Training authority tackles claim challenges

July 31, 2018, 4:00 pm

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Training authority tackles claim challenges‘Solid progress’ The NTA has taken key steps taken to improve the employer training grant claim process and make it more employer-friendly in the interim. These changes have already resulted in a more streamlined and efficient claims process on the part of employers. Mornay Louw, Spokesperson: NTA Jo-Mare Duddy – More than 2 800 employers have registered with the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) and more than N1 billion has been collected in vocational education training levies since the registration of VET levy payers started early in January 2014.

Challenges remain with the administration of the VET levy, but the training authority “continues to make solid progress in this regard”, the NTA’s manager for corporate communications, marketing and advocacy, Mornay Louw, told Business7.

According to the authority’s latest annual report, tabled in Parliament recently, a cumulative total of N$910 million, including interest of N$61.2 million, was collected in levies in 2016/17, while N$111.6 million was paid out in employer training grant (ETG) claims.

At the end of the 2017/18 financial year, a total of N$1 332 801 930.96 had been collected in levies, inclusive of total interest of about N$122.45 million.

Louw said claim payouts are ongoing under all reporting cycles. “Although it has stabilised for 2014/15 and 2015/16, the NTA anticipates a good number of claims to be paid out under the 2016/17 cycle over the next few months,” he said.

According to the annual report, ETG claims worth N$69 million were received in 2014/15, of which N$47.1 million or 68% was paid out. In 2015/16, only N$39.2 million or 32% of the claims to the tune of N$122 million were settled. In 2016/17 the figure was about 15% - N$25.3 million of N$164 million.

The administration of VET levies was one of the areas in which the NTA underperformed in 2016/17, according to the annual report. In the financial year under review, the authority only achieved half of its target of 50%.

According to Louw, this is “largely the result of teething problems towards ensuring compliance amongst VET levy employers and towards ensuring the timeous processing and disbursement of ETG claims to employers”.

“The effective and efficient administration of the VET levy is of significant strategic importance for the NTA, and indeed represents a standalone pillar on the organisation’s rolling five-year strategic plan.” An improvement in terms of strategic execution to 69% has been recorded for the 2017/18 cycle, he said.

Louw said the processing of individual claims is often delayed or halted because of incompleteness and a lack of valid evidence documentation. “Furthermore, and in line with the regulations, the NTA can also not honour a claim payment when there exists outstanding interest on such an account. The NTA can also only honour payments up to 50% of what employers paid as levies. Claims submitted by employers often exceed this 50% ceiling,” he said.

Challenges

Volumes of evidence were highlighted in the annual report as one of the challenges. For each application submitted, employers are required to submit evidence of training implementation, including the course outline and attendance registers, as well as evidence of total cost, which includes tax invoices and proof of payment.

“Given the documentation volumes submitted, the process for evaluation of applications takes long,” the report states.

Insufficient evidence is another stumbling block.

According to the annual report, 108 out of 356 employers – or 30% - in the 2014/15 financial year were issued with rejection letters because of insufficient evidence. In 2015/16, it was nearly 26% or 93 out of 361 employers.

The open-ended re-submission of evidence too delays the claims settlