Man City thrash Bournemouth

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Man City thrash Bournemouth Manchester City extended their winning sequence to 17 and their lead at the top of the Premier League to 13 points with a 4-0 thrashing of Bournemouth on Saturday as Manchester United were held 2-2 at Leicester City and champions Chelsea suffered a goalless stalemate at Everton.

Pep Guardiola's City slickers began their unprecedented run of domestic league triumphs away to Bournemouth in August when a 97th-minute winner from Raheem Sterling sealed the points.

They found the south coast side an easier nut to crack this time with Sterling again on target as City continued to turn the title race into a procession.

Sergio Aguero also scored twice and Danilo completed the rout as record-breaking City reached Christmas with 55 points and 60 goals. They have now scored 101 goals in 2017, becoming the first top-flight team to do so in a calendar year since Liverpool netted 106 throughout 1982.

City are 13 points ahead of Manchester United, who were criticised by manager Jose Mourinho for “childish” mistakes in defence and attack after conceding an equaliser in the fourth minute of added time at Leicester.

Two goals by Juan Mata had put them in front after Jamie Vardy's 50th Premier League goal for the home side, and Leicester's Daniel Amartey was sent off.

But with Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard having missed clear chances and Chris Smalling limping, United allowed Harry Maguire to poke home Marc Albrighton's cross.

“It was an easy match to win,” Mourinho said. “Childish in their box and childish in our box, we were punished.”

Chelsea, three points behind United, were left frustrated at a misty Goodison Park after 25 goal attempts came to nothing.

Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane also continues to rewrite records, with his seventh hat-trick of the year in all competitions firing his side to a 3-0 win at Burnley that put the Londoners back above their hosts, and Arsenal, into fifth.

Kane struck a first-half penalty and produced two clinical finishes after the break to equal Alan Shearer's record of 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year set in 1995.

Arsenal and fourth-placed Liverpool drew 3-3 on Friday.

At the other end of the table Newcastle United ended a run of nine league games without a win to beat West Ham United 3-2 at the London Stadium and move out of the relegation zone.

Marko Arnautovic opened the scoring for West Ham but Henri Saivet, Mo Diame and Christian Atsu were on target for the Magpies who moved up to 15th with 18 points, a point ahead of West Ham who slipped down to 17th.

Stoke City arrested their worrying slide down the table to beat second-from-bottom West Bromwich Albion 3-1 while bottom club Swansea City, who sacked manager Paul Clement this week, drew 1-1 at home to Crystal Palace.

Bournemouth joined West Brom and Swansea in the drop zone. Brighton and Hove Albion eased their relegation fears as Pascal Gross scored the only goal against Watford to give the Seagulls a first win in eight games. Watford have now lost four in a row and five of their last six.

Huddersfield Town remained comfortably in mid-table as they came from a goal down to draw 1-1 at Southampton.

City needed 27 minutes to take the lead against Bournemouth and it was fitting that Aguero was the man to score it with a diving header as he registered his 100th home goal for the club.

“This side are always trying to find the striker,” Aguero said. “I only have to score the goal!”

City are unbeaten at home in 2017 and when Sterling made it 2-0 shortly after halftime for his 12th league goal of the season it was just a matter what the winning margin would be.

Aguero headed his second and substitute Danilo joined the party within three minutes of coming on.

NAMPA/REUTERS

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Oshana NFA league suspended

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Oshana NFA league suspended The Oshana second division regional league of the Namibia Football Association (NFA) has been suspended indefinitely.

The NFA's coordinator in the region, Sem Nekwaya, on Thursday told Nampa in a telephonic interview that the NFA leadership in Oshana had suspended the games due to non-payment of the league fee by most of the affiliated football clubs.

He said each of the clubs was supposed to pay N$4 300 per season, but only three of the 12 affiliated teams managed to settle their accounts in full.

“The rest paid only half of that amount, or even less,” Nekwaya said, adding that the games are suspended until all footballs clubs have settled their accounts.

The games were suspended just as the clubs were about to complete the second and final round of their 2017/18 league season.

Each of the clubs had only three games remaining before the end of the season.

Nekwaya however said the league management decided to suspend the games, fearing the clubs will be relegated to the lower league or promoted to the upper division without their fees having been paid.

“It is hoped that the suspension will force them to settle their accounts,” he said.

Golden Bigs Football Club (FC) is on top of the table of the NFA Oshana second division league with 45 points, followed by Khuse FC with 40 points and Foxy Senior FC with 36 points in third place.

Brave Lions (21 points), Onelago United (21 points), Vietnam Rangers (20 points), Pescanova (18 points) and Young Brave (14 points) are all in the red zone and face possible demotion.

Brave Lions and Young Brave joined the NFA Oshana second division league this season, following their promotion last year from the lower league, the Oshana village-based league that is played at Omaalala village in the Ongwediva Constituency.

NAMPA

International Volleys on top of their game

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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International Volleys on top of their gameVolleys third-time winners International Volleys were crowned champions of the 2017 Bank Windhoek Beach Bash volleyball tournament for a third consecutive time on Saturday. International Volleys, which consists of Namibian national beach volleyball players Kim Seebach, Gerhard Fischer, Roman Ludwiger, Daniel and Fabian Pfeiffer, defeated OTB Sports 2-1 in the final of the Pro division. OTB Sports won a tightly contested first set (21-20).

Experience however prevailed and International Volleys clinched the second set (21-9) and the third set (15-8).

Waka Waka consisting of Marti Brinkman, Heiko von Ludwiger, Birle Farbach and JP Jooste defeated Six Pack (21:15) in the final of the social competition.

Six pro teams and 22 social teams were in action at this year's tournament which was the fifth of its kind. Bank Windhoek sponsored N$ 21 000 towards the annual holiday event at Long Beach.

Organiser James Verrinder of Timeout volleyball academy said that the competition is definitely expanding and growing in stature.

“We initially started off with five teams and last year we accommodated 21 teams. The support we are enjoying is phenomenal. The nature of the tournament is also very competitive and everybody in attendance contributes to the fantastic atmosphere which prevails.”

International Volleys finished in top position of the pro group stage with 12 points from four wins and 1 loss. OTB Sports which had also accumulated 12 points was placed second due to an inferior goal difference, followed by Sand Dragons with 9 points.

Sozial Kritischer Volleyballverband and Casa de Cambio both finished with 6 points and Sozial Kritischer Volleyballverband advanced due to a superior goal difference.

International Volleys made their way into the final by defeating Sozial Kritischer Volleyballverband 2-0 (21:17 and 21-16) in the semi-final round. OTB Sports defeated the eventual third place winners Sand Dragons 2-0 (21-16 and 21:14).

