PDM condemns Rehoboth water crisis

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) has criticised the Rehoboth Town Council for the disruption of water services at the town.

The Rehoboth community has often complained about the lack of clean water services at the town over the years.

The situation has not been rectified.

In a statement this week, the PDM lambasted the town council for failing to provide proper services.

“The PDM wishes to express dismay and condemnation over the ongoing situation as it relates to the provision of water and the disruption of such services by the Rehoboth Town Council,” the statement reads.

“The disruption of water service provision by the Rehoboth Town Council without prior notification to the residents of Rehoboth is disgraceful, and is indicative of the utter disrespect and disregard for the people of Rehoboth on the part of the Town Council.”

The PDM is of the view that council is acting against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The party blames the town council for ignoring the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which recognises the human right to water and sanitation.

“Furthermore, the Local Authorities Act (Act No. 23 of 1992) places a duty on local authorities to provide and ensure the provision of water to their respective residents.”

PDM further noted that government, at the local and national level, is failing to uphold the provisions not only of its own laws, but also international legal instruments and it called on government to rectify this as a matter of urgency. The party says the ongoing disruption of water provision at Rehoboth is also an indication of the level of pervasive mismanagement which PMD says has become the new 'normal' at Swapo-run town councils across Namibia.

“It is evidence of incompetence and ineffective governance. It is therefore no surprise that the people of Rehoboth have lost faith in their town council's ability to deliver and ensure the on-going provision of basic services.

“It is incomprehensible that the Rehoboth Town Council could expect its residents to pay for the delivery of basic services, if it itself has failed to create a conducive environment for and ensure local economic development.”

The party also urged urban and rural development minister, Sophia Shaningwa, to intervene without delay, urging her to ensure that local authorities prioritise local economic development to in turn ensure the sustainability of basic service provision.

STAFF REPORTER

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Second move for Torra lions

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Second move for Torra lionsFarmers complain about pride's presence The group of lions that caused major damage to livestock at the Torra Conservancy, now have to be moved again because they are not welcome in Erongo.

The environment ministry has responded to concerns by farmers in the Erongo Region following the translocation of four lions from the Kunene Region to a sanctuary near Omaruru.

The ministry's spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said following the death of 200 hundred small stock in the Torra Conservancy, Kunene Region in November 2017, it was found that a pride of between 10 and 15 lions was responsible.

“Preliminary investigations confirmed at the time that the first rains that were received in the Kunene Region, resulted in the dispersal of the presence and movements of wild animals in the area making it difficult for lions and other predators to find their natural prey,” Muyunda said in a statement. The ministry made a decision to capture and translocate the pride which was finally confirmed to only be eight animals.

According to Muyunda, the minister had “no other option but to move these lions to areas where they will not cause any conflicts with people. An alternative was to destroy all the eight lions but this is always the last option.”

Three private game farms or groups of game farmers had expressed an interest to keep lions. One, Erongo Mountain Rhino Sanctuary, was found to be ready to accommodate the animals. The sanctuary encompasses 20 member farms and 12 geographically incorporated supportive non-member farm units within and surrounding the Erongo Mountains.

“The ministry was satisfied with their interest as the habitat is good and they have enough prey for lions. The area is big in size comprising an area of approximately 180 000 ha. Consultations including a meeting with the representatives of Erongo Mountain Rhino Sanctuary were conducted with the ministry on the release of the lions,” Muyunda added.

The ministry then set out to capture the pride and five lions out of the eight, of which all were sub-adult, were captured and translocated. One died due to capture stress. The remaining three cats had moved to inaccessible terrain and the operation to capture them was called off. Lions naturally occur in the north-western part of the country were the relocation occurred. The growth of lion population in the north western Namibia has resulted in growth in tourism because nowhere else in the world can free-ranging lions be seen amongst sand dunes or on a beach. Lions should therefore be viewed as a national asset to Namibia. Muyunda said the ministry's lion conflict reduction management strategies include capture and translocation to other areas where it is deemed that the animal will not cause conflict with people. Reduction management strategies also include trophy hunting of certain individual animals. The Erongo Mountain Rhino Sanctuary has enough prey for lions, according to Muyunda, and food for the lions at the sanctuary is therefore not an issue.

“Although some people, mainly some individual commercial farmers neighbouring the Erongo Mountain Rhino Sanctuary, have complained about the introduction of these lions, there are also other predators in the area such as leopard, hyaena and cheetahs some of which might even be more dangerous to humans than lions based on the rare incidence of leopard attacks on humans compared to the extremely rare incidences of attacks or attempted attacks by lions. Lions have furthermore established themselves in the nearby Ugab River system and are anticipated to gradually extend their range southwards towards the western Omaruru River catchment in suitable habitat. In fact, in 2016 and 2017 reports of lions in the vicinity of Omaruru were received.

“The farmers concerned also (most of them) run tourism businesses in addition to livestock farming. The reasons to call for the removal of the lions may only be known to them.”

To date, the ministry had not received any substantiated reports that any of the translocated lions had left the sanctuary or had been involved in any livestock conflict outside the conservancy.

However, in a bid to reduce public concern, the ministry will capture the lions and translocate them to one of the national parks, an operation set to start immediately.

Muyunda said the ministry extended appreciation to the Erongo Mountain Rhino Sanctuary who had the interest and volunteered to keep these lions on their land, for the conservation of lions in Namibia and benefit of the country from tourism and wildlife management.

STAFF REPORTER

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In rural Senegal, seeds of hope for working women

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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In rural Senegal, seeds of hope for working womenTackling poverty Rural women account for at least 43% of agricultural labourers worldwide, the FAO says. What we need most is a rural economy that works for everyone. - Jean-Christophe Debar, Independent analyst

Isabel Malsang - In Nganda, a rural community in remote Senegal close to the Gambian border, restaurant owner Aissatou Tisse is carving out a reputation for tasty homemade, locally grown food.

About 100 kilometres away in the village of Niakhar, handicapped Daba Dione feeds her family by raising chickens on a modest smallholding. Thanks to a training course in veterinary health, she is routinely consulted by neighbours about their own poultry.

"Today, I've even forgotten the difficulties of the past," Dione told AFP.

The two have benefited from schemes that seek both to support women's empowerment and fight poverty in rural Africa, where male dominance, backbreaking labour and misery go hand in hand.

"We have an enormous need of women ... We're up against the ageing of those who hold land and the phenomenon of migration among men," said Khadija Doucoure, a specialist handling gender and youth issues in west Africa for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

"It should be normal for [women] to have access, like men do, to financial resources, fertilisers, and to be present in decision-making bodies for product marketing," Doucoure said.

UN agencies

UN agencies like IFAD and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), both based in Rome, manage projects to help empower rural women, who account for at least 43% of agricultural labourers worldwide, according to an FAO report.

Such women bear responsibility for childcare and household tasks, as well as working the fields, yet enjoy only "limited access to land, credit, information and technologies," IFAD noted in a recent report.

