Blitzboks 10 points clear

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Blitzboks 10 points clear The Springbok Sevens team extended their overall lead in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series this weekend after claiming a fourth-place finish at the HSBC USA Sevens in Las Vegas on Sunday.

The consistency of the South African performances saw them increase their lead over second-placed New Zealand to ten points as they contested their fifth consecutive semi-final of the series, the only team in the World Series to do so.

The Blitzboks lost 12-10 to Argentina in the semi-final and conceded a podium place to Fiji, who beat them 26-22 in the bronze final, but Springbok Sevens coach, Neil Powell, was not too worried at all.

The tournament saw a number of interesting results, with the USA becoming the fifth team to win a tournament in the 2017/18 World Series.

Powell said he was pleased with many aspects of the team's performance this weekend.

“We are looking for consistency and given the number of new faces and some injuries, we did well in that regard. We had a poor opening match against Wales on Friday and did not play our best rugby against Argentina on Sunday, but did well in the other matches.

“We don't always test measure ourselves on the results, but also the way we play. Obviously, we will have to improve in Vancouver, but our depth was tested very nicely today.

“We want the new guys to play against the likes of Fiji, England and New Zealand to see if they can make the step-up,” Powell said.

Springbok Sevens captain, Philip Snyman, said the experience gained in Las Vegas will now have to be implemented in Vancouver next weekend.

“We started to play better the more we played together. The learning curve is a steep one at this level and the younger guys will be better prepared come next week after this weekend. We will work hard this coming week and I am really looking forward to the tournament in Canada.”

Early on Sunday, two tries by Siviwe Soyizwapi were cancelled out by two Los Pumas tries, with a sole successful conversion by the South Americans proving the difference. The Blitzboks, who already lost Werner Kok in the first match of the tournament due to injury, also saw Branco du Preez limp off due to an ankle injury halfway through the match.

Against Fiji, Ruhan Nel scored a brace, with Selvyn Davids and Ryan Oosthuizen also dotting down. Fiji also scored four times but converted three of them, which made all the difference.

The top five teams in the standings are: 1. South Africa (92 points) 2. New Zealand (82) 3. Fiji (79) 4. Australia (72) and 5. Argentina (67).





NAMPA/ANA

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Henry ready for Arsenal

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Henry ready for ArsenalWants Wenger to have 'last word' Thierry Henry has expressed his willingness to become Arsenal's manager, amid Arsene Wenger's well-documented struggles. Arsenal great Thierry Henry says he will not “back down from a challenge” if a vacancy arose to succeed Arsene Wenger as manager of the Gunners.

However, Henry is desperate for his under-fire fellow Frenchman to have the “last word” on an Arsenal career that started when Wenger took charge of the north London club in 1996.

Long-running speculation about Wenger's position at Arsenal intensified after the Gunners suffered a fourth successive defeat in all competitions, a 2-1 Premier League loss away to Brighton on Sunday - a result that left them a huge 13 points adrift of the top four.

Former French forward Henry, currently working as an assistant to Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, was asked on Sky Sports if he would take the Arsenal job should the opportunity arise.

“Listen, I'm a competitor, you don't back down from a challenge,” the 40-year-old replied.

“We are speaking hypothetically before people jump ahead of everything, (but) I have never backed down from a challenge since I was young.

“If I had listened to people who were talking about where I was going to be, I would not have been here.

“When I arrived at Arsenal, they said to me, 'Why are you outside of the box, you will never score goals?' with my position being on the left or whatever it was. You don't back down from a challenge, you always think that you can.

“When I came back to play for Arsenal, everybody, all my friends were saying, 'It can only tarnish your legacy, why are you going back there?',” Henry said.

He then added: “If you love a place and they ask - I repeat, they ask - for help, you are always going to say yes. What I am saying to you is again, we are talking about hypothetical thoughts.”

Having won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups under Wenger, Henry, Arsenal's all-time record goal scorer, said he was desperate for the veteran manager to decide his own future.

“We are talking about shall he quit or not - I can never say that,” Henry explained.

“I am not sitting on the fence, I can never say that. I have battled with this man, I can never say that. Do you understand what I mean? I can never say that.

“What I don't want to see is what's happening to him, and I would like him to have the last word, whatever word it's going to be,” he added.





NAMPA/AFP

SCORE holds fifth coaching camp

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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SCORE holds fifth coaching camp SCORE Namibia held its fifth coaching camp in Mariental in the Hardap Region from 15 to 23 February.

Through its corporate social responsibility wing, the Adidas fund gives opportunities to employees to volunteer at funded projects across the world.

SCORE is one of the organisations which Adidas funds and this year sent 12 volunteers from the Adidas office in the Netherlands and its headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

It is a non-profit organisation that works across communities in Namibia, using sport as a tool to bring about sustainable community development, individual empowerment and social transformation.

SCORE's flagship programme, the Namibia Volunteer Involvement Programme (NAM-VIP), recruits, trains and supports local community volunteers to organise and lead sport and recreational activities and development initiatives for children and youth in seven communities, namely Kayengona, Khorixas, Mariental, Ongwediva, Oshakati, Rundu and Windhoek.

The two-part camp saw Adidas volunteers training NAM-VIP volunteers in organisational and managerial related topics, such as effective communication, goal setting, event planning, marketing and social media, leadership styles and effective teamwork. A total number of 26 Namibian volunteers from seven communities were trained.

In addition, the Adidas and NAM-VIP volunteers coached more than 300 children from the community of Mariental in basketball, football, handball, netball, tennis and volleyball each afternoon at Danie Joubert Combined School sports grounds.

SPORT REPORTER

Forklift & Allied Equipment offers more

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Forklift & Allied Equipment offers moreWide range, genuine spare parts The company’s products can be purchased or rented on a long-term basis. Barry de Klerk - Need to transport things in your warehouse?

Forklift & Allied Equipment has what you need and is the only company in Namibia that specialises in material handling equipment.

They are the sole agents and distributors for Toyota Industrial Equipment, BT Warehousing Equipment, SMV Container Handling and Port Equipment, Terberg Port and Terminal Equipment, XILIN Pallet Trucks, JCB Teletrucks and Hako Industrial Cleaning Equipment.

Since the establishment of the company it has sold more than 1 500 new and used units.

They currently have a market share of above 65% and offer onsite services that are performed by qualified technicians.

They also invest in training programs to produce more qualified workers.

Their products can be purchased or rented on a long-term basis, and they provide maintenance and service agreements for the equipment they supply. In addition, they also service products at customer sites throughout the country. They stock all genuine spare parts for all their products and stock levels are frequently adjusted to sold models and quantities of models sold.

