Namibian Sun

The office of the President has just announced the passing away of Governor of the Kunene Region, Angelika Kazetjindire Muharukua. According to the Presidency she passed away early this morning. Muharukua has served as Governor of the Kunene Region since 2015. All memorial and burial service arrangements will be announced as soon as they are finalised.

Bulldogs beat Welwitschias in tight match

The Windhoek Draught Welwitschias narrowly lost 26-25 to the Border Bulldogs on Saturday.

A try on the fulltime hooter allowed the Border Bulldogs to edge the visiting Windhoek Draught Welwitschias 26-25 (halftime 7-7) in a breathless finish to their Currie Cup First Division encounter at the BCM Stadium in East London.

A fantastic effort from the Bulldogs pack in the second half laid the platform for the thrilling win, with a monster scrum in the dying seconds setting it up for big number eight Sokuphumla Xakalashe to crash over to the right of the uprights for the winning score.

Prior to the match, Welwitschias coach Lyn Jones made nine changes to his starting line-up.

The changes were necessary because many players were injured and this led to disruption in the team, which had been playing very well with all the players present. Five of the changes were among the forwards and four among the backs.

Now the team looks forward to playing their last home match against the Boland Kavaliers in the Currie Cup First Division tournament. The match will take place at the Central Sports Field in Swakopmund.

This is the first time that a Currie Cup match is played at the coast. The West Coast Sharks Rugby Club are the hosts for this historic match.

On the same day, there will be a rugby clinic for under-11 and -13 players as well as schools' rugby between Pro-Ed Academy and WBPHS.

There will also be a Barbarians match between a Swakopmund and Walvis Bay team.

Scorers

Border Bulldogs tries: Siyasanga Ncanywa, Siphosethu Tom, Athenkosi Manentsa, Sokuphumla Xakalashe

Conversions: Bangihlombe Kobese (3)

Windhoek Draught Welwitschias tries: David Philander (3)

Conversions: Mahco Prinsloo (2)

Penalty: Mahco Prinsloo (2)

SUPERSPORT

Gunners, African in Debmarine Cup finalPlayers use tournament as prep for league First-timers Mighty Gunners and Young African have reached the final of the Debmarine Cup tournament.

There will be fireworks when Mighty Gunners and Young African compete in the final of the 2017 Debmarine Namibia Cup in November as they came through their litmus test.

Mighty Gunners had the best of Tura Magic, 2-0 with goals from Pineas Jacobs and David Gabriel in the second half while their teammate Robert Uirab was voted man of the match, walking away with N$2 000.

Young African and Young Chiefs then met for a place in the final and the boys from Gobabis won the game 2-0 thanks to goals from Uauanisa Kamberipa and Elvis Katire.

Kamberipa got his goal late in the first half and Katire scored at the end of the 90 minutes to complete the victory and passage to the final. Kaovisa Hengombe was man of the match. Gunners coach Gebhardt Washa-Washa Hengari says their game plan worked well against Tura Magic who were firm favourites to reach the final.

“We absorbed their pressure and I told the boys to wait until they opened up and they did in the second half. I was surprised with their fitness levels, not what I expected and they couldn't keep up with us anymore and we got the goals and to the final now,” Hengari said.

For the final of the 2017 Debmarine Namibia Cup, venue and date still to be confirmed, Hengari said they would not take African lightly and the final would be self-motivating for the players.

“In the final of any competition as prestigious as this cup, your players are motivated to do well already, you just have to get the tactics right. African worked so hard for their place in the final and we cannot underestimate them at all. It will be great final by the look of things and I promise Gunners will play their part,” he added.

Young African coach Maleagi Ngarizemo sang the praises of his players, who are first-timers in the big final with an impressive sum of money to be won.

“I told the team when we started the competition that we must use this chance to reach the final. The boys wanted it more and they dug deep. For a club which is about four years old and with no experienced players to reach this final; it's majestic.

“The players responded well to tactics. The league will start soon and players will be fit and I hope the final will be outside Windhoek to have a good atmosphere in a smaller venue,” Ngarizemo said.

Many players who participated in the Debmarine Cup will use the tournament as a stepping stone to prepare for the league.

Gunners and Young African will each receive an increased N$30 0000 for travel and preparations. The man of the match will receive N$5 000 and a charity of his choice will receive the same amount.

SPORT REPORTER

Wozniacki seals spot in season-ending WTA Finals

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki became the sixth player to qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore, the WTA said yesterday.

The Dane, who defended her Pan Pacific title in Tokyo last week and reached six other finals this year, joins Garbine Muguruza, Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova, Elina Svitolina and Venus Williams in Singapore with two spots left. Wozniacki, who will make her fifth appearance at the 22-29 October event, reached the final in 2010 when Doha hosted the WTA Finals. “I'm very excited that I've qualified for the WTA Finals again,” the 27-year-old Wozniacki said in a statement.