Waga Waga defeated Setting Ducks (21-8) in the quarter final round of the social competition. Six Pack defeated R&R Inco (21-15). DRK Chiefs defeated New Kids on the Block (21-13 and Bromelia Fancy beat Primate Pirates (21-14).

Waga Waga to the final with a 21:5 victory over DRK Chiefs while Six Pack defeated the eventual third place winners Bromelia Fancy (21:2) in the semi-finals.

OTIS FINCK

AaKatwitwi nale taya nyenyeta

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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AaKatwitwi nale taya nyenyetaYa hala yapewe omayakulo gomeya nolusheno kumuni Elelo lyaHelao Nafidi oshowo aakalimo nale yomolukanda Katwitwi mOshikango oye li itaya tsu kumwe shi na sha netulululo lyaakwashigwana mboka kehala epe. Aakalimo nale yomOkatwitwi moHelao Nafidi otaya lundile elelo lyoHelao Nafidi kutya otali tululula aantu kehala hoka kaku na omeya, olusheno oshowo uundjugo.

Kuyele omwedhi nguka, elelo lyondoolopa ndjoka olya tululula aakwashigwana mboka ya kala kayeli paveta molukanda lwedhina Katwitwi kehala epe lyOshikango Extension One oshowo Seven.

Ooplota hamano pehala mpoka pwali olukanda ndoka ngashiingeyi otadhi ka gandjwa momake gamwene gwehala ndyoka, opo a vule okutunga po oongeshefa, pahapu dhamayola gwaHelao Nafidi, Eliaser Nghipangelwa.

“Otwa tembutha pambili aakwashigwana ya thika po 500, mboka ya kala shaaheli paveta polukanda ndoka, nokuyafala kehala epe hoka ngashiingeyi yeli paveta,” Nghipangelwa ta ti.

Yamwe yomaakalimo mboka ya tulululwa oya lombwele oNampa, kutya etulululo lyawo kalya li pambili.

Oya popi kutya etembudho lyawo kalya li pambili molwaashoka oya hanagulapo oombashu dhawo noondingosho dhawo meendelelo sha landula sho ya ningilwa omatilitho gomatumwalaka omafupi koongodhi.

Oya popi kutya oya falwa kehala hoka ka ku na uundjugo, omeya oshowo olusheno pamukalo gwafaathana naangoka gwa li hagu longithwa kaakolonyeki, sho ya thiminike aaluudhe ya ze moPionierspark okuya moKatutura mOvenduka. Nghipangelwa okwa popi kutya omatumwalaka ngoka ga tuminwa aakwashigwana oga yelitha omilandu ndhoka tadhi ka landulwa metulululo lyaakalimo mboka, na kape na ngoka a ningilwa omatilitho. Okwa popi kutya kehala hoka kwa tulululwa aakwashigwana mboka, otaya ka tegelelwa ya tule omeya, omalusheno oshowo uundjugo momagumbo gawo, taya futile omayakulo ngoka yoyene na itashi kala ngaashi mOkatwitwi moka elelo lye ya futile omayakulo ngoka.

Etseyitho ndyoka inali taambiwako nawa kaakalimo mboka ye wete kutya oshinakugwanithwa shelelo lyondoolopa okukwashilipaleka kutya komahala hoka taya tulululalwa aakwashigwana oge na omayakulo ngoka.

Nghipangelwa okwa popi kutya aakwashigwana mboka oya pumbwa okupandula molwaashoka oya kala mOkatwitwi shaaheli paveta, nelelo lyondoolopa olye ya kongele ehala lyokulala, pehala owala lyokuya lombwela ya thigepo Katwitwi omanga inaya pewa kutya otaya vulu okuya peni.

NAMPA

Elyo lyonyama yondjuhwa lya londa pombanda moNamibia

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Elyo lyonyama yondjuhwa lya londa pombanda moNamibia Omiyalu odha ulike kutya elando lyoondjuhwa moshilongo olya londa pombanda okuyeleka niikulya yiitungithi yolutu yilwe mbyoka yi na oprotein, omanga elando lyonyama yongombe yomoshilongo lya shuna pevi.

Olopota ndjoka ya pitithwa koUnited States Department of Agriculture (Foreign Agriculture Services) oya holola kutya elando lyonyama yondjuhwa mokati kaakwashigwana yaNamibia otali ka londa pombanda momvula twa taalela naalandithi yomoshilongo itaya ka vula okuthitika omwaka ngoka.

Olopota ndjoka oya holola kutya AaNamibia ohaya li ootona dha thika po 40 000 dhonyama yondjuhwa kehe omvula ndjoka ya londo pombanda okuza pookg 10 mo 2006 okuya pookg 16 mo 2016.

E yo pombanda ndyoka olya etithwa keyo pombanda lyiiyemo yaakwashigwana, e yo pombanda lyomwaalu gwaakwashigwana oshowo onkalo yaantu taya vulu okulanda onyama ndjoka oshowo oonzo dhilwe dhoprotein onga iitungilutu.

Okwa tengenekwa kutya elando lyonyama yondjuhwa moshilongo otali ka londa pombanda nokuya pootona dha thika po 43 300 mo 2018. E yo pombanda ndyoka otali hwahwamekwa kaalandi yondjuhwa yomoshilongo.

Mo 2016, South Africa oye eeta moshilongo omwaalu guli pombanda gonyama yondjuhwa, okwa hololwa kutya oye eeta moshilongo oopresenda 75 dhonyama yondjuhwa. Omweeti moshilongo omutiyali onyama yondjuhwa oBrazil ngoka e na omalanditho goopresenda 11 moshilongo, moshikondo shonyama yondjuhwa.

Olopota oya holola kutya oopresenda 60 dhAaNamibia odhi na oongombe dha thika poomiliyona 3 muunafaalama uushona. Mo 2016 Namibia okwa okwa lopotwa ya li ootona dha thika po 49 000 dhonyama yongombe.

Nonando ongaaka okwa hololwa kutya elongo lyonyama yongombe moshilongo olya shuna pevi muule woomvula dha piti omolwa iinima ya yooloka ngaashi onkalo yoshikukuta ndjoka ya dhenge oshilongo.

Elando lyonyama yoshingulu nalyo okwa tegelelwa li londe pombanda Namibia okuza pootona 8 000 okuya pootona 8 300.

Elando lyonyama yoshingulu olya londa pombanda nookg ndatu mo 2006 okuya pombanda nookog ne mo 2016. Elando lyonyama yoshingulu moshilongo okwa hololwa kutya otali londo pombanda unene molwaashoka aakwashigwana otaya pingenepo iikulya yilwe mbyoka yi li oonzo dhoprotein nonyama ndjoka.