In west and central Africa, IFAD runs 55 projects that feature gender equality as a goal.

Between 2010 and 2015, its projects "reached a total of 139 million people, of whom 43.2 million saw an increase in farm income," while others built up larger cattle herds or poultry stocks, the agency said.

The support "lifted 24 million people out of poverty", added the document, which pointed out that helping women is "an efficient means of reducing chronic infantile malnutrition. Women are more inclined than men to spend their revenue on food and education."

Broader risks

Nevertheless, independent analyst Jean-Christophe Debar warned of broader risks if institutional donors like the FAO and the World Bank concentrate unduly on women because of perceived hardships. "I'm worried about trendy effects: what we need most is a rural economy that works for everyone."

"We should not give the impression that it's enough to focus on women for everything to go well," said Debar, head of the think tank foundation FARM.

"The two main problems in Africa are access to the means of production [land, seeds, fertiliser] and access to the market, with the possibility of selling the harvest at a rewarding price."

In Nganda, where some families cannot afford all the food they need, IFAD has financed farm support programmes jointly with the Senegalese state since 2012. Villagers are given seeds adapted to survive in drought conditions and also get basic agronomic training in soil management.

Tisse works only with local produce, she told AFP in her small Nganda restaurant where she provided a glass of ruby red bissap, a popular drink made from dried hibiscus leaves.

"We have been able to buy our sheep and horses and we have launched into the production of [groundnut] oil," said the young woman, who was forced to leave school early after her parents died.

Until recently, jobless men in the district would head off to the capital and never come back, Tisse said. "Women went too, to be domestic employees. Dakar is a risk for us."

"This is a dry area where the soil has not been worked for several generations, since the majority of young people leave for Dakar or further afield," said Mame Birame Sene, the head of Nganda's cultural and sporting association, which has turned into an agricultural cooperative.

Until the funding scheme began, "we had problems meeting our needs, but now we're cultivating 200 hectares and we run our own business," Tisse said.

She has deliberately hired a team exclusively made up of women. "With men around, we would not have been able to engage in food processing nor the restaurant business," she said. "And I pay everybody!"

‘Godmother’

But she takes her greatest pride from being chosen as "godmother" to the local football club. Such a position for a woman was hitherto unimaginable in the dusty backwater.

Tisse bubbles with more plans, including a shop for local produce and a restaurant in Dakar on the same select basis as her business in the village. "We've already spotted the place, we just need to settle the deal."

In Nganda, increased crop production has enabled women to make the most of a bumper harvest by preparing bags of sankhal (processed crushed millet) for desserts, typically with milk, and arraw (rolled flour pellets) for porridge.

By pooling their earnings, the women have set up a bank and lend themselves money for their individual projects at a fixed interest rate of 10%.

Tenning Ngom, 27, has been a beneficiary. "My work for the collective is to sieve millet after the harvest. I work from November to February."

For the rest of the year, Ngom runs a roadside catering concern started when the women's group lent her money. "My first loan dates from 2015," she said. "I've paid it all back."– Nampa/AFP

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Windhoek water savings still crucial

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Windhoek water savings still crucial

Windhoek water authorities say they are pleased with the low consumption rates over the holiday period but are urging residents to remain vigilant and stick to the 5% water-saving target during the sizzling summer days.

“Although consumption has been pleasantly low for the past weeks, there is a great concern that consumption targets will be exceeded within the coming weeks, due to the hot and dry conditions,” Lydia Amutenya, City of Windhoek spokesperson told Namibian Sun.

The City warned that it is difficult to predict the inflow of water to the central water supply dams for this rainy season.

As such, all residents are urged to continue saving water and implementing sustainable measures to maintain a maximum of 90 litres per day per person in residential and business areas.

“Since no additional water sources are yet commissioned to supply water to the Central Area of Namibia (CAN), and the demand is ever-increasing, sustainable consumption management will become a lifestyle for consumers who live in the central parts of Namibia.”

The City is also keeping a close eye on climate conditions and warned that in case of a drought “penalty tariffs for domestic consumers will come in effect” according to a set water consumption index.

When 20 kilolitres per month per household is exceeded, the penalty fees will be applied.

In addition, no rebates are available during drought conditions.

The current water alert condition allows for a limited rebate for water leaks of two months only.

“Consumers are therefore urged to mitigate the financial burden from water leaks by reading their water meters accordingly,” Amutenya urged.

The weekly flood bulleting issued by the Namibia Hydrological Services confirmed that “satellite images over the last 24 hours show no rain across Namibia and Botswana.”

Good rains were observed over western, central and eastern areas of Angola.

NamWater’s weekly dam bulletin published on 8 January found that the Von Bach Dam is currently at 59.6%, Swakoppoort Dam at 40.5%, and Omatako Dam at 0.2%.

The Naute Dam is at 72.3% capacity and the Oanob is at 72.3%, while Hardap Dam is currently at 44.2%.

The Zambezi River at Katima Mulilo continues to rise and is currently at 1.2 metres. Water levels remain higher than the same period last year.

The Okavango River at Rundu is currently at 4.32 metres and water levels remain lower than those of the same period last year.

JANA-MARI SMITH

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Back to school winnings

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Back to school winnings

Keen to win a N$500 shopping voucher from Shoprite Checkers? It is as easy as pie… All you have to do is have a photo of your child, brother, sister or grandchild on his or her first day of school and WhatsApp the photo to 081 850 6595 before midnight on Monday, 15 January. All you have to do is add the name and surname of the little one as well as the school he or she is attending. But that is not all… if you do not have a first-grader in the family, you can log on to the My Zone Facebook page www.facebook.com/myzone and click on the Shoprite Checkers link to look at the photos and like them because a randomly selected Facebook winner will also receive a N$500 shopping voucher. But there is still more… the top 10 photos will be published in the three daily newspapers, Namibian Sun, Republikein and Allgemeine Zeitung on 19 and 22 January. Then readers can vote for their favourites and based on likes and the editor’s choice. One luck reader and the scholar pictures will also each win a N$500 shopping voucher. All winners will be announced on 26 January. Go get’em!

STAFF REPORTER

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Road safety hamstrung by lack of funds

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Road safety hamstrung by lack of funds!Naruseb insists there is much political will The works minister Alpheus !Naruseb says the N$191 million shortfall in the NRSC budget does not indicate there is no political will to curb road deaths and accidents.

Works and transport minister Alpheus !Naruseb this week insisted there is sufficient political will to tackle the road accident epidemic at a time when the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) says a chronic lack of funds and capacity blocks them from carrying out their mandate.

Nampa on Tuesday reported that Ambrosius Tierspoor, head of corporate communication at NRSC, this week said they the council needs around N$200 million to fully execute its mandate.

However, the council received only N$9 million during the 2017/18 financial year.

In December, NRSC executive director Eugene Sipopo Tendekule told Namibian Sun that “because of the myriad of challenges such as lack of capacity, lack of funding and lack of staffing, the NRSC is hamstrung in terms of fulfilling its mandate.”