“I have such great memories of the tournament, especially from 2010, and I can't wait to get to back to Singapore and play my best tennis in front of the amazing fans there.” The top eight singles players at the $7 million prize money event will face off in a round-robin format for the Billie Jean King Trophy. The eight best doubles teams will battle for the Martina Navratilova Trophy in a knock-out format. Wozniacki, who has 26 career titles, was due to play local hope Wang Qiang in the first round of the China Open in Beijing later yesterday.

De Bruyne gives City victory over Chelsea

Manchester City regained top spot in the Premier League with a deserved 1-0 victory over an out-of-sorts Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Having been knocked down into second place by Manchester United's win over Crystal Palace earlier in the day, Pep Guardiola's side jumped back ahead of their city rivals on goal difference thanks to Kevin De Bruyne's superb second-half strike.

City are now unbeaten in 15 league games and have dropped only two points this season. Chelsea sustained their second defeat of the campaign at Stamford Bridge and fall to fourth, six points adrift of the two Manchester clubs and one behind Tottenham Hotspur, who are third.

Their poor performance and result were compounded by losing top scorer Alvaro Morata to injury in the first half when he limped off, holding his hamstring.

Chelsea started quickly and had an excellent opportunity to take the lead inside three minutes when N'Golo Kante crossed from the right for Morata but the Spaniard's recent lethal form in front of goal deserted him and he could only loop his header from six metres over.

The hosts then almost gifted City a goal when Thibaut Courtois dithered over a clearance and saw his kick ricochet off the charging Gabriel Jesus and bounce just wide.

Cesar Azpilicueta had a left-foot shot turned around the post by Ederson and David Silva had a strike palmed clear by Courtois as the two sides fought out an evenly matched contest.

City, though, began to take control of both territory and possession after the half-hour mark and both Nicolas Otamendi and Fernandinho missed headers from corner as the visitors pushed for an opener.

Matters worsened for Chelsea when Morata was forced off 10 minutes before the break.

City continued to press in the second half and Raheem Sterling should have done better than half-volley over when he received the ball unmarked on the edge of the box from a corner.

Sterling turned provider in the 66th minute when he cut back to the unmarked Silva on the penalty spot, but the Spaniard took too long and his right-foot shot was blocked.

It did not matter as City took the lead a minute later when De Bruyne played a one-two with Jesus and rifled a sublime left-foot shot into Courtois's left-hand corner for his first Premier League goal of the season.

Conte responded by sending on Pedro and Michy Batshuayi and the hosts' play immediately became more urgent and threatening, but City still looked the more dangerous team and were able to see out the game.

SUPERSPORT

All Blacks win title before finalSpringboks, Australia draw again Australia held South Africa to a draw on Saturday, handing New Zealand the Rugby Championship title before they even played the last semi-final.

New Zealand retained the Rugby Championship title before facing Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday after Australia held South Africa to a 27-27 draw, their second successive stalemate in as many tests.

The All Blacks go into their test at Velez Sarsfield with 19 points from four matches, six ahead of South Africa before next weekend's final away match against the Springboks. Australia have 10 points, Argentina none.

It is world champions New Zealand's fifth title in six years since the former Tri-Nations tournament was increased to four teams with the introduction of Argentina in 2012.

Flyhalf Elton Jantjies had a chance in the final minute to win the match for the home side, who drew 23-23 with Australia in Perth three weeks ago and were looking to bounce back after a record 57-0 defeat in their last match against New Zealand.

But Jantjies hit his kick from a tight angle well wide soon after slotting in an easier effort to bring the Springboks level.

Both sides scored three tries in an exhausting match at altitude with players on both teams looking as though they were out on their feet at the end of 80 minutes. Australia was 13-10 ahead at the break.

Marika Koroibete, making his first start for the Wallabies, scored two tries but also gave away the penalty that might have led to his sides defeat had Jantjies not squandered the chance.

Australia opened the scoring with an 11th-minute try from Israel Folau but the Boks replied within eight minutes as Ross Cronje set up the score with a pass that prop Ruan Dreyer took over the line.

Two penalties from Bernard Foley and a reply from Jantjies had Australia 13-10 up at halftime, after which came four tries in the space of 14 minutes as the two sides crossed over twice each.

Centre Jan Serfontein began the exchange in the 43rd minute as he dotted over after an initial burst down the wing by flanker Siya Xolisi to see the Boks go ahead for the first time.

But Xolisi missed a tackle four minutes later as Foley, winning his 50th cap for the Wallabies, set up a debut try for Koroibete.

Winger Courtnall Skosan showed strength as he went over the line with two tacklers on top of him to restore South Africa's lead in the 49th minute with Jantjies converting for a narrow four-point lead.

Foley then again set up Koroibete for a third Wallabies try and the successful conversion from a difficult angle had the visitor's three points ahead again.

Poor handling cost South Africa chances in the final 15 minutes but Jantjies tied the score with a penalty after Australia winger Reece Hodge was penalised for holding on to the ball nine minutes from time.

The Boks then had an opportunity for victory when Koroibete had his hands in the ruck but the kick was too difficult for Jantjies to convert.

“It looked like nobody wants to win it,” said Australia skipper Michael Hooper.

“It was good for the spectators but disappointing for us,” countered South Africa captain Eben Etzebeth.