Mo 2016 Namibia okweeta moshilongo ootona dhonyama yoshingulu dha thika po 5 100, nootona ndhoka odha kalela po oopresenda 50. South Afrika okuli omweeti omunene gwonyama yoshingulu moNamibia, sho eeta moshilongo oopresenda 92 dhonyama ndjoka mo 2016.

ELLANIE SMIT

Ekwato lyoohi lyaaheli paveta onkene tali tsikile moZambezi

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Ekwato lyoohi lyaaheli paveta onkene tali tsikile moZambezi Ekwato lyoohi noonete momulonga gwaZambezi ndyoka hali ningwa omvula ayihe shaaheli paveta, olya dhidhilikwa nokweeta enyenyeto okuza kaanambelewa yegameno dhoonzo dhomidhingoloko oshowo ooyene yomagumbo gaayenda mboka oonkalamwenyo dhawo dhiikolelela mokukalekapo oonzo dhoka.

Omathano ngoka ga thanekelwa moCaprivi Mutoya Lodge & Campsite na otaga topolwa koongundu dhaatalelipo oshowo egameno lyiiyamakuti komapandja goWhatsApp momasiku 12 Desemba oga ulike aalumentu yane taya longitha oonete mokukwata oohi. Ekwato lyoohi momulonga pethimbo ndika olya indikwa.

Mwene gwoCaprivi Mutoya lodge, Zina Swanepoel, okwa popi kutya omukalo ngoka tagu longithwa mokukwatata oohi nopethimbo woo lya puka itagu idhidhimikilwa.

“Otatu tsikile nokulopota onkalo ndjoka. Epangelo olya tulapo oompangu ihe inali itulamo mokukondjithila oompango dhoka miilonga,” Swanepoel a popi.

Mary Rooken gwoCaprivi River Lodge okwa popi kutya ekwato lyoohi olindji ihali ningilwa momulonga ngoka omunene ihe okoombinga dhilwe hoka ihaku ende aantu oyendji.

Curt Sagell, gumwe gwomooyene yoCaprivi Houseboat Safaris, okwa popi kutya aanangeshefa mooha dhomulonga ngoka oya kala noku indila Uuministeli wOohi nOonzo dhomOmeya opo wu gamene ehala ndyoka.

Oya popi kutya poompito dhimwe, aanambelewa yegameno kaye na omahooli moombautu dhawo nenge dhimwe inadhi pangelwa, nolundji ihaya hala okupatolola konima yoowili dhiilonga, nonando pethimbo ndyoka opo olundji haku ningwa kewatho lyoohi ndyoka.

Sagell okwa popi kutya, kape na omulandu ngoka gu li miilonga tagu vulu okuya moshipala omukundu ngoka, molwaashoka aanambelewa yegameno ihaya longo konima yoowili dhiilonga molwaashoka ihaya futwa uuna taya longo ethimbo ndyoka.

Okwa tsikile kutya aanambelewa yopolisi ohaye ya pe ishewe omakwatho omahwepo ye vulithe mboka yuuministeli woohi noonzo dhomomeya

Oya tsikile kutya ekwato lyoohi unene otali ningwa woo kaakwashigwana yaZambia mboka taye ya moshilongo shaaheli pamulandu na otaya taaguluka oongamba uusiku, nokukwata oohi miishana yomulonga gwaZambezi kombinga yaNamibia.

Sagell okwa popi kutya iilongo mbika iyali oya pumbwa okulongela kumwe mokukandulapo nokuya moshipala omukundu ngoka. Okwa tsikile kutya omwaalu gwoohi momulonga ogwa shuna pevi noonkondo okutameka omvula yo 2012.

Omukomeho gwoshikondo shomakonaakono goohi moshitopolwa shaZambezi, Bargrey Kapelwa, okwa ukitha omapulo agehe koombelewa oonene dhuministeli wawo. Ombelewa dhuuministeli mboka odha ndopa okuyamukula omapulo.

Ope na oonkambadhala tadhi ningwa okupitila metotepo lyoofish protection areas (FPA's) momahala ga gamenwa.

Omahala ngoka gathika pu gaali oga totwapo nale moSikunga oshowo Impalila conservancies .

Omahala ngoka oga totwapo muDesemba gwo 2011.

MuNovemba gwo 2015, Ominista yOonzo dhOmomeya,

Bernhardt Esau okwa tseyitha kutya Sikunga oshowo Kasaya oomahala ga gamenwa.

Pomahala ngoka elongitho lyoonete mokukwata oohi olya indikwa, noketsokumwe ndyoka lya tulwa po omainyengo goombauto oga pitikwa owala momahala ngoka pokati ko 05:00 oshowo 20:00 .



CATHERINE SASMAN

Ompangu tayi ka tokola kombinga yelelo lyoRDP

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Ompangu tayi ka tokola kombinga yelelo lyoRDP Ompangu yoPombanda otayi ka ninga owala etokolo muMalitsa gwomvula twa taalela kombinga yoshikumungu shoontamanana melelo lyongundu yoRally for Democracy and Progress. Elelo lyongundu ndyoka oli li ompinge nomupresidende gwongundu, Jeremiah Nambinga.

Oshiwike sha piti, Omupanguli Shafimana Ueitele okwa undulile komeho esiku moka ta ka ninga etokolo moshikumungu shoka na okwa indike elelo lyongundu ndjoka li ninge oshigongi moka taya ka ninga etokolo lyokuhogolola Nambinga nenge lyokumukutha ko koshipundi onga omupresidede gwongundu.

Omwedhi dha piti, Omupeha Presidende gwoRDP, Steve Bezuidenhout okwa ningi etseyitho kutya ongundu oyq tokola okukutha ko Nambinga koshipundi, naNambinga okwa tokola okupataneka eotkolo ndyoka mompangu.

“Nambinga natango ota tsikile nokukala omupresidende gwoRDP. Oye natango omunashipundi gwokomitiye yelelolyopokati oshowo yokomitiye yelelo lyopombanda mongundu. Kape na iigongi yongundu tayi vulu okuningwa kape na ekuthombinga lye,”

Ueitele a popi.

Omutumba gwiilyo yelelo lyoRDP o72, ngoka gwa li guna okukalako momasiku ga 3 sigo ga 5 gaNovemba, ogwa indikwa okuningwa. Nambinga kali a hiwa okukakutha ombinga momutumba ngoka, omunashipundi gwokomitiye yelelo lyongungu nenge omupresidede gwongundu.

