.

“So, you are saying that you now see things differently?’ I asked after collecting my thoughts for what felt like the longest three seconds of my life.

“Nah dude, that ain’t it. It is deeper than that bro ... this is some deep s***t right there. You know, I have a dream that one day this nation will be free …”

“Who said that … ,” I asked. “… Martin Luther King?”

“Nah dude … I just did. Man, you ain’t listen’ng my brother. Pssst, damn … ain’t gonna waste my breathing any longer,” he responded.

He probably meant ‘waste his breath any longer’ but I didn’t dare challenge him. As we approached the house, I saw his grandmother walking towards the car to greet us. ‘This is going to be interesting,’ I thought to myself.

“Muatje uandje (my child) omuatje uandje uakotoka (my child has returned) …,” she said, ululating as she opened the car’s door for the young man to get off.

The story of the prodigal son who returned home after wandering around the world crossed my mind. But one look at my friend brought me back to reality – this is no prodigal son. This is a man that has ‘forgotten’ his language in just over a month away from home and has stopped listening to Ongoro nomundu because the music apparently sucks!

After the family exchanged greetings in unfamiliar fashion, we were once again on our own. I politely asked if the body-guards can excuse us, as I had something I needed to share with my friend.

“Bro, I don’t think this new image of yours will be cool with the chicks … you might end up being a lone bro,” I said, knowing I ought to catch his attention being the ladies’ man that he is.

“Dude … what you saying man. That they won’t like all of this? I mean, look at me … who can say No to all of this?”

That was the last time I tried convincing him to get off his spaceship and touch the ground.

Just the other day I ran into him at the local eatery. He greeted me warmly in Otjiherero and offered me the juiciest piece of steak I have ever seen.

“So, what happened to the Obamaism broer?

“Who … ?”

I left it at that - was just grateful to have my friend back. From what I hear, the brother was not even studying in the states – he was picking ticks from pigs at paltry pay. But that remains a secret for now. If you must tell someone, let it just be one person and make him promise you to only tell one other person.

Until then…

Tjatindi@gmail.com

Rent-a-Drum wins big at sustainable awards

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Rent-a-Drum wins big at sustainable awards More than 90 entries were received this year for the second biannual Sustainable Development Awards.

The awards ceremony took place last week in Windhoek where companies, individuals and associations shared a total of N$172 000 in prize money across 10 categories.

Rent-a-Drum won the Best Established Company or Parastatal Award for its innovative waste management and recycling programme and their collaboration with Ohorongo Cement on Namibia's first refused derived fuel (RDF) processing plant.

“Our world faces massive threats from environmental degradation, including pollution and climate change. We need action at every level – from the local community, businesses, journalists, and global commitment - to address these threats,” said CEO of the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia, Benedict Libanda.

The more than 90 entries that were received this year from the Namibian business community, academia and youth entities eclipsed the previous number of 14 in 2015.

“I am pleased to inform you that we are continuing to improve and grow these awards. This is evident in the increased number of entries we have received and in the additional number of partners and sponsors that have come on board for this year's awards,” said Martha Naanda, vice-chairperson of the Sustainable Development Advisory Council.

The winners are in the category Best SME, Qora Trading in the category for Best Eco Entrepreneurship among Business Start-Ups and Namibia Future Farming Trust walked away as the winner of the Natural Resource Management and Utilisation.

In the category for research and development, the winner was the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences at Namibia University of Science and Technology.



STAFF REPORTER

City parking woes continue

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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City parking woes continueWindhoek to review CBD plan Parking in Windhoek's CBD will remain problematic with a 20-year-old parking plan and several other complications the City faces. Land that was originally set aside for parking by the City of Windhoek in 1997 has been sold for development, while some government buildings are also not making provision for public parking in their building plans.

Windhoek, for years now, has a dire shortage of parking in the CBD and this has only worsened with an increase in traffic and new developments where public parking bays used to be.

According to City of Windhoek spokesperson, Lydia Amutenya, a major concern for the City is the fact that government buildings are not submitting building plans to the City for approval.

She said in most instances, no public parking is catered for at these buildings.

The new Ministry of Finance building is just but one example, according to Amutenya.

“This is putting great pressure on the parking availability within the CBD and undermines any long-term planning initiated by the City of Windhoek,” Amutenya added.

About 20 years ago, the City already anticipated that there will be a shortage of 3 000 parking spaces when a parking plan was developed in 1997 for the CBD.

This plan estimated that there will be a deficit of about 3 000 parking bays by 2003 and onwards.