Forklift & Allied Equipment offers a wide variety of material handling equipment, including 1 to 45-ton engine powered counter-balanced forklifts, 1 to 8.9-ton battery powered counter-balanced forklifts, 1 to 2.5-ton battery powered reach trucks, container handlers and port equipment, various stackers, pallet trucks and order pickers, tyres, forks and attachments, as well as sweepers and scrubbers.

History

The Namibian-based company was started as a family business by Harro Papendieck in April 1990.

Today, the company is still partially operated by the Papendieck family and has grown to new heights.

In September 2006, they extended their operations to the coast and opened a branch in Walvis Bay. A Tsumeb branch was opened in 2016 to provide sales and services to the northern regions. They currently employ more than 60 employees across all their branches.

Uganda president fires police chief, security minister

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Uganda president fires police chief, security minister Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has fired controversial police chief Kale Kayihura as well as the country's security minister, a statement said Sunday.

Kayihura, a serving general, was once regarded as the most powerful military officer in the country but has recently fallen out of favour with Museveni who has ruled Uganda since he took power at the head of a rebel army in 1986.

Kayihura was appointed inspector general of police in 2005, the same year that a successful referendum was held on restoring multi-party democracy to the East African nation after a near 20-year ban on political parties.

His tenure as police chief was characterised by the proliferation of military-style units in the force and an increase in the perceived politicalisation of the police.

Since the March 2017 assassination of Felix Kaweesi - a senior policeman who had been viewed as his potential successor - Kayihura has come under pressure for failing to curb growing insecurity. At least 23 women have been killed in unsolved murders around the capital, there has been a spate of deaths of foreign nationals and last week a woman from an influential family was killed after being held captive for three-weeks by kidnappers demanding a huge ransom.

The rising insecurity further discredited a police force widely viewed by the public to be incompetent and corrupt.

In the aftermath of Kaweesi's assassination - which remains unsolved - Museveni said “criminals have infiltrated the police” and ordered Kayihura to “clean the police.”

Nevertheless, in May 2017 Kayihura's contract was renewed.

Since then a rival security body - the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) - has made several high profile arrests of senior policemen viewed as being close to Kayihura who are accused of corruption and torture as well as gangsters who have admitted working with the police.

Some Ugandans have accused Kayihura of being too close to President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and there have been unsubstantiated accusations in the tabloid press that the pair have secretly plotted to overthrow Museveni.

In the same statement Museveni fired the minister in charge of ISO -- Henry Tumukunde - who has been openly critical of police failings.

Tumukunde and Kayihura have been engaged in a public tussle for over 15 years. Both men are veterans of the “Liberation War” which brought Museveni to power

Tumukunde had previously fallen out with Museveni when, in 2003, he had opposed the removed of term limits. In 2005 he was forced to resign as an MP representing the army and was arrested.

The man in command of the soldiers who arrested him was Kayihura.

By 2016 Tumukunde was rehabilitated and Museveni appointed him security minister.

Okoth Ochola will replace Kayihura as Inspector General of Police and General Elly Tumwiine has been appointed security minister, according to the statement.



NAMPA/AFP

Historic meeting lauds lifetime power for Xi

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Historic meeting lauds lifetime power for XiCP wants to get rid of presidential term limits Remaining in power beyond 2023 gives him a chance to push through his vision of a rejuvenated China with global clout, a prosperous society and a powerful military. Thousands of Chinese legislators erupted into enthusiastic applause yesterday over plans to give President Xi Jinping a lifetime mandate to mould the Asian giant into a global superpower.

China's rubber-stamp parliament met in the imposing Great Hall of the People for an annual session that will make Xi the most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, concentrating the growing might of the military, economy and state in the hands of one man.

As Xi looked on from a stage dominated by mostly male party leaders in dark suits, a constitutional amendment to scrap the two-term limit for the presidency was read out to the chamber, prompting fervent applause.

The legislators are all but certain to approve the amendment this Sunday, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership sets the agenda for the National People's Congress (NPC). The text says the change “will be conducive to safeguarding the authority and the unified leadership of the CCP Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core and to strengthening and perfecting the national leadership system”.

The amendment was presented after Premier Li Keqiang delivered a report warning that the country is fighting “three critical battles” against financial risk, poverty and pollution. The government set an economic growth target of around 6.5% for 2018, in line with expectations but lower than the 6.9% GDP increase in 2017.

It announced an 8.1% increase for the defence budget to 1.11 trillion yuan (US$175 billion) this year, giving the world's largest armed forces a boost after spending growth slowed in the previous two years.

The report also warned Taiwan that China “will never tolerate any separatist schemes” amid tensions between the mainland and the self-ruled island.

But the spotlight was squarely on the party's most powerful leader in more than four decades.

Lifting term limits would allow the 64-year-old leader to stay on as party chief, head of the military and president beyond 2023, when his second term is due to end.

“I support Xi Jinping. I support the constitution change,” Zhou Feng, a delegate from Shanghai, told AFP.

Another delegate from central Henan province said “Xi Jinping is great”, but several other legislators refused to answer questions about the amendment.

Censors have worked furiously to stamp out dissenting voices on social media, blocking dozens of words from “disagree” to “emperor” on the Twitter-like Weibo website in recent days.

On Monday, some Weibo users defied censors to post comments such as “shall we say, long live the king?” or “history will judge him harshly”.

State media outlets masked the comments sections on the stories they posted about the amendment on Weibo on Monday.

Analysts have warned that the move carries risks as it ends a “collective” model of leadership that maintained stability after Mao's chaotic reign from 1949 to his death in 1976.

NPC spokesman Zhang Yesui has downplayed its significance, saying on Sunday it would merely align the presidency with the titles of Communist Party general secretary and Military Commission chairman, which do not have term limits.

The amendment says that opinions had been sought at the “grassroots level” and that “the masses, party members and cadres in many regions” had “unanimously called” for the revision of term limits.

Xi will get a second five-year term during the session.



NAMPA/AFP

Merkel vows to work for the 'good of Germany'

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Merkel vows to work for the 'good of Germany' Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday vowed to work with the Social Democrats for the "good of Germany" as the centre-left party agreed to join her new coalition, but the veteran leader will go into her fourth term with weaker cards than before.

Two in three of the SPD's rank and file voting in a crunch referendum backed a new partnership with Merkel's conservatives, heralding an end to the political stalemate that has plagued Europe's biggest economy since September's inconclusive elections.

But the chancellor, in power for 12 years, has had to pay a high price to coax the reluctant Social Democratic Party (SPD) back into another loveless "grand coalition".

Congratulating the SPD for its "clear result", Merkel said she was looking forward to "further cooperation for the good of our country," according to a tweet attributed to her on her CDU party's account.

Stung by their worst post-war results, the SPD had initially ruled out another four years in Merkel's shadow.

But after Merkel's attempt to cobble together a government with two smaller parties failed, the SPD relented.

