Calls for cryptocurrency regulation

January 3, 2018, 2:00 pm

NAMPA/AFP

A top European Central Bank official on Wednesday called for governments to regulate and tax bitcoin, labelling the cryptocurrency an object of speculation and a tool for money laundering.

"One ought to apply what the basic rule is in any other financial transaction: everyone involved should reveal their identity," ECB governing council member Ewald Nowotny told the German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

"We need a value-added tax on bitcoin, since it's not a currency," said Nowotny, who is head of Austria's central bank.

Nowotny's comments echo those by other ECB officials, who regard the bitcoin's spectacular surge in value as a bubble, rather than a sign it could be a digital competitor to the euro single currency used by its 19 member nations.

Nevertheless, the "digital gold" is a concern for central bankers as it can allow money launderers to dodge around increasingly strict rules in the traditional financial system.

"It can't be allowed that we've just decided to stop printing 500-euro notes to fight money laundering, that we've slapped strict rules on every tiny savings club, and then have to watch people blithely laundering money around the globe with bitcoin," Nowotny said.

Bitcoin, launched in 2009, is a virtual currency created from computer code. It and other virtual currencies use blockchain, which records transactions that are updated in real time on an online ledger and maintained by a network of computers.

Bitcoin is perhaps the best known and most popular virtual currency and its value surged as high as $19 500 in December from around $1 000 in January, but has slipped back after a series of warnings from governments and analysts about the risk and volatility associated with cryptocurrencies.

While blasting the cryptocurrency's bubble-like characteristics, Nowotny acknowledged the topic had "reached the heart of society," with people now asking him on the Vienna metro whether they should buy bitcoin, rather than gold as in the past.

But "the central bank would only have to intervene if (bitcoin) were to change people's behaviour. There are no signs of that yet," he said, noting that wild gyrations in bitcoin's value and slow transaction speeds made it hard to use for everyday payments.

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Fans defend pyramid scheme

January 3, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Fans defend pyramid schemeGreed overrules caution A pyramid scheme advertised on Facebook is still managing to attract members despite warnings by the Bank of Namibia that it is risky and illegal.

Despite a warning by the Bank of Namibia that people should steer clear of the My Life Change 247 scheme, the flagged peer-to-peer money-sharing site is still enjoying support in some quarters.

Late last week, the My Life Change domain suddenly became inactive but its supporters rushed to defend its inactivity on social media site Facebook, attributing it to a system upgrade meant to secure the popular domain.

One member, presumably a My Life Change administrator, assured other members that the site was being upgraded and asked for calm in the midst of panic.

“As a result of recent security concerns, we are undergoing major system updates that we believe will ensure the safety of our members.

“If you have managed to log in, in the past 12 hours, and have found out that you are blocked - you have probably logged into a clone website that has nothing to do with us,” the My Life Change administrator wrote.

The pyramid scheme, as it was described by the Bank of Namibia, was lauded for helping people get out of sticky financial situations

One user wrote: “Please people, if you don't know what My Life Change is all about and how it operates, just keep your mouth shut and go to get loans from the banks and stay in the same financial situation, or at least have some courage to ask people who have been participating on how this works instead of talking about things that don't make sense.”

Another user posted: “Just yesterday, some people noticed the website was down and can't be found on Facebook. This was because it was under renewal and it was hacked as well. The security system is tight and My Life Change is now safer than ever and back on track.”

The site appears to be functional again.

In a 27 October 2017 post, the My Life Change Namibia Facebook page encouraged its participants to ignore a warning by the Bank of Namibia.

“Hop on board this gravy train; ignore the Bank of Namibia with their ridiculous interest rates and banking systems that bleed our people dry. Register and add your dream, make a donation and viola, wait for your dreams to come true within a month with as little as N$200,” it said on its Facebook page.

MLC247 is a peer-to-peer funds exchange programme where participating members are promised high returns of up to 75%, by 'donating' sums of money from as little as N$200 to other members of the scheme.

The scheme accepts donations from members of the public as a regular feature of its business, and further extends these funds to other members.

Members are encouraged to participate in a referral system where income potential is subjected to the successful direct and indirect referral of new members for which commissions are accepted as a regular feature of the scheme.

In October 2017, the Bank of Namibia warned the public to refrain from participating in any activities linked to My Life Change 247. Based on its assessments, it had found the scheme to be unsustainable and in contravention of the Banking Institutions Act.

Its spokesperson, Kazembire Zemburuka, said money 'donated' in the scheme stood a good chance of being lost.

“By transacting with or getting involved in the business practices of MLC247, such participating members of the public are committing an offence in terms of the Banking Institutions Act of 1998 and if convicted, may be subjected to a fine or imprisonment,” Zemburuka said.

According to a MLC247 presentation, the scheme currently has 85 000 active members spread across South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Kenya, Norway and Namibia.

“As a peer-to-peer global funds exchange community, members grow their funds towards a 75% compounded monthly growth and receive such growth from other members who are dreaming to achieve their goals in the same way,” MLC247 said in a presentation.

OGONE TLHAGE

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Walvis Bay sewage problems continue

January 3, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Walvis Bay sewage problems continue

The long-standing crisis of blocked drains and overflowing sewers toilets in Walvis Bay residential areas has reached boiling point for many residents.

In e-mail exchanges between residents and the Walvis Bay municipality this week, a frustrated resident warned that the often used excuse of “limited resources and ageing infrastructure” would no longer be accepted as an excuse for the ongoing problem which started in late 2016.

“I, like many other residents, pay for your services and therefore I want a service that is worth my money, full stop. The fee that I need to pay for this service is not blocked. If I do not pay, the municipality will take action,” an e-mail sent to the municipality this week read.