Omupanguli okwa tsu omuthindo kutya omatokolo ngoka ga ningwa kongundu ndjoka kage li pampangu onkene ita pitika ongundu ndjoka opo yi pule komeho nomatokolo ngoka.

Advocate Gerson /Narib, ngoka a longo kelombwelo lyaLoini Shikale, okwa popi kutya ope na uuyelele owundji opo elombwelo ndyoka lyompangu li ningwe elombwelo lya hugunina.

Okwa popi kutya etokolo ndyoka lya ningwa kelelo lyongundu ndjoka opo li kuthe andola omuyakulwa gwe koshipundi shuuleli wongundu okupitila momahogololo ngoka ga li taga ka ningwa ka shi li paveta onkene etokolo ndyoka itali li vulu okukundathanwa omanga okomisi yomautho oshowo omakonaakongo gopaiyemo inayi mona ompito okutala komanyenyeto nokugandja omagwedhelepo kelelo lyongundu. Okwa popile woo opo omutumba gwelelo gu kalekwe.



FRED GOEIEMAN

Finally, at long last, liberation from the liberators?

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Finally, at long last, liberation from the liberators? It seems like the winds of change are finally starting to blow strongly through Southern Africa, after a prolonged, very “windless” period.

In Angola, after what seems to have been an eternity, the original liberator and his clan have been deposed. Ditto for Zimbabwe, where at one stage it really looked like Zimbabweans were going to be stuck with a person bearing a certain surname, in one form or another, for ever. Both of the “new boys” in these countries seem to be making the right moves and noises at this stage.

Likewise, in South Africa, a certain gentleman's prediction about his party ruling “until Jesus comes again” suddenly does not seem so rock solid any more. Internal squabbles, mainly caused by the centuries-old basic human trait of naked greed, are the main contributors to his famous prophesy not looking such a likely thing in the years to come.

Be that as it may, happenings in our neighbouring countries certainly have major influences on our wellbeing here in Namibia, specifically of the economic type and especially with regard to what happens to our neighbours in South Africa. The reality is still very much the old cliché that when South Africa sneezes, the rest of Southern Africa catches a cold. And there has been quite a bit of sneezing going on down south lately.

So what are the possible implications and lessons for us in our beloved Land of the Brave? First and foremost, no country belongs to a select small group of individuals to be used for their exclusive benefit. Liberation, peace, stability etc. are all fine words and concepts. But they are only a means to an end, milestones along the journey. Eventually, the will (and wellbeing) of the people cannot and will not be supressed forever and it needs to be attended to, for the benefit of all.

Certainly, now more than ever, hope springs eternal for those who have been and are still waiting for deliverance.

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Shot of the day

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Shot of the day COLOURFUL TRADITION: Namibia is known for its diversity and tradition that stands out. Two Nama staap dancers showcasing their skills recently. PHOTO: FILE

Construction yet to start on Outapi outdoor museum

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Construction yet to start on Outapi outdoor museum No construction work has commenced yet for the much-anticipated Outapi outdoor museum in Omusati Region which was announced to the public about a year and a half ago.

In June 2016, the deputy minister of veterans' affairs, Hilma Nicanor, announced during an event at Outapi that the ministry planned to construct a museum at Outapi to depict the liberation struggle.

The event was held metres from the site where 27 Swapo Party Plan combatants who were killed on 1 April 1989 by the South West African Territory Force (SWATF) were buried.

When Namibian Sun visited the site recently there was no sign of any construction taking place as the site has only been fenced off.

The grave has not been taken care of, compared to how it looked when the groundbreaking ceremony was held over a year ago.

When contacted for comment regarding the progress of the project, the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs permanent secretary, Hopelong Ipinge, said there was no date set for the project to resume and that construction would only commence when funds were available.

“Next is the construction. Now it just depends if the money will be available, if there is no money there is no construction,” Ipinge said.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Nicanor was quoted as saying that there was a need for the history of the liberation struggle to be told in order for Namibians to reflect on the sufferings of the many heroes and heroines who died for the country.

“There is very little literature that gives the actual picture of the war of the liberation struggle, through which Namibians can reflect and assert their suffering and heroic deeds.

“In fact, most history about Namibia under colonialism and apartheid is incorrect and written by others,” Nicanor said.

She said the poor documentation of Namibia's history was an issue of grave concern and therefore it was the mandate of the ministry to preserve the history of Namibia's liberation struggle.

KENYA KAMBOWE

Struggle veteran Isak Shoome laid to rest

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Struggle veteran Isak Shoome laid to restShot the first bullets on 26 August 1966 Swapo heavyweights attended the funeral of former Plan fighter Isak Ashinkono Shoome at Omugulugwoombashe on Saturday. Hundreds of mourners from across the country gathered at the Omugulugwoombashe national shrine in the Omusati Region on Saturday to bid farewell to a fearless and gallant veteran of the liberation struggle, Isak Ashinkono Shoome.

He was 101.

The late Shoome, who was also known as 'Nangata', died on 12 December at his homestead at Okuvale village in Tsandi Constituency.

Shoome is remembered as one of Namibia's decorated liberation struggle icons who played a crucial role to ensure the country attained its independence and also had the opportunity to live in a free and independent country.

Shoome's contributions towards the attainment of Namibia's independence are said to have started in 1957.

He also played an instrumental role in the formation of the Ovambo People's Congress which became the Ovambo People's Party in 1958 which eventually became the Swapo Party in 1960.

He was also among the Swapo soldiers who shot the first bullets on 26 August 1966 that marked the beginning of the liberation struggle at Omuguluwoombashe.

On 9 September 1969 Shoome was captured by the then colonisers at Omadhiya gaana ya Tshoombein in Onesi Constituency where he was later transferred to Pretoria in South Africa.

After serving his term for more than two years he was returned to Namibia in 1972.

Despite being arrest by his oppressors, Shoome never wavered and persisted with his support towards the liberation struggle of the country which saw him arrested yet again in 1978 and was detained.

Shoome was released after several months and he continued with his support towards the liberation struggle.

In 1987 Shoome was again arrested and was detained at the Osire Detention Camp for a period of six months.

Among the key dignitaries at the funeral were founding president, Sam Nujoma, former president, Hifikepunye Pohamba, acting president, Nickey Iyambo, ministers and deputy ministers, regional governors, politicians, traditional authority leaders and spiritual leaders.

According to Iyambo, Shoome illustrated the essence of true bravery, dedication and commitment towards liberating our country.

“Namibia has lost a brave and gallant son of the soil who selflessly dedicated and committed himself to the course of liberating our motherland from the claws of colonialism and the apartheid South African regime,” Iyambo said.

