Namibian Sun

Oshikungulu shahanagulapo omagumbo moRundu

Aakalimo yomomagumbo goMass Housing Project complex moRundu oya popi kutya eyonagulo ndyoka lya ningilwa omagumbo gawo koshikungulu shoka sha dhenge ondoolopa ndjoka mOmaandaha, otali ulike uupyakadhi wetungo momagumbo gawo ngoka omape.

Ofamili yaantu yatatu oya tembukamo megumo lyawo mongulohi yOmaandaha, konima sho oombuli dhegumbo dha kuthwa ko komvula yoshikungulu. Oshikungulu shoka natango osha etitha polweela oongodhi dholusheno shoka natango sha tula moshiponga oshinene ooyene yomagumbo ngoka. “Oya kanitha iinima ayihe. Oya yi ontuku okuza momagumbo gawo molwaashoka oya li ya tila okumonithwa iiponga. Olusheno olwa yi momudhingoloko aguhe omolwa omakwatathano giikwamalusheno ngoka ga mono omeya,” Fernando Marungo, omushiinda a lombwele oNamibian Sun.

Marungo, ngoka a kutha okavideo nomathanao nkene omagumbo ngoka ga ningilwa eyonagulo okwa pula ongushu yomagumbo ngoka, nokutya olye e na oshinakugwanithwa shokutungulula omagumbo ngoka.

Aakwashigwana oya popi kutya konyala omagumbo gaheyali taga adhika moKaisosi popepi noshiputudhilo dhaUnam oga yonagulwaa. Limwe lyomomagumbo ngoka natango kage na aantu olya yonagulwa koshikungulu shoka. Marungo okwa popi kutya naku ningilwe omapulo kutya omolwashike oonzapo dhemanitho lyiilonga dha shainwa ngele iilonga mbyoka yomatungo gomagumbo ngoka inayi ningwa pamuthika.

Okwa tsikile kutya aakwashigwana oye na uumbanda sho omuloka kwa tegelelwa natango gu tsikile moshitopolwa. “Otashi tilitha. Ndika etameko owala lyomuloka , nongele natango omuloka ogwa tsikile otandi vulu woo okuninga oshihakanwa. Kehe omukalimo ota pula owala kutya uunake tashi mu adha.”

Marungo okwa popi kutya aakwashigwana otaya gandja uusama komalelo oshowo ehangano lyoNamibia Housing Enterprise (NHE), omolwa eyonagulo ndyoka. Okwa tsikile kutya aakwshigwwana otaya pula opo eyonagulo ndyoka li wapalekwe kehangano lyoNHE, lyo li longulule woo oombuli dhomagumbo ngoka omanga aakwashigwana oyendji inaya kanitha omaliko gawo oshowo ekanitho lyoomwenyo.

Sho ya ningilwa omapulo, Omupopiliko gwoNHE, Eric Libongani okwa popi kutya NHE haye we e na oshinakugwanithwa shoMass Housing Project. Omukomeho gwomagumbo muuministeli womayambulepo goondoolopa niitopolwa yomuushayi ina vula okumonika.

JANA-MARI SMITH

Shot of the day

DEVASTATION: A man watches the Thomas Fire in the hills above Carpinteria, California. The Thomas Fire in California's Ventura and Santa Barbara counties has consumed more than 230,000 acres over the past week making it the fifth largest fire in the state's history. Photo: NAMPA/AFP

Hard work pays off The things this country can achieve remain quite outstanding and are especially demonstrated when it comes to sport.

Namibia can mix it up with the best the world has to offer in the sport world and so it can also be in our daily lives.

And yet Namibians act as if fighting in a money-spinning international fight, knocking out a Russian boxer and beating a British superstar are just run-of-the-mill occurrences.

We are making specific reference to Namibian boxer Julies 'Blue Machine' Indongo's exploits this year.

The fighter has caught many by surprise but also demonstrated the very essence of how hard work can benefit the average Namibian.

People from the Land of the Brave will always be considered underdogs in any sphere due to our population size but at the same time we'll always match whatever the world has to throw at us.

However, none of us will be able to compete unless we prepare and actively find ways to match the international players.

Indongo's rise was no accident and it took him years to reach these incredible heights, propelling him into global superstardom.

He had to fight a lot of tough fighters, mostly on the undercard of some of the fancier boxers, to get ready.

In addition to that, he had to consistently fight extremely physical sparring matches away from the prying eyes of the public.

He is now reaping the fruits of his dedication and it is common knowledge that promoters are now fighting for his signature.

And it is this hard work that Namibians must emulate and strive to use in our daily lives as we look to compete internationally.

Our lives will not change for the better unless we put the time in and actively find ways in which we can improve.

While we enjoy our holidays, let us not forget that we have a country to build and hard work should always be one of the foundations on which this house is built.

NAMAs a proudly Namibian showcase - MTC

Namibia Music Awards (NAMAs) executive member Tim Ekandjo says he is pleased with the overwhelming number of entries received for next year's ceremony, which have exceeded 800.

The growing popularity of the event is largely contributed to its professional set-up, which is second to none in Africa, he said. Ekandjo this week described the NAMAs as being a proudly Namibian success story.

“After seven years of the event we can with confidence say that it is one of the best delivered national award ceremonies in Africa,” he said.

According to Ekandjo the secret to the event's success is its “world-class governance structure” that allows independent bodies to work on the event. Both the vetting committee and the panel of judges are independent individuals who are experts in their own right, therefore applying only their expertise. Ekandjo said the organisers were proud of the fact that the event is 100% funded by Namibians, and more than 80% of its total budget is spent on local Namibian suppliers.

“This is something we can be extremely proud of. We have always maintained that this is a national event and that is why we invite multiple sponsors, and it is important that Namibians benefit from their own event in terms of direct spend and the other opportunities it creates for other industries like food, hospitality, fashion and local SMEs,” said Ekandjo.

He added that the NAMAs budget had always been transparent. Before every event the organisers publicly announced the total sponsorship, “which says a lot about our values of openness and transparency”.

Asked how the NAMAs budget was spent, Ekandjo was happy to share a breakdown in terms of percentages.