Following another overflowing sewer line in late December, a resident wrote to the municipality pleading for someone to provide a “reasonable, understandable explanation why we as residents have to deal with this nonsense. Where can I get some legal advice? I am sick and tired of this.”

Another resident complained: “The solutions are temporary and the problems keep recurring. Our area is currently OK but we know this won't last – there is a distinct pattern of recurrence.”

One resident estimated that the sewers function normally for about six days before problems arise again.

The resident pointed out: “It is unbelievable that in the age of today and with the IT technology available, that Walvis Bay municipality is not in a position to install level indicators in the sewer lines or in certain areas, but rather rely on notifications from the residents.”

He said it's only when residents tell the municipality that their toilets are backing up that action is taken.

This week, in response to another alert, an e-mail sent from the Walvis Bay Department of Water, Waste and Management assured residents that the municipality was “persistently looking at several options to remedy the situation and find a lasting situation.”

The e-mail highlighted the challenges contributing to blocked sewers, including “limited resources and other factors such as overloaded network lines, debris entering the sewer system and ageing of the infrastructure.” Residents dismissed the explanation, saying the same excuses had been used dozens of times since last year.

They said the issue had reached “the ultimate point of frustration where we as residents will have to look at alternative options regarding a solution to this ongoing problem.”

In June, Namibian Sun twice reported on the issue affecting numerous homes, which regularly experienced clogged toilets and drains.

At the time, the municipality said the town had experienced “higher than normal sewer levels in the lagoon area and at the sewage collection point at the pump station.”

At a meeting with residents in June, John Esterhuizen, the general manager for solid waste, explained that the sewage problems could be linked to unprecedented population and development growth at the town which had put pressure on the system.

“The sharp rise in the number of people living in Walvis Bay, coupled by an acute shortage of building inspectors and limited capacity with only two pump trucks being operational, also worsens the situation. One pump truck costs approximately N$500 000,” he told Namibian Sun.

He added that there were talks to privatise the cleaning of the sewage system. He said the infrastructure needed an urgent upgrade, with additional pumps and more pipelines.

However, the email this week from the frustrated resident accused the municipality of using the same excuses over and over, but never finalising solutions and providing detailed plans and timelines.

“Please keep the sewer lines open, let the relevant municipal maintenance teams do their jobs what they are supposed to do and paid for, and I assure you that you will not have residents moaning and groaning regarding lack of good services. Let this be your service delivery barometer in this regard.”

JANA-MARI SMITH

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Shelters for street children in the spotlight

January 3, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Shelters for street children in the spotlight

Community activist Rosa Namises believes it is time for the government to tackle the issue of homelessness and go the extra mile to rehabilitate street children and restore their family structure or to place them in decent foster homes.

Namises was responding to the gender ministry's statement on NBC television on 26 December that the shortage of children shelters was “worrying”.

According to the ministry's permanent secretary, Wilhencia Uiras, the ministry was looking at regulating children's shelters in all 14 regions to cater to the growing number of needy children.

Emphasising that the ministry's statement was “a little too late”, Namises pointed out that the ministry's role was not only to legalise existing homeless shelters, but in fact to facilitate the establishment of such refuges.

“As it stands now the ministry does not initiate these homes but instead it is a concerned individual that sees the struggling, suffering and need of the children in the community. The ministry must not just be 'concerned' with legalising shelters but needs to assist with everything,” she said.

Namises said the government must indeed come on board and regularly review structures and constantly follow up on children that are placed in shelters.

According to her, there is very little cooperation between existing shelters, a gap she believes the ministry must close.

Namises believes that ideally, social workers must be the first contact with street children and then refer them to shelters.

“The shelters must in no event be a permanent arrangement, but must be an immediate intervention to stabilise the child until a suitable solution is found. The aim is that we should be able to bring the child back to its family once it is reoriented,” she said.

Situation

According to Namises, there is severe suffering for children who find themselves without a decent shelter.

She added that the majority of street children were found in the Omaheke and the two Kavango regions.

“The need for shelters is really there for children who find themselves on the street and are not given proper care. In the rural areas you will find some children that are not being registered for school and these children become teenagers who end up being lost,” she said.

JEMIMA BEUKES

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Crude oil prices still not far off mid-2015 highs

January 3, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Crude oil prices still not far off mid-2015 highs Oil prices yesterday dipped away from the mid-2015 highs reached the previous session as high output in the United States and also Russia undermined ongoing efforts led by OPEC to tighten the market.

Traders said the dips followed indications that markets had recently overshot as US production is set to rise further and doubts are emerging about whether demand growth can continue at current levels.

Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Denmark's Saxo Bank warned “multiple but temporary supply disruptions” like the North Sea Forties and Libyan pipeline outages (and) protests across Iran ... helped create a record speculative long bet.”

With the pipeline outages resolved and the protests in Iran showing no signs of impacting its oil production, Hansen said there was potential for a price downturn in early 2018, especially due to rising US output.

“It is only a matter of time before the 10 million barrel per day (bpd) production target will be reached,” Hansen said.

US oil production has risen by almost 16% since the middle of 2016, hitting 9.75 million bpd at the end of last year.

There was also some concern that Russian oil output is in fact not falling. The country is the world's biggest oil producer and one of the key backers, together with the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), in cutting supplies.

As part of the supply cut deal, Russia pledged to reduce its output by 300 000 bpd from the 30-year monthly high of 11.247 million bpd hit in October 2016, which it achieved by the second quarter of 2017, according to Russian energy ministry data.

For the whole of 2017, however, Russian output rose to an average of 10.98 million bpd, compared with 10.96 million bpd in 2016 and 10.72 million bpd in 2015.

“Even though they have reduced that astronomical number (from Oct. 2016), they are still producing more (in 2017 than in 2016),” said Matt Stanley, a fuel broker at Freight Investor Services (FIS) in Dubai.