He said that if the NRSC could access adequate resources, both human and financial, they would “do more than what is being done at the moment”.

Tendekule listed “political will” to “accomplish good results” and “proper funding” as two of the top components needed to solve the high rate of accidents in Namibia, alongside several other criteria.

He added that the cost of road crashes to the economy amounts to more than N$1.3 billion.

“This is not commensurate with the current level of funding, hence road safety funding remains an on-going challenge,” Tendekule said.

Horst Heimstadt of the Private Sector Road Safety Forum (PSRSF) told Namibian Sun in December that “political will and law enforcement is a major concern in controlling this bad behaviour on our roads.”

He said politicians rarely speak up on the topic and mostly only get involved after a person or persons close to them are involved in an accident.

However !Naruseb defended government’s road safety efforts this week.

He told Nampa that the budgetary allocation to the NRSC does not translate into a lack of political will from government side.

“From where I stand, it does not get any higher than the political will that I have been manifesting thus far. I believe that we will overcome that burden,” the minister said.

He further told the news agency that “if you juxtapose the money that we spend in terms of dealing with those who perish on our roads; to rehabilitate those who get maimed on our roads [and] those who are not able to move on their own… we spend money to do all those things.”

Both Tendekule and Heimstadt in December said that the majority of crashes are behaviour-related and road users carry a large burden of responsibility for the high crash incidences in Namibia.

“More than 90% of all our crashes are behaviour-related,” Heimstadt said.

However, changing driver attitudes will require multiple approaches and the commitment from multiple stakeholders, both said.

“I agree that the level of lawlessness is prevalent on our roads. Road rules are violated with impunity,” Tendekule said.

He added that traffic courts are clogged with outstanding cases which add to the problem and said there is an urgent need to amend out-dated legislation regulating road safety.

Heimstadt said the cooperation between law enforcement, and justice “is a major concern” in addition to a lack of law enforcement officers.

He pointed out that the current structures and systems in place to regulate road users are faulty and needs to be overhauled to be more effective.

“The fact that we are not winning the war against road safety incidents in spite of major efforts underway really answers the question on whether the authorities are fulfilling their mandate. There are many passionate organisations that would like to contribute, but lack of funding is a big problem.”

!Naruseb yesterday said the statistics indicate that road safety improved this year.

“The overall situation on the roads have significantly improved over the period 2017/18 as compared to the previous festive season [2016/17] as crashes decreased by 28%, injuries by 23% and fatalities by 15%,” he said.

JANA-MARI SMITH

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Corruption - A social disease (Part 128): Canvassing the beacons of light in the land of the corrupt

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Corruption - A social disease (Part 128): Canvassing the beacons of light in the land of the corrupt

Johan Coetzee - In terms of Transparency International’s ratings, the overall trend since 1998-2016 is stable.

The judiciary seems to be one of the beacons of relative independence from the legislative and executive branches. However, with the recent combining of the High Court and the Supreme Court, the executive encroached on the independence of the judiciary.

The Anti-Corruption Commission and the Election Office are not independent. They should report to a board consisting of civil society members (with at least as possible political connections or associations with any political party) and the media, not to skewed Parliament with a two third majority of the ruling party.

Constitutional amendments without adequate public consultation do not encourage transparency and open debate.

The central government is very much in control and dominates the administrative and financial systems. The public sector is incapacitated, bloated and characterised by weak institutions and weak leaders as illustrated with the waste of public resources, e.g. the mismanagement of TransNamib, Air Namibia, Regional Councils and municipalities.

WILL AND SPIRIT

Central government neither has the capacity nor the inclination to monitor the performance of the ever increasing number of Public Enterprises (PEs) of which the number current is 98 after the recent creation of the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) who is involved in a questionable land deal.

The esprit de corps (common spirit) of public sector employees seems of such a nature that a transformation is required to motivate them and to improve their performance. Corruption is rife and blatantly manifested as illustrated in ignorance, arrogance and running second businesses during office hours (moonlighting).

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and Black Economic Empowerment are used as loopholes to evade accountability and to enrich a small number of privileged politically connected people, e.g. the Government Institutions Pension Fund’s (GIPF) missing N$ 660 million and the Small and Medium Enterprise Bank’s missing N$220 million and the state of the resorts of Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR), including camping sites such as Jakalsputz.

Local industries are protected, e.g. milk (including Namibia Diaries), as well as the technology and banking sectors which were exposed by the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) in a study as some of the banks with the highest service fees in the world. They are protected without any timelines or targets, creating an atmosphere of very limited competition and very limited incentives to increase efficiency and reduce waste of resources (a manifestation of corruption).

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

Public oversight mechanisms exist, but they are uncoordinated and rarely effective. Central government does not encourage public engagement with civil society institutions in order to stimulate open debate about national issues.

What has been positive was the current President's initial efforts to focus on poverty and housing. If these issues are alleviated, corruption can reduce, because housing, poverty and corruption are interrelated, intertwined and interdependent issues that cannot be addressed separately. The corrupt landscape should be changed to reduce corruption, making corruption impossible to occur, similar to the approach in addressing the crime problem in New York during the 1980's.

A beacon of light is the media that are allowed to play a critical role in exposing corruption and making people aware of its manifestations. The number of media institutions increased since Independence and within this context, the media's role in exposing corruption also increased. The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA's) regional office is in Namibia and this illustrates the freedom of the Namibian media in the region. Namibia has been rated during 2016/17 as the African country with the most media freedom.

The media focus on corruption incidents, but does not adequately practise investigative journalism. The media focuses mainly on bread and butter cases such as covering incidents and not adequately provide an insightful an overall perspective about corruption related issues of national concern. Where investigative journalism is practiced, it is on ad hoc basis.

Investigative journalism costs much more money than merely reporting incidents. From a financial perspective, media houses are too small to focus adequately on investigative journalism.

Let us focus this year on reporting corruption to make Namibia the land of Light and the Brave. Let us live up to our name.

jcoetzee@nust.na

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Swakopmund sells 258 residential erven in 2017

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Swakopmund sells 258 residential erven in 2017Certain capital projects on hold Permission was granted to the community development services department to resume housing registration for 2018. Special provision will be made for persons with disability and special needs upon submission of a medical doctor’s certificate. - Pauline Nashilundo, Swakopmund Mayor

The Swakopmund Municipality has made progress in 2017 in the availing of land through land sales, the coastal town’s mayor, Pauline Nashilundo, has said.

In its annual report, Nashilundo said the municipality managed to sell a total of 258 single residential erven located in extensions 34, 35 and Matutura to the public in close bid sales.

She stated that seven general residential erven, two business erven and 18 industrial erven were also auctioned off during the same period, which was between 25 November 2016 and 02 December 2017.

According to Nashilundo, the town council also offered 150 erven to local construction company, Messrs Power Oyeno Namibia, by way of a public-private partnership (PPP) for the construction of low cost houses in Swakopmund.

She further stated that the council has granted permission to the community development services department to resume housing registration for 2018.