“Local logistics, which includes venue hire, hospitality, travel and accommodation, security and local aspects concerning the event, takes up about 37% of budget, and ... is spent directly on local suppliers only, with over 90% being SMEs,” he said.

“This is followed by the technical budget of the event, which includes staging, equipment, lights, AVs and the entire look and feel of the event, from concept to execution, taking up 28% of budget.

“Here we also only use local technical and audio companies. This is followed by the technical consultancy fees to Rockstar4000, taking up 21% of budget.

“These are our technical consultants on the project that together with the organisers render their expertise on the design and concept of the entire event.

“We recruit the technical consultants via an open and transparent tender process after every three years. This tender was run twice in our seven years of existence,” said Ekandjo. The N$10.2 million NAMA budget is made up of N$7.4 million sponsored by MTC, while N$2.8 million is contributed by other sponsors.

“We are extremely proud of this project, and MTC and NBC and all other sponsors will continue to ensure that we deliver world-class and memorable events in the best interest of our artists,” said Ekandjo.

STAFF REPORTER

Water crisis threatens Etunda schemeBroken pump in Angola halves water supply Farmers at the Etunda irrigation scheme in the north are nervously waiting for a NamWater contractor to repair a broken pump at the Calueque Dam in southern Angola.

Farmers at one of the biggest Green Scheme projects in the country, the Etunda Irrigation Project in the Omusati Region, are on the brink of shutting down their operations unless NamWater solves the water crisis in the north.

These commercial farmers and small-scale irrigation farmers, with support from AgriBank, will soon be without water as the national water utility is struggling to get sufficient water supply from the Calueque Dam in Angola.

NamWater's supply from Calueque has been reduced from 3.6 cubic litres per second to 1.8 cubic litres per second, making it difficult to supply the northern regions.

Omusati governor Erginus Endjala was briefed about the water situation last Friday.

According to Endjala, NamWater informed him that the water crisis was caused by the breakdown of one of the two water pumps at Calueque.

“They told me that one of these pumps is old and has stopped functioning. Currently they are only pumping 1.8 cubic litres per second, which is not enough for the whole northern population,” Endjala said.

NamWater officials told him that a company that was contracted to repair the pump arrived at the site on Friday and was expected to be done in two weeks' time.

“Unless the machine could not be fixed in two weeks and there will not be enough water for human consumption, then Etunda will be affected,” he said.

The Etunda project is divided into two segments of 450 hectares each, with commercial crop farmers using the 15 centre-pivot facilities which cover 30 hectares each.

There are 71 spaces for small-scale farmers which consist of three hectares each, and ten spaces for medium-scale farmers, also consisting of three hectares each.

For the past months NamWater was relying on the Olushandja Dam to supply water to its purification plants at Outapi, Ogongo and Oshakati.

Olushandja has now dried up and NamWater is faced with a serious water shortage.

At the beginning of this year NamWater announced that the Angolan government had spent about N$2.7 billion to rehabilitate the Calueque Dam in the Cunene River Basin in southern Angola for the benefit of Namibians.

The rehabilitation included the installation of three new water pumps and other state-of-the-art facilities to increase water supply to a population of about two million people in southern Angola and northern Namibia. The rehabilitated dam is an 18-metre-deep composite structure with earth-fill flanks and a central mass concrete spillway. It has a pump station, situated on the southern bank of the Cunene River, which supplies a peak flow of 7.4 cubic metres per second - of which 1.4 is intended for new Angolan irrigation projects, while the rest is allocated for use by Namibia.

ILENI NANDJATO

COMPANY NEWS IN BRIEF

WhatsApp urged to stop sharing data

Facebook’s messaging service WhatsApp was given a one-month ultimatum by one of Europe’s strictest privacy watchdogs, which ordered it to stop sharing user data with its parent without getting the necessary consent.

France’s data protection authority CNIL gave a sharp warning to WhatsApp by issuing a formal notice, criticising it for “insufficiently” cooperating.

The decision comes a year after European Union privacy authorities said they had “serious concerns” about the sharing of WhatsApp user data for purposes that weren’t included in the terms of service and privacy policy when people signed up to the service.

FIN24

Trump security plan boosts case for steel, aluminium curbs

US President Donald Trump's new security strategy bolsters the case for trade actions to protect US economic interests on national security grounds, including possible import tariffs on steel and aluminium, a senior Trump administration official said on Tuesday.

The strategy document released on Monday did not specifically mention the Commerce Department's "Section 232" investigations into whether rising steel and aluminium imports represent a threat to national security. With recommendations due in January, the probes could lead to broad tariffs or import quotas under a Cold War-era trade law.

NAMPA/REUTERS

FedEx quarterly profit rises on strong package volume

Package delivery company FedEx Corp on Tuesday reported a better-than-expected quarterly net profit due to strong global demand and increased volumes during the peak holiday shipping season, but said its results were hit by lingering effects from a June cyber-attack on its Dutch TNT Express unit.

The Memphis-based company, often considered a bellwether for the U.S. economy, as is its rival United Parcel Service Inc , said the cyber-attack cut US$0.31 per diluted share from its fiscal second-quarter profit.

NAMPA/REUTERS

Pfizer, Exelixis cancer drugs get FDA approval for wider use

Cancer treatments from Pfizer Inc and Exelixis Inc on Tuesday won approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for expanded use in previously untreated patients.

Pfizer's Bosulif was expanded to treat newly-diagnosed adult patients with a rare, chronic form of blood cancer. The drug was first approved in 2012 to treat patients with resistance or intolerance to prior therapy for the cancer. The US regulator expanded the label of Exelixis's drug, Cabometyx, to treat patients with the most common form of kidney cancer.

NAMPA/REUTERS

May, Trump agree on need for quick post-Brexit trade deal

British Prime Minister Theresa May and US President Donald Trump "agreed on the importance of a swift post-Brexit bilateral trade deal" during talks Tuesday, her Downing Street office said.

The leaders discussed a future trade deal between the two countries during a phone call which focused on several other issues including Jerusalem, a spokesman said.