Saxo Bank's Hansen said he also had “some concerns about the Chinese economy in 2018 that ultimately could lead to lower than expected demand growth.”

– NAMPA/REUTERS

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Get money savvy

January 3, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Get money savvySage advice to get your finances on the right track in 2018 The beginning of the year is the perfect time to sort out your money matters, advises Surihe Gaomas-Guchu.

Starting off on a confident note with your finances at the beginning of the year is financially empowering. Not only does it give you a head start in getting your priorities right financially, but also gives you the bigger picture of achieving your big goals in life. Here are a few tips to get your moving in that direction in 2018.

Get down to budgeting

Plan how you're going to spend your money and stick to it. This is the key ingredient of budgeting in order to achieve financial success. It's a fact that there are many people out there who have money, but are actually broke because of not managing their hard-earned finances well. Budgeting may look like a cumbersome process for those who are new at the game. It therefore requires discipline, knowledge on how to save and staying on course. Having a budget also helps you to manage your cash flow.

Saving for a rainy day

It is always best to start saving now rather than later – even if it is small amount as this will add up to a growing investment at the end of the day. It pays to save because you have something to fall back on during tough times, especially in emergencies or those unforeseen days. Saving can be more effective if you have a goal that you want to achieve. Remember, saving is a habit, not a skill.

Get rid of debt

You are never in too much debt to get out of it. Although it may look worrisome, debt can be overcome if you stick to paying it off diligently. It may be painstaking to pay off your debts, but you will feel liberated once it is gone. Getting rid of debt also means you reduce the amount you pay in interest and have more money at hand to use for other important things.

Become financially literate

Becoming financially literate does not mean learning from trial and error, but managing your finances proactively. Give yourself the upper hand and read financial books about setting financial goals and saving money. This will not only show you how to budget well throughout the year, but will also help you in managing your debt and approach savings and investments in a more informed way.

Simplify your finances

If one of your New Year resolutions include getting a better handle on your finances, your first step should be simplification. Simplifying your finances will make sticking to a budget, paying off debt, buying a home, saving for retirement or any other financial goal easier to accomplish.

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Work in the fields in full swing

January 3, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Work in the fields in full swingCrop farmers take advantage of early rains The unpredictability of the rainy season means that communal farmers in the north have to make some tough decisions at this time of the year.

Following good rains experienced in parts of the northern regions some subsistence farmers have started ploughing and cultivating their mahangu fields and are looking forward to a good harvest later this year.

Namibian Sun this week travelled around in the regions and observed that many farmers had already ploughed their fields after the first rains of the season, while others were fertilising their fields with manure and waiting for better rainfall.

The early starters say there is no time to waste as the rain is unpredictable and one should take the chance when it is there.

Spotted working in her field along the Oshakati-Okahao main road, Maria Simon said she started ploughing immediately after the first rains and her mahangu seedlings were 15cm high already.

She said she ploughed and planted various crops on 20 December.

“I did not wait because I was motivated by the rain which poured those days. As you can see my field is green and this is not the unwanted weeds but it's my mahangu, beans and pumpkins which I planted two weeks ago,” Simon said.

“Some people have not started yet and they are going to harvest last because those of us who started first will harvest before them,” Simon added.

She said her seeds germinated at the right time because her relatives visiting from other parts of the country could help cultivating the field.

“You see these children, they will soon return to their parents and grandparents in other towns where they attend school and I am lucky the crops have emerged and now we are cultivating,” she said.

Simon said all she wanted now was for more rain to fall in order for her crops to grow.

Today marks exactly one year since President Hage Geingob launched 'Operation Tulongeni' in the Omusati Region - a programme meant to motivate farmers to start working their fields following good rains.

Omusati regional governor Erginus Endjala says his region will again launch Operation Tulongeni this month.

Endjala says this time around there will be a draw where one of the 11 constituencies will be tasked to prepare for the launch of the initiative.

He says because of the unpredictability of the rainy season, some farmers are holding out for better rainfall, which is expected to start by the second or third week of this month.

“As you know, January is a dry month. We will wait to see in the coming weeks as we hope for good rains and for people to cultivate their fields,” Endjala said.

KENYA KAMBOWE

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Kavara was a 'selfless leader'

January 3, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Kavara was a 'selfless leader'

The Swapo Party has expressed its condolences to the bereaved family and friends of the late councillor of Ncuncuni constituency in the Kavango West Region, Rosa Kunyanda Kavara, who died on Tuesday.

Speaking to Namibian Sun yesterday, party secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa said Kavara would be remembered as a hardworking and selfless comrade who “only had the interest of her people at heart”.

“On behalf of the Swapo Party and its entire leadership, I wish to wholeheartedly extend my sincere condolences to the family, children and close people of the late comrade,” she said.

Kavara served as a regional councillor for Rundu Rural Constituency since 2010, as well as on the Standing Committee on Regional Development and Reports, and the National Council Women's caucus between 2011 and 2015.

“We have lost as a nation and as a region.

“Comrade Kavara was known for the drive behind the development in the two Kavango regions where she was a councillor, a hardworking person who has really made a difference in the lives of her people, and who contributed immensely to the development of the country,” said Shaningwa.

The Kavango West governor, Sirrka Ausiku, also lamented the loss of Kavara, saying: “We have lost one of the leaders of the Kavango West Regional Council, the only woman among all the councillors we have and a member of the National Council.”

Kavara was recently elected to the Swapo Party Central Committee at the ruling party's sixth congress held in Windhoek late last year.

She was born at Nakazaza village in the Kavango West Region on 22 February 1958.

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Vague start to school year

January 3, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Vague start to school yearNo clear indication of jobs or positions With the education ministry under severe financial pressure, many teachers do not know if they are still employed, and those with jobs do not know where they will work this year.