NAMPA / REUTERS

OJ Simpson freedWalks out of prison after nine years The former American football star and actor has been released on parole after nine years in a Nevada jail.

Disgraced American football star OJ Simpson, whose racially charged 1995 murder trial riveted the nation, was released from jail on parole early yesterday after nine years behind bars for armed robbery.

Simpson, 70, left the Lovelock Correctional Centre in the western state of Nevada just after midnight, prison spokesperson Brooke Keast said. “I don't know where he was headed,” Keast told AFP.

Simpson was granted parole at a hearing in July and his earliest release date was set for October 1, but he had widely been expected to be freed no earlier than Monday.

Why the early release? “To ensure public safety and avoid possible incident,” Keast said, commenting on Simpson's release.

Simpson plans to relocate to Florida following his release from the medium-security prison where he has been serving his sentence, his lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne said earlier.

Simpson was famously found not guilty in 1995 of the grisly murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and a male friend, Ron Goldman, in a case that transfixed the country and became known as the “Trial of the Century.”

But the former National Football League running back and actor was sent to prison in 2008 for his role in an armed robbery the previous year of two sports memorabilia dealers at a Las Vegas resort.

Simpson claimed at his trial that he was just seeking to recover personal items from the dealers, and he repeated that explanation at his parole board hearing in July, where the four-member panel voted unanimously for his release.

The football player was sentenced to a maximum 33-year prison sentence in 2008 after storming a Las Vegas hotel room with five others in an effort to seize items from two sports memorabilia dealers.

Simpson said the belongings, which he described as images of his family and friends, were later handed over to him by officials after they were legally deemed to belong to him.

In 2013 the Nevada Board of Parole granted him parole on some of his convictions, but not for the more violent charges. In July this year, he was granted parole and approved for release in October.

Bruce Fromong, who was one of Simpson's victims in the robbery, testified in favour of him being granted freedom. Simpson was found guilty in 2008 exactly 13 years to the day after he was famously acquitted in the double-murder case.

Despite the 1995 not-guilty verdict, a civil court jury held Simpson liable for the deaths of his Brown Simpson and Goldman, awarding US$33.5m (£25m) to their families.

NAMPA/AP

Colombia's last rebel group begins truce After a half-century of armed struggle, the Colombian armed forces and the country's last guerrilla group, the ELN, began on Sunday a historic, if possibly temporary, truce.

The initial ceasefire between the National Liberation Army rebels and government forces, which began at midnight Saturday, is set to extend until January 9.

The truce is the most important achievement yet from peace talks carried out since February by negotiators for the rebels and the Colombian government of President Juan Manuel Santos in neighbouring Ecuador, aimed at ending the longest armed conflict in the Americas.

“Starting at this moment, and as our Commander Nicolas Rodriguez said, the ELN will fully implement the bilateral ceasefire,” the rebel group wrote on Twitter just after midnight Saturday.

Rodriguez earlier ordered his troops to “cease all types of offensive activities to fully comply with the bilateral ceasefire” starting at 05:01 GMT Sunday.

The Colombian armed forces were also ordered to suspend operations against the guerrillas at the same time.

President Santos said he hoped the truce could serve as a “first step to achieving peace” with the rebel group.

The government last year reached a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, the oldest and most powerful guerrilla force in the region, that led to the group surrendering its weapons.

The runup to the truce, however, has been bloody, as ELN rebels attacked security forces and a major oil pipeline, leaving one soldier dead and causing oil spills in rivers near Venezuela.

On Saturday, just hours before the truce came into effect, government forces announced that they had killed an ELN commander in northeastern Colombia known as “Carro Loco” (“Mad Car”) in a commando raid.

Separately, three police officers were killed in an ambush, while one of the presumed shooters was killed, in southwestern Colombia. The government initially blamed dissident FARC guerrillas, but ELN rebels are also active in the region.

The chief government negotiator, Juan Camilo Restrepo, on Saturday condemned what he called the “foolish onslaught” and said the ELN needed to “keep its commitments” if it wanted to erase its “bad image.”

The rebels have killed or wounded 47 members of the security forces since January, according to Defence Minister Luis Carlos Villegas.

NAMPA/AFP

Cash crunch risks grounding UN air ops in Sudan

UN humanitarian air operations in Sudan face being grounded because of an acute cash crunch, aid officials say, affecting the delivery of relief to thousands of people in conflict areas.

The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) has funding that will barely keep it flying until the end of November, raising the possibility that operations may have to cease from December.

UNHAS has two fixed wing aircraft and three helicopters, but has already stopped flying to five out of 41 locations in the African country.

“We are currently funded until end of November and we require one million dollars more to continue operations until the end of the year,” Bianka Zyra, Sudan spokeswoman for the World Food Programme which manages UNHAS, told AFP.

“If we don't receive that one million dollars then operations will cease.”

Aid workers say UNHAS is a vital service for delivering humanitarian supplies, especially medicines, in Sudan's conflict-wracked regions such as Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

The UN helicopters can access deep field locations that are extremely difficult to access by road.