It was their first conversation since a rare public row erupted last month after May criticised Trump's retweeting of a fringe British far-right leader's anti-Muslim messages, which provoked an angry response from the president.

NAMPA/AFP

Fitch still sees political uncertainty in SA

Ratings agency Fitch says political uncertainty will persist in South Africa following the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as leader of the ruling African National Congress.

In a statement on Thursday, Fitch said the closeness of Ramaphosa's victory against Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and the likely challenges in agreeing and implementing changes to existing economic and fiscal settings suggest that the policy paralysis prior to the governing party's 16-20 December 54th National Conference may not be quickly resolved.

NAMPA/ANA

No more gym rebates

The Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa) this week announced that medical aid funds would no longer be allowed to offer gym rebates or other “wellness” benefits to their members.

Namfisa spokesperson Victoria Muranda said the registrar of medical aid funds had issued a directive stating that gym rebates and wellness programmes were in contravention of section 1 of the Medical Aid Fund Act.

Wellness benefits include rebates on gym membership, quit-smoking programmes, walking clubs, boot-camp fitness training and cooking classes.

Funds were directed to comply with the directive by 31 December 2017.

Muranda said although Namfisa acknowledged the health benefits of an active lifestyle, it was compelled by law to rectify any malpractice that is in contravention of the applicable laws.

Meanwhile, the Namibian Association of Medical Aid Funds (Namaf) is trying to get Namfisa to rescind the decision to cancel gym rebates.

Namaf CEO Stephan Tjiuoro said there was compiling evidence to revise the clause in the Medical Aid Fund Act that does not support gym and wellness rebates.

“The position that Namfisa has taken is a legal position, thus we will have to find a way to amend the legislation provision and get them to change that if there is evidence supporting the continuation of rebates,” Tjiuoro said. He added that once the report was finalised, Namaf would engage Namfisa in search of an amicable solution.

“It is not like we are going to tackle one another as it is in a boxing match. We just need to look at how best to approach that,” he told Windhoek Observer.

STAFF REPORTER

Tourism tackles litteringNamibians are litterbugs Namibians are polluting their previously unspoilt country, in the process harming the tourism industry.

Role players in the tourism industry will join hands next year in support of a cleaner Namibia.

This follows just days after tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta again addressed the culture of littering by Namibians and called for a cleaner country and capital.

Shifeta specifically mentioned that although there are rules against littering in national parks this problem is continuing and that people do not even feel shame when throwing their rubbish out of cars.

“The culture of litter is very primitive and it is an eyesore. Let us have Namibia back the way it was and Windhoek again rated as one of the cleanest cities in Africa,” he said.

The Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN), Federation of Namibian Tourism Associations, Eco Awards Alliance and Recycle Namibia Forum (RNF) recently met to develop an initiative which is to run under the motto, 'Joining hands and linking brands for a cleaner Namibia in 2018'.

HAN, Eco Awards and RNF have also committed to focus their attention, plans and activities to increase awareness about the need to reduce waste, re-use and recycle. The institutions will also encourage all their members and partners to join hands in ensuring a cleaner Namibia.

According to the institutions, the marketing of Namibia as a land of untouched beauty had been used effectively to attract visitors to the country.

“Unfortunately, fast life, consumerism and convenience have caught up with this remote part of the world too, with residents and visitors leaving tracks of waste behind where many years ago unspoilt nature ruled.”

In addition to clean-up campaigns the entire tourism industry should ideally contribute towards reducing waste accumulating at destinations such as Etosha National Park, Sossusvlei and the Fish River Canyon, the institutions said.

An action plan has been developed to reduce waste and this includes encouraging the production and use of re-usable bottles, setting up recycling and waste collection centres at strategic places, such as the entry gates to national parks, and engaging with suppliers on transport opportunities of waste material.

They also aim to foster a “take along only to re-use or to dispose of correctly” attitude amongst staff and guests and highlight all good practices in waste management already in place in Namibia.

“HAN, Eco Awards and RNF jointly have a wide enough database to get word out and to call for input, buy-in and assistance and to encourage all of them to dedicate 2018 towards a cleaner Namibia.”

ELLANIE SMIT

Canada may take Bombardier-Boeing dispute to WTO Move is not seen as a quick fix Canada is looking to get the involvement of the World Trade Organisation to sort out a squabble between itself and the United States. NAMPA/REUTERS

Canada may ask the World Trade Organisation to intervene in the dispute over a proposed 300% duty on US sales of Bombardier's CSeries jets, but any resolution of the trade spat could still take years, experts said on Tuesday.

The US Commerce Department is due this week to announce a final determination in the dispute between Boeing Co and Bombardier Inc, which faces the massive duty on sales of the fuel efficient, narrow-body CSeries on the US market.

Boeing says the Canadian company benefited from government subsidies and dumped the planes at below cost. The proposed duties would not take effect unless affirmed by the US International Trade Commission (ITC) in February.

The case has heightened trade tensions between Canada and the United States at a time when the two countries, together with Mexico, have been struggling to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

US President Donald Trump, known for his so-called America First strategy to boost US manufacturing, has threatened to withdraw from NAFTA unless he can rework it in favour of the United States.

A spokesman for foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland did not immediately respond to questions about what Canada would do next in the Boeing dispute. But it scrapped plans to buy 18 Boeing fighter jets just last week, in a sign of escalating tensions.

Experts said a trade challenge under the WTO or NAFTA's arbitration system known as Chapter 19 are both good options for Canada, even as the United States seeks to eliminate the latter.

US trade envoy Robert Lighthizer has also called the WTO dispute settlement "deficient."

"I would recommend Canada use all its options," said international trade strategist Peter Clark.

Canada's ambassador to the United States, David MacNaughton, made a compelling argument before the ITC on Monday when he said a finding of material harm to Boeing by Bombardier could represent a possible violation of WTO agreements, the experts said.

VARIOUS TOOLS

The WTO already opened a separate dispute settlement panel in September to rule on Brazil's complaint that Canada has hurt its commercial jet industry by subsidising Bombardier's CSeries jets.

"If (the ITC) were to find injury, I think it would be hard at a WTO level to sustain that, because it doesn't look like the CSeries is really a competitor" to Boeing's aircraft, said Canadian and US trade lawyer Mark Warner.