“With the allocation of residential land, special provision will be made for persons with disability and special needs upon submission of a medical doctor’s certificate,” she explained.

The mayor added that due to budgetary constraints, some of the capital projects, which include fixing of water pipes, have been put on hold. - Nampa

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Etunda farmers 'lied'

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Etunda farmers 'lied'No water shortage at irrigation scheme The Omusati governor says crop farmers at Etunda were not affected by interruptions in water supply, unlike those at Olushandja.

Small-scale farmers at one of the biggest Green Scheme projects in the country, the Etunda Irrigation Project in the Omusati Region, say they experienced interruption in the water supply from NamWater during November and December, which resulted in their crops failing.

The chairperson of the Etunda Irrigation Project's small-scale farmers' committee, Johannes Kalenga, told Namibian Sun that they have incurred huge losses running into hundreds of thousands of dollars due to this interruption.

The farm manager at Etunda, Albertus Viljoen, however refuted the allegations, saying farmers were “lying” and that Etunda never experienced water shortages or interruptions.

Kalenga said they felt betrayed by management, adding that when they started planting their crops in September as usual, government projects were not active and people were not planting. With the November and December water interruptions, he said they realised why the government projects were not planting.

He said the water shortages have affected their crop growth and production, as at times they could not water for a week.

“What NamWater and the management of Etunda have done to us is unfair. If they knew that they were planning to fix the Calueque Dam they were supposed to tell us not to plant. This water shortage has affected the growth of the produce. There is nothing we can do, but to destroy these crops and plant again,” Kalenga said.

He said that most of the farmers had taken loans from AgriBank to buy seed, fertiliser and equipment. These loans are due to be paid once they sell their harvests but according to him the current situation is forcing them into more debt. He said they complained to Etunda's management but they were told it was NamWater's fault.

“In agronomy, there is a stage were crops need a constant water supply and the moment you stop, it affects the crop's production. We found ourselves in a situation where the canal had no water for up to three days,” he said.

Viljoen said farmers were lying and only want to claim money in a dishonest way. He confirmed that farmers had indeed come to complain but after assessments were done, it was found that their complaints were invalid.

“As the farm manager I do not support these allegations. We heard NamWater was going through a water supply problem, but it never affected us at Etunda. We actually discovered that some of the crop farmers are alleging to have failed were already harvested, while others failed due to lack of fertiliser,” Viljoen said

On Wednesday, the governor for Omusati Region, Erginus Endjala, visited Etunda and the Olushandja Dam to familiarise himself with the situation. Endjala also said that Etunda was not affected by the water shortage, but at Olushandja, farmers have shut down operations.

“At Etunda the situation is normal. I even visited the asparagus farm and it is going well. The project has planted 30 hectares already. I was concerned when I heard reports that there was a water shortage, but it is not as reported, and the management assured me that all is going well,” Endjala said.

He said the only serious problem was at Olushandja Dam where 68 farmers abandoned their projects after NamWater pumped water from the dam three weeks ago to supply to its purification plants at Outapi, Ogongo and Oshakati as it was experiencing a water supply shortage from Calueque.

The 17-kilometre-long Olushandja Dam, where farmers draw water from, serves as reservoir to store water for emergency use. The water utility pumps in water and withdraws it during emergencies. Recently, NamWater could not pump water to the dam due to the supply shortage from Calueque, which has been reduced from 3.6 cubic litres per second to 1.8 cubic litres per second, making it difficult to supply the northern regions.

“This affects the economy and livelihood of the people in the region. Olushandja projects are a source of employment for hundreds of citizens and now they do not have an income and cannot make a living. I am waiting for the regional councils to resume duties so that we see how we can tackle the situation with NamWater,” Endjala said.

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

There are 71 spaces for small-scale farmers which consist of three hectares each and 10 spaces for medium-scale farmers, also consisting of three hectares each.

NamWater said a contractor was repairing the Mota-Engil pipeline that supplies water to Namibia from the Calueque Dam in Angola.

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PDM slams 'abysmal' exam results

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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PDM slams 'abysmal' exam results

The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) has slammed the low 2017 National Senior Secondary Certificate (NSSC) and Junior Secondary Certificate (JSC) results and said the billions pumped into the education sector were being wasted by inadequate leadership.

PDM's Nico Smit yesterday argued that the N$11.97 billion allocated to the education ministry last year warranted a better return on investment than the 3% increase in NSSC results announced recently.

“This is a deplorable return on investment, and one cannot help but question not only the effectiveness and quality of the public education system as a whole, but more specifically the competence of the leadership at the highest level of the public education sector,” Smit stated.

He said unless urgent help is extended to the thousands of 2017 learners who failed to achieve university admission results, they risk being “left destitute on the streets of Namibia.”

The PDM said the “abysmal performance” of the education minister “year after year has set Namibia on an unsustainable trajectory” that is crippling Namibia's ability to reach the goals of Vision 2030.

“How can one expect to reach the goals of Vision 2030 and the development of a knowledge-based society, when the Ministry of Education produces more failures than anything else?” the statement read.

Smit said the PDM is deeply dissatisfied with the fact that approximately 27 000 former Grade 10 learners and 13399 former Grade 12 learners did not pass their exams, leaving over 50 000 young Namibians at risk and likely to “face very little prospects of a decent future.”

He critiqued the fact that the ministry could not “reach its desperately low target of 45% admission to tertiary education”, which he said “bears testimony to the fact that the politically appointed leadership at the helm of the education ministry is hopelessly out of its depth.”

Smit demanded that the government should urgently lay out their plans, if they have any, of how they will intervene and assist the students left without university admission prospects.

He said it is crucial that the Swapo-led government also answer transparently what plans are on the table to accommodate learners who must repeat Grade 10 in 2018 as the majority of Grade 10 repeaters accommodated at NAMCOL in 2017 failed their exams, and must repeat the year again.

“It is our expectation that no such plans have been developed, as all eyes and minds would have been focused on the 2017 Swapo congress and the political survival of those in leadership positions.”

Smit said the education ministry's call on teachers to provide better quality teaching to students from Grade 0 to Grade 12 and of students to work harder was an attempt to “shift the blame.”

The PDM statement called on the education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa to step down “to make room for improvement in the education sector”.

“It is baffling that despite the spectacular failings of the education ministry and the utter disarray and chaos that characterises the public education sector, minister Hanse-Himarwa continues to enjoy the confidence of the president.”

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Angola gets lukewarm response to FX changes

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Angola gets lukewarm response to FX changes‘Little and late’ According to the finance ministry, public debt to gross domestic product stood at 67% in 2017. They have been losing reserves quite aggressively and they have obviously had to do something. - Stuart Culverhouse, Exotix.

Karin Strohecker - Angola's 10% currency devaluation needs to go much further to take the kwanza to a fair value, according to investors who remain doubtful the shift will lure capital inflows into the oil exporting country.