The education ministry plans to cut its massive wage bill in a bid to invest in other educational needs and this will mean the reshuffling of teachers and fewer new appointments.

The Teachers Union of Namibia (TUN) has advised teachers facing transfers to new schools to insist on having at least four criteria met.

TUN secretary-general Mahongora Kavihuha told Namibian Sun this week that he had not heard of any complaints by teachers about transfers. However, TUN has issued a directive to teachers that should they be reshuffled they must take into consideration at least four guidelines before they are transferred to a post “they did not apply for”.

These include the issues of accommodation and transport, taking up a position they are qualified for, and ensuring that their transfer is not based on meeting teacher to pupil ratios, but rather the curriculum taught at the schools.

“All these elements should first be met before anyone is relocated. And we have instructed our members they should not just agree to a relocation without these criteria being met,” Kavihuha said.

Speaking to Nampa recently, education permanent secretary Sanet Steenkamp said the ministry was faced with an avalanche of challenges which included a high wage bill, over-staffing, the late disbursement of funds and a meagre budget allocation.

Steenkamp explained that one of the strategies to address the high wage bill and reduce costs was “to employ compensatory reduction strategies. That means if I have 17 positions and they are all vacant, I have to check which of the 17 [the ministry] really needs [as a top priority] and fill maybe six of them”.

In line with this, the teacher vacancy list was delayed last year to allow the ministry to do an in-depth analysis of overstaffed versus understaffed schools, Steenkamp said.

“This process allowed us to see if we cannot transfer teachers within their field of specialisation from an overstaffed school to an understaffed school. Those are the things that we have done to curb the wage bill,” Steenkamp added.

TUN's Kavihuha said it is critical that teachers who are transferred to a new school are qualified for these posts.

Another consideration is that teacher posts are not based on the recommended student and teacher ratios.

“Those transfers should not be based on the number of learners versus teachers, but on the curriculum. The teacher-learner ratio does not support quality, only quantity.”

Instead, teacher posts should be calculated on the basis of ensuring qualified teachers are put in place who have the necessary qualifications and skills to teach the school's curriculum.

In terms of teacher vacancies and whether all positions will be filled as advertised, Kavihuha said the union had “serious concerns around that issue”.

He explained that he has received numerous messages from student teachers that completed their qualifications in 2017, and who applied for teaching positions but have not yet been notified whether they were successful.

“We are not sure whether that is because the positions have been frozen for now, or whether some regions are not efficient in terms of fast-tracking the recruitment process. But schools start next week and we will see then.”

Earlier this year the ministry was faced with deep budget cuts, down from N$12.32 billion in 2016/2017 to N$11.97 billion in the 2017/18 financial year.

Of that, 85% of the total budget was allocated towards staff costs, including basic remuneration, contributions to the pension fund and other service related expenses.

With only 15% set aside for the ministry's operation costs, the ministry has had to take careful stock and prioritise expenditures.

This, however, has made the ministry unpopular in the public eye according to Steenkamp.

“We have become very unpopular because posts that were vacant were not filled because we had to choose which post do we see as most critical and which is not,” she said.

Steenkamp stressed that prioritisation of the ministry's needs will be key in 2018.

– Additional reporting by Nampa

JANA-MARI SMITH

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'Genocide' the focus of talks

January 3, 2018, 2:00 pm

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'Genocide' the focus of talks

Namibia and Germany are expected to finally agree this month the detail of form of reparations the former colonial government is willing to pay for the 1904-08 Nama and OvaHerero genocide.

Namibia's special envoy on the reparations negotiations with Germany, Zed Ngavirue, confirmed that the next round of discussions would take place in Windhoek this month.

Referring to the issue of reparations as the “elephant in the room”, Ngavirue emphasised that they have decided on working groups that will hash out critical issues where no agreements have been reached thus far.

The genocide negotiations between the two countries formally kicked off during September 2016 when Ngavirue, accompanied by his technical team comprising chiefs of affected communities, met with the German negotiators in Berlin.

Namibia's strategy is based on three principles, namely that Germany should take responsibility for the genocide, unconditionally apologise, and pay reparations.

“The issue of reparations must be narrowed down to address our differences. We [Namibians] have decided not to agree to anything if we do not agree on everything. We have to find a common wording for 'genocide' without having to deny that the genocide took place. But the Germans always felt that it should not be legally applied,” he told Namibian Sun.

He emphasised that this meeting will have to agree on a choice of words that are mutually acceptable to both parties.

Supposed deadlock

In September last year, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said the government was “not happy” with the German government's response to the reparation demands made for the 1904-08 killings of the Nama and Ovaherero people in Namibia.

Namibia had submitted the government's position paper to its German counterpart in July 2016 and Germany responded on 26 June, last year.

At the time, the prime minister also emphasised that Germany had not formally accepted responsibility for the genocide and had not yet rendered an unconditional apology.

According to her, that was where the negotiations were at the time.

Atrocities vs genocide

Meanwhile, the German government insists that the mass killings committed during between 1904 and 1908 must be termed “atrocities” and not genocide.

In June last year, the German ambassador to Namibia, Christian Matthias Schlaga, spoke at a local German school function, and told those in attendance his government believes an amicable solution can only be reached through discussions in a “historical context” and not through a court case.

According to him, the German government's focus will be on the way in which the term “genocide” is used.

Meanwhile, it would appear as if the German government has no keen interest to pay lump sums to Namibia for its historical transgressions, as Schlaga last year made it categorically clear that no money would be channelled directly to the descendants of the genocide victims.

However, Ngavirue yesterday insisted that the German government had not openly declined to pay reparations.