Given how quickly the Canadian government filed challenges in a separate trade dispute with the United States over softwood lumber, it would likely take the Bombardier case to the WTO shortly after any adverse ruling by the ITC, said Warner.

"My judgment of the Canadian government is they seem to have a very aggressive approach to both trade negotiations and trade dispute settlements," said Warner.

Canada opened challenges under both the WTO and NAFTA last month over a recent US Commerce Department decision to impose duties on Canadian lumber exports.

The real purpose of a challenge at the WTO would likely be to gain some leverage in order to come to a negotiated settlement with the United States, said Ian Lee, professor of business at Carleton University.

"If we do go to the WTO, it's not to get finality and resolution, it's only to push the Americans back to the negotiating table," Lee said. "You use whatever tools are in your tool kit."

But trade challenges can drag on for years, which could pose a problem for Bombardier as it tries to find U.S. buyers for the CSeries.

"The real threat to Bombardier is, are they going to be able to sign new contracts with people," said Warner. "That's the chilling effect the decision has on Bombardier."

Egypt plans major power link to Saudi Arabia BLOOMBERG

Egypt will connect its electricity network to Saudi Arabia, joining a system in the Middle East that has allowed neighbours to share power.

The link will cost about US$1.6 billion, with Egypt paying about US$600 million, Egypt’s electricity minister Mohamed Shaker said on Monday at a conference in Cairo.

Contracts to build the network will be signed in March or April, and construction is expected to take about two years, he said.

In times of surplus, Egypt can export electricity and then import power during shortages.

“It will enable us to benefit from the difference in peak consumption,” Shaker said.

“The reliability of the network will also increase.”

Transmissions of electricity across borders in the Gulf became possible in 2009, when a power grid connected Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

The aim of the grid is to ensure that member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council can import power in an emergency.

Egypt, which is not in the GCC, may have been able to avert an electricity shortage it suffered in 2014 if the link with Saudi Arabia existed at the time, Shaker said.

The link with Saudi Arabia should have a capacity of 3 000 megawatts, he said. Egypt has a 450-megawatt link with Jordan and one with Libya at 200 megawatts, the minister said.

Egypt will seek to use its strategic location to connect power grids in Asia and elsewhere in Africa, he said.

Good rain prospects

Rain is expected to continue countrywide until Saturday, while the latest annual Southern African regional climate outlook forum (Sarcof-21) confirmed that the bulk of the country can expect normal to above-normal rainfall between January and April next year.

“A deep low-pressure system over Namibia will continue triggering thunderstorms in the next couple of days,” chief forecaster Odillo Kgobetsi from the Namibia Meteorological Service (NMS) told Namibian Sun yesterday.

“Thundershowers are expected in the north, central, east and southern regions until Saturday. It will be heavy in places in the northern and //Karas regions.”

Strong westerly winds will keep the extreme west of Namibia dry.

The heat wave that led to highs of between 34 and 40 degrees Celsius in some places ended on Tuesday, but hot weather of more than 30 degrees Celsius will continue.

In terms of a long-term outlook, a statement issued by climate scientists following the Sarcof-21 meeting in Botswana earlier this month indicates that most parts of Namibia and the bulk of the Southern African region is “likely to receive normal to above-normal rainfall for most of the period January to May 2018”.

The Sarcof-21 statement added, however, that “the extreme western part of Angola, Namibia, south-western part of South Africa, extreme northwest of DRC and eastern Madagascar are more likely to receive normal to below-normal rainfall for the same season.”

The Sarcof-21 mid-season review was held to present a consensus outlook update for the 2017/2018 rainfall season over the SADC region.

Climate scientists from across the region as well as global partners contributed to the final outlook.

The scientists say the Sarcof-21 outlook is relevant only to seasonal, or overlapping three-monthly time-scales and relatively large areas may not fully account for all the factors that influence regional and national climate variability, such as local and month-to-month variations.

“Most of Namibia” is expected to have increased chances for normal to above-normal rainfall during January, February, and March 2018.

For February, March and April 2018, the “bulk of Namibia” has increased chances of normal to above-normal rainfall.

For the period March, April and May 2018, the Sarcof-18 consensus is that northern Namibia has increased chances of normal to above-normal rainfall,

Above-normal rainfall is defined as lying within the wettest third of recorded rainfall amounts; below-normal is defined within the driest third of rainfall amounts; and normal is the middle third.

JANA-MARI SMITH

Girls rule the roostOnly two boys among top 10 Windhoek High School learner Larisa Oosthuizen is the top performer in this year's Grade 12 Higher Level examinations.

The latest Grade 12 Senior Secondary Certificate Higher Level exam results show that 65.8% of the candidates obtained a grade 3 and higher grade.

The minister of education, arts and culture, Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, announced the results yesterday.

The results of the National Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary level results for both full-time and part-time candidates will be announced in January 2018.

According to Hanse-Himarwa, 16 314 out of 72 619 candidates entered for one or more higher-level subject in 2016.

The minister also announced the top ten Grade 12 higher level candidates.

The top performer was Windhoek High School learner Larisa Oosthuizen, followed by Lauri-Anne Potgieter from Edugate Academy in second and Maryke van der Merwe from Windhoek High School in third place.

The fourth-highest performer is St Paul's College learner Henry Johnston, and Windhoek Gymnasium learner Henryke Garbers is the fifth-highest performer.

In sixth place is Helena Wassenaar from St Paul's College; seventh is Jana Spoerer from Windhoek Gymnasium; eighth is Dawie Fourie from Windhoek High School; ninth is Anja Barnard from Edugate Academy; and Layla Diehl from St Paul's College is in tenth place.

Oosthuizen attributed her success to continuous hard work, saying many people think they need only to study for exams to pass.

“I worked hard from the first day I started in Grade 11,” she said.

She plans to study sports through an international sports college with a local campus, as well as biotechnology through the University of South Africa (UNISA).

Her advice to next year's Grade 12 learners is to stay focused and busy.

Potgieter, on the other hand, thanked God for blessing her with perseverance and the ability to work hard.