“Although gone, we will never forget the gallantry contributions he made. His memory will forever live within the minds of all peace loving Namibians,” Iyambo further said. Nujoma described Shoome as a fearless Swapo freedom fighter who sacrificed 57 years of his life to long and bitter liberation struggle of Namibia.

He also said that Shoome throughout his life remained true to his principles as a loyal and disciplined member of the Swapo party.

“Namibia has lost a fearless freedom fighter who committed his entire life to the just cause of our freedom and who stood firm and never wavered until the dawn of our freedom and genuine independence on 21 March 1990,” Nujoma said.

“For this reason he will forever be remembered as a fearless and gallant veteran of Namibia's liberation struggle by the current and future generations of Namibia,” Nujoma said.

KENYA KAMBOWE

Namibians eat more chicken

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Namibians eat more chickenMore affordable than meat Industry experts predict that poultry consumption will further increase next year and that local suppliers will not be able to meet the demand. Indications are that the consumption of chicken in Namibia is on the increase due to its affordability compared to other sources of protein, while the consumption of locally produced meat from the formal sector has declined.

In a report by the United States Department of Agriculture (Foreign Agriculture Services) it says that further expectations are that poultry consumption will further increase next year and local suppliers will not be able to meet the demand.

According to the report Namibia consumes about 40 000 tons of poultry meat per year and consumption per capita has increased significantly from about 10kg in 2006 to almost 16kg in 2016.

This rise in consumption is due to steady increases in per capita income, urbanisation, population growth and relative affordability of chicken compared to other sources of protein.

Predictions indicate that Namibian poultry consumption will grow steadily by an annual average of 4%, reaching about 43 300 tons in 2018. This expected growth will likely be driven by an increase in local demand.

Compared to beef and pork, chicken is relatively affordable and is increasingly becoming an important protein source in the diet of many Namibians.

According to the report the growth in the consumer demand for chicken is likely to be supplemented with imports, as Namibia's primary poultry producer is currently unable to meet local demand.

In fact, approximately, 50% of the broiler chicken market is supplied by local producers, with the balance supplied by imports, mainly from South Africa.

In 2016, South Africa accounted for more than 75% of the Namibian poultry meat imports.

The second largest exporter of poultry meat to Namibia in 2016 was Brazil, with a market share of about 11%.

The United States is currently working with Namibia to obtain full market access for poultry and poultry products.

Last year, Namibia imported about 19 800 tons of broiler chicken. Chicken imports account for more than 94% of the Namibian poultry imports, with turkey largely accounting for the remaining balance.

More than 60% of Namibia's estimated three million cattle herd is owned by small-scale farmers in communal areas, where the economic potential of cattle farming is underutilised.

In 2016, Namibia consumed about 49 000 tons of beef, with more than 80% coming from the informal sector.

On the other hand, less than 20% of commercial beef production is consumed within Namibia, with the remaining balance exported mainly to South Africa and Europe (primarily Norway and the United Kingdom).

Over the past decade, there has been a gradual decline in the proportion of Namibia's consumption of locally produced beef from the formal sector.

According to the report about 6 200 tons of beef from the formal beef production was consumed locally last year, representing a 15% decline from 2006.

“This decline is likely due to a number of factors including the frequent droughts experienced in Namibia which led to a reduction in the number of cattle available for slaughter,” it says.

Additionally, the formal beef production sector has also become more export oriented.

It said despite Namibian beef imports increasing significantly by more than 200% over the past decade, reaching 3 529 tons in 2016 Namibian beef imports account for only about 0.12% of the world beef imports in value terms.

This could be attributed to Namibia's small population and that Namibia is a net exporter of beef. In 2016, South Africa accounted for about 83% of the Namibian beef imports, followed by India with a market share of about 14%.

In 2016, offal accounted for about 37 % of the Namibian beef imports. Fresh or chilled beef and frozen beef accounted for 35% and 27%, respectively, of the total beef imports by Namibia in 2016.

With regard to pork, Namibia consumed about 8 000 tons this year and it is expected to increase to 8 300 tons next year. This is measured according to carcass weight equivalent.

Pork consumption per capita increased marginally from about three kilograms in 2006 to about four kilograms in 2016. Last year imports accounted for about 50% of the total consumption.

The report notes that pork consumption increased only modestly due to Namibians' preference for other meats as a primary source of protein.

However, dietary diversity, relative affordability of pork and urbanisation are expected to drive marginal growth of pork consumption in Namibia.

In 2016, Namibia imported about 5 100 tons of pork, accounting for about 50% of its total pork consumption.

South Africa is the largest exporter of pork to Namibia, responsible for about 92% of the Namibian pork imports in 2016.

ELLANIE SMIT

Meatco lists highlights of 2017

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Meatco lists highlights of 2017 While the meat industry has been faced with a challenging year the Meatco Board says there have been noteworthy highlights, such as progress made with the United States, Japan and Russia as potential new meat export markets.

The board said in Meatco's latest newsletter that the first containers of meat were processed and exported to Hong Kong, one of the most lucrative export markets.

Another highlight was the fixed forward pricing contract that the company introduced to offer a secure price to the producer and the additional feedlots to assist with consistent throughput at Meatco's export abattoir.

One of the company's targets for the year was to optimise the returns realised from meat sales, which have been successful according to sales revenue increases.

“Meatco operates in a unique business environment with almost unlimited access to sophisticated international markets. However, supply-side constraints for raw materials on a consistent basis are the biggest challenge.”

It said with the slaughter industry having had a difficult year, due to abattoirs in Namibia battling to compete with South African parity prices, supply of raw material to the abattoir decreased. Several plans are in the pipeline to counteract this.

The board said existing backward integration initiatives were investigated and additional funding was sourced to expand these capabilities.

The board also revisited the current producer bonus strategy and will soon introduce a longer-term incentive bonus to loyal producers.

This strategy included bonus provisions as from 1 February 2016 onwards and will be broadly based on a combination of cattle numbers, quality and merit points.

The board said Meatco is currently seeking for a new chief executive officer who can steer Meatco into a new era.

“The new CEO's primary mandate will be to drive the turnaround strategy with a strong emphasis on profitability, dynamism and adaptation to ever changing local and global business dynamics.”

A personnel realignment exercise was also approved by the board for implementation early 2018, to enable the corporation to function optimally and cost effectively.

“There is ample evidence that we are moving forward on the course that we have set ourselves, as a new board, almost a year ago. Our aim is to transform the corporation into an efficient business unit, providing clients and customers with the best possible service in the market, managing our costing structures, building and fostering our marketing brand and to contribute in safeguarding the Namibian economy moving forward,” the board said.