According to Amutenya, while this plan is very outdated, it remained subject to numerous factors, such as actual development within the CBD, inclusive of public transport provisions which were not incorporated at that time, and actual parking that was developed as per the plan.

Amutenya also said some parking was developed as per the parking plan.

This included the City Parkade next to Cymot.

However, she says, a significant amount of land that was recommended for parking purposes within the CBD was unfortunately sold.

This includes the area next to the NDF Bastion and the open plain that now accommodates the FNB building.

“The remaining two erven that were earmarked to improve parking at the corner of Bahnhof Street and Independence Avenue and the corner of Werner List and John Meinert streets are planned to go out on tender soon,” said Amutenya.

She explained that public parking provision is incorporated to form part of these tenders, providing some parking alleviation.

“However, as is the problem with the FNB building it remains a challenge to reserve some for the general public, as initially planned.”

The former OK parking lot next to the Hilton Hotel was sold to create the FNB headquarters and upon completion, a super parking bay of more than 2 000 parking bays was planned.

The sales conditions require that 250 parking bays be provided over and above the normal parking requirement to serve as additional public parking for the CBD.



'Misunderstanding'

“Unfortunately FNB appears not to be adhering to these public parking requirements as they are more concerned about their security and interpreted public parking as parking for their customers only. Currently, the upper basement is still under construction which makes it more difficult to enforce such requirements,” Amutenya recently said.

FNB's position on parking was shared following complaints from members of the public regarding security prohibiting people to park at the FNB lot.

Asked whether this issue has been addressed with the relevant stakeholders, Amutenya told Namibian Sun this week that senior management of FNB/RMB confirmed that there is a need to provide public parking in their facility and undertook to engage the security guards to rectify the current access system.

According to Amutenya, provision was also made during the planning of the City Parkade to extend the building with a further four split levels.

However, she said the City currently does not have the funds, but is looking into possibilities of partnerships with private institutions.

“Vacant land in the CBD remains a scarce commodity and is in high demand. The City is trying to find a compromise to avail land for development, equally trying to solve parking concerns, instead of trying to retain land and eventually not having the necessary resources to develop such parkades, similar to the one next to Cymot, and the land would be lying idle,” Amutenya explained.



Master plan

According to her, the City is planning to review the parking plan for the CBD, especially incorporating the public transport provision as per the Sustainable Urban Public Transport Master Plan for the City of Windhoek.

She said this project is anticipated to be budgeted for in the next financial year.

“Normally such study will be finalised within the respective financial year,” said Amutenya.

According to the Sustainable Urban Transport Master Plan, Windhoek's population is rapidly growing at 4.3 % per annum, above the national growth rate of 2.6%.

As a result, more housing, more jobs, new infrastructure and services will be required to meet such demand in the future.

Roads Authority statistics from 2006 indicate that Windhoek was home to just over 104 000 motorised vehicles, which grew to 145 000 in 2013.

The latest figures indicate 162 290 registered vehicles in Windhoek, representing 50% of the total number of vehicles in the country.

The number of licensed drivers in Windhoek is 109 249, well below the number of vehicles.



ELLANIE SMIT

Vote for Namibia

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Vote for Namibia The Land of the Brave has been recognised as one of the leading safari destinations in the world and nominated as one of the countries that will compete for this title in the prestigious World Travel Awards.

Namibia is competing against countries such as South Africa, Botswana and Kenya. Last year Kenya walked away with the title.

In the category for the 'World's Leading Desert Resort,' Namibia's Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge was nominated among lodges and resorts from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

The Damaraland Camp in Namibia was also nominated for the 'World's Leading Conservation Company,' while Ongava Lodge and Wolwedans Dunes Lodge and Dune Camp were both nominated for the 'World's Leading Private Game Reserve.'

The World Travel Awards were established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.

Currently, voting for the awards are still open and the public can support Namibia by registering online on the World Travel Awards website and making their voice count. Voting, however, closes on Saturday.

Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire to reach.

Each year, the World Travel Awards covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective successes within each key geographical region.

An Africa Gala Ceremony will be held in October this year where after the Grand Final Gala Ceremony will take place on 10 December.



ELLANIE SMIT

Performance agreements for Ondangwa

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Performance agreements for Ondangwa In order for Ondangwa Town Council to become an engine of industrialisation and sustainable development by 2021, council employees are required to perform to the best of their abilities.

All 72 employees from four departments signed their performance agreements yesterday to enable the council to measure its performance and also to measure how individuals are performing towards the realisation of the strategic plan.