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Newborn dumped at Swakop

January 4, 2018, 5:29 am

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Newborn dumped at Swakop

The body of a newborn baby boy was found dumped in Swakopmund on Wednesday.
At around 14:00 a passer-by spotted the lifeless body in a refuse bin near the Woermann Brock shopping centre in Vineta.
It is suspected that the baby was born somewhere else in town earlier that day and taken to the refuse bin where it was left to die.
According to the Erongo crime investigation coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Erastus Iikuyu, the member of the public notified the police. The body was transported to the Walvis Bay police mortuary by members of the women and child protection unit for a post-mortem examination.
Police officers at the scene were of the opinion that the baby was born alive at full-term but said further investigations had to be carried out to determine the cause of death.
According to Iikuyu, the suspect is unknown to the police and that investigations into the matter will continue. A case of concealment of birth has been opened.

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Inheritance causes murder, suicide

January 4, 2018, 6:00 am

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Inheritance causes murder, suicide

The 52 year-old Agnes Saboi has been shot by her 22-year-old nephew allegedly over his late father’s inheritance.
According to police spokesperson Inspector Pendukeni Haikali, the incident took place on Wednesday at about 10:00 in the morning at Mazoba Cattle Post, Linyanti Constituency in the Zambezi Region.
“It is further reported that later that same day at about 11:00, the suspect shot himself once in the head and died instantly. He was identified as Samuel Pelekele. The next of kin are informed and police investigations continue,” Haikali told Namibian Sun.
Other media reported that Saboi worked at the Katima Mulilo Unam Campus as a lecturer, but this is as yet not confirmed.

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Golden Star football team shines

January 4, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Golden Star football team shinesSand of Armas supports football The winners in each category received a full football kit and prize money as a way to support local football teams.

Golden Star Football Team, Onelago United and Ongwediva City Veteran Team scooped the 2017 Sand of Armas annual soccer competition at Mvula sport field at Omaalala village.

Walvis Bay businessman Andreas Armas sponsored the three categories of the competition to the tune of N$10 000.

The first category included all village football teams in Oshana; the second category consisted of ten veteran teams from the region and the last category consisted of four senior teams.

The three-day competition started on 30 December and the finals took place on New Year's Day.

Golden Star won the first category after beating Mvula Football Team 1-0 and received a trophy, a football kit, soccer balls and N$2 000.

Ongwediva City Veteran Team scooped their category after beating the Ondangwa Legend team 3-0, and also received a trophy, a football kit, soccer balls and N$2 000.

The third category consisted of three Oshana Second Division teams - Oshakati City Football Club, Onelago United and GK - and a North-West First Division team, Ongwediva City.

Onelago United scooped this category after beating GK by 1-0. They were awarded a trophy, football kit and training accessories, soccer balls and N$15 000.

A member of the organising committee, Linekela Shipindo, told Namibian Sun that the tournament was introduced in 2012 as an initiative to unite former football players in the Oshana Region and later it was set as a platform to motivate and inspire young local football players by mingling them with regional football legends.

Armas, who is originally from Omaalala village were the tournament took place, said the competition was aimed at supporting local football teams who had approached him for support.

“Many football teams approached me to support them. As much as I would like to support them, they are a lot and I cannot support them all. I also do not want to support one team only. I then decided that all the teams that need my support have to work hard for it through competition,” Armas said.

Armas invited other businesspeople in the region to come on board to make the competition bigger and better. The chairperson of the Oshana Village-based Football League, Herman Paulus Kalimbo, said most of the teams in the region could not afford soccer kit, balls and transport money.

“It's through competitions like these where they earn what they need only by working hard,” Kalimbo said.

Among the prominent players who played for the veterans' teams were former Brave Warriors player Cascas Angula and former Premier League players Angula Shikatana, Rasta Mandume, Chichi Nambuli and Johannes Iyambo.

ILENI NANDJATO

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Sternagel is the King of the Dirt

January 4, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Sternagel is the King of the Dirt

The Swakopmund Motocross Club, in conjunction with Dune Worx Yamaha and Blu Cru, hosted the Swakopmund Motocross Challenge at a track outside the town last week.

The event offered several classes for men, women and children. Motorcycles with engines ranging from 50cc to 450cc took part in the spectacle.

The challenge offered various categories such as 50cc, 65cc, rookies class, clubman's class, women's class, MX (motocross), quad women, quad men, veterans, MX2, MX1, Prince of the Track as well the coveted King of the Dirt title.

Each class included three heats and the total scores were tallied up.

In the King of the Dirt class a Namibian, Mark Sternagel, emerged as the winner. He crossed the chequered flag ahead of Wade Den and Ruhan Gous, who were second and third respectively.

Sternagel also won the MX1 class race; 69 points ahead of Bjorn Bierbrauer, who collected 65 points over three heats in the class.

The women's MX was won by Geena Sadlowski (75 points) ahead of second-placed Maike Erni (66 points).

In total 84 bikers took part in the two-day event which concluded on 28 December.

ADOLF KAURE

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Backpackers critical after Australia mass drug overdose

January 4, 2018, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Israel to expel African migrants

≪ Previous: Sternagel is the King of the Dirt

Backpackers critical after Australia mass drug overdose

Nine foreign backpackers, including five from France, were rushed to hospital in various states of “agitated delirium” after ingesting a travel sickness drug they mistook for cocaine and falling seriously ill, Australian authorities and reports said.

Three of them - two French and one German - remained in hospital yesterday after paramedics were called to a house in the Perth suburb of Victoria Park Tuesday night.

The seven men and two women aged between 21 and 25 took the drug Hyoscine and fell into an unconscious or semi-conscious state, Western Australia Police said.

Royal Perth Hospital emergency doctor David McCutcheon said late Wednesday the trio were “still in a critical condition”.

“Several of these people would have died I'm pretty sure without medical intervention,” he told the West Australian newspaper, adding that the nine were brought to hospital “in a state of agitated delirium”.