ELLANIE SMIT

Zimbabwe's Mnangagwa makes first visit

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Zimbabwe's Mnangagwa makes first visitGoes to South Africa President Emmerson Mnangagwa has urged his fellow countrymen in the ­diaspora to return home after years in self-imposed exile. Zimbabwe's new leader on Thursday appealed to millions of nationals who fled economic decline and political turmoil to return home and help rebuild the nation following the fall of Robert Mugabe.

Emmerson Mnangagwa, 75, took over from the long-time leader who resigned on 21 November following a military takeover. Mugabe had ruled the southern African country for 37 years.

“You are so many here in the diaspora because of in particular economic challenges that beset our country,” said Mnangagwa during a speech in Pretoria during his maiden foreign trip.

“I appeal to you to come to Zimbabwe,” he said exactly a month after Mugabe tendered his resignation under popular pressure and as he faced impeachment.

“Zimbabwe is your home, you are welcome (back),” said Mnangagwa, adding that the country needed the skills and experience Zimbabweans have acquired in the diaspora.

Millions of Zimbabweans have left the country over the past nearly two decades and the bulk of them are in neighbouring South Africa.

“Whatever offence we committed to you please put that behind you.... forgive.

“I wish to say may we together agree that let bygones be bygones and look in the future with hope.

“The country is ours together, it is not the country of (ruling) ZANU-PF, it is not the country of (opposition) MDC.

“From now on Zimbabwe is now open for business,” he told Zimbabwean business people who fled to South Africa.

The new president was a long-time ally of Mugabe, and his critics say he is also a hardliner from the ruling ZANU-PF party with a record of alleged graft and repression in Zimbabwe.

As he spoke, a group of fewer than 20 protesters chanted outside the embassy building over Mnangagwa's role during the early 1980s killings of perceived political dissidents in a campaign known infamously as Gukurahundi.

An estimated 20 000 people were killed by an elite North Korean-trained military unit. At the time Mnangagwa was a security minister under Mugabe.

“How can we work with the killer?” shouted one protester.

Two others carried giant pictures of dead bodies with gruesome cuts and burns. Another protester yelled: “There's no difference between Mugabe and Mnangagwa.”

Mnangagwa met South Africa's ­President Jacob Zuma and was also scheduled to meet ANC's newly elected leader Cyril Ramaphosa.

The South African presidency said Zuma and Mnangagwa “have undertaken to strengthen economic trade and cooperation between South Africa and Zimbabwe”.

Mnangagwa said his government had reviewed investment laws that forced foreign companies to cede a majority stake to local investors and spooked investment.



– NAMPA/AFP

UK accused of trying to block US trade deal transparency

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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UK accused of trying to block US trade deal transparency Britain is attempting to “pull down the blinds” on its post-Brexit free trade talks with the United States after agreeing to keep key aspects of the negotiations confidential, critics said Thursday.

The two countries have set up a “trade and investment working group” to lay the groundwork for a future deal once Britain leaves the European Union in 2019.

In an exchange of letters between London and Washington released last week, the transatlantic allies agreed to mark information, papers and discussions held in the group as “sensitive” or “confidential”.

They also committed to keeping these elements in the talks “in confidence” for four years following their conclusion.

Transparency advocates argue it will hinder media and public scrutiny of the discussions.

“It's going to be hard to convince people that they stand to benefit from Brexit trade deals if the first thing ministers try to do is cloak them in secrecy,” said Doug Parr, Greenpeace UK's policy director.

“There are already widespread concerns about a US trade deal leading to weaker food safety and animal welfare standards - things the UK public care deeply about.

“(International trade minister) Liam Fox's attempt to pull down the blinds on the trade talks will only stoke these fears, not allay them.”

A spokesman for the Department for International Trade insisted it had been “completely open” about the talks.

“To support productive discussions, the working group does need to exchange some information in confidence, and these arrangements strictly adhere to Cabinet Office guidance on international exchanges of classified information,” he said.

The United States is Britain's largest trading partner outside the EU, accounting for a fifth of all exports, with combined trade worth £160 billion ($215 billion, 180 billion euros) a year.

But environmental campaigners and others have urged caution in agreeing any post-Brexit trade deal amid concerns over US animal welfare and food standards.

Fox told the BBC last month that he wanted to avoid the mistakes of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership - a proposed deal between the United States and the EU - which has stalled following years of controversy and a Europe-wide public backlash.

Barry Gardiner, the opposition Labour Party's trade spokesman, said Fox's pledge for transparency “are empty words devoid of any meaning”.

He called for enhanced parliamentary scrutiny.

“Trade agreements are not just about tariffs and barriers to trade -- they are about the standards, rules and regulation that determine what kind of society we live in,” Gardiner said.

– NAMPA/AFP

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Military convoy spotted – again

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Military convoy spotted – againNo need for panic The defence ministry says the military vehicles are moving from one base to another. The Namibian public was again alarmed to see a large contingent of about 50 military trucks loaded with Land Rovers spotted along the B1 near the Brakwater weighbridge last Thursday.

The military trucks were seen moving from the north towards Windhoek, with rumours mulling that they must have been moving from Katima Mulilo.

Other rumours were of a possible collusion by Namibia in Zimbabwe's military take over following sightings of two huge military convoys seen to have been driving along the Western Bypass northwards on 21 November.

About two weeks before 21 November a long line of military trucks with Land Rovers mounted on top were also seen driving along Sam Nujoma Avenue in the direction of the Hosea Kutako International Airport (HKIA).

Then, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence, Major Peter Shilumbu, said the trucks seen on Sam Nujoma Avenue were vehicles belonging to the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) being transported to Botswana after having been in transit at Botswana's dry port in Walvis Bay.

Shilumbu also then said the other convoys were a new consignment of military vehicles of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) being deployed and dispatched from Windhoek to their respective units.

Of the military vehicles seen last week Shilumbu said these were NDF trucks moving from one base to another.

“It has been done before,” Shilumbu said, adding in an annoyed tone: “People like to spread rumours.”

“The public must know that the military is not stationed at one place. People should not link Namibia to any other country. We are members of SADC [Southern African Development Community] and if something happens anywhere in the region, SADC will take a decision regarding deployments,” Shilumbu said.

He said he is “not aware of any development where the Namibian army is linked”.

“People should observe whether these vehicles have NDF registration numbers or not,” Shilumbu added.

Journalist Yochanaan Coetzee had gone to take pictures of two of the military trucks that experienced a breakdown along the B1 and reported that the trucks had no registration numbers or any other identification as NDF trucks.