With the party riven over the way forward, the leadership promised its more than 460 000 members the final say on any coalition deal.

"We now have clarity. The SPD will be in the next government," said SPD's caretaker chairman Olaf Scholz, adding his party plans to send three male and three female ministers to the cabinet.

European partners waiting impatiently for Germany to end its longest stretch of coalition haggling since the end of the war heaved a sigh of relief, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling the SPD decision "good news for Europe."

In a nod to the "GroKo", as the grand right-left coalition is known in Germany, European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans wrote on Twitter: "GroGO! For solidarity in Germany and EU!"

Merkel is due to be re-elected by parliament as chancellor on March 14, said Volker Kauder, parliamentary chief of her CDU party.

But the long-serving leader faces a far rockier road ahead.

A crushing majority enjoyed by her conservatives and the SPD in the last coalition has been trimmed to a slim 56 percent of seats (399 out of total 709) in parliament this time round.

Both sides had been weakened as voters angry about the arrival of more than a million asylum seekers in Germany since 2015 turned to the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

NAMPA/AFP

‘Onda li nda tila’

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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‘Onda li nda tila’ Ohanana ya yakwa moshipangelo Yina yokanona kiiwike itatu hoka kali ka yakwa moshipangelo uule shaShakati mEtitano lya piti, okwa hokolola kutya uokwa li a mbandapala noonkondo muule woowili hamano moka okanona ke ka li ka kana. Hileni Lumbu (38) a za momukunda Uukwiyu Uushona, okwa hokolola nkene a kanitha okanona ke kedhina Ndelimona Ndapandula Sakaria, ke na iiwike itatu hoka ka pulumuthwa ina ka a dha. Okwa holola shoka sha kala momadhilaadhilo ge muule woowili ndhoka okanona ke ka kana.

Lumbu okwa popi kutya okanona ke oka yakwapo lwopotundi onti 10:30, sho a dhigi okanona ke metonatelo lyomukiintu gumwe taya topola naye ondunda, omanga a li a kiiyoga.

“Onda yi nda kiiyoga nda thigi Ndelimona pombete.

Onda pula mukwetu ngoka tu li naye mondunda opo e mu tale. Sho nda mana okwiiyoga onda galukile mondunda ihe inandi adha mo omuntu,” Lumbu a popi.

Okwa popi kutya okwa tseyithile aaniilonga moshipangelo mboka ye mu kwathele mokukonga okamona ihe inaye ka mona.

“Otwa tameke tatu kongo mewalanda alihe ihe inatu mona sha.”

Oya tokola okutseyithila opolisi yaShana, ndjoka ya tseyitha etumwalaka moradio yoNBC mElaka lyOshiwambo.

Lwopotundi onti 15:00 omulumentu keeshiwike okwa dhengele opolisi ta popi kutya okwa mono omukiintu e na okanona okashona molukanda Uupindi, ihe omukiintu ngoka ita yamitha. Sho opolisi ya yi komukiintu ngoka, oya mono kutya ka ke shi okanona hoka taka kongwa. Onkene olukongo olwa tsikile.

Konima yowili yimwe okanona hoka oka monika.

Pauyelele mboka wa gandjwa kopolisi, omukiintu ngoka a yaka okanona okwa za momukunda Ondiikela moshikandjohogololo Okaku na okwa yi uukilila kegumbo sho a kutha po okanona kaantu. Oshe mu endele nayi sho yinagona e mu pula ekalata lyoshipangelo lyokanona.

Sho a ndopa okugandja ekalata ndyoka, yinagona okwa pula opo ya ye koshpangelo hoka kwa pulumuthilwa okanona hoka, opo ya ka tale ekalata lyokanona naashoka osha e ta opo ya shune ko okanona kaLumbu.

Omufekelwa okwa tegelela a holoke mompangulilo yaMangestrata gwaShakati.

Lumbu okwa hokolola kutya sho oowili dha piti, okwa kanitha omukumo kutya otaka mona okanona ke.

KENYA KAMBOWE

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Ompumbwe yomeya natango ya taalela Ovenduka

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Ompumbwe yomeya natango ya taalela Ovenduka Oshikundathanwa shoongeshefa dhokuyoga iiyenditho mOvenduka, onkene tashi tsikile nokukala ponomola yotango momusholondondo gwiikundathana, sho kwa holoka natango ishewe omaipulo kombinga yompumbwe yomeya ya taalela oshilandopangelo shaNamibia.

Sha landula oondjindikila dha tulwa po nokukutha po oongeshefa ndhoka kadhi li paveta, omalelo goshilando otaga kundathana okutula miilonga omilandu dha nuninwa okukondolola oongeshefa ndhoka, onga oonkambadhala dhokukwata nawa omeya.

Omusholondondo gwiikundathana yelelo lyoshilando, ogwa holola kutya oshilando oshi na omaludhi ogendji goongeshefa ndhoka, na oge shi onkalo yopaliko ndjoka ya taalela oshigwana na otayi etitha aakwashigwana ya vule okukonga oompito dhiilonga kehe opo ya vule okuhupa mwa kwatelwa oompito dhiilonga mongeshefa yokuyoga iiyenditho.

Omolwa onkalo ndjoka, okomitoye yi na sha noongeshefa dhokuyoga iiyenditho melelo lyoshilando, oya holola kutya oongeshefa ndhoka inadhi shangithwa naandhoka ooshona odha pumbwa okuyambidhidhwa nokupitikwa dhi longe ko taku kalekwa omilandu ndhoka tadhi longithwa koongeshefa ndhoka opo woo ku kwatwe nawa omeya pethimbo tadhi longo.



Okwa tothwa mo omaludhi gane goongeshefa ndhoka, dha tumbulwa kutya ponomola yotango ope na oongeshefa oonene, ponomola ontiyali ope na oongeshefa ndhoka tadhi longele okuza pomagumbo, nomonomola ndjoka omwa kwatelwa oongeshefa ndhoka kadhi li pamulandu unene monooli uzilo woshilando.

Omakonaakono ngoka ga ningwa oga holola kutya onooli uzilo yoshilando oya kwatwa ko koongeshefa dhokuyoga iiyenditho onga omukalo gwokwiimonena iiyemo, kaakwashigwana mboka taya lumbu moluhepo na ohaya mono iiyemo iishona.

Omakonaakono oga ulike kutya oongeshefa dhokuyoga iiyenditho dhi li 115 odha shangithwa nelelo lyoshilando omathimbo ga piti. Omukandanyenyeto ngoka ga pewa elelo lyoshilando muJanuari gwo 2017, okuza kooyene yoongeshefa ndhoka dha gumwa kepato lyoongeshefa ndhoka, ogwa holola kutya oongeshefa dhokuyoga iiyenditho dhi li pokati ko 300 no 50 odha gandja iilonga kaantu yevulithe po 2 500.