Following the examples of African peers Nigeria and Egypt which devalued last year, Angola allowed its kwanza to depreciate around 10% against both the US dollar and the euro. The central bank held its first foreign exchange auction on Tuesday since switching from a dollar peg to a currency trading band.

Relaxing the currency rules is the latest of several policy and personnel changes since President João Lourenço came to power in September in Africa's number two oil producer whose economy has been battered since oil's mid-2014 price crash.

But the move, described by Fitch analyst James McCormack as "a little late, but better late than never", needs to go further, markets suggest.

Quoted at 184.5 to the US dollar, the kwanza remains way above the 440 level it trades on the streets of the capital Luanda where years of suppressed oil prices have resulted in acute foreign exchange shortages.

"We would have expected a weaker exchange rate actually - maybe they are testing this and not doing it overnight, maybe they are doing it gradually, so I think we might see more to come," said Stuart Culverhouse, head of sovereign and fixed income research at Exotix.

"They have been losing reserves quite aggressively and they have obviously had to do something - and correcting that imbalance would be positive."

Foreign reserves

Angola has seen its foreign currency reserves more than halve since 2013 to about US$14 billion. Meanwhile, fellow OPEC member Nigeria which has relaxed its currency regime in recent months has seen FX reserves rise again.

Fuels accounted for 97% of Angola's exports in 2016, according to UNCTAD.

Non-deliverable forwards (NDFs) showed on Wednesday how markets were reassessing expectations of how far policy makers were prepared to go in making adjustments in the US$90 billion economy.

Derivative products used to hedge against future exchange rate moves, Angola kwanza NDFs indicate markets expected exchange rates at a bid/offer rate of 235/275 in twelve months time. Those rates stood at 255/300 on Tuesday and at 292/392 last week.

"This significant flattening of the dollar-kwanza NDF curve possibly reflects investor expectations of more moderate devaluation after an initial partial adjustment," said Samir Gadio at Standard Chartered.

Renaissance Capital calculates that fair value implied by the long-term real effective exchange rate (REER) stood at 348 to the US dollar, adding that the kwanza before its adjustment had been the continent's most overvalued currency.

Samantha Singh, Africa strategist at Absa estimated that the backlog of FX demand was in the region of US$2.5 to US$5 billion in Angola, adding that further adjustment was required.

Debt

But lacking much of a domestic equity or debt market that could draw in foreign investment flows, Angola may not be able to replicate the benefits reaped by emerging market peers which recently relaxed their currency regimes.

"If one compares this devaluation to those in Egypt and Nigeria, the key question is whether Angola could experience the same turnaround on the financial account side," said Gadio.

Investors had also taken a step back from Angolan dollar-bonds. The issue, which has US$1.5 billion outstanding, extended falls for a third straight session and has been losing more than 1.2 US cents since the start of the week.

According to the finance ministry, public debt to gross domestic product stood at 67% in 2017. A weaker exchange rate would further increase that level, and make it more costly for Angola to service its obligations. According to Standard Chartered, the government debt service-to-revenue ratio reached 89% in 2017. – Nampa/Reuters

Kassie 1

BoN still owed more than N$1.2 bn

Banco Nacional De Angola (BNA) currently owes the Bank of Namibia (BoN) US$102.1 million – about N$1.27 billion at yesterday’s exchange rate.

The debt stems from the currency exchange agreement between Angola and Namibia in June 2015, which resulted in a massive outflow from the neighbouring country. The BNA subsequently struggled to repurchase kwanza from the BoN on a monthly basis due to foreign reserve pressure. A new repayment schedule had to be negotiated.

Commenting on figures reported by Market Watch on Wednesday, the BoN pointed out that the BNA made another payment of US$51 million in December.

“As per the agreement signed between the two central banks there are two remaining payments in 2018 to settle the outstanding amount, i.e. US$51 million in the first quarter and the last payment expected by June 2018,” the BoN said.

Kassie 2

Dos Santos’ son sacked

LUANDA - Angolan President João Lourenço removed the son of his long-serving predecessor Jose Eduardo dos Santos as head of the country's US$5 billion sovereign wealth fund on Wednesday, the latest in a series of moves that sidelined Dos Santos allies.

He announced that he was replacing the board of the fund, including its head Jose Filomeno dos Santos, after an external inquiry into the fund's performance and governance.

The new board chairman was named as Carlos Alberto Lopes, a former finance minister. – Nampa/Reuters

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Unam raises N$140k for land

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Unam raises N$140k for landLand-A-Dollar campaign wraps up Ocer 140 000 was raised in a campaign by the University of Namibia to collect funds for the servicing of residential plots.

Launched in August 2015, Unam's 'Land-a-Dollar' campaign yesterday handed over N$140 779.38 to urban and rural development minister Sophia Shaningwa.

The campaign saw 200-litre metal drums placed strategically around the capital for people to donate a dollar in a bid to fund land acquisition for the landless in Namibia, following the introduction of the Harambee Prosperity Plan by President Hage Geingob.

At the time, the servicing of urban land had become a prime focus of government and local authorities and President Geingob, along with Shaningwa, had travelled north and west in a bid to secure land and get in touch with the situation on the ground.

At the handing over of the funds, Shaningwa said that the collection of the funds was “a demonstration of unity of purpose and partnership between the government, the academia and the youth”.

“Adequate supply of, and access to, serviced urban land in particular and productive land in general is one of the necessary conditions for achieving the national aspirations and desired outcomes.

“The scarcity or inadequate supply of serviced land is both pushing up the prices of land and also slowing down the process of housing delivery and general development in the country directly or indirectly.

“As such, the availability of affordable serviced land in both urban and rural areas is a critical prerequisite for meeting our national goals of providing decent housing and addressing the prevalent undesirable phenomenon of informal settlements as well as for business investment and economic development,” she said.

According to the minister, these efforts are welcomed and should be lauded.

She said that the “responsibility and burden of housing and urban land provision cannot be left to government alone, but requires concerted efforts from both the public and private sectors if we are to make the dream of 'adequate affordable housing' a reality for our people, specifically to the low- and middle-income households who are constrained to have their needs for decent shelter met through the market.”

She said that the housing challenge, in her view, was not insurmountable if the country and the government pooled resources and developed what she described as inclusive, equitable and innovative strategies, such as 'Land-a-Dollar'.

She expressed her gratitude to the management and Student Representative Council of Unam for their generous campaign and contribution.

“I wish to assure Unam, its students and management that your generous contribution will be put to good use, namely that it will be added to the other resources that are earmarked for land servicing and towards making a visible difference in the lives of our fellow countrywomen and men who are still struggling to find a place to come home.”

STAFF REPORTER

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No place for English failures

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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No place for English failures

The results of the part-time Grade 12 Namibian College of Open Learning (Namcol) students do not bode well for future study.

A meagre 10% of the institution's students managed to pass English as a second language, leaving 18 000 students that must repeat the subject if they are to advance in their studies.

If the 12 000 full-time students who also need to repeat English as a second language are added, this brings the total to a whopping 30 000 students who now have nowhere to register save vocational training centres.