According to Ondangwa Town Council's CEO Ismael Namgongo - who was the first to sign the performance agreement - the performance agreement is part of the council's 2016 to 2021 strategic plan to become an engine of industrialisation and sustainable development.

Namgongo said the strategic plan is built on the views of different stakeholders who were widely consulted to help the council to formulate it. Therefore, for the town to know whether it is moving in the right direction, council's and the individuals' performances need to be monitored and evaluated, he said.

“We have to execute a mandate given to us as a council by an Act of parliament. For us to fulfil that mandate all of the council employees are expected to go the extra mile in whatever we do. Remember that we are surrounded by other towns also rendering the same services and it is our collective duty to make sure that we attract investors to our town and we also make them stay happily,” Namgongo said.

The signing of the performance agreements was witnessed by the town councillors. Ondangwa mayor Paavo Amwele urged employees not to be scared of signing the performance agreements and also encouraged them to deliver as per the council's expectations.

“It is a commitment you are making and you are expected to give your best. However if you are not performing as per expectation, you will be accountable for what you have signed for,” Amwele said.

He is always on the ground monitoring council employees as they execute their duties, saying he has observed that some employees do not perform their duties with consistency and he urged them to always to make sure that they have completed all the tasks they started.

Employees' performance will be monitored and evaluated based on their signed performance scorecards. Namgongo said this will also make it easier for the CEO, managers and supervisors to execute their duties easily. Evaluations will start in June next year.

The CEO signed his performance agreement before the mayor and chairperson of management committee. The managers signed their agreements before the CEO while employees signed before their managers and supervisors.

“It will be your performance that will determine the kind of training you may require. We are no longer training people for the sake of training them as we used to in the past,” the mayor said.

ILENI NANDJATO

Guard accidentally shoots two

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Guard accidentally shoots two A security guard was arrested this week for accidentally shooting two bystanders while aiming at two suspects.

According to the police, a 22-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman were shot in the foot and the leg at Uukwamatsi Bar at the Single Quarters in Katutura on Wednesday evening.

The 46-year-old security guard of Shilimela Company was apparently shooting at two suspects who had snatched a cellphone from a female customer. The guard was arrested.

On Tuesday, a 28-year-old man sustained serious injuries while unloading containers at the port of Walvis Bay.

The dock worker lost communication with a crane operator and was hit by a container being unloaded from a ship. He was admitted to the Katutura State Hospital.

A collision at Onembaba Village claimed the life of 36-year-old Kambala Josua on Wednesday afternoon. A passenger sustained slight injuries and the other driver was seriously in jured. It is alleged that Josua, who was driving a Corolla, indicated that he wanted to turn left and then turned right. The driver of an Iveco truck, who overtook him, smashed into his car. On Wednesday evening, 32-year-old Leroy van Wyk died in a crash on the B1 road between Rehoboth and Windhoek. According to the police, a car carrying five people overturned and rolled a few times, crushing Van Wyk who had been thrown out of the vehicle.

The other four people were admitted to Windhoek hospitals with serious injuries. According to witnesses, the passengers were trapped in the car and were rescued with the Jaws of Life.

STAFF REPORTER

Schlettwein satisfied with new PSEMAS model

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Schlettwein satisfied with new PSEMAS model Finance minister Calle Schlettwein believes the government and medical service providers have found a lasting solution to the problems plaguing the medical aid fund for public servants, PSEMAS.

“The new system has been developed by the government and various ministries together with the medical fraternity. We now have a workable instrument. We have also agreed to further cooperation to solve problems in the medium to long term,” said Schlettwein.

The future of PSEMAS needed to be protected as it accounted for 60% of the income of private medical service providers in Namibia, the minister stressed.

“PSEMAS must be viable to support government employees. We want to play our role in ensuring sustainability. PSEMAS funds 60% of medical services. It is the locomotive of the health services in the country. If we lose that one, we have lost a large chunk of what makes healthcare sustainable,” Schlettwein said.

He said several loopholes were closed, while the claims process was streamlined.

“We have closed the loophole of multiple medical practices under one medical licence in instances where doctors would charge consultation fees from various medical practices without even consulting,” Schlettwein said. When asked whether payments to PSEMAS would be cost-reflective, as is the case with private medical aid funds, Schlettwein explained that the government had an obligation to provide for the medical expenses of all its employees. “PSEMAS is a pay-as-your-earn scheme, it is state budgeted for and part of the conditions to provide medical services to all government employees. We are looking at how we can make it more sustainable,” the minister said.