He said the two drivers at the trucks were dressed in dark green overalls.

Coetzee said the drivers were dressed in dark green overalls but had a “strict demeanour” about them, which gave him the impression that they must be soldiers.

The drivers, however, did confirm that they were from “up north”.

“I want to assure the Namibian people that the security situation in the country is stable. People link things to wrong events. There is no need to panic.

If there is any development the Ministry of Defence will announce it to the Namibian public,” said Shilumbu.

CATHERINE SASMAN

Hawker bemoans festive season break

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Hawker bemoans festive season break The start of the festive season brings with it a remarkable slowdown in business, according to one hawker.

Cars zoom up and down a very quiet section of Nelson Mandela Road. It is surprisingly cool under a tree in the riverbed from which Jeta operates even though a weather application on the cellphone shows the complete opposite. He sells fruits and vegetables from a strategic location along the road which provides ample parking space for prospective customers who pass to and from on a daily basis.

It is rather quiet and only one car stops. Out steps an elderly man who buys a bunch of red grapes. Jeta quickly jumps up to assist the man before continuing with his business. He fills a sack of potatoes without paying too much attention to the eager reporter who pays his makeshift stall a visit.

Jeta says the start of the festive season means slow business for him. Despite the slowdown, he says it is no reason to also shut down. To mitigate the risk of losing money he opts to order less, he says. This ensures that he can still operate despite the slowdown in business observable throughout the capital.

“It has been slow maybe for the past two weeks now.

I think business will only pick up towards the end of January,” Jeta said.

According to him, he makes lesser money because construction workers are sent on holiday earlier. “We reduce the order from our supplier. People just shut down and travel,” Jeta said.

With a little over a month to go towards the end of January, business must continue, he said.

“Towards the end of January, business will pick up. Activity around construction sites begin again. Customers will come.”

Ian Richter, a petrol attendant, said the start of the festive season, coupled with the closing of schools, affects business somewhat.

The December period is always quiet, even for a filling station, he said.

“It is very quiet now. Everyone is gone. There is nothing happening, nothing.” To illustrate just how slow business is, he says business is down to one-third of what it would usually be.

“During normal times, we pump at least 6 000 litres per week. Now we are just pumping between 1 700 and 1 800 litres of fuel per week,” Richter said.

This will continue up until the schools open again, he says.

“When the schools close, it is usually quiet, but when the schools open, we can expect business to pick up again. When the schools open, it will be full again,” Richter said.

Security guard Andreas Kasera welcomed the quiet season and said that his wallet would benefit greatly because he was now required to work overtime.

“I have observed that it is still fine.

It is very fine with me. Over the festive season it is like we are working 24 hours.

The salary goes up over the public holidays. We are getting something extra,” Kasera said.

He however acknowledged that this means little time away from work with family and friends.

“You will not get enough rest, even your family wants to be with you over Christmas,” he said. “It is not really our decision to work over Christmas.”

OGONE TLHAGE

Ramaphosa hampered by unsteady grip on ANC

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Ramaphosa hampered by unsteady grip on ANC FIN24

Cyril Ramaphosa, the newly elected leader of the ANC, has a tenuous hold on power in the party after his allies fell short of securing outright control over its top leadership body.

A lack of support from a clear majority of the 86 voting members of the ANC’s National Executive Committee will limit his scope to drive policy changes and assert his authority over President Jacob Zuma, whose second term as the nation’s leader ends in 2019.

The NEC is the ANC’s highest decision-making body in between its five-yearly national conferences.

The faction, led by the candidate he beat in the presidential race, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, probably has the loyalty of about 45 of the 86 NEC’s voting members, said Xolani Dube, a political analyst at the Xubera Institute for Research and Development in the port city of Durban.

“Cyril is a very compromised president,” Dube said Thursday by phone. “He is not running the administration of the ANC. He has got a serious problem.”

Ramaphosa's constraints

The executive committee’s composition will constrain the ability of Ramaphosa, SA's deputy president, to focus the government’s agenda on promoting economic growth, creating jobs and cracking down on corruption.

His victory over Dlamini-Zuma for the party presidency was by the smallest margin since the ANC came to power in 1994, and only two of the other top five officials elected with him are considered certain allies.

Yet, Ramaphosa’s ability to deal with Zuma and his allies shouldn’t be underestimated, according to Robert Schrire, a political science professor at the University of Cape Town.

“The power of the ANC presidency, the bandwagon effect and individual calculations have all changed. And the scope of new deals is vast,” he said. “So given that in large measure Jacob Zuma and Dlamini-Zuma are yesterday’s figures, the paradigm has shifted as well.”

Graft fight

In his first speech as ANC president in the early hours of Thursday, Ramaphosa pledged a crackdown on graft, which has become increasingly rife during Zuma’s almost nine-year administration.

“Corruption has to come to a stop and it must happen with immediate effect,” Ramaphosa said. “We must confront the reality that critical institutions of our state have been targeted by individuals and families.”

The nation’s graft ombudsman indicated that members of the Gupta family, who are friends with Zuma and are in business with his son, had been allowed to influence the awarding of cabinet posts and state contracts. Zuma and the Guptas deny wrongdoing.

Ramaphosa didn’t directly link Zuma to wrongdoing in his speech, and instead thanked him for his service to the ANC.

'Radical policies'

He reiterated the party’s resolutions to implement “radical” economic policies to give the black majority a bigger stake in the economy and provide free tertiary education to some students.

He affirmed the party’s decision to seize land without compensation to speed up land reform, but said it would only be done in a responsible manner that didn’t harm the economy, agricultural production or food security.

“We must ensure that we do not undermine the economy,” he said.

Ramaphosa will need all his skills to negotiate the sometimes perilous eddies of ANC policies.

The lawyer, who co-founded the biggest mining workers union, led negotiations to end apartheid and became one of the richest black South Africans. He also played an important role in the Northern Ireland peace process, carrying out secret inspections of Irish Republican Army arms dumps with former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari that helped to push negotiations forward.

Public rebuke

Among his backers elected to the NEC were former finance minister Pravin Gordhan, whose dismissal by Zuma in March drew a rare public rebuke from Ramaphosa and resulted in the nation losing its investment-grade status with two ratings companies for the first time in 17 years.

Dlamini-Zuma, Zuma's ex-wife, also secured election to the committee, alongside finance minister Malusi Gigaba and former central bank governor Tito Mboweni, who appeared on her faction’s list.

“He will have to negotiate with some people from the camp that opposed him, but he has to do that in an authentic way,” Ralph Mathekga, an independent political analyst based in Johannesburg, said of Ramaphosa.