To further compound matters, 12 000 students will be left out in the cold as Namcol can only accommodate 18 000 new English learners for the year.

This was revealed yesterday when Namcol announced its results for the 2017 Grade 10 and 12 exams.

According to Namcol director Heroldt Murangi, English second language remains a challenge for learners and out of the 20 333 Grade 12 learners who enrolled for the subject, only 10% managed to score a D Grade and above.

More than 2 000 learners, or 10% of the candidates, scored an incomplete in English second language.

“By reflecting on the results for English second language, it appears that more than 12 000 full-time and over 18 000 part-time candidates found it difficult to score the required D grade and above, generally required for admission into institutions of higher learning,” said Murangi.

According to him, this means that a large number of these learners will seek entry to Namcol for the 2018 academic year to improve their English results.

Therefore, more than 30 000 learners might need entry to Namcol while the college can only accommodate 18 000 this year, said Murangi.

“English remains a concern and we are getting the blame for the mistakes of others. If the formal education system fails, learners will not be able to read and write and that is why we are sitting with this problem.”

A total of 41 225 Grade 10 and 12 part-time learners were enrolled at Namcol last year.

According to Murangi, the total enrolment of part-time learners for the Grade 10 examination stood at 12 733, of whom 12 044 were enrolled with Namcol, while 29 181 out of the 34 214 Grade 12 candidates were enrolled at Namcol. The learner population for both Grades 10 and 12 at Namcol represents 95% of all part-time candidates, said Murangi.

“This is a testimony that Namcol is and remains the largest open and distance learning institution in the country. The college remains an active player in the provision of general education in Namibia.”

He added that there are many people who have been calling for the institution to be closed. “However, you cannot close an institution that is serving the educational needs of more than 41 000 learners. Namcol is here to stay.”

According to him, the performance of the Grade 10 learners in 2017 improved compared to that of 2016. Grade 10 learners performed better at grades A, B, F and G while a lower performance was recorded at the intermediate grades of C and E.

Murangi said it was concerning that there was a decline in grades C and D while an increase was recorded in ungraded entries from 6.8% in 2016 to 10.8% in 2017

“If ungraded entries are going up this is a concern.”

According to him, another concern was that learners did not sit for 4 398 (15.5%) subject entries in the 2017 examination.

As for Grade 12 learners there was an improved performance in all Grade ranges (A* to G) when compared to the 2016 results.

According to Murangi, there was a quite significant increase in graded entries from 78.5% in 2016 to 81.1% in 2017. This means that there was a decrease of 2.6% in ungraded entries.

“It is worth noting our candidates performed well in the Namibian home languages as they scored beyond 50% for D Grade and above.”

However over 10 000 subject entries for Grade 12 were recorded as incomplete.

“Of course this could be due to various reasons such as learners finding employment elsewhere, learners registering as a means of social benefits that includes pension fund and learners participating in medical aid schemes of their parents.”

Murangi said this trend affects the institution's results negatively and therefore Namcol commissioned a study to establish the reasons for learner dropouts.

Namcol plans to engage institutions such as the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) and medical aid schemes to share ideas on how to close the loophole that currently exists.

ELLANIE SMIT

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Major northern bypass

January 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Major northern bypassAmbitious plan to ease traffic pressure The proposed project is in a very early stage and the plan will stretch from the B1 at Onethindi all the way through to Oshakati.

The Roads Authority has abandoned plans to expand the Ongwediva-Ondangwa road into a dual carriageway for a more suitable bypass that will link Onethindi to Oshakati.

The new project will stretch from the B1 at Onethindi and will relieve pressure on the congested Ondangwa-Oshakati road.

The other motivation that necessitated the new project was the high cost of compensating hundreds of property owners who have built structures close to the planned highway.

This week RA spokesperson Hileni Fillemon confirmed to Namibian Sun that the design for this new project was nearly completed.

She added that the authority was also establishing how many people would be affected by the road cutting through their mahangu fields.

The road project is meant to reduce car crashes and traffic congestion in the area.

“The design section of the Ondangwa-Oshakati bypass is near completion. We are positive that it will be completed before June this year,” Fillemon said.

She added that construction would commence once funds were made available for the project.

The RA had initially planned to expand the Omuthiya-Ongwediva road into a dual carriageway or a highway. But due to the number of structures erected within the road reserve the company rather opted to construct a new road bypassing Ondangwa, Ongwediva and Oshakati to the south.

“We are only going to expand the Omuthiya-Onethindi road into a dual carriageway.

The project will start at 15 kilometres to Omuthiya from Oshivelo, and will follow the current alignment up to Onethindi.

“From Onethindi it will bypass Ondangwa, Ongwediva and Oshakati in the south and will join the main road just after Oshakati. It means we are going to construct a new road, a bypass between Ondangwa and Oshakati,” Fillemon said.

The RA changed the plan after it failed to convince owners of structures close to the road to halt construction, although their buildings are within the prohibited distance from the main road.

Sources privy to RA affairs told Namibian Sun that it was the third time that the plan had been altered.

Previous plans were also deemed too costly, according to an expert, who requested anonymity.

The RA would also have spent a lot of money compensating landowners.

This has been confirmed by the traditional leaders of some villages along the route. They said residents who would have been affected by the road plan were informed that it was no longer going to happen.

Denial

Fillemon has denied these claims, however, saying that there was no other road plan, and furthermore, that the RA would not spend a lot of money on compensation.

“This information is incorrect.

However, the RA's intention is to relocate a minimum number of landowners and this exercise requires a lot of route alignment planning which we are currently busy with,” she said.

Previously, Namibian Sun reported that the RA was embroiled in a dispute with traditional leaders over their subjects who are building too close to the main road between Ongwediva and Ondangwa.

Some of the builders were issued with letters ordering them to demolish their structures, but they refused and accused the RA of failing to embark on a public awareness campaign to avoid the current situation.

“It was this dispute that forced the RA to cancel the plan to expand the Ongwediva-Ondangwa road because many builders have constructed their buildings within 100 metres from the main road, which is against the Roads Authority Act,” the source said.

In a meeting with traditional leaders at Omuthiya last month, RA engineering technician Silas Titus Temba was quoted by the information ministry as saying members of the community were cautioned against building within 100 metres from the road between 1993 and 1995.

No cuca shops

Temba informed the meeting that cuca shops along the Oshivelo-Onethindi road that are within the prohibited 100 metres would be demolished to make way for the road expansion.

“The 1995 that they are talking about is a long time ago. Most of the people who were educated that time are not the ones driving development anymore. The education was supposed to be a continuous exercise,” a source remarked.

Fillemon said the public awareness campaigns carried out between 1993 and 1995 were adequate and that was confirmed by some traditional leaders during the Omuthiya meeting.