“Although primarily a passenger service for aid workers, UNHAS delivers perishable vaccines which by road either take too long or due to bumpiness would shatter,” Zyra said.

UNHAS also ferries international delegations, foreign diplomats and Sudanese officials to war-wracked areas to assess relief work.

The current financial situation is critical for UNHAS as it now has to raise funds almost on a weekly basis.

“We are getting US$500 000 from here or US$250 000 from there,” Zyra said when the service needs about US$1.4 million a month.

“What UNHAS really needs is full funding, not only to the end of the year but extra money in terms of being able to plan strategically to be able to meet rising needs.”

Those needs are increasing in part because the Sudanese authorities are offering relief workers more access to several previously no-go areas after Washington made it a condition that Khartoum must meet for a permanent lifting of decades-old US sanctions against Sudan.

On October 12, US President Donald Trump is to decide whether to permanently lift the sanctions imposed in 1997 over Khartoum's alleged support for Islamist militant groups.

UN officials say there would be huge delay in delivering aid to tens of thousands of people if UNHAS stops flying.

“In a country like Sudan this would imply huge delays due to the distance and poor condition of the roads, as well as potential inaccessibility in certain parts of the country where insecurity is still high,” the top UN aid official in Sudan, Marta Ruedas, said, citing carjackings in the past.

NAMPA/AFP

A tulwa ishewe miipandeko omolwa ekwatonkonga Omulumentu omunamimvo 64, ngoka a li a mangululwa kiipotha yekwatonkonga lyokamonakadhona komukulukadhi gwe omvula ya piti nokupewa egeelo lyokufuta oshimaliwa shoo N$10 000 okwa tulwa ishewe miipandeko omolwa ekwatonkonga lyokanona oko tuu hoka.

Elias Shaanika oku li modholongo ngashiingeyi noshipotha she oshuundulilwa komasiku 15 gaNovemba.

Opolisi oya popi kutya omulumentu ngoka okwa tulwa miipandeko omolwa ekwatonkonga lyokanona kokakadhona koomvula 15, hoka a kwata onkonga omanga yina yokanona a li a za mo megumbo, moka ayehe haya kala.

Opolisi oya hokolola kutya Shaanika okwa tulwa miipandeko lwopotundi onti-21:30 sho a pendula moomposi okanona hoka nokukakondjitha opo kaye miihulo naye.

Shoka oshikando oshitiyali, Shaanika ta tulwa miipandeko omolwa ekwatonkonga lyokanona hoka.

Opolisi oya popi kutya shoka oshikando oshitiyali omutamanekwa ta tulwa miipandeko omolwa ekwatonkonga lyokanona hoka ka valwa komukulukadhi gwe. Oshikando shotango okwa li a pewa egeelo lyokufuta oshimaliwa shooN$10 000.

Nonando ongaaka sho oshifokundaneki shoNamibia Sun sha ningi omapulaaapulo ga gwedhwapo, osha mono uuyelele woondokumende hompangu yomOmaruru ndhoka dha holola kutya, Shaanika ina monika ondjo moshipotha shoka, na okwa mangululwa sho a kala ta pangulwa kwiikwatelelwa kOmpango onti-8 yOkukondjitha Omakwatonkonga moshilongo, yomo-2000, muNovemba gwo-2016.

Oombaapila dhoka dhompangu osha holola kutya, okwa tulwa miipandeko mo-2015 na okwa tamanekelwa oshipotha shekwatonkonga oshowo iipotha iyali yokwiihumbata pakukalo kaagu li mondjila, negeelo ndyoka a futithwa olyiipotha mbyoka.

Hahende gwoLegal assistance centre, Dianne Hubbard okwa yelitha kutya ita vulu okuya muule woshipotha shoka, ihe okwa popi kutya egeelo ndyoka lya pewa Shaanika omvula ya piti, otali endele pamwe nOmpango tayi ithanwa Combating of Immoral Practice Act 21 of 2980.

Kohi yompango yOkukondjitha Omakwatonkonga, omageelo ngoka taga gandjwa konakumonika ondjo miipotha mbyoka, ogeli pokati koomvula 5, 10 no-15. Kwaamboka taya endulula epogolo ngoka, omageelo ogeli pokati koomvula 10, 20 nenge 45. Egeelo enene ohali gandjwa ngele nakuninga oshihakanwa okuli kohi yoomvula 13.

Uuyelele kombinga yoshipotha shotango shoka sha tamanekelwa Shaanika, omolwa ekwatonkonga lyokanona hoka kali ke na oomvula 15 pethimbo ndyoka inawu za mo sho oonkambadhala dhokumona omayamukulo okuza kUuministeli wUuyuki dha ponyo, sho inawu yamukula pethimbo omanga oshinyolwa shika inashi nyanyangidhwa.

JANA-MARI SMITH

Unam okwa pumbwa omalutuOmpango yaNamibia oya pumbwa okutalululwa Oshiputudhilo shoUniversiti yaStellenbosch, itashi ka kala we tashi gandja omalutu ngoka haga longithwa okuninga omapekaapeko gopaunamiti moshiputudhilo shUunamiti shaUnam, omolwa oompango yaNamibia ndjoka itayi pitika aantu ya vule okugandja omagano gomalutu gawo nenge iilyo yawo yomalutu koshiputudhilo shoka.