“They were hallucinating, their hearts were racing, several of them had to be put in a medically induced coma for their own protection and I really need to emphasise how seriously unwell they were.”

WA Police said the prescription drug Hyoscine - also known as Scopolamine, which is used in low doses as a sedative and for the treatment of travel sickness - was the only identifiable drug detected in the samples taken from the patients.

The drug has gained notoriety internationally from its use as a truth serum.

One victim, an Italian who gave his name as Simone, told the West Australian the drug arrived at the house in a package addressed to a person who did not live there anymore.

When the residents opened the package, they found some white powder wrapped in a piece of paper with the word “scoop” written on it.

Thinking it was cocaine, they divided the powder up and snorted the substance, Simone said, telling the newspaper that he then became paralysed and could not scream for help.

“We were powerless, we couldn't do anything,” he added.

A neighbour told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the nine were suffering from seizures and had glassed eyes when they were taken from the house on stretchers.

“It was so scary to look at... a lot of them were shaking and trying to get out of the bed, but I don't think they knew they were doing it”, Sophie Barnet said.

NAMPA/AFP

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Israel to expel African migrants

January 4, 2018, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Oskema yo MLC247 ya popilwa kaalanduli yawo

≪ Previous: Backpackers critical after Australia mass drug overdose

Israel to expel African migrantsThose who stay will be arrested The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said every country has the right to defend its borders.

Israel on Wednesday began implementing a plan to force tens of thousands of African migrants out of the country by April, threatening to arrest those who stay.

“This plan will get under way today,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.

Under the programme, some 38 000 migrants who entered Israel illegally, mainly Eritreans and Sudanese, will have until the end of March to leave. Each will receive a plane ticket and US$3 500 to do so. After the deadline, this amount will decrease and those who continue to refuse to go will face arrest. Holot, an open facility in Israel's desert south that can host 1 200 migrants who are allowed to leave to work during the day, is also set to be closed.

It currently holds 970 people, an interior ministry statement said earlier this week. The plan was originally approved by the cabinet in November, drawing a statement of concern from the United Nations refugee agency. Wednesday's cabinet session marked the programme's transition from the planning stage to action, migrant aid worker Adi Drori-Avraham told AFP.

“We see here the implementation of the decision,” said Drori-Avraham of the Tel Aviv-based Aid Organisation for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel (ASSAF). The Africans currently hold short-term residence visas which must be renewed every two months.

“From today when a person goes to request an extension to their visa, if he does not have a pending asylum application... his visa will not be renewed and he will be given a deportation order,” she added.

She said that under the new regulations there is also an option for the authorities “not even to threaten them with a choice of voluntary departure or jail, simply to seize them and take them to a plane”.

“At the moment there are exceptions for women, children, parents of children and victims of human trafficking, but the procedural rules make it clear that those exemptions are only temporary,” she added.

Boosted border protection

In his comments to the cabinet and media on Wednesday, Netanyahu defended the plan.

“Every country must maintain its borders, and protecting the borders from illegal infiltration is both a right and a basic duty of a sovereign state,” he said.

Israel tacitly recognises that the Sudanese and Eritreans cannot be returned to their dangerous homelands, so it has signed deals with Rwanda and Uganda, which agree to accept departing migrants on condition they consent to the arrangement, activists say. A 2016 UN commission of inquiry into Eritrea's harsh regime found “widespread and systematic” crimes against humanity and said an estimated 5 000 people flee the country each month.

The International Criminal Court has indicted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide related to his regime's counter-insurgency tactics in the 14-year-old conflict in Darfur.

Migrants started coming in large numbers across the porous border between Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in 2007, when nearly 5 000 entered, interior ministry figures show.

The government has since completed fencing the border and deploying electronic sensors. In the first six months of last year, no one made it across. Over the years, those caught at the Egyptian frontier were detained at prisons in the Negev desert in southern Israel.

On release they were given bus tickets to Tel Aviv, arriving at the central bus station on the south side of the city, where many have since remained. Israeli residents of southern Tel Aviv have long complained of their presence and right-wing politicians have pledged to heed calls to force them out, often with harsh rhetoric.

During a visit there in August, Netanyahu pledged to “return south Tel Aviv to the citizens of Israel”, adding that the Africans were “not refugees but illegal infiltrators”.

NAMPA/AFP

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Oskema yo MLC247 ya popilwa kaalanduli yawo

January 4, 2018, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Ya geelwa omolwa okutaaguluka oompangu dhomoondjila

≪ Previous: Israel to expel African migrants

Oskema yo MLC247 ya popilwa kaalanduli yawo

OGONE TLHAGE

Nonando Ombaanga Onene mOshilongo ano oBank of Namibia oya kunkilie oshigwana kombinga yoskema yoMy Life Change 247 scheme, ehangano ndyoka onkene tali mono eyambidhidho okuza kuyamwe po.

Oshiwike sha piti, epandja lyopainternet lyehangano ndyoka olya li itali vulu okumonika, sho lya guko komalungula naayambidhidhi yehangano ndyoka oya popile ehangano kutya onkalo ndjoka oya etithwa keyambulepo lyepandja lyopainternet lyehangano ndyoka.

Gumwe gwomaayambidhidhi okwa pula aalanduli naayambidhidhi yehangano ndyoka opo kaya kale momalimbililo nuumbanda pethimbo ndyokaepandja lyoskema lya gumo, ta popi kutya shoka otashi ningwa omolwa eyambulepo nokutulapo egameno kepandja ndyoka.

Ehangano ndyoka lyoskema tayi ithanwa pyramid scheme, ngaashi tali tumbulwa koBank of Namibia, otali kwathele aaantu ya ze muupinga woongunga dhiimaliwa, pamapopilo gaalanduli naakuthimbinga moskema ndjoka.