Omukanda ngoka ogwa holola kutya aantu mboka kaye na uulongelwe washa nenge ontseyo miilonga yilwe, nokuyoga iihauto osho ekandulepo lyomukundu kuyo.

Monomola ontitatu omu na oongeshefa dhokapakathhimbo ndhoka olundji hadhi longele pomahala gaayehe nenge gopaumwene gokuthikameka iihauto.

Monomola ontine omu na oongeshefa ndhoka tadhi kwatelwa komeho kelelo lyoshilando ngaashi ndhoka tadhi adhika mepandanda lyaEveline oshowo ndhoka tadhi pangelwa okuningwa.

Omasiku gapiti, elelo olya pula aayakulwa ya kwate nawa omeya omolwa ompumbwe ndjoka ya dhidhilikwa moondama dhokupungula omeya moshilando. Ngele onkalo oya nayipala, nena elelo otali ka thiminikwa okutula miilonga omilandu ndhoka tadhi vulu okulongithwa ngele onkalo ya dhigilile.

JANA-MARI SMITH

Look to Auas Motors for your trucking needs

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Look to Auas Motors for your trucking needsSpoilt for choice Auas Motors houses all Isuzu trucking models available in southern Africa. Many people often buy trucks but do not know exactly what would be suitable for their operations. - Ralf Wenn, Sales Consultant: Auas Motors Ogone Tlhage - Bolstered by the recent acquisition of General Motors by Isuzu Motors South Africa, Auas Motors says it is now in prime position to service the local commercial vehicles market well with expert advice, parts availability and excellent service.

This is according to Auas Motors Dealer Principal André Botha, who was excited to share the latest range of Isuzu trucks available to local customers.

“We offer various truck models for sale. We have different models all suited to divergent needs customers would require, all housed under one roof, with expert advice when it comes to your trucking needs,” said Botha.

“We are also glad to introduce Ralf Wenn as our new sales consultant. He has got many years of experience of selling trucks to Namibian customers and knows his trucks very well. We welcome him to our team here at Auas Motors,” said Botha.

He said Auas Motors is happy to have the expertise of someone like Wenn and said he is well-suited to addressing customer requirements.

Range

Giving a brief outline of the vehicles on offer, Wenn said Auas Motors houses all Isuzu trucking models available in southern Africa, including the entry-level N-Series, the affordable and able F-Series, as well as Isuzu’s flagship FX-Series.

“People can now come to me for assistance so that they know what type of truck that they will require. Many people often buy trucks but do not know exactly what would be suitable for their operations,” says Wenn.

According to him, trucks bearing the Isuzu N-Series badge represent perfectly balanced medium-sized vehicles for everyday applications. These are tough trucks that are willing partners, providing operators with the highest levels of efficiency and reliability, in a cost-effective package, explained Wenn.

N-Series trucks represent the latest in freight transport engineering and are designed to be durable, with an ability to work hard and maintain low operating costs over their entire lifetime.

F-Series trucks hold all the aces in the heavy commercial vehicle segment, providing class leading economy, safety and environmental care, in a package that is tailor-made to meet the demands of operators. Heavy trucks are the backbone of the economy and all F-Series trucks are engineered to give the best possible availability and economy in a safe and easy-to-operate vehicle.

Moving to the flagship FX-Series, Wenn said these trucks are heavyweights that combine high-tech sophistication with the strength to move more loads faster and more efficiently than ever before. Positioned at the heavy to extra-heavy end of the commercial vehicle sector, these workhorses are equally at home on the highway, as they are on construction sites.

Youtrack keeps track of what’s yours

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Youtrack keeps track of what’s yoursBridging market gap No Namibian is too far to be served by the willing and able Youtrack team. We brought in the latest technology at a price that everyday Namibians could afford. – Deon Joubert, Owner: Youtrack Fleet Solutions Ogone Tlhage - Formed to fill a gap in what is seen as a niche market, tracking company Youtrack Fleet Solutions has grown by leaps and bounds and provides affordable solutions to ordinary Namibians while offering the latest technology in the tracking business.

Its owner/manager, Deon Joubert, identified a gap in the vehicle tracking business and saw a need for establishing Youtrack Fleet Management. Joubert also feels that his company is able to provide services at affordable prices, making vehicle tracking services available to all Namibians.

“We felt that there was a lack of new innovation regarding fleet management and we brought in the latest technology at a price that everyday Namibians could afford. We offered a wide variety to suit all our clients’ specific needs,” says Joubert.

While his business is situated in Windhoek’s Prosperita industrial area, he says no Namibian is too far to be served by his willing and able Youtrack team.

Such is the innovation behind Youtrack that it has also ventured into other areas of business which include wildlife tracking, solar tracking, aviation tracking and motorbike tracking, to mention but a few of the other services Joubert and his team offer.

No task is too hard for Joubert and his small team and he says they are able to bring the latest technologies with regards to vehicle tracking to everyday Namibians.

“We specialise in bringing the latest fleet management and tracking device technology to the market,” says Joubert.

He continues: “YouTrack specialises in tracking solutions for all needs, be it fleet management for a large corporation or a tracking device for a small business or private individual. Whatever our client’s need may be, we have the solution and the expert advice to consult on what the best option would be.”

Popular

His products have been met with great appreciation, he says.

“Market response was good as we could manage to assist clients’ needs immediately. By introducing the latest technology available on the market, including a cloud service to assist in tracking assets, client satisfaction is guaranteed,” says Joubert.

“We are forever expanding with new products and offerings; staying on top of international trends is a priority. Technology is changing at a fast pace every day; we ensure that clients do not sit with dated technology.

“YouTrack offers solutions that are rated number one in Europe and brings that expertise and services directly to the Namibian market. We believe in innovation, simplicity and, most of all, client satisfaction.”

Youtrack is situated at 17 Palnic Street, Prosperita.

Aanangeshefa yomilalo taya mono iihuna

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Aanangeshefa yomilalo taya mono iihunaAanashilonga mboka oya popi kutya otaya tongolwa woo Omakonaakono ngoka ga ningwa ga tala konkalo yomiyonena hadhi ningilwa mboka haya halitha omilalo, oga ulike kutya oopresenda 87 dhaaniilonga mboka oya kwatwa onkonga omanga 81 ya monithwa iihuna kaanambelewa yopolisi no 75 oya yi momilalo naanambelewa yopolisi. MoNamibia aantu mboka yeli mongeshefa yokulanditha omilalo oyeIi ya taalela onkalo yomiyonena sho konyala aantu ya kalela po oopresenda 100 ya ningwa nayo oonkundathana ya lopota iipotha yomakwatonkonga, omadhengo, uulunga oshowo okatongo taya ningilwa kaayakulwa yawo.