Oshitutudhilo shoUnam School of Medicine (SoM) otashi indile oshigwana shi gandje omagano gomalutu gawo oshowo iilyo yolutu, mokuninga omapekaapeko gaailongi moshiputudhilo shoka. Monena AaNamibia owala yahamano ya uvaneke egandjo lyomalutu gawo koshiputudhilo shoka.

Kwiikwatelelwa komupipiloko gwaUnam, Simon Namesho, oshiputudhilo shoka osha kala hashi mono omalutu gaantu ngoka hashi longitha momapekaapeko gomailongo guunamiti, okutameka mo-2011 okuza koStellenbosch University moWestern Cape shaSouth Africa, molwaashoka oshiputudhilo itashi vulu okumona omalutu okuza moshilongo.

Omunambelewa ngoka okwa popi kutya oya tseyithilwa nale kutya ndjika otayi ka kala omvula ya hugunina okukala taya mono ekwatho ndyoka okuza koshiputudhilo shoka shaSouth Afrika.

Namesho okwa gwedha po kutya Unama oha futu oshimaliwa shooN$18 500 molutu kehe mwa kwatelwa iilonga ayihe, ngaashi okukaleka olutu ndoka monkalo ombwaanawa, epungulo oshowo eholeko lyolutu ndoka lwanima.

Namwesho okwa tsikile kutya omalutu ngoka ga kala taga longithwa koshiputudhilo shoka sha okuza mo-2016, oga tumwa nokushunithwa koSouth Afrika muJuli gwonuumvo, hoka taga ka holekwa. Omunambelewa ngoka okwa popi kutya andola otashi kala oshipu koshiputudhilo shawo uuna shi aa iikwaniipangitho yawo ayihe ya gwana po momailongo ngoka, ihe otashi ka kutha ethimbo okuvithako aantu opo ya vule okukala taya yambidhidha oshiputudhilo shoka nomalutu, omolwa omaitaalo ga yooloka oshowo omithigululwakalo dha yooloka.

Namesho okwa tsikile kutya oshiputudhilo shaUnam koshikondo shUundjolowele osha kala tashi longo nuudhiginini pamwe nuuministeli wUundjolowele oshowo ombelelwa yaHahende ndjai oomvula mbali dha piti, opo ku ningwe omalunduluko mOmpango yaNamibia tayi ithanwa Namibian Human Tissue Act, ko ku pitikwe aakwashigwana ya vule okukala taya gandja omalutu niilyo yomalutu koshiputudhilo shoka .

Oshiputudhilo shoka otashi lalakanene okuuvithako oshigwana kesimano lyegandjo lyomagano lyomalutu, oshowo iilyo yaantu.

JEMIMA BEUKES

AaNamibia otaya idhimbike oondjokononaOondjokonona odhi li uuthiga woshigwana Omupresidende nale gwoshilongo, okwa popi kutya kashi na esimano lya sha ngele oshigwana kashi na ontseyo yoondjokonona na inashi simaneka omithigululwakalo dhasho.

Omukokoli presidende Sam Nujoma, okwa holola omaiyuvo ge omolwa AaNamibia mboka itaya shanga nokukala noondjokonona dhoshilongo shawo.

“Itatu shanga omahokololo getu, otwa tegelela aantu yalwe oyo yetu shangele oondjokonona,” Nujoma a popi.

Nujoma okwa li ta popi pethimbo kwa dhimbulukiwa Esiku lyAatalelipo mUuyuni, ndyoka nomoNamibia lya dhimbulukilwa mOvenduka, oshiwike sha piti.

Omukokoli okwa tothwamo iitsa ya simana yesimano lyoondjokonona oshowo omithigululwakalo.

Nujoma okwa popi kutya osha simaana noonkondo aantu ya kale ye na ontseyo nuunongo woondjokonona dhawo dhopashigwana nomithigululwakalo, molwaashoka kashi na esimano lya sha okukala aantu kaye shi mpoka ya zile, kombinga yomidhigululwakalo dhawo, omazimo gawo, omalaka gawo oshowo oonkuluhedhi dhawo woo.

Nujoma okwa tsikile kutya okwiilonga ondjokonona osha simana molwaasshoka otashi pitika aantu ya tseye shoka sha ningwa omathimbo ga piti, oshowo shoka tashi ningwa monakuyiwa.

“Ngele otwa hala okutseya kutya ongiini na omolwashike uuyuni wuli ponkatu mpoka wuli monena, nena otwa pumbwa okutala koondjokonona opo tu mone omayamukulo. Ilongeni omapondolo ngoka ga ningwa monakuziwa oshowo omandopo, opo mwiilongele ko oshilongwa muha endulule omapuko ngoka gwa ningwa monakuziwa.”