ILENI NANDJATO

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Namibia condemns Trump for 'shithole' countries remarks

January 12, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Namibia condemns Trump for 'shithole' countries remarks

The Namibian government has strongly rebuked utterances made by US President Donald Trump who described El Salvador, Haiti and certain African nations as “shithole” countries during a meeting with lawmakers at the White House on Thursday. "Such language has no place in diplomatic discourse and is contrary to the norms of civility and human progress. Further, it does not contribute to international cooperation. Namibia commend those American people who have disassociated themselves with this derogatory remarks," the international relations ministry said in a statement. The Africa we know and live in is one that is recovering economically and raising. "The USA we know is one that was built with blood and sweat of African slaves and immigrants from all over. Namibia, while associating itself with the tweeted African Union official statement, condemns these utterances and calls on the international community to reject racism in all forms."

Staff Reporter

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Hollard hints at boxing future

January 14, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Hollard hints at boxing future'Ladies first' Namibian women boxers could soon be called up because Hollard Namibia is looking into the possibility of getting them involved in boxing.

The Hollard insurance company has revealed that it could consider supporting local boxing in the future.

This is after the company was involved in sponsoring Salute Boxing's Desert Rumble boxing bonanza held in Swakopmund in December last year.

The company has not made any decision yet, but it strongly felt that there could be a future partnership in boxing.

Speaking on behalf of the company, brand marketing manager Henriette Crouse said: “It was truly an amazing event which we sponsored last year.

“I must say that we were impressed by the quality of the fights and the Namibian boxers.

“I do believe that we might just consider sponsoring boxing in the future.”

She noted that they might first consider getting more female boxers involved in the sport.

Namibia has been struggling to produce female boxers over the years given the number of women who have shown interest in the sport.

In recent times, aspiring young women boxers have emerged and have been looking for opponents to fight.

Salute spokesperson Armas Shivute thanked Hollard Namibia for coming on board and helping them organise a successful event.

Shivute promised more events of this nature from the boxing stable.

“I can assure you that it was like in the States and it was one of our best ever boxing events.

“This year we are planning on improving and making sure that everything is perfect.

“We do have plenty of fights lined up for the year with exciting cards,” Shivute said.

JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA

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Ramaphosa vows to fight corruption

January 14, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Ramaphosa vows to fight corruptionANC leader calls for an end to division The problems facing new leader extend well beyond the rehabilitation of a divided and increasingly unpopular party.

Cyril Ramaphosa, tipped to be South Africa's next president replacing scandal-prone Jacob Zuma, uses first major public speech to call for unity

Cyril Ramaphosa, the new leader of South Africa's ruling party, has vowed to crack down on the corruption that has weakened the African National Congress.

“Billions of rands have been illegally diverted to individuals,” Ramaphosa said in a speech celebrating the party's 106th anniversary.

It was his first major public address since he was elected to lead Africa's oldest liberation party in December, replacing scandal-prone president Jacob Zuma, who was booed upon his arrival at the event, as leader over the weekend. Ramaphosa is likely to be elected the next president in 2019.

Public frustration over corruption allegations against Zuma deeply split the ANC in recent months, and Ramaphosa has been pressured by opposition parties and some ANC members to recall Zuma as president.

Ramaphosa, South Africa's current deputy president, is instead stressing the need for unity. He said the ANC had become deeply divided through factionalism, patronage, corruption and competition for resources. “At the centre of our efforts this year is unity,” he added.

This week, on the eve of a high-level ANC meeting that had threatened to discuss his fate, Zuma acknowledged the pressure, announcing he was appointing an inquiry commission to look into the corruption allegations. “This matter cannot wait any longer,” he said.

On Saturday Ramaphosa thanked Zuma for the decision. “Corruption in state-owned enterprises and other public institutions has undermined our government's programs to address poverty and unemployment,” he said. “We are going to confront corruption and state capture in all its forms.”

The ANC has been in power since the country's first democratic elections in 1994, but voters have grown disillusioned with the party of Nelson Mandela under Zuma's tenure. South Africa's economy briefly dipped into recession last year and unemployment hovers close to 30%.In 2016 municipal elections, the ANC lost control of the commercial hub of Johannesburg and the administrative capital, Pretoria, for the first time. Observers have warned that if support continues to dwindle, the party faces the possibility of losing its national majority in 2019 and having to govern as part of a coalition.

Ramaphosa pledged to address the country's lingering inequality through a programme of “radical socio-economic transformation,” including free higher education for poor and working-class students, a national minimum wage and land expropriation without compensation. “We aim to restore our focus on building an economy in which all South Africans can flourish, an economy which benefits the people as a whole rather than a privileged few,” he said.

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Tanzania's Magufuli rejects calls to extend presidential term

January 14, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Tanzania's Magufuli rejects calls to extend presidential term

Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Saturday reiterated his rejection of calls from within the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) to extend his rule beyond the constitutional limit.

A statement from the Directorate of Presidential Communication said the president was disappointed by ongoing discussion by CCM members and Tanzanians in general calling for the extension of presidential terms from five years to seven years.

“President Magufuli has appealed to Tanzanians to ignore such calls because the issue of presidential term extension has never been discussed by top organs of the ruling party,” said the statement.

The statement said Magufuli has no plans to extend his leadership tenure when the constitutional limit of two five-year terms ends in 2025.

Magufuli was elected in 2015 succeeding President Jakaya Kikwete. His current term expires in 2020 when new elections will be held, and if re-elected, he will serve until 2025.

In August 2017, Magufuli rejected calls from some of his supporters to extend his rule beyond the constitutional limit.

Tanzania has held five relatively peaceful multi-party elections since 1995, all won by the ruling party.

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Kape na ehala lyaamboka ya ndopa Oshiingilisa

January 14, 2018, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Unam a gongelele opoloyeka yevi oshimaliwa shooN$140 000

≪ Previous: Tanzania's Magufuli rejects calls to extend presidential term

Kape na ehala lyaamboka ya ndopa Oshiingilisa

Iizemo yondondo onti 12 yoNamibian College of Open Learning (Namcol) inayi holola iizemo tayi shambula. Oopresenda owala 10 dhaailongi moshiputudhilo shoka dha piti elaka lyOshiingilisa onga elaka etiyali , nokuthiga aailongi 18 000 ya pumbwa natango okweendulula oshilongwa shoka, ngele oya hala okuyambulapo natango iitsa yawo moshilongwa shoka. Ngele aalongwa ya thika 12 000 mboka ya pumbwa okweendulula oshilongwa shelaka lyOshiingilisa oya gwedhwa komwaalu ngoka nena otashi e ta aailongi ya thika 30 000, ya kale kaye nampoka taya vulu okwiishangitha.

Aailongi ya thika po 12 000 otaya ka thigwa pomutenya shoNamcol ta vulu owala okukala naailongi aape yoshilongwa shelaka lyOshiingilisa ya thika po 18 000. Uuyelele mboka oya hololwa oshiwike sha piti, sho Namcol a tseyitha iizemo ye yopashigwanana yondondo onti 10 no 12 yomvula yo 2017.Pahapu dhomukomeho gwoNamcol, Heroldt Murangi, elaka lyOshiingilisa onga elaka etiyali olya ninga omukundu omunene mokati kaanaskola, anaailongi 20 333 yondondo onti 12 oya li yiishangitha okweendulula oshilongwa shoka, ihe oopresenda owala 10 yeshi pondola okumona ondondo D nenge yi li hwepo.