Aaniilonga ye li po 217 oya ningilwa omapulaapulo moprogramma tayi ithanwa ‘Hands Off!’ ndjoka tayi konaakona omiyonena tadhi ningilwa aanangeshefa yoludhi ndoka, mUumbugantu waAfrika, oshowo iilanduli kuundjolowele wawo, uuna ya ningilwa omiyonena ndhoka.

Olopota yiizemo yomakonaakono ngoka ga ningwa ndjoka ya hololwa mEtitano lya piti koRights Not Rescue Trust Namibia, oya ulike kutya aayakulwa mongeshefa ndjoka oyo unene aaningili yaaniilonga mboka omiyonena noopresenda 87 dhaamboka ya ningilwa omapulaapulo oya popi kutya oya ningilwa omiyonena kaayakulwa yawo.

Olopota ndjoka oya holola kutya omiyonena ndhoka otadhi hwahwamekitha woo etaandelitho lyombuto yoHiv mokati kaaniilonga mboka, neetaandelo lyombuto ndjoka andola otali vulu okushunithwa pevi noopresenda 25, ngele aaniilonga mboka ohali ihaya ningilwa omiyonena ndhoka.

Rivelino Reinecke, omukomeho gwoprograma ndjoka moRights Not Rescue Trust, ngoka a tseyitha iizemo mbyoka esiku okupendukila Esiku lyoInternational Sex Workers Rights Day mEtitano lya piti, okwa popi kutya AaNamibia oyendji otaya dhilaadhila kutya oye na uuthemba okumonitha iihuna aaniilonga mboka, molwaashoka ongeshefa yoludhi ndoka inayi pitikwa moNamibia.





Mboka ya ningiwa omapulo oya hokolola kutya oya dhengwa, oya kwatwa onkonga, iimaliwa yawo oya yakwapo oshowo oongumi dhawo dhokwiigamena. Oopresenda 81 dhaaniilonga mboka oya popi kutya oya ningilwa omiyonena dhoka kaanambelewa yopolisi.

Reinecke okwa yelitha kutya aakwashigwana oyendji unene mboka aalumentu ohaya yi komahala hoka haku kala aaniilonga mboka, nokwiiningitha ya fa aayakulwa nokumonitha iihuna aaniilonga mboka, nedhilaadhilo kutya otaye ya longo oshilongwa.

Linda Bauman, executive director gwo OutRight Namibia oshowo omuhwahwameki gwoLGBTI moNamibia, okwa popi kutya aanashilonga mboka oya kala ya taalela omashongo gomiyonena ngoka taga gumu woo oonkalamwenyo dhawo.

Kohi yoshipalanyolo ‘Leaving no one behind’, aanashilonga mboka moNamibia oya dhimbuluka esiku lyuuthemba waaniilonga yopamilalo mEtitano taya pula opo iilonga yawo yi tulwe paveta moNamibia.

Mama Africa, okwa pula opo oshilongo shi tule miilonga ompango ndjoka tayi pitika aaniilonga mboka ya vule okulonga iilonga yawo paveta nokunkondopeka omilandu ndhoka tadhi gamenenepo uuthemba womuntu.

Mama Afrika okwa popi kutya oya taalela omashongo ogendji gomiyonena nokatongo ihe nonando ongaaka yo otaya kalele.

Olopota ndjoka yo ‘Hands Off!’ oya mono kutya aaniilonga mboka olundji oye na omakwatathano gopamilalo naanambelewa yopolisi.

Opo kaya tulwe miipandeko, konyala oopresenda 75 dhaaniilonga mboka oya popi kutya ohaya yi momilalo naanambelewa yopolisi onga omukalo gwokufuta oombumbo.

Oopresenda 65 dhaaniilonga mboka odha popi kutya odha tulwa miipandeko iikando ya thika pu iyali omvula ya piti.





“Omathimbo gamwe oho kala nookuume aapolisi. Ohamu tsakanene moondunda dhomanwino nongele okwe ku hokwa nena ota vulu okukala omuyakulwa gwoye. Ngele wu li muupyakadhi oye owala ho dhengele ongodhi e ku pe eyambidhidho,” olopota ndjoka ya holola.

Olopota oya tsikile kutya oopresenda 48 dhaaniilonga mboka 217 ya ningilwa omapulaapulo oya lopota kutya ihaya longitha oongumi, 51 oya lopota kutya ohaya longitha oongumi omathimbo gamwe omanga oopresenda owala yimwe ya holola kutya aluhe ohaya longitha ongumi.

Reinecke okwa holola kutya oshizemo shomakonaakono kombinga yelongitho lyoongumi, otashi teya omutima. Oopresenda 56 dhaamboka ya ningilwa omapulaapulo oya holola kutya otaya lumbu nombuto yoHIV, 19 oya holola kutya kaye na ombuto, omanga oopreesenda 14 ya holola kutya inaya ningilwa omakonaakono gombuto yoHiv.

Oopresenda 11 ina yahala okukolola iizemo yawo yombuto yoHiv.

JANA-MARI SMITH

Iimaliwa oyindji tayi tulwa melongo

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Iimaliwa oyindji tayi tulwa melongo Oshikondo shelongo onkene tashi nana nondatu nonando osha kala shimwe shomiikondo ya kala nokupewa iimaliwa oyindji okuza kepangelo konima nkene oshilongo sha manguluka.

Momutengenekwathaneko gwopashimaliwa gwomvula twa taalela, oshikondo shoka otashi ka tala unene kaalongi, aanaskola oshowo aavali opo ya vule okukonga omikalo ndhoka tadhi vulu okuhupitha oshikondo shoka.

Okwa hololwa kutya onkalo yelongo moshilongo itayi wapaleke aanaskola oshowo aalongiskola, naashoka otashi shunita pevi epondolo lyoshiondo shoka.

Ndhoka oohapu dhomupeha minista muuministeli wemona lyoshilongo, Natangwe Ithete, pethimbo a li ta popi poshituthi shegandjo lyomapapa kaanaskola mboka ye shi enditha nawa moshitopolwa shaShana. Oshituthi shoka osha ningilwa mOndangwa mEtitano.

Ithete okwa popi kutya ooskola niitopolwa mbyoka tayi shi enditha nawa, otayi shi enditha nawa nonando oya taalela onkalo ndjoka ya dhigupala.

Ithete okwa popi kutya oku na ontseyo yomaupyakadhi ngoka ga taalela uuministeli welongo moshilongo, na kashi shi owala moshitopolwa shaShana.