Okwa tsikile kutya okwiilonga ondjokona otaku gandja euveko lyomithigululwakalo nokuyambulapo ontseyo kombinga yomithigululwakalo oshowo etaambeko lyomithigululwakalo.

Pahapu dhaNujoma, omatalelepo gopamithigululwakalo, otaga gandja ompito kaatalelipo opo ya kuthe ombinga momithigululwakalo dhaNamibia, onkalathano, oondjokonona oshowo oonkuluhedhi.

ELLANIE SMIT

Meatco a tembula oompungulilo dhe dhokutalaleka okuza koSA

Ehangano lyaMeatco otali hupitha oshimaliwa oshindji konima sho okatomeno kehangano ndyoka, hoka ka kala mOkahandja, ka ningwa po ehala lyoompungulilo dhokutalaleka iilandithomwa yehangano ndyoka, mbyoka hayi tuminwa pondje yoshilongo.

MuFebruali gwonuumvo, ehangano ndyoka olya tseyitha etokolo lyawo opo okatomeno kawo komOkahandja ka ningwe po ehala lyomapungulilo gokutalaleka onyama ndjoka tayi tumwa pondje yoshilongo.

Etokolo ndyoka olya pitika opo ehangano li tembuke okuza koTable Bay moCape Town hoka lya li hali pungula iilandithomwa yawo yopondje yoshilongo nokuya moNamibia.

MuMei nuumvo, ehala ndyoka tali adhika mOkahandja ngashiingeyi olya yakula ofulaha yimwe yonyama okuza mOvenuka, ndjoka ya tumwa pondje.

Momwedhi Juni, ehala ndyoka olya yakula oofulaha dha thika po-29 oshowo omakondeina geli 14 ngoka ga tumwa pondje yoshilongo omanga muJuli, kwa yakulwa oofulaha 29 nomakondeina 25 oga tumwa pondje yoshilongo. MuAguste okwa yakulwa oofulaha 14 nomakondeina 22 oga tumwa pondje yoshilongo.

Etokolo ndyoka olya hupitha woo iilonga yaaniilonga mboka ya kala taya longele mokatomeno komOkahandja.

Okatomeno hoka oka kala ka pata okutameka omvula ya piti, omolwa ompumbwe yomeya ndjoka tayi dhenge oshitopolwa shopokati koshilongo, oshowo ompumbwe yoongombe omolwa oshikukuta shoka sha kala tashi dhenge oshilongo uule woomvula dha piti.

Meatco okwa li a popi kutya etokolo ndyoka ya ningi otali ka etitha opo ya tembudhile ehala lyawo lyomapungululo dhokutalaleka okuza koCape Town okuya mOkahandja, molwaashoka efalo lyonyama kehala ndyoka osha li tashi ya pula oshimaliwa shooN$22 000 molweendo kehe okuyeleka noshimaliwa shooN$10 000 shoka haya futu monena okufala oondongelwa dhawo mOmbaye ngashiingeyi.

Ehangano olya tsikile kutya etokolo ndyoka ya ningi otali gandja uuwanawa kehangano sho ngashiingeyi taya longitha ehala lyawo yene oshowo iikwaniipangitho yawo yene.

ELLANIE SMIT

Shot of the day

HELPING HAND: Rohingya refugees carry an old woman in the refugee camp of Kutupalong near the locality of Ukhia. Bangladesh's army was ordered on 20 September 2017 to take a bigger role helping hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who have fled violence in Myanmar, amid warnings it could take six months to register the new refugees. Photo: NAMPA/AFP

Consequences for financial negligence Auditor-General Junias Kandjeke has once more berated accounting officers in government agencies for poor financial controls during the last financial year. The auditors have unearthed a number of inconsistencies in the financial dealings of many government ministries, agencies and offices of which millions have either been squandered or cannot be accounted for. The ministries of defence and works were among those that fared relatively poorly during their financial audits. For defence, Kandjeke found several mismatching reports and unexplained funding, which he squarely blamed on the absence of an audit committee that should receive and monitor the internal financial controls. Kandjeke was also not impressed with the works ministry and particularly reprimanded the accounting officer Willem Goeiemann to account for several millions missing from the transport department, as reported by the Windhoek Observer last Friday. According to the article, the permanent secretary reported that the transport division had generated N$121 million from the sale of 569 government vehicles through auction, but it looks like only N$18 million was generated. This means over N$100 million remains unaccounted. He also failed to provide any records of how N$152 million in tender exemptions was spent following an application for exemption for the supply of services which could not be procured through normal tender procedures. The two ministries are not the only ones struggling with clean audits. Many other SOEs, municipalities and town councils are also battling to achieve clean audits year in and out. It is clear that these agencies lack accountability. Our concern is that despite the problem being well-documented there appears to be no urgency in enforcing leadership accountability by instituting appropriate internal control measures to ensure proper financial and performance management. We are a country faced with many problems at the moment and we can ill-afford to be merciless with taxpayers money. The authorities must see to it that there are consequences for mismanagement and non-performance. The auditor-general has consistently raised the red flag over continued plunder and discrepancies and the time has come for government to set an example for those who are messing up.