“We felt strongly that every civil servant must get the same medical service. The scheme should not discriminate. You should get the same benefits across the board, from the minister to the cleaner,” Schlettwein said.

The backlog of overdue payments to medical service providers was cleared and payment is now made within 30 days of services being offered.

“We have caught up with the legal framework of paying within 30 days,” Schlettwein said.

Thirty service providers were blacklisted while five remain under scrutiny, it was announced at the press briefing.

Namibian Sun reported in March that the finance ministry knew as far back as April 2010 that there were major gaps in the fraud management system regarding claims managed by the fund administrator, Methealth. It had also received a list of suspect doctors, clinics and pharmacies that had submitted questionable and false claims, along with risk analyses. The ministry had been advised to urgently appoint a board of trustees to manage the fund effectively.

However, in the same year, Methealth was awarded a new five-year tender to continue administering the PSEMAS scheme, processing claims and making payments.

That tender has since been renewed annually. Methealth has been administrating PSEMAS since a merger with NamHealth in September 2003.

OGONE TLHAGE

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BIG here by 2020

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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BIG here by 2020Existing social grant system is 'incoherent' The National Assembly is debating the government's plan for poverty eradication, which envisages a new grant scheme in three years' time. Poverty eradication minister Zephania Kameeta this week tabled the Blueprint on Wealth Redistribution and Poverty Eradication, which aims to strengthen the government's social protection systems, in the National Assembly.

According to the blueprint implementation plan, a new grant scheme targeting poor and vulnerable people excluded from the existing grant scheme will be established in 2020.

The blueprint highlights that the basic-income-grant (BIG) pilot programme at Oshivelo documented the positive social as well as economic benefits of a universal grant on food security, education, health, crime and local economic activities. “The evidence of the pilot project shows that the current high levels of malnutrition among children under the age of five can be effectively tackled through the payment of such a grant. It also helps to reduce the high levels of income inequality,” the blueprint states.

The blueprint, which was approved by the cabinet in August 2016, is a policy framework document, developed to guide the implementation and coordination of all government poverty eradication initiatives and programmes.

According to Kameeta most of the strategic areas and activities to be implemented under the blueprint are not new, but were identified during the recent national dialogue on poverty.

“These activities require accelerated implementation if we have to address the basic needs of our people and lift them out of abject poverty.”

According to the blueprint a lack of national documents has prevented some eligible poor and vulnerable Namibians and foreigners who permanently reside in Namibia with their children, from registering for social grants.

“Supplying the required national documents will [create] an opportunity for them to not only obtain social grants but acquire other means that would contribute to eradicating poverty,” it states.

The blueprint further asserts that the existing social grant system is incoherent and does not have a national social protection policy and implementation framework. Kameeta urged Namibians not to concentrate on government failures but to acknowledge the progress made by the government since independence.

“Let us join our hearts and hands together and make this blueprint on wealth redistribution and poverty eradication with its implementation plan a resounding success of lifting our people from the mud of abject poverty and the creation of prosperity for all,” he said.

JEMIMA BEUKES

Axed Endjala driver speaks

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Axed Endjala driver speaksConfirms authoring explosive letter that went viral The fired driver of the Omusati governor has confirmed that he wrote the letter that accused his former boss of a number of shenanigans. The under-fire former driver of Omusati governor Erginus Endjala yesterday confirmed that he was the author of the infamous two-page letter that went viral on social media in recent weeks.

Benjamin Hishivimbwa's letter accused Endjala of making derogatory remarks about senior national leaders, including gossip about their HIV status and love affairs.

Endjala dismissed the allegations as untrue during a media briefing at Outapi yesterday.

Hishivimbwa told Namibian Sun yesterday that he wrote the letter in retaliation for the circumstances that led to his dismissal as the governor's driver in May.

Hishivimbwa said the letter was not meant for public consumption, but for the attention of the governor, who is a relative of his.

“According to the letter, I received from his [Endjala's] office I was dismissed because I was disrespectful and had revealed confidential information. My intention was to give this letter to him [Endjala] at the Outapi labour court on 22 September, but to my surprise the letter went viral before the court date,” Hishivimbwa said.

He said he printed out the letter at a shop in Outapi on 20 September.

After printing the letter, he signed it and made copies.

“While I was home waiting for the court appearance on Friday (22 September), I received a call that a letter with my signature was posted on the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) Facebook page.