“Pakutala kiizemo otashi ulike kutya aanaskola 12 000 yomiipundi oshowo aailongi 18 000 yopaumwene, ineyi shi pondola okumona ondondo D nenge yi li hwepo opo ya vule okutaambelwa miiputudhilo yopombanda,” Murangi a popi. Okwa tsikile kutya omwaalu gwaailongi mboka monena otaya ka konga ompito dhookwiishangitha noNamcol mo 2018 opo ya yambulepo iitsa yawo. Aailongi 30 000 otaya ka pumbwa okwiishangitha noNamcol opo ya yambukepo iitsa yawo, omanga oshiputudhilo shoka tashi vulu owala okutambula aailongi 18 000 nuumvo. Aailongi ye li o 41 225, yondondo onti 10 no 12 oyiishangitha noshiputudhilo shoka omvula ya piti.

Omunambelewa ngoka okwa popi kutya, oopresenda 95 dhaailongi yondondo onti 10 no 12 yopaumwene odhaailongi moshiputudhilo shoNamcol, niizemo yawo yondondo onti 10 mo 2017 oya hwepopala , okuyeleka niizemo yo 2016.

Aailongi yondondo onti 10 oyendji oya mono ondondo ngaashi A,B, F no G, omanga aashona yamono ondondo C.

Murangi okwa popi kutya mboka owu li uupyakadhi unene sho ondondo C ya gu pevi oshowo ondondo D omanga ondondo dhopevi lela ndhoka ihadhi yalulwa dha londo pombanda okuza poopresenda 6.8 mo 2016, okuya poopresenda 10.8 2017. Murangi okwa tsikile kutya uupyakadhi wumwe natango omwaalu gwaamboka inaya shanga omakonaakono nonando oyali yiishangitha noshiputudhilo. Okwa popi kutya mboka inaya shanga ekonaakono oyeli 4 398 (15.5%) . Mekonaakono lyondondo 12 iizemo oya hwepopala moondondo (A* to G) okuyeleka niizemo yomomvula yo 2017. Aailongi oye shi enditha nawa momakonakono giilongwa yomalaka gaavalelwa mo sho oyendji ya mono ondondo D nenge yopombanda. Omailongo sha landula omaishangitho gaailongi ya thika po 10 000 miilongwa ya yooloka, inaga manithwa unene mondondo onti 12. Murangi okwa popi kutya shoka otashi vulu okweetithwa omatompelo ga yooloka ngaashi aailongi ya mono pamwe oompito dhiilonga, aailongi yali owala yiishangitha opo ya mone omayakulo galwe gopankalathano ngaashi oopenzela, oshowo aailongi mboka taya ishangitha owala opo ya vule okukala kooskema dhaavali yaawo dhuuwanawa wuunamiti. Murangi okwa popi kutya omukalo ngoka otagu gumu nayi iizemo yomiiputudhilo noshiputudhilo shawo otashi ningi omapekaapeko opo shi tale kutya omatompelo geni po lela haga etitha aailongi ya hulile ondjilakati momailongo gawo uuna taya yambulapo iitsa yawo. Namcol ota pangele okulongela kumwe niiputudhilo ngaashi Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) oshowo ooskema dhuuwanawa wopaunamiti, opo ya tale nkene ye na okuthitika omwaka ngoka tagu etitha omukundu ngoka.

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Unam a gongelele opoloyeka yevi oshimaliwa shooN$140 000

January 14, 2018, 2:00 pm

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≪ Previous: Kape na ehala lyaamboka ya ndopa Oshiingilisa

Unam a gongelele opoloyeka yevi oshimaliwa shooN$140 000Omahwahwameko ngoka oga tulwa miilonga oomvula mbali dha piti Konyala aantu yevulithe po 140 000, oya gandja eyambidhidho kehwahwameko lyOshiputdhilo shaUnam, ndyoka lya nuninwa okugongela iimaliwa yokuwapaleka ooplota dhomagumbo gaakwashigwana.

Omahwahwameko ngoka ga tulwa miilonga muAguste gwo 2015 taga ithanwa 'Land-a-Dollar' oshiwike ga piti oga gandja oshimaliwa sha thika pooN$140 779.38 kominista yEyambulepo lyOondoolopa nIitopolwa, Sophia Shaningwa.

Omahwahwameko ngoka oga li ga topolele omandoloma pomahala ga yooloka moshilando, opo aakwashigwana ya vule okugadja omagano giimaliwa paku tulamo owala odolla yimwe, niimaliwa mbyoka otayi ka longithwa mokuwapaleka ooplota dhomahala gomagumbo gaakwashigwana, shalandula etulo miilonga lyoHarambee Prosperity Plan ndjoka ya tulwa miilonga kOmupresidende, Hage Geingob.

Pethimbo kwa tulwa miilonga omahwahwameko ngoka, ewapaleko lyomahala gokutunga omagumbo moondoolopa dha yooloka okuza kepangelo nomalelo goondoolopa, osha li oshilalakanena shotango, nomupresidende Geingob pamwe naminista Shaningwa oya li ya talelepo oondoolopa dha yooloka, opo ya mone omavi mpoka tapu tungwa omagumbo ngoka. Pethimbo a pewa iimaliwa mbyoka, Shaningwa okwa popi kutya egongelo lyiimaliwa mbyoka otali ulike uukumwe, nelongelokumwe ewananawa pokati kepangelo naanyasha oshowo iiputudhilo.

Minista okwa popi kutya omukundu gwompumbwe yevi lya wapalekwa oshimwe shoka tashi enditha kashona egandjo lyomahala gokuza kaakwashigwana na otashi ningitha woo evi li kale li na ondilo noonkondo.

Pahapu dha minista omahwahwameko goludhi ndoka oga tambulwapo na otaga pandulwa noonkondo. Okwa tsikile kutya oshinakugwanithwa shoka inashi tulwa owala komapepe gepangelo ihe nashi kale woo oshinakugwanithwa shoshigwana opo aantu ya vule okumona omagumbo tondando tayi vulika kukehe gumwe, mwakwatelwa mboka haya mono iiyemo yi li pevinoonkondo naambyoka yi li pokati.

Shaningwa okwa gandja olupandu lwe kelelo oshowo olutu lwa kalela po aailongi moshiputudhilo shaUnam, omolwa omahwahwameko ngoka ga nuninwa eyambidhidho ewanawa.

Okwa uvaneke kutya iimaliwa mbyoka otayi ka longithwa ngaashi ya nuninwa, na otayi ka gwedha koonzo dhilwe po ndhoka dhi li po nale dha nuninwa okuwapaleka evi lyokutunga omagumbo gaakwashigwana.

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