Unam needs bodiesCadavers in short supply at School of Medicine The University of Stellenbosch will not supply the Unam School of Medicine with cadavers from next year and Namibian law makes no provision for people to donate their bodies to science.

The Unam School of Medicine (SoM) has appealed to Namibians to donate their bodies for medical research. So far six Namibians have pledged their bodies.

According to Unam spokesperson Simon Namesho the medical school has since 2011 used cadavers from the Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape in South Africa, because local cadavers were not available.

“Since Stellenbosch University has scaled down their embalming facilities, the School of Medicine was already notified by them that this will be the last year that they will be able to help the School of Medicine with human material such as bodies or cadavers,” said Namesho.

Namesho added that Unam paid N$18 500 per body for the cost of equipment and embalming chemicals, labour and storage, transport and cremation afterwards.

According to Namesho the bodies that the medical school had in stock in 2016 were sent back to South Africa in July, where they were to be cremated by Stellenbosch University.

“If the School of Medicine has its own bodies, it is equipped and trained to do its own embalming and have the necessary storage facilities.

“However, we realise it will take time to change the perceptions of people across cultures and religious beliefs. It is, however, our duty as a community to provide the best possible training to our future doctors in Namibia,” he said.

Namesho added that Unam's Faculty of Health Sciences had been working tirelessly with the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the attorney-general's office for the past two years to update the Namibian Human Tissue Act in order to make donation legally possible.

The Faculty of Health Sciences' next aim is to make the public aware of the need for body donations as well as to appeal to people for organ and blood donations.

JEMIMA BEUKES

Meatco saves big on cold storage

Meatco is saving thousands of dollars after it converted its Okahandja abattoir into a cold-storage facility earlier this year.

In February, the company announced its decision to turn its Okahandja abattoir into an international export cold-storage facility. Its only remaining abattoir is the one in Windhoek.

The conversion allowed the company to move its cold-storage facility from Table Bay in Cape Town to Namibia.

Meatco says it is saving about N$20 000 per container by making use of the Walvis Bay route rather than storing and exporting meat from Cape Town. This exact amount saved depends on the destination port.

In May this year the Okahandja cold-storage facility received only one load of meat from the Windhoek abattoir, which was exported as a test run.

During June, 29 loads were received and 14 containers were exported, while in July, 29 loads were received and 25 containers were exported.

In August, 14 loads were received and 22 containers were exported from the facility.

The conversion also saved the jobs of employees who worked at the Okahandja abattoir, Meatco said.

The Okahandja abattoir had been closed since last year because of a water shortage in central Namibia, limited cattle numbers due to drought, and effluent challenges in Okahandja.

Meatco said at the time that it was beneficial to move the Cape Town cold-storage facility to Okahandja because transporting pallets to South Africa cost around N$22 000 per trip, in comparison to the N$10 000 it cost to transport them to Walvis Bay.

Furthermore, thanks to a British Retail Consortium (BRC) audit that took place in April and the facility's subsequent cold-storage certification, the facility can store food for other businesses too.

This is applicable as long as the facility remains in compliance with all necessary Directorate of Veterinary Services regulations.

“Cold storage is a winner for Meatco and it is even more beneficial because we are making use of our own premises and equipment.

Another positive factor is that we are proving to the market and our clients that we are in total control of the channels our products go through, from coming in as raw material until the final stage.”

ELLANIE SMIT

Namibians are neglecting their history

Founding President Sam Nujoma is concerned that Namibians are not recording and documenting their history.

“We are not writing our own story, are we waiting for others to come and write it for us,” Nujoma noted with concern.

Nujoma was speaking at the World Tourism Day celebrated in Windhoek last week, where he highlighted the importance of history, culture and heritage.

“As a nation one of the most important things we need to understand is our collective history right from our ancestors through colonisation, the liberation struggle and post-independent Namibia.”

He said knowing one's history gives the opportunity to draw from individual strengths, to collectively speak in one voice and to have one vision for a common future.

“In the end, who are we really, if we do not know anything about where we come from, about our origins, our family, our totems, our languages, our own culture, our arts and our heritage,” the former president said.

“Through knowing our history and culture it will help us construct our identity and build a sense of pride around being part of the Namibian nation,” Nujoma said.

He advised Namibians to embrace unique and different elements of their identity and build on them because people from different tribes form the Namibian nation.

“It is important for us as Namibians to be proud of what makes us unique and to know when others try to assimilate us or when we integrate too much into the mainstream society we lose these special elements.”

He said studying history is important because it allows people to understand the past and the present.

“If we want to know how and why the world is the way it is today, we have to look to history for answers… study the successes and failures of the past, learn from them and avoid repeating them in the future.”

He added that studying history can provide insight into unfamiliar cultures and increase cross-cultural awareness, understanding and acceptance.

According to Nujoma, cultural tourism allows visitors to engage with Namibia's cultures, lifestyles, history, art, architecture and heritage.

ELLANIE SMIT

Public enterprises in the spotlightGovernance reform plan has shortcomings Government guidelines on reforming governance at state-owned enterprises are often contradictory or unclear, the Institute for Public Policy Research says.