Gumwe gwomaalanduli okwa li a shangwa kutya: “Alikana aantu ngele kamu shi kutya My Life Change ota longo ngiini, hwepo mu mwene, e ta mu yi mu ka konge oongunga koombaanga, nenge kongeni uuyelele kaantu mboka ya kala mo mehangano kutya otali longo ngiini, pehala lyokukala tamu popi iinima kayi na oshilonga.”

Gumwe natango okwa popile kutya egwo pevi lyepandja ndyoka olya etithwa kelongo lyepandja sha landula oonkambadhala dhokwiiyakela mepandja ndjoka ndhoka dha ningwa, nekano pakathimbo lyepandja olya li lya holola sho epandja ndyoka tali longwa nokutulwa egameno lyopamuthika gwopombanda.

Momasiku 27 gaKotomba omvula ya piti, kepandja lyoFacebook lyoskema ndjoka, aakuthimbinga oya kunkililwa opo yiidhimbike ekunkililo ndyoka lya ningwa koBank of Namibia, opo yaka kuthe ombinga moskema ndjoka, molwaashoka kayi li pamulandu na otayi yi pondje oompango shombaanga.

MLC247 oskema yetaambathano lyiimaliwa kaakuthimbinga, moka aakuthimbinga taya uvanekelwaoshizemo shili pombanda miiyemo yepungulo yoopresenda dha thika po 75, paku gandja owala omagano goshimaliwa okuza pooN$200.

MuKotomba gwpmvula ya piti, Bank of Namibia okwa kunkilile oshigwana opo kashi kuthe ombinga moskema ndjoka, sha landula omapekaapeko ngoka ombaanga ndjoka ya ningi nokumona kutya oskema ndjoka otayi yi pondje Ompango yIiputudhilo yOombaanga moshilongo.

Omunambelelwa omupopiliko gwombaanga ndjoka, Kazembire Zemburuka, okwa li a popi pethimbo ndyoka ombaanga ya gandja ekunkililo kutya ope na ompito onene opo iimaliwa mbyoka ya pungulwa okupitila moskema ndjoka yi kane.

Pauyelele wo MLC247, oskema djoka oyi na aakuthimbinga ya thika po 85 000, miilongo ngaashi South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Kenya, Norway oshowo Namibia.

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Ya geelwa omolwa okutaaguluka oompangu dhomoondjila

January 4, 2018, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Omadhagadhaga taga ka longitha mokulwitha iimbuluma

≪ Previous: Oskema yo MLC247 ya popilwa kaalanduli yawo

Ya geelwa omolwa okutaaguluka oompangu dhomoondjila

Aahingi yiihauto ya thika po 3 200 moshitopolwa shaTjozondjupa, oya halika koshikondo shoompango dhomoondjila shi na nuutekete inawu futwa mboka ya pewa pokati ko 2015 no 2017.

Omukomeho gwoshikondo shoka moshitopolwa, Joseph Severus okwa holola omaiyuvo ge omolwa omwaalu guli pombanda gwomageelo guutekete mboka inawu futwa natango.

Severus okwa popi kutya uutekete mboka inawu futwa owo ngushu yoshimaliwa sha thika poomiliyona 3, na okwa kunkilile aahingi mboka ye na uutekete opo ya kale ya futa omageelo ngoka ya pewa kopolisi yaTjiwarongo, Otavi, Okahandja, Grootfontein oshowo Okakarara, ya kale ya futa uutekete mboka moompangulilo dhoomangestrata moka uutekete mboka wa pumbiwa wu ka futilwe.

Okwa popi kutya omageelo ogendji oga gandjwa, omolwa okuhingilila mondjila yoB1, okuhinga iiyenditho omanga aantu kaye na omikanda dhokuhinga, okuhinga iiyenditho yaahena uuthemba wokukala kopate, oshowo okukala inaya gwanithwa po oompango dhomoondjila.

“Otu na omatulo miipandeko gathika po 4 093 ngoka ga gandjwa kaapogoli yoompango dhomoondjila moshitopolwa, okutameka mo 2015 sigo 2017,” Severus ta popi.

Okwa tsikile kutya o 822 oya li ya kongwa kokufalwa koohofa dha yooloka muule wethimbo lya faathana nepangelo olya mono oshimaliwa sha thika pooN$107 800 okuza muutekete mboka.

Okwa popi kutya ya thika po 3271 inaya futa natango uutekete wawo.

Omunambelewa ngoka okwa kunkilile kutya aahingi mboka oye na sigo omasiku 31 gaJanuari nuumvo opo ya kale ya futa omageelo ngoka, nenge ya ninge omalongekidho opo ya fute omageelo ngoka, yo ya yande okutulwa miipandeko.

Okwa popi kutya okwaahenako nasha oko taku etitha aantu ka ya fute omageelo ngoka. Moshitopolwa shErongo, aantu 62 oya tulwa miipandeko omolwa okuhinga omanga ya longitha iikolitha, pethimbo lyiituthi yomatango omanene.

Oya monika ondjo moompangu nokupewa omageelo gongushu ayihe kumwe, yoo N$496 000.

Omatulo miipandeko ngoka oga ningilwa moSwakopo, Ombaye, Karibib, Henties Bay and oshowo mOmaruru pokati komasiku 17 gaDesemba 2017 sigo to 1 Januari 2018.

Olopota yiimbuluma ndjoka ya tseyithwa kOmunambelewa Omukwatakanithi nomukonaakoni gwIimbuluma moshitopolwa shoka, Erastus Iikuyu mEtiyali oya ulike kutya Ombaye oyo yi li ponomola yopombanda niipotha ya thika po 29.

Iipotha ine yaantu taya hingi omanga yeli kohi yodhungo oya lopotwa moKaribib, nashimwe osha lopotwa mOmaruru.