“A lot of credit goes to my school, Edugate Academy, which has given me the opportunity to learn, develop and improve. I am most grateful for my principal, Frikkie Louw, and teachers that have always gone the extra mile and supported me from Grade 0 until Grade 12. And, of course, my parents who gave me everything to spread my wings,” she said.

Potgieter wants to study medicine, with the aim of specialising as a paediatrician.

Van der Merwe attributed her success to mercy and hard work and said she plans to study medicine at the Unam School of Medicine or the University of Stellenbosch.

Her advice to the next class of Grade 12 learners is to enjoy their matric year but to be responsible.

Diehl said she thought she did well but never expected to be in the top 10. She is due to leave for Israel, where she will join the Bahai Wellness Centre and work for the community for a year.

“After that I will leave for Germany, where I would like to attend the University of Berlin to study as an architect. Maybe I can add a year in France at the end.”

Her inspiration is her hardworking mother, who also excelled as a top 20 student twenty years ago.

JEMIMA BEUKES

St Boniface makes a clean sweepNorthern schools excel in JSC exams Eight of the top ten learners in this year's JSC examinations are from St Boniface College in the Kavango East Region.

The top performers in the Grade 10 examinations shared some tips and advice with Namibian Sun on how they excelled in this year's Junior Secondary Certificate (JSC) examinations.

The education ministry yesterday released the list of top-performing Grade 10 candidates. Eight of the top ten learners are from St Boniface College in the Kavango East Region.

The other learners are from Oshigambo Secondary School in Oshikoto and Rukonga Vision School, also in Kavango East. The top performer, Katrina Sikongo from St Boniface, said she made it onto the top-performing list by working hard and by tapping into her religion.

“By making sure that I prayed all the time for motivation. My advice to the upcoming Grade 10 learners is to be determined and they should remember that you can achieve what you want through hard work and nothing comes easy,” said Sikongo.

Cathrine Hafeni, also from St Boniface, said she was extremely honoured to be among the top ten performers.

“I feel ecstatic, pleased and I am so proud of myself. I made sure that I studied beforehand right before my examinations and listened in class and always prayed to God for assistance. To the next Grade 10 learners, always stay positive, be humble and study diligently and be committed to your studies.” Ndeshipanda Mulongeni advised future learners on the importance of doing revision to deal with the workload at school. Mulongeni is also from St. Boniface.

“I am really happy that I am a part of the top-performing learners because my hard work and determination came through. I managed to achieve this academic milestone by not putting too much pressure on myself and I put all my worries in God's hands. The next crop of Grade 10 learners need to start revising early and must get enough rest and do not stress too much about your workload.”

According to Anna Hishitile from Oshigambo Secondary School, learners need to make sure that they listen to the advice they get from their teachers and should make their studies a priority.

“I am very excited and I am really grateful that I made it through my academics. I practiced personal discipline and diligence and make sure that you focus at all times in class and cut out all other distractions,” she said. Girls dominated the top ten list this year. The only boy is Petrus Nauyoma from Rukonga Vision School.

“I feel calm and grateful. I worked hard and it feels great to be awarded for that. Our school has a great study policy, I took advantage of it. My teachers were dedicated so I did my part as well. My advice to the new Grade 10s is to put God first in all your works. No matter how much confidence you have in your abilities, stay humble and you will be uplifted,” he said.

STAFF REPORTER

SA economy not expected to recover overnight FIN24

Cyril Ramaphosa’s victory in a gruelling battle to lead South Africa’s ruling party may have been the easy part.

His narrow win and his allies’ failure to secure three other top posts is likely to delay his ascendancy to the nation’s presidency and plans to revive a stuttering economy.

While Ramaphosa won 52% of the vote for the top post of the African National Congress, edging out Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, President Jacob Zuma’s ex-wife, David Mabuza and Ace Magashule - who’ve been Zuma allies - took the positions of deputy president and secretary general.

Ramaphosa will be the party’s presidential candidate in the 2019 elections, but the close race reduces the odds that he’ll replace Zuma as the nation’s leader soon.

“The balance of forces probably makes an immediate recall of President Zuma unlikely and therefore two centres of power will need to coexist for a period,” Colin Coleman, head of sub-Saharan Africa at Goldman Sachs Group said in an emailed response to questions. “This will make decisive change more difficult to effect. ”

Zuma’s rule has been marred by scandal, alleged corruption and policy missteps that dragged down support for the ANC and cost it control of Johannesburg, the economic hub, and Pretoria, the capital, in last year’s municipal elections.

The 75-year-old president has fended off repeated calls to resign with the aid of his allies, including Mabuza and Magashule, who dominated the party’s previous National Executive Committee.

“Most ANC members would not want to see Zuma being humiliated,” Ralph Mathekga, an independent political analyst, said by phone. “The best Ramaphosa can do is to kindly ask Zuma to leave.”

Much depends on who’s elected on Tuesday or Wednesday to the 86-member National Executive Committee, the party’s top decision-making body between conferences that are held every five years.

“For Cyril Ramaphosa’s agenda to hold, especially because the top six is divided into two camps, he needs the backing of the NEC,” said Mcebisi Ndletyana, a political science professor at the University of Johannesburg. “The NEC composition becomes very important. It determines whether or not he succeeds or fails.”

The rand has gained 7.4% against the dollar since the start of the month, the best performer of 16 major currencies monitored by Bloomberg.

Nicholas Spiro, a partner at London-based Lauressa Advisory, which advises asset managers, said the optimism may be overblown.

“Ramaphosa’s victory is the best piece of news out of South Africa in years and the strongest repudiation of the Zuma regime,” he said. “Yet winning the ANC leadership contest is one thing, rescuing a discredited party and ailing economy is quite another.”

Coleman, at Goldman Sachs, said Ramaphosa’s chances of putting the country back on track shouldn’t be written off.

“Whilst a Ramaphosa clean sweep would have given him a freer hand to effect a decisive economic recovery, the outcome is still better than it otherwise could have been if he had not prevailed,” Coleman said.

“Do not underestimate his ability to navigate these choppy waters. He is a past master at negotiating difficulties.”