“When I asked people to show it to me, it was exactly like the one I wrote. I don't know how it ended up there. I am suspecting that it might be people from the printing shop,” he said.

The letter contains explosive information, including Endjala's alleged appetite for women, and the love affairs of senior Swapo leaders.

According to the letter, Endjala made these revelations to Hishivimbwa during several trips around the country.

'Not true'

At a media briefing yesterday, Endjala vehemently denied the accusations against him.

“I would like to reject all false accusations by this reckless/soulless driver. May he provide this nation with proof of what he has hallucinated against me.

“As for me, I cannot even remember having any conversation about people's affairs or their [HIV] status. I haven't even told him about my status. He is not my doctor and not even my biological brother,” Endjala said.

The governor further said his former driver was being used by his political “enemies” to attack him.

“He can be used to attack me by my enemies and become the laughing stock of the century, but the day will come when he will need to prove all his allegations in a court of law,” he said.

Endjala said he was being targeted because of his undying support for President Hage Geingob as Swapo leader.

He added that his enemies were uncomfortable with the fact that he was appointed as governor in the Geingob administration.

“I am unstoppable and I will not allow anyone, not even lies, accusations or intimidations, to stand in my way. I, for one, became a target because of my principles of defending what is right and to go with the legacy of our party,” he said.



Geingob support

Endjala further said Geingob should be given a chance to take over the reins of Swapo uncontested, just like his predecessors.

“Was the Swapo constitution never in existence when the first president was given the second chance and even the Namibian constitution was amended to give him a third term? The same applies to the second president,” he said.

ILENI NANDJATO

Mother of all bailouts

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Mother of all bailoutsGovt's Air Namibia spend hits N$6 billion The government has spent about N$6 billion of the taxpayer's money over the last ten years to keep Air Namibia afloat. Close to N$9 billion has been transferred to Air Namibia, the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) and TransNamib over the past decade, estimates based on national budget documents show.

Air Namibia was the main recipient, with more than N$6 billion transferred to the company since 2008, a briefing paper on public enterprise governance issued by the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) indicates.

For the current financial year, the national airline received N$486.4 million from treasury, while TransNamib was allocated N$220.3 million.





The NAC pocketed more than N$1.196 billion from direct government subsidies over the past ten years and TransNamib received just a little less, at N$1.181 billion.

The IPPR tabulated the figures by consulting national budgets to estimate the transfers to a selection of commercial public enterprises over the past ten years.

“Given the difficulty of finding accurate figures for all years, these figures should not be read as the final word – in some years, it is likely transfers were higher than indicated, while downward revisions have also occurred occasionally,” the IPPR warns.

The estimates only include direct subsidies.

In Namcor's case, where the table shows government transfers of N$510 million over a decade, the IPPR notes that Namcor's earnings from the fuel levy, which accounted for “substantial transfers from the taxpayer”, were not included in the table.

The IPPR's briefing paper was a second analysis of the reform of state-owned enterprises through the introduction of a hybrid governance model.

Under the section of commercial public enterprises, which under the new system are entities that are meant to provide a product or render a service in the best interest of the public, the IPPR analysis states that the new system does not explicitly require these entities to be profitable.

Nevertheless, the IPPR notes that the nature of these enterprises, including Air Namibia, TransNamib, Epangelo, Namcor and Namibia Wildlife Resorts, “implies that they should at the very least be somewhat efficient”.

“It is ironic, given the fact that many of them actually have substantial income streams, that commercial public enterprises have required such a disproportionate amount of government aid,” the IPPR paper adds.

Their dependence of many of these entities on state bailouts and other financial assistance was highlighted when the minister of public enterprises, Leon Jooste, recently “singled them [commercial public enterprises] out as having a particularly high failure rate.”

The IPPR summary includes transfers of close to N$82 million to Epangelo, N$290 million to Namibia Power Corporation and N$117 million to Namibia Wildlife Resorts.

The Namibia Ports Authority received just over N$240 million in ten years, but the report notes that Namport is also one of the major contributors to state coffers through substantial dividend payments.

The IPPR argues that taxpayers would likely be able to “stomach large investments every once in a while to finance a company that regularly makes modest profits on steady growth in revenue.”

The IPPR notes that the absence of dividends from Air Namibia and TransNamib “will not surprise anyone”.

“Namport, on the other hand, makes a decent case for itself when the full tables for transfers and dividends are compared.”



Praise for the good

The IPPR analysis reveals varying patterns.

“Some companies receive large transfers once in a while, but do not require assistance otherwise. This is defensible in principle,” the paper states.