The government plans to restore public trust in state-owned enterprises (SOE) marred by corruption and mismanagement.

“Since the introduction of the hybrid governance system, not much has happened in the governance space for public enterprises. In fact, the Act which was supposed to enable the new system has not been tabled in parliament, more than half a year after it was supposed to,” says the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

The institute last week released its second analysis of a number of issues plaguing the government's plan to reform public enterprise governance through a hybrid governance system.

However, a delay in the process has already been noted.

The report states that determining which enterprises are covered under these new governance guidelines should be the first step. “Unfortunately government guidelines on the topic are often contradictory or unclear,” it finds.

“The board appointment process proposed under the new system needs a far greater degree of transparency.

Boards are crucial to good governance and political influence has to be removed,” the IPPR says.

The report calls for a more transparent oversight system, and warns that compliance could prove the undoing of the reform plan.

In 2015, the minister of public enterprises, Leon Jooste, complained in parliament that public enterprises were not complying with his requests for information and he criticised the lack of compliance with laws stipulating the publication of annual reports.

Max Weylandt, the IPPR researcher who wrote the report, says although annual reports are a legal requirement for SOEs, many did not produce them for over a decade, and there were no consequences.

“This entire system will fail if there is not regular and full compliance with rules, and based on past performances we are not sure that will happen,” he warns.

“Concrete changes, rather than excellently drafted policies, will be the proof that real reform is happening.

Finally passing the new Act and getting public enterprises to comply with financial reporting rules would be indicators of progress,” the IPPR analysis states.

Team efforts

The institute makes three recommendations, which it says have not changed since its last report on public enterprises published in November last year.

These recommendations include clarifying which public enterprises the government owns.

The government should publish a list describing all companies in which it has a significant stake, their mandate, who they report to and what governance standards they should follow, it suggests.

There is a lot of confusion about the government's holdings, and the lists published by the public enterprises ministry are inconsistent, it says.

Some companies are not listed at all, raising the question of who they should report to and which governance guidelines they adhere to.

“Clarity around ownership is of utmost importance when it comes to public enterprises.

Because public enterprises are ultimately owned by citizens, and because they are often designed to provide important services to the public, they should operate under especially stringent rules of accountability – they should be more public than public companies,” the report says.

Shine a light

The second recommendation is to make board appointments more transparent.

The report states that the appointment process proposed by the public enterprises ministry is an improvement on the existing one, but still does not allow for enough transparency.

“In the past many Namibian public enterprises have been characterised by board mismanagement and even corruption.

This has been attributed at least in part to political interference with boards, as well as the appointment of board members based on political considerations rather than on the basis of qualifications,” the IPPR says.

Under the new system, the ministry is introducing its principles, policy frameworks and directives document, which states that the selection of board members must be transparent in order to assure trust and confidence.

The IPPR points out that unless the appointment system is revised, it is not sufficiently transparent to allay fears of misconduct and other acts.

The current system is almost exclusively internal, “with only one person outside government consulted,” it says.

JANA-MARI SMITH

Six killed in northern crashes

Two road accidents in the Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions killed at least six people at the weekend.

Among those killed were two pupils and a police officer.

Two grade 12 learners at Eengedjo Senior Secondary School and a hostel superintendent died instantly after a Toyota bakkie they were travelling in collided head-on with a BMW outside Omungwelume.

According to Ohangwena police spokesperson Kaume Itumba, the bakkie was travelling from Omungwelume and was about to turn in the direction of Ongenga when it collided with the BMW that was coming from the same direction.

The three victims were all occupying the front seats. Other learners who were in the back of the bakkie suffered an assortment of injuries.

It is reported that the BMW further crashed into a stationary car parked next to the road.

The deceased were identified as 53-year-old Moses Petrus and his daughter, Patricia Linda Petrus. The other deceased learner was Ndeshiilenda Joseph.

School principal Tuulikefo Nghishitende confirmed it was an out-weekend for the learners and as usual Petrus offered to transport learners who live around Ongenga.

“Not all the learners who were in the car are from our school, but they are learners from various schools around Omungwelume. He was transporting them to their villages as he always does during out-weekends.

“He was a long serving employee, while his daughter was in grade 12 and they had just started with the final examinations,” Nghishitende said.

The injured learners were treated at Engela and at the Oshakati State Hospital and most were discharged.

Two learners who suffered serious injuries are receiving treatment at the Ongwediva MediPark Private Hospital.

Meanwhile, three other people died while two men are fighting for their lives following a car crash in the Oshikoto Region.

The region's crime investigations coordinator, Naomi Katjiua, said the rear tyre of a Toyota Corolla burst, causing it to overturn.

According to Katjiua, there were five occupants in the car, including the driver.

She said the driver and two passengers died at the scene, while the other two were taken to the Tsumeb hospital.

Katjirua could not release the name of the 42-year-old police inspector who died in the accident. The other deceased were 29-year-old Gabriel Kakoo Shivute and as 33-year-old Deacon Tjirambera Mingeri.

ILENI NANDJATO