Steinhoff appoints execs to steady company NAMPA/ANA

Retail group Steinhoff said on Tuesday it had appointed Heather Sonn as acting chair of the company following Christo Wiese's resignation amid an accounting scandal.

The company said Sonn was also a member of the independent committee of the supervisory board - including Johan van Zyl and Steve Booysen -charged with providing stable leadership and oversight to Steinhoff during this period.

The global retailer is structured according to the Dutch governance convention of a supervisory board of non-executive directors and a management board comprising executive directors.

Steinhoff said Daniel Maree van der Merwe, formerly chief operating officer, had been appointed acting CEO of the group, and Alexandre Nodale as his deputy.

Steinhoff said last Friday that Wiese, its chairman and major shareholder, had stepped down in the wake of revelations of accounting irregularities which saw its chief executive Markus Jooste quit and its shares lose more than 80% of their value.

Woefully low pass rateMore than 18 000 fail Grade 10 The performance of full-time candidates has slightly dropped in all grades when compared to the Class of 2016.

An analysis of the 2017 Grade 10 examination results reflects a worrying trend that has been recorded over the years.

There has been no significant improvement in the pass rate of Grade 10 full-time candidates over several years, while more than 18 000 candidates failed to qualify for Grade 11 in 2018.

Only 22 462 or 55.3% of the 40 599 Grade 10 full-time candidates qualified for admission to Grade 11 next year, the ministry of education announced yesterday.

However, the ministry consoled itself with the fact that over 1 000 candidates more will be heading to Grade 11 compared to the total of 21 291 last year.

However, comparing the results to last year there were only 38 240 full-time candidates that sat for the Grade 10 exams in 2016 and the pass rate stood at 55.7%.

Last year close to 17 000 full-time candidates failed and in 2015, the failure rate was slightly higher at 17 123.

The 2015 pass rate stood at 54.3%.

According to the education ministry, a total of 53 332 candidates this year sat for the Grade 10 national examinations, of whom 40 599 were full-time candidates and 12 733 part-time.

“The high number of candidates not meeting the admission requirement for Grade 11 remains a grave concern to the ministry and I would like to encourage these candidates not to despair but to explore further academic aspirations,” said Katrina Hanse-Himarwa.

She added that this year 3 270 candidates were allowed to repeat Grade 10, of whom 2 246 qualified for admission to Grade 11 next year.

Hanse-Himarwa also said that the number of candidates qualifying for admission to Grade 11 in 2018 might increase to approximately 25 462 due to part-time candidates who have built up subject credits over a couple of years.

Nine out of 46 hearing and visually impaired candidates who sat for the exams were able to score 19 points and above for admission to Grade 11.

According to the ministry, the performance of the full-time candidates has slightly dropped in all grades when compared to the Class of 2016. The results showed a similar performance of candidates in 2016 at B and C grades and a slight improvement at A with 0.5%.

There was, however, a worrying trend at the lower grades F and G, which showed that most of the candidates obtained lower grades compared to last year.

The overall performance of the candidates dropped by 0.7% in average over the A to G grades when compared to last year and the percentage of ungraded candidates slightly increased from 2.45% in 2016 to 3.1% this year.

Poor results recorded in accounting, computer studies, physical sciences and design technology were also highlighted.

“While we note the persistent poor performance in accounting we have recorded an improvement from 20.8% in 2016 to 16% this year representing a 4.8% reduction in ungraded entries.

“This remains, however, an area of concern and therefore regional education directorates and all stakeholders are urged to put more efforts in improving learner performance in this subject in the coming academic year,” said Hanse-Himarwa.

With regard to part-time candidates, in total 12 733 learners were registered this year compared to 11 735 last year. This represents an increase of 998 or 8.5%.

A total of 12 044 candidates were enrolled with the Namibian College of Open Learning (Namcol) while 289 part-time candidates were enrolled with various distance-education institutions registered with the ministry.

A comparison of cumulative percentages since 2013 indicates that the performance of the 2017 candidates is much better at higher grades A and B, while slightly poorer at intermediate lower grades.

“It can therefore be assumed that more of the part-time candidates might qualify for admission to Grade 11 next year,” the minister said.

No national ranking

The minister also announced that the traditional national ranking of regions has been done away with.

According to Hanse-Himarwa, the ministry traditionally ranked regions according to performance, which from an objective perspective was challenged by various role players.

She said the ministry was exploring different ways of presenting national rankings that would present the results in such a way that the regions can learn best practices from each other.

“There is nothing like dominance of one region. The traditional method was not reflecting the real outcome. A region could be performing well in one subject and poorly in another subject.”

The ministry this year analysed the performance of regions in compulsory subjects and ranked it according to the national average in certain subjects in order to gauge the performance of learners per region.

From this analysis Oshikoto was ranked first, followed by Omusati, while St Boniface College remained the top-performing school.

This year the top ten performing schools were balanced, with five private schools and five public schools.

Hanse-Himarwa added that the academic year was full of challenges that required doubling of efforts, innovating thinking and bold leadership to get the job done.

She reminded learners who did not manage to meet the requirements for Grade 11 that there are always other options.

“The ideal situation is for children to study and pass the first time and parents must ensure and support children through their schooling. You cannot begin to learn when exams are around the corner. Every test counts.”

She further stressed that there was no space in schools. “If you are 18 you are out. We do not have space for children who fail and are occupying the seat of another child.”

ELLANIE SMIT

Hepatitis E outbreak can be contained

A rare outbreak of hepatitis E virus (HEV) spread by contaminated water in Windhoek's informal settlements claimed the life of a 26-year-old mother in November, while eight other patients have tested positive to date.

Namibia's first confirmed outbreak of HEV, a waterborne disease that can be prevented through good sanitation and the availability of clean drinking water, was more than 30 years ago at Rundu in 1983.

The last outbreak was also reported at Rundu between 1995 and 1996.

Minister of health Bernhard Haufiku says the main prevention tool to contain the outbreak is personal hygiene, including washing hands as often as possible and disinfecting water before drinking it.