“He is a man between a very angry nation and a very frustrated political party. He can’t abandon either.”

Steinhoff’s Jooste in hot water

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Steinhoff’s Jooste in hot waterBanks to sue for money owed Markus Jooste, the former CEO of Steinhoff, is being sued by three financial institutions for money owed to the group. FIN24

Markus Jooste, the ex-head of Steinhoff International Holdings who quit this month amid an accounting scandal, is being sued by three South African lenders after a racehorse company he was a director of failed to meet its financial commitments.

Mayfair Speculators, of which Jooste was a director until two weeks ago, owes Sanlam’s capital markets arm, Investec and Absa, a banking unit of Barclays Africa Group, more than R1.2 billion, according to documents filed by Absa on December 18 in the Western Cape High Court.

Both Absa and Investec have gone to court to try and recoup their money and want Mayfair to be liquidated.

The filings deepen Jooste’s predicament. Fears around Steinhoff’s accounting irregularities have cut the share price by more than 90% as investors balked at a lack of further information and billionaire chairman Christo Wiese also quit. Steinhoff is being investigated by regulators in Germany, South Africa and the Netherlands and faces a spate of lawsuits in Europe.

A message left at Mayfair’s offices for director Stefan Potgieter in Stellenbosch, near Cape Town, wasn’t immediately answered. Jooste didn’t immediately response to a request for comment. Steinhoff said the company can’t comment on the ex-CEO’s affairs as he’s no longer an employee.

Jooste is a known horse racing fanatic and through Mayfair owned one of the largest stable of thoroughbreds in South Africa. Mayfair sold one of its prize horses, Legal Eagle, this week, according to the Sporting Post, while a South African labour group has asked the organisers of a major Cape Town horse race to ban Jooste from entering his animals in the competition.

Mayfair, which also owns properties and a Steinhoff share portfolio held by a unit of Standard Bank Group, transferred R1.5 billion in assets to its holding company in August, Absa said, just before Germany’s Manager-Magazin reported that Jooste and others were being investigated by prosecutors for possible accounting fraud.

A Mayfair representative and Danie van der Merwe, recently appointed Steinhoff interim chief executive officer, approached Investec for extra capital in November, and must have known “that the collapse in the Steinhoff share price was imminent,” Absa manager Hester van Niekerk said in the papers.

Having, at least in part, pledged shares in Steinhoff as collateral for the capital from the three lenders, Mayfair’s sole active director Potgieter told Absa on December 8 that his company was insolvent because of the deterioration in Steinhoff stock, Van Niekerk said.

Absa has moved to freeze the assets of Mayfair Speculators and its holding company, giving them until January 29 to file papers opposing their liquidation, she said.

Absa is owed R226 million, Investec about R250 million and Sanlam Capital Markets around R800 million, Van Niekerk said in the papers.

Ramaphosa hampered by unsteady grip on ANC

December 26, 2017, 2:00 pm

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Ramaphosa hampered by unsteady grip on ANC FIN24

Cyril Ramaphosa, the newly elected leader of the ANC, has a tenuous hold on power in the party after his allies fell short of securing outright control over its top leadership body.

A lack of support from a clear majority of the 86 voting members of the ANC’s National Executive Committee will limit his scope to drive policy changes and assert his authority over President Jacob Zuma, whose second term as the nation’s leader ends in 2019.

The NEC is the ANC’s highest decision-making body in between its five-yearly national conferences.

The faction, led by the candidate he beat in the presidential race, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, probably has the loyalty of about 45 of the 86 NEC’s voting members, said Xolani Dube, a political analyst at the Xubera Institute for Research and Development in the port city of Durban.

“Cyril is a very compromised president,” Dube said Thursday by phone. “He is not running the administration of the ANC. He has got a serious problem.”

Ramaphosa's constraints

The executive committee’s composition will constrain the ability of Ramaphosa, SA's deputy president, to focus the government’s agenda on promoting economic growth, creating jobs and cracking down on corruption.

His victory over Dlamini-Zuma for the party presidency was by the smallest margin since the ANC came to power in 1994, and only two of the other top five officials elected with him are considered certain allies.

Yet, Ramaphosa’s ability to deal with Zuma and his allies shouldn’t be underestimated, according to Robert Schrire, a political science professor at the University of Cape Town.

“The power of the ANC presidency, the bandwagon effect and individual calculations have all changed. And the scope of new deals is vast,” he said. “So given that in large measure Jacob Zuma and Dlamini-Zuma are yesterday’s figures, the paradigm has shifted as well.”

Graft fight

In his first speech as ANC president in the early hours of Thursday, Ramaphosa pledged a crackdown on graft, which has become increasingly rife during Zuma’s almost nine-year administration.

“Corruption has to come to a stop and it must happen with immediate effect,” Ramaphosa said. “We must confront the reality that critical institutions of our state have been targeted by individuals and families.”

The nation’s graft ombudsman indicated that members of the Gupta family, who are friends with Zuma and are in business with his son, had been allowed to influence the awarding of cabinet posts and state contracts. Zuma and the Guptas deny wrongdoing.

Ramaphosa didn’t directly link Zuma to wrongdoing in his speech, and instead thanked him for his service to the ANC.

'Radical policies'

He reiterated the party’s resolutions to implement “radical” economic policies to give the black majority a bigger stake in the economy and provide free tertiary education to some students.

He affirmed the party’s decision to seize land without compensation to speed up land reform, but said it would only be done in a responsible manner that didn’t harm the economy, agricultural production or food security.

“We must ensure that we do not undermine the economy,” he said.

Ramaphosa will need all his skills to negotiate the sometimes perilous eddies of ANC policies.

The lawyer, who co-founded the biggest mining workers union, led negotiations to end apartheid and became one of the richest black South Africans. He also played an important role in the Northern Ireland peace process, carrying out secret inspections of Irish Republican Army arms dumps with former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari that helped to push negotiations forward.

Public rebuke

Among his backers elected to the NEC were former finance minister Pravin Gordhan, whose dismissal by Zuma in March drew a rare public rebuke from Ramaphosa and resulted in the nation losing its investment-grade status with two ratings companies for the first time in 17 years.

Dlamini-Zuma, Zuma's ex-wife, also secured election to the committee, alongside finance minister Malusi Gigaba and former central bank governor Tito Mboweni, who appeared on her faction’s list.

“He will have to negotiate with some people from the camp that opposed him, but he has to do that in an authentic way,” Ralph Mathekga, an independent political analyst based in Johannesburg, said of Ramaphosa.

“He is a man between a very angry nation and a very frustrated political party. He can’t abandon either.”