Okwa popi kutya uuministeli owa taalela omashongo ogendji ngaashi ompumbwe yomahala gaalongi gokuza, naashoka otashi thiminike aalongi opo ya ende iinano iile okuya kooskola, oongulu dhooskola dhili monkalo ya nayipala, okwaahena esimaneko mokati kaanaskola, aanaskola taya ende iinano iile okuya kooskola, omaupyakadhi gopankalathano oshowo ompumbwe yiikwathitholongo.

Omolwa omaupyakadhi ngoka ngaashi iinano iile, Ithete okwa popi kutya otashi gandja ethimbo eshona kaalongiskola opo ya longekidhe iilongwa yawo. Okwaahena esimaneko mokati kaanaskola otaku tula woo moshiponga oomwenyo dhaalongi. Aanaskola otaya thiminikwa konkalo opo ya ze pomahala pe na ekudhilo olindji na itaya vulu okukala yiitula mo melongo lyawo. Ithete okwa tsikile kutya nonando elongo olya taalela omashongo agehe ngoka, epangelo okupitila muuministeli wemona, otawu gandja oshipambu oshinene shoshimaliwa shepangelo kuuministeli mboka.

Ithete okwa popi kutya omolwa onkalo ndjoka, ota indile aakomeho yelongo naakuluntuskola ya longithe nawa iimaliwa mbyoka taya mono nokukwashilipaleka kutya oya longithwa miinima mbyoka ya simana.

Elelo lyelongo moshitopolwa shaShana, olya gandja olupandu nomapapa kwaamboka ye shi enditha nawa moondondo dha yooloka, mekonaakono lyomvula yo 2017.

Oshitopolwa shoka oshi li ponomola ontitatu mekonaakono lyondondo onti 10 moshilongo, pamwe nooskola ngaashi Liberty Heritage Private School, Mauritz Devinish Private School oshowo Gabriel Taapopi Senior Secondary School.



Mekonaakono lyondondo onti 12, oshitopolwa osha yi ponomola onti 11, okuza ponomola onti 13, mpoka sha li omvula yo 2016. Ithete okwa pula aanaskola unene mboka yeli mondondo onti 12, opo ya tsikile omailongo gawo miikondo ngaashi uunamapya, elongo lyiikwamahooli nomuku gwohaasa oshowo oonzo dhopaushitwe.

ILENI NANDJATO

Logistics a key developmental priority

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Logistics a key developmental priorityKey in NDP5 Investments in logistics have enabled Namibia to position itself as a logistics hub within the Southern Africa Development Community. • Logan Fransman



The logistics sector is essential for trade, industrialisation, socio-economic development and regional integration, and is therefore seen as a key developmental priority.

The sector has once again been prioritised in the Fifth National Development Plan (NDP5), just like it had been in previous economic development blueprints.

Further highlighting government's acute awareness of how critical the sector is, is its major investments over the past 20 years in transport infrastructure development (roads, rail, maritime ports and aviation). These investments have enabled Namibia to position itself as a logistics hub within the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).

This is also one of the reasons that the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), together with the Namibia University for Science and Technology (NUST), established the Namibian-German Centre for Logistics (NGCL) as a centre of expertise and excellence in the field of logistics.



Competitiveness

Namibia has been consistently improving its position on the Global Competitiveness Index, moving to 24 out of 138 countries in 2016/17. With investments, increased expertise and the professionalisation of the logistics and transportation sector, the country can improve its competitiveness even further.

This will allow the sector to enhance industrial development and contribute substantially to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

However, this is easier said than done, as the low-hanging fruit and quick wins in the sector have mostly been achieved.

What is now required is a much more holistic and integrated approach to transport planning, the handling of goods, the transportation of people and service provision.

This approach needs to fall within the parameters and the frameworks of the Transport Master Plan and the Master Plan for Developing an International Logistics Hub for SADC Countries in the Republic of Namibia.

This all sounds rather grand, but nevertheless critical, if Namibia is to remain competitive.

This is because the sector remains critical when it comes to improving key economic arteries like agriculture, mining, manufacturing, fisheries, rural and urban development and tourism.



Team work

We therefore need to work together to create a sustainable transport system supporting a world-class logistics hub, connecting SADC to international markets by 2022.

This means tackling some very basic issues that require a great deal of focus and attention, as well as massive continued investment - something that will be a real challenge in the present economic climate pervading Namibia.

Access to financial resources remains a problem, and impacts the transport and logistics sector, as it does a range of others.

This causes delays and inadequate funding for the development of transport infrastructure, inadequate skills and an imbalance between the development and preservation of infrastructure.

Knowledge transference and the development of technical skills that is taking place at NGCL and NUST must be complemented by private and public enterprises opening their doors to allow new transport and logistics graduates to learn and flourish within this exciting and growing sector.

Without these opportunities the growth, development and ultimately the sustainability of the sector will suffer.

If these challenges are met head-on and invested in, we can be sure that by 2022 Namibia will have safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable transport infrastructure - a world-class logistic hub connecting SADC to international markets.

The sector will truly be the envy of the region and the engine of our economy.

One final thought with regards to transport and logistics in this country is the pledge by government to reduce the number of deaths on our roads. As we know, it is pure carnage on our very empty roads and the statistics don't lie. Should we want to be the logistics hub of SADC, it will need to start with road safety at its very core. Without this, everything else we try to do will be in vain.

A case of skewed priorities

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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A case of skewed priorities Namibian war veterans went through extreme psychological and physical trauma during the liberation struggle. They did not only suffer on the battlefield, but soldiers endured various physical injuries and emotional scars that last a lifetime. Many of our people still exhibit signs of post-traumatic stress disorder years after returning from exile. Government through the ministry of war veterans, albeit late, initiated a counselling programme focusing on rehabilitating ex-soldiers, who continue to bear untreated psychological scars. The church has also been roped in to assist in this process. However, this programme is beset by a number of challenges. Despite government availing millions towards counselling services for war veterans, some of them have grown disinterested in the programme and have ditched it halfway. Others have taken issue with being counselled by young professionals, and as a result, also quit. It is therefore disconcerting that government is willing to part with millions of dollars for constructing state-of-the-art recreation and rehabilitation centres, such as the yet to be completed structure at Onesi in the Omusati Region. This facility, which has been under construction for the last three years, is costing taxpayers N$66 million. The centre is aimed at giving registered war veterans access to leisure activities, palliative care, as well as psychological and physiotherapy services. This project has now been abandoned and the authorities have cited financial constraints as the impediment. We have no problem with government looking at the psychological needs of war veterans because such services have long been overdue. However, investing N$66 million in the construction of such a facility does not sit well with us. It is clearly not a priority and authorities should have looked at more effective ways to engage war veterans. Is this project really in the best interest of war veterans? Also, looking at the current state of affairs in the country, where veterans are complaining of neglect and suffering, it makes absolutely no sense for government to spend over N$60 million on one project.