It states that the public could accept a capital infusion to finance major new projects, especially in areas such as infrastructure provision.

“Other companies have shown a persistent pattern of large transfers. This may also be theoretically defensible,” the IPPR adds, singling out Air Namibia, which has “argued that the economic benefit its flights bring to the country far outweigh the cost to the taxpayer.”

But the analysis points out that a number of scandals over the years indicated that a lot of this spending was unnecessary.

Publicly funded enterprises should at least break even, although profits should not necessarily be the aim in all cases.

The IPPR points out that some state-owned enterprises do “sometimes” contribute to government finances.

“While some have never returned any revenue to the fiscus, others have contributed a fair amount over the years.”

Estimated dividends paid by commercial public enterprises include the Namibia Ports Authority (N$72 million), the NAC (N$1.2 million), Namcor (N$4.3 million) and the Lüderitz Waterfront (N$476 000).

Other commercial enterprise dividends, from companies that the government owns but has not yet classified as commercial public enterprises, include Namdeb, which contributed N$515 million in dividends over the past few years.

Namibia Post and Telecommunications Holdings Limited (NTPH) contributed N$575 million in dividends in recent years, and Rössing Uranium N$25.9 million.



JANA-MARI SMITH

Mouton's missing docket turns up

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Mouton's missing docket turns up Morné Mouton's freedom was short-lived. On Tuesday, his culpable homicide and drunken driving case was struck from the roll of the Windhoek Magistrate's Court because of a missing docket, leading to the withdrawal of the charges.

The missing docket was retrieved yesterday from the office of the court's prosecutor, Rowan van Wyk.

Mouton was accused of killing three people - City Police officer Manfred Gaoseb (35), Werner Simon (22) and teacher Joshua Ngenokesho - in a crash in Sam Nujoma Drive, Hochland Park on 4 July 2015. Another man and a female officer escaped unhurt when Mouton's car crashed into them.

Hans Tourob, the control prosecutor of lower courts in Windhoek, told Namibian Sun that they had issued a new summons yesterday morning for the case to be placed back on the court roll. The police were expected to serve the summons on Mouton by yesterday.

He is expected to go on trial on 14 October.

Tourob added that his office ordered Van Wyk to explain why the docket was not handed to the prosecutor assigned to the case.

“The incident has placed the State's case and the whole of the prosecution in a very bad light,” Tourob said.

The unavailability of the docket led to Magistrate Vanessa Stanley refusing to grant the State a postponement of the trial, which had been scheduled to start on Tuesday.

She said there had been many delays in the case, which had been on the court roll since July 2015.

She struck the case from the court roll when the prosecutor turned up for the trial without witnesses or a case docket.

Stanley emphasised that the State had ample time to get its house in order. According to her the State had the docket two weeks ago and was able to provide disclosure.

She found it unacceptable that the prosecution had waited until the trial date to inform the defence lawyers that the docket was missing and that no witnesses had been subpoenaed.

FRED GOEIEMAN

Namibia paid one genocide lawyer N$16m

September 28, 2017, 3:00 pm

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Namibia paid one genocide lawyer N$16m A Namibian lawyer based in the United Kingdom was paid N$16 million for legal advice on the government's reparations demand against Germany for the 1904-08 Nama and OvaHerero genocide.

So far the case has cost the government N$32 million.

Anna Uukelo is one of four lawyers contracted by the government. The others are European advocates Dexter Dias (N$14 million), Richard Reynolds (N$385 401) and Cameron Milles (N$816 574).

Attorney-general Sacky Shanghala told the National Assembly that payment was made in full, albeit just in time before the lawyers took legal action to compel the government to pay.

He regretted the general slow payment of legal practitioners, saying that the last time the government had paid lawyers was in April this year.















“Soon the government will find itself in a situation where lawyers do not want to take on its cases,” he said.

Shanghala expressed satisfaction with the quality of the lawyers' work but he was not prepared to divulge their legal strategies while negotiations are continuing.

“The Germans are taking legal advice and this is evident from the composition of their negotiation team; so are we,” he stressed.

He added that there would certainly be “further consultations” with the lawyers.

“When you instruct counsel, you analyse the matter and determine what you want to obtain. Do you want to keep the other party in court for the longest time? Do you want to deal with technicalities? Do you seek to make changes to jurisdiction, and if so, do you want an academic approach or a senior jurisprudential argument or research presented? Case strategy is something we think of all the time,” said Shanghala.

JEMIMA BEUKES