NAMPA

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Omadhagadhaga taga ka longitha mokulwitha iimbuluma

January 4, 2018, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Iilonga yomomapya ya tameke

≪ Previous: Ya geelwa omolwa okutaaguluka oompangu dhomoondjila

Omadhagadhaga taga ka longitha mokulwitha iimbuluma

Pahapu dhomunambelewa omukomeho gwOpolisi, Sebastian Ndeitunga, omadhagadhaga gopolisi otaga ka longithwa kaanambelewa yopolisi, okuya komidhingoloko dhokokule mokukondjitha iimbuluma uuna oopate dha kala itadhi vulu okulongithwa omolwa efundja.

Pethimbo lyomuloka unene monooli yoshilongo, aantu unene aakokele mboka haya kala momagumbo oyo ayeke ohaya ningi iihakanwa yomiyonena okuza koongangala omolwa oondjila ndhoka itadhi vulu okulongithwa, noongangala ndhoka ihadhi geelwa.

Sho omuloka guli petameko, oondjila dhimwe odha tameka nala okukala itadhi longithwa.

Ndeitunga, pethimbo a ningwa naye oonkundathana koNamibia Sun mEtiyali, okwa popi kutya omadhagadhaga otaga ka topolwa.

“Otu na omadhagadhaga nongele oshimbuluma osha longelwa kombinga hoka itatu vulu okuya niihauto nena otatu ka tuka,” Ndeitunga a popi.

Ndeitunga okwa popi kutya itaya ka etha ya sindike koongangala.

Kakele komaupyakadhi ngoka haga holoka pethimbo lyomuloka, omahala gamwe ngaashi moshitopolwa shaShikoto ihaga vulu okuyiwa omolwa oondjila oombwiinayi.

Omadhagadhaga ngoka ogo woo taga longithwa kokukondjitha uukongo mEtosha National Park mOshikoto oshowo moBwabwata National Park moZambezi okuza mOshakati.

KENYA KAMBOWE

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Iilonga yomomapya ya tameke

January 4, 2018, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: SHOT OF

≪ Previous: Omadhagadhaga taga ka longitha mokulwitha iimbuluma

Iilonga yomomapya ya tameke KENYA KAMBOWE

Oshifokundaneki shoNamibia Sun oshiwike shika osha endaenda niitopolwa yomonooli nokutala nkene aanafaalama ya tameke nale okupulula omapya, sho oshikako shomuloka sha tameke, omanga yamwe otaya tutu uuhoho okuza miigunda nokugunda momapya gawo.

Oshikundaneki osha yi moonkundathana naanafaalama yamwe po mboka yali yiipyakidhila momapya gawo mboka ya popi kutya kape na ompito yokuhepitha ethimbo molwaashoka omvula ihayi tengenekwa onkene otaya longitha ompito kehe taya mono.

Maria Simon okwa adhika ta longo mepya lye, ndyoka tali adhika mondjila yaShakati-Okahao, opamwe naakwanegumbo lye.

Okwa popi kutya iilya ye oya mena nale, konima sho a tameke okupulula momasiku 20 gaDesemba omvula ya piti, na olyo ngaa esiku a kunu iilya ye.

“Inandi tegelela molwaashoka onda tsuwa omukumo komvula ndjoka ya loko omasiku ngoka. Ngaashi mu wete epya lyandje olya ziza nawa Omahangu, omakunde oshowo omanyangwa ngoka nda kunu iiwike iyali ya piti,” Maria a popi.

“Aantu yamwe inaya tameka natango na otaya ka teya kwa lata molwaashoka tse mboka twa tameke tango otatu ka teya mbala.”

Maria ngoka epya lye li li popepi noshana okwa popi kutya uuna kwa lokwa unene ombinga yegumbo lye ohayi kala kohi yomeya, ihe kuye shoka shi na oshilonga osho kutya iilya ye ohayi koko nawa.

Omunafaalama ngoka okwa popi kutya iilya ye oya mene pethimbo ewanawa, sho aakwanegumbo lye mboka haya kala koombinga dha yooloka, yeli pegumbo opo ye mu kwathele mokulima.

“Owu wete aanona mboka otaya ka shuna komagumbo gaavali yawo oshowo kooyinakulu noohekulu moondoolopa dha yooloka hoka haya hiti oskola. Ondi na elago molwaashoka iilya yandje oya mena, ngashingeyi otatu limi.”

Maria okwa popi kutya shoka a hala ngashiingeyi omvula yi loke nawa opo iilya ye yi koke.

Oshiwike shika, oshi li woo omvula yimwe, konima nkene Omupresidede Hage Geingob a tula miilonga opoloyeka yo 'Operation Tulongeni' moshitopolwa shaMusati, ndjoka ya nuninwa okutsa omukumo aanamapya ya longe omapya gawo neitulemo.

Pahapu dhaNgoloneya gwaMusati, Erginus Endjala oshitopolwa shawo natango otashi ka tula miilonga opoloyeka ndjoka, momwedhi nguka.

Endjala okwa yelitha kutya nuumvo otaku ka kala ehogololo miikandjohogololo 11, mbyoka tayi ka pewa oshinakugwanithwa shokutula miilonga opoloyeka ndjoka.

Okwa popi kutya omolwa omvula ndjoka ihaayi tengenekwa, aanamapya yamwe oya tegelela manga opo ku lokwe nawa komuloka ngoka gwa tegelelwa moshiwike oshitiyali noshititatu shomwedhi.

“Ngaashi wu shishi kutya Januari omweedhi gwa kukuta. Otatu tegelele miiwike twa taalela, na otu na einekelo kutya omuloka omwaanawa otagu ka loka, opo aantu yatameke okupulula omapya gawo.”

KENYA KAMBOWE

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