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Man strangles girlfriend, hangs himself

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Man strangles girlfriend, hangs himself A 36-year-old man strangled his pregnant girlfriend to death this past Friday, before committing suicide at Oneeya village in the Ogongo Constituency.

It is alleged that Thomas Hangano Amutenya first dragged and then strangled his girlfriend, before committing suicide by hanging himself.

The deceased has been is identified as 24-year-old Katalina Shisheni Shiiyele.

In a separate incident at Grootfontein, a man killed his girlfriend by stabbing her several times with a knife in her head, right hand and the back of her left shoulder on Saturday.

The motive behind the murder is unknown.

According to the police, the couple are both farmworkers and have two children together - a six-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy. The deceased was identified as Magriet Geigus, 26, and the suspect, 34, was arrested.

In another incident on Friday, a 25-year-old man was stabbed to death with a pocketknife in Ondangwa at Oshuushe village.

It is alleged that the deceased, Lazarus Petrus, robbed a 43-year-old man after he won money by playing a jackpot machine. Petrus apparently robbed the man while he was on his way home and was then stabbed. A wallet with an identity document and N$800 cash belonging to the suspect was found on the body of the deceased. The suspect was arrested.

On Sunday at the Naute Dam just outside of Keetmanshoop a suspect allegedly stabbed a man with a sharp object on the right side of the chest during a fight and the victim died.

The deceased is 21-year-old Rahbin Roberto Kuhanga. The suspect is 20 years old and was arrested.

In another incident in Wanaheda, a murder was reported on Saturday in the Havana location, when a 32-year-old man was stabbed with a knife.

It is alleged that two men were fighting outside a bar and stabbed each other with knives. A man intervened to stop the fight, but he was stabbed by one of the men and died. The two men who were fighting were both admitted to the Katutura State Hospital with injuries.

Meanwhile in Karasburg, a 25-year-old man was arrested after he burned down his mother's house. The incident happened on Saturday and no injuries were reported.

In another incident, police on Saturday arrested a 26-year-old man in front of the Strand Hotel for dealing in cannabis. He was found with 420 grams of dagga valued at N$6 000.

Also in Walvis Bay, a 27-year-old Congolese national was arrested for being in the possession of cocaine. The man, who is a refugee from Osire, was arrested on the B2 road approximately 7km outside of Walvis Bay. He was in the possession of one dose of cocaine powder valued at N$500.

Meanwhile, six men were arrested for contravening the fisheries act on Saturday in Walvis Bay. They were charged with harvesting more than seven rock lobsters per day for recreational purposes, as well as harvesting rock lobsters with carapace size less than 65mm in length. The men also face a charge of obstructing, resisting and hindering a fisheries inspector in the exercising of his duties. The arrested men are aged between 33 and 44 years old. Five of the suspects paid bail of N$1 000 each.

ELLANIE SMIT

'I was terrified'

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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'I was terrified'Abducted baby found an hour later A woman accused of snatching a premature baby from the Oshakati hospital appeared in court yesterday. The woman who lost her three-week-old baby girl for about six hours on thursday said she was terrified the whole time.

An unknown woman managed to snatch the baby from the Oshakati hospital's maternity ward.

Hileni Lumbu (38) from Uukwiyu Uushona shared her ordeal, describing how she lost her three-week-old premature baby girl, Ndelimona Ndapandula Sakaria, and what went through her mind during the difficult time. Lumbu said her daughter was grabbed at around 10:30 when she left her baby in the care of the woman sharing her ward.

“I went to take a shower, leaving Ndelimona on the bed. I asked my roommate to keep an eye on her. When I was done taking a shower I came out of the bathroom to see that neither my roommate nor my baby was in the room,” Lumbu said.

She immediately informed the hospital staff who assisted her with the search, which proved futile.

“We started looking around in the ward and we found nothing,” Lumbu said.

They then decided to alert the Oshana police who announced the incident on the NBC Oshiwambo radio service, asking for the public to assist in tracing the missing child.

At around 15:00 on Friday afternoon, an anonymous man called the police saying he saw a woman in the vicinity of Uupindi location carrying a small baby.

He said he was suspicious of her as she was not breastfeeding the child.

There was a glimmer of hope but, after the police apprehended the woman, they found she did not have the missing baby.

The search then continued.

An hour later, the missing baby was found. According to the police, the suspect, who is from Ondiikela village in the Okaku constituency went straight home after snatching the baby but things went south after her aunt questioned her, asking for the baby's health passport.

Failing to provide it, the aunt decided they should go to the hospital where the baby was born to collect the health passport and that is how they ended up returning Lumbu's baby.

Despite all the fracas and Lumbu positively identifying her baby, the suspect maintained it was her child.

Lumbu said as the hours passed, she began to lose hope that she would ever see her child again.

“I was terrified and not feeling well. I was praying, my mother and my child's godparents, all of whom were there comforting me, were also praying,” Lumbu said.

When asked how she felt when her baby was brought back and how she identified her, Lumbu said she looked at her baby's wrist where the injections were given before the suspect snatched her.

When asked how she feels towards the suspect, Lumbu paused for a moment, and said she cannot tell how she feels.

“I don't know how she is, some people say she is not fine in the head. I still don't know why she took my baby, this world has a lot of things these days,” Lumbu said.

Meanwhile, the woman who stands accused of kidnapping the three-week-old baby made her first court appearance in the Oshakati Magistrate's Court yesterday and pleaded guilty. The suspect, Toini Kandapo (26) appeared before magistrate Helena Ekandjo.

Kandapo told the court she will conduct her own defence and the matter was postponed to 22 March. She was granted bail of N$1 000.The state was represented by state prosecutor, Christina Masule.







KENYA KAMBOWE

Money woes for education

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Money woes for educationPriority will be on doing more, with less A lack of teacher housing, dilapidated classrooms and escalating ill-discipline amongst learners are just some of the ongoing challenges being experienced in the country's schooling system. The education sector continues the struggle to overcome the challenges it faces, despite treasury allocating it the lion's share of the national budget since independence.

In the coming financial year, the sector is expected to reprioritise and will place a high demand on teachers, learners and parents to collectively find innovative ways to do more with less.

Reportedly, the sector is not conducive for learners or teachers, and this has hampered its performance.

This is according to the deputy finance minister, Natangwe Ithete, who was speaking at the Oshana regional performance enhancement awards ceremony in Ondangwa on Friday.

Ithete said schools or regions, which are performing well, are doing so in spite of challenging circumstances. “I am aware of the many challenges the education sector faces… not only in this region, but elsewhere in the country. The sector is faced with challenges such as lack of teacher housing that forces teachers to travel long distances, dilapidated classrooms, escalating ill-discipline amongst learners, learners travelling long distances due to a lack of hostel facilities, social challenges and a shortage of stationery and other learning materials,” Ithete said.