He also cautions against hysteria, noting that at this stage, the outbreak can still be contained and the key focus is to ensure affected communities improve basic sanitation and hygiene.

Since October, a total of 26 patients from informal settlements in Windhoek presented with symptoms of liver disease, of which nine have tested positive for HEV. Four were negative and eight results are still pending.

The 26-year-old mother died shortly after giving birth to a healthy baby on 19 November. The baby survived, authorities confirmed yesterday at a press briefing.

An outbreak is defined as more than five confirmed cases of HEV from the same area.

All 26 patients live in one of Windhoek's informal housing areas which are at high risk of waterborne diseases, including HEV.

The majority of patients are from Havana (16), while six live in Goreangab, and the rest in Greenwell Matongo, Ombili, and Hakahana.

Apart from one, all have been discharged from hospital.

On 14 December, a hepatitis E outbreak was officially declared and emergency task teams set to work.

The newly appointed acting permanent secretary for the health ministry, Petronella Masabane, said she was confident that the emergency teams, including health outreach workers in the communities and global partners, were equipped to respond to the outbreak.

She said the outbreak can be contained but it is vital that affected residents are made aware of the ways in which they can drastically reduce their risk of infection.

Experts note that the festive season increases the risk of the disease continuing to spread, as families and friends get together in large numbers.

Clean drinking water and sanitation, including frequent hand washing, are crucial in containing the rate of infection, authorities say.

The virus is transmitted via the faecal-oral route, principally via contaminated drinking water, and the disease is most common in areas with limited access to water, sanitation, hygiene and health services.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “the risk factors for hepatitis E are related to poor sanitation, allowing virus excreted in the faeces of infected people to reach drinking water supplies.”

Health authorities are urging residents to ensure they frequently wash their hands before and after using bathrooms, handling food, changing nappies or shaking hands. People should keep their homes clean and purify their drinking water.

The WHO also recommends that authorities ensure that residents have access to quality water supply and that proper disposal systems for human faeces are provided to help reduce the risk of HEV outbreaks.

Symptoms include jaundice, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, dark urine, pale-coloured stool, joint pain, nausea and vomiting.

Health officials urge anyone presenting with these symptoms to go to the nearest health facility.

Most people with hepatitis E recover completely and the fatality rate is about 1% for the general population.

However, for pregnant women, hepatitis E can be a serious illness, with mortality reaching 10%–30% in their third trimester of pregnancy.

Hepatitis E could also be serious among persons with pre-existing chronic liver disease or persons with suppressed immune systems.

JANA-MARI SMITH

Mannetti to name 28-man squadWarriors gearing for Chan Ricardo Mannetti will trim his squad from 31 to 28 today ahead of the 2018 African Nations Championships (Chan) championship to be held in Morocco next year.

The 31-man squad has been training at Soccer House in Windhoek with fresh faces who have joined the fray.

Midfielder Wangu Gome and forward Muna Katupose are out of the squad as Katupose is struggling with a knee injury and will be replaced by Itamunua Keimuine.

Katupose scored twice to sink the Comoros Islands in August to book Namibia's place in Morocco for the finals and his involvement to reach the finals is noted by coach Ricardo Mannetti.

He is also the only player in the squad who has continental experience as he represented Namibia at the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana.

“Katupose has a niggling knee injury and we will still see how he responds. He got the experience and was instrumental for us through the qualifiers and we would love to have him around for consideration but its looks more unlikely now,” Mannetti said.

Katupose's injury has opened the door for Tura Magic striker Keimuine, who returns to the fold after being left out of the national team's last assignment, a 3-1 win over Zimbabwe in the Dr Hage Geingob Cup in November.

“We don't want to leave it too late for Katupose should he not make it and adds depth to the team in terms of options and as times goes on we will see who we have and who can fit in the plans and tactics for the CHAN finals,” explained the 2017 Namibia Sports Coach of the Year.

Katupose said missing Chan is a blow for him. “I am emotional as I brought the team this far but things happen for a reason. I will now focus on resting for the league.”

He also encouraged the players in the squad to continue fighting. “Don't be intimidated by anyone and just do your best,” he said.

On the other hand, Gome leaves the country for club commitments. The Civics player, leaves for Platinum Stars in South Africa.

“Gome spoke to me and will join the club after Christmas and I will not stand in his way. Club football is very personal and players have the right to play wherever they need to.

“He went through a lot with his first move to South Africa when he was at Wits and was ultimately released and now he get this new challenge and I wish him all the best,” said Mannetti.

Another positive on the side for Namibia is the fact that seasoned referee Jackson Pavaza will be the only Namibian at the Chan tournament out of 17 others.

Brave Warriors will be making their first appearance at the Chan competition from 14 January as they face Ivory Coast, Uganda and Zambia in group B.

The final 23-man squad will be announced on 2 January.

LIMBA MUPETAMI

Zuma in the firing lineWill he be recalled? The South African president also faces a threat in terms of the contradiction between state and party.

President Jacob Zuma's future hangs in the balance in the wake of the ANC national conference, with party president Cyril Ramaphosa's more militant backers pushing for the head of state to be recalled early next year at the latest.

With the conference endorsing greater powers for the ANC's integrity committee and the immediate appointment of a commission of inquiry into state capture, a recall of all those implicated - Zuma foremost - is likely.

The conference also resolved that the new national executive committee (NEC) look into the issue of two centres of power and act accordingly - another serious threat to Zuma's bid to see out the rest of his term.

The composition of the new NEC, an estimated 70% of which is made up of Ramaphosa supporters, along with his anti-corruption campaign ticket, are likely to give Ramaphosa the confidence to act against Zuma.

Ramaphosa had focused his campaign on a promise to deal with corruption and the new NEC, cognisant of how badly Zuma cost the party in the 2014 national and 2016 local elections, will give the new ANC president the muscle to act against Zuma and Cabinet members implicated in the #Guptaleaks and other scandals.

Among those implicated in taking instruction from the controversial family are the co-operative governance minister, Des van Rooyen, the mines minister, Mosebenzi Zwane, and the public enterprises minister, Lynne Brown.

Although Zuma ignored previous ANC decisions on the appointment of the state capture commission, the new NEC will be able to call him to account using its own powers and those of the party's integrity committee.