Due to these issues, he said, teachers are struggling to secure enough time to prepare lessons or mark learners' work promptly.

A lack of disciplined learners are posing a threat to teachers' lives as learners become “untouchable”, while other learners are forced live in deplorable make-shift accommodation with huge noise pollution, hunger and other social challenges making it difficult for them to study.

Ithete said despite these challenges, the government, through the finance ministry, continues to support education by allocating the largest portion of the national budget to the sector.

“The government has placed a high priority on education. About one-quarter of the national budget is given to the sector in any year, precisely due to the fact that government recognises education as being the single, largest catalyst of nation building and development,” he said.

Ithete added that education will have to do more, with less, saying there are measures put in place to curb government spending on non-core items.

“Let me therefore urge all of you, especially regional managers and principals, to ensure prudent financial management, perseverance and resilience. The available financial resources should be carefully controlled and wisely spent on critical core functions,” he said.

The Oshana regional education directorate awarded several performers in various categories, who delivered outstanding performances during the 2017 academic year.

The region was ranked third in the junior secondary certificate examination, with schools such as Liberty Heritage Private School, Mauritz Devinish Private School and Gabriel Taapopi Senior Secondary School among the top ten best performing schools in the country.

For Grade 12, the region moved from 13th in 2016 to 11th position last year.

Ithete also urged learners, especially those in Grade 12, to consider pursing careers in agriculture, oil and gas production, and other natural resources fields.

ILENI NANDJATO

U$ave robbery suspect dies

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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U$ave robbery suspect dies Five men were arrested yesterday when the Namibian police foiled an armed robbery at Shoprite U$ave supermarket in Windhoek's Soweto residential area.

One of the robbers died later at a local hospital, chief inspector Kauna Shikwambi confirmed to Namibian Sun yesterday afternoon.

Briefing the media at the scene, Khomas police regional commander, Commissioner Silvanus Nghishidimbwa, said members of the public informed the police about strange movements in the area. He said eyewitnesses told the police that seven armed men wearing balaclavas arrived at the shop at around 07:00.

“When they entered the shop one of the suspects pointed a gun at the manager, demanding money,” said Nghishidimbwa.

Some of the employees panicked and rushed out of the shop, he said.

Nghishidimbwa added that the police responded immediately and upon arrival, the suspects opened fire, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.

Two suspects were shot - one in the leg and another in the abdomen - and were taken to Katutura State Hospital under police guard.

Three others were also arrested, but two managed to flee.

“No police officers or civilians were injured during the incident,” Nghishidimbwa said, before adding that nothing was stolen.

The police confiscated three guns and the suspects' getaway vehicle - an unregistered silver Polo Vivo.

Nghishidimbwa warned business owners not to keep large amounts of money in their safes.

The commissioner noted that in most cases, thieves have insiders who give them information related to the money kept at business premises.

NAMPA

Russia to shut down factories for World Cup

March 5, 2018, 2:00 pm

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Russia to shut down factories for World CupBig business protests Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision appears to stem from a fear of industrial accidents and the threat of plants being attacked or blown up. This is traditional Soviet showmanship. - Pavel Felgenhauer, Security analyst Dmitry Zaks - Russia is overruling fearful big business owners and looking to shut down dozens of gigantic factories to avert accidents and the threat of terror attacks during this year's World Cup.

The halt in production highlights the financial sacrifice Russia is pre­paring to make when it hosts football's showpiece event for the first time from June 14.

But it also betrays concerns that something will go awry and a readiness to use heavy-handed tactics that could see thousands of workers going unpaid for at least five weeks.

Security analysts warn that shuttering chemical plants and other high-risk enterprises is simply ­dangerous.

The move is “a typical top-down order to make things look pretty that has nothing to do with actual safety,” said veteran security analyst Pavel Felgenhauer.

“This is traditional Soviet showmanship.”

China closed polluting plants and coal mines for two months across swathes of the country in 2008 to ensure the smog cleared over Beijing for the Summer Olympics.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision appears to stem from a fear of industrial accidents and the threat of plants being attacked or blown up.

“The threats of an accident and terror are closely related,” Moscow's FBK Grant Thornton consultancy director Igor Nikolayev said.

Decree

A Putin decree from May 2017 says special security measures should cover areas around the 11 cities hosting matches and meet “a higher level of protection than those defined by the Russian government's approved anti-terror requirements.”

A separate government directive issued a month later applied the guidelines to everything from nuclear and chemical facilities to companies transporting hazardous cargo by land or sea.

A strict interpretation of the directive could theoretically close Moscow's only oil refinery and a deep-sea port in Saint Petersburg that – among other things – is licensed to ship radioactive isotopes.

Consultations

Feverish consultations are underway between Russia's FSB security service and industrial property owners afraid of losing money.

A private letter to the government from the RSPP big business lobby obtained by AFP warned of “extremely disagreeable social and economic consequences” if the guidelines are applied in full.

“RSPP is receiving letters from companies expressing concern about possible risks during the implementation of this government decree,” the union's chief Alexander Shokhin wrote on November 29.

Shokhin asked for an explanation that could avoid “unfounded shutdowns of company operations.”

The reply he received was brief.

“The restrictions will only cover activities of organisations on the list of highly dangerous facilities,” the Rostekhnadzor nuclear and technological safety watchdog said on January 29.

No list

There is only one problem: there is no such list.

“Russian industrial safety regulations do not use the term 'highly dangerous facilities',” a source in the petrochemical industry said on condition that his name not be used for fear of experiencing problems with the authorities.

“In reality, they will probably make up the list as they go along.”

The Kommersant business daily reported that hundreds of plants could possibly close – some of them 400 kilometres away from the nearest World Cup stadium.

It also reported companies making up their best excuses to stay open.

Kommersant said one unidentified factory near a World Cup host city, Saransk, told the FSB it was wiser to keep its workers busy instead of “roaming the streets with nothing to do, unhappy about being sent on unpaid vacation”.

Facilities

Facilities such as a nuclear power plant close to Saint Petersburg and another one near the host city of Yekaterinburg in the Urals are almost certain to keep working due to the safety risks of a shutdown.

Analysts said those likely to close will do so because they lacked the political clout in Moscow to lobby their case.

“I think only the small and the weak will be affected,” FBK Grant Thornton's Nikolayev said.

The busy deep-sea port in Putin's native Saint Petersburg appears likely to remain largely unaffected by the World Cup.

But companies such as Red October – a mill producing 40% of Russia's stainless steel in the host city of Volgograd – said they were complying.

“We are completely stopping for the World Cup,” Red October chairman Igor Sizov told TASS. “We are all going to the football.” – Nampa/AFP