It will also be emboldened by the fact that Zuma is no longer party president. Zuma escaped two motions by the NEC for him to step down as the country's president because of the ANC 2007 Polokwane resolution that the president of the ANC must become the country's president, to avoid two centres of power. Zuma has ignored earlier calls from the integrity committee that he step down after the Constitutional Court ruled that he violated his oath of office when he failed to implement the public protector's report.

At the time of writing it was not clear whether the ANC had agreed to give the integrity commission binding powers or leave it to make recommendations, as is the current situation.

Although Zuma was able to ignore it before, the new NEC will enforce its recommendations.

Though some of Ramaphosa's supporters want the new leadership to recall Zuma immediately, others say he should be given an ultimatum to take firm decisions against corruption, including state capture.

“The NEC is likely to give the old man an ultimatum in the form of a list of those who need to be reshuffled and list of tasks they want implemented,” said an ANC source who cannot be named because he is not authorised to talk to the media.

“They will try and avoid having to do what they did with former president, Thabo Mbeki, and show him the writing on the wall and let him go by himself.

“They are going to use the integrity committee to remove those who are implicated in state capture. They are going to push that [Chief Justice] Mogoeng Mogoeng move immediately to appoint a judge to head the state capture inquiry,” he said.

The source said Zuma also faced a dire legal threat once the national director of public prosecutions Shaun Abrahams is replaced. The North Gauteng high court ruled earlier this month that Ramaphosa, and not Zuma, must appoint a new prosecutions boss.

“They are also going to have Cyril appoint a new national director of public prosecutions to replace Shaun [Abrahams] straight away,” the source added.

“The NEC is going to deal with the issue of two centres of power very quickly and take a decision on it,” the source said.

“Some of Cyril's supporters want the old man gone now, before the end of the month or the January 8 statement. Some even wanted to go for a motion to recall him here at the plenary on [the] closing day of conference, to get rid of him straight away before he starts using organs of the state to fight back.”

Another NEC source told the Mail & Guardian Zuma was livid about ANC deputy president David Mabuza's “betrayal” of him by secretly working with Ramaphosa.

TIMESLIVE

Ompumbwe yomeya tayi tula moshiponga opoloyeka yEtundaNamWater ita vulu okugandja omega ga gwana Aanafaalama yiikunino mopoloyeka onene yomonooli yoshilongo oye na uutile wokukanitha ongeshefa yawo omolwa ompumbwe yomeya ndjoka ya taalela omudhingoloko.

Aanafaalama mu shimwe shomiikunino inene moshilongo, oshikunino shEtunda Irrigation Project moshitopolwa shaMusati, oye li popepi noku hulitha po iilonga yawo, shapo ongele NamWater a kandulapo ompumbwe yomeya monooli.

Aanafaalama mboka oyendji taya longo omolwa ekwatho lyomikuli dhoka ya pewa koAgriBank, otashi vulika ya kakale kaye na omeya sho ehangano lyoku andjakaneka omeya moshilongo tali nyengwa okumona omeya ga gwana okuza mOndama yaCalueque moAngola.

Egandjo lyomeya kuNamWater okuza kondama yaCalueque olya shuna peni okuza poocubic litre 3.6 mosekonde okuya poocubic litre 1.8 mosekonde na osha ningitha oshidhigu ehangano ndyoka li vule okugandja omeya ga gwana .

Ngoloneya gwaMusati, Erginus Endjala, okwa tseyithilwa kombinga yonkalo ndjoka mEtitano lya piti.Pahapu dhaEndjala, NamWater okwe mu hololele kombinga yonkalo yompumbwe yomeya, ndjoka yeetithwa keteko lyopomba yimwe yomoopomba mbali ndhoka hadhi pombo omeya okuza mondama yaCalueque.

“Oya lombwele ndje kutya yimwe yomopomba oya kulupa na itayi longo. Monena otaya pombo owala oocubic litre 1.8 mosekonde nomeya ngoka inaga gwanena oshitopolwa shomonooli,” Endjala a popi.

Okwa popi kutya aanambelewa yaNamWater oye mu lombwele kutya ehangano ndyoka lya pewa oshinakugwanithwa shokupangela opomba ndjoka olya dhikile mEtitano lya piti, na otashi ka kutha iiwike ya thika puiyali opo iilonga yi kale ya manithwa, ihe ngele opomba ndjoka inayi pwa okupangelwa muule wiiwike iyali nena otashi ka kala omukundu molwaashoka itaku ka kala omeya ga gwana oshigwana.

Opoloyeka yoshikunino yEtunda oya topolwa miitopolwa iyali yoohecta 450.

Muule woomwedhi dha piti, ehangano lyoNamWater olya kala lyiikolelela momeya ngoka taga zi mOndama yaLushandja opo ga vule okutopolelwa oondama dhawo dhokuwapaleka omeya mOutapi, Ogongo oshowo Oshakati.

Olushandja monena kamu na omeya nehangano lyoNamWater olya taalela ompumbwe onene.

Petameko lyomvula ehangano ndyoka olya li lya tseyitha kutya epangelo lyaAngola olya longitha oshimaliwa sha thika poobiliyona 2.7 opo li wapaleke nokulongulula Ondama ya Calueque Dam moCunene River Basin muumbugantu waAngola, nondama ndjoka ohayi gandja omeya kAaNamibia.

Elongululo lyondaama ndjoka olya kwatela mo etulepo lyoopomba dhomeya ndatu oshowo iikwaniipangitho yimwe ya nuninwa eyambulepo lyeyandjakaneko lyomeya kaantu ya thika konyala poomiliyona mbali mUumbugantu waAngola oshowo mOnooli yaNamibia.

Ondama ndjoka oyi na oshinano shoometa 18 okuya mevi

na oyi na opomba yomeya ya za momulonga gwaCunene ndjoka hayi pombo omeya goocubic meta 7.4 mosekonde kehe. Oocubic 1.4 tadhi longithwa mokutekela iikunino moAngola, omanga 6 tadhi longithwa kuNamibia.

ILENI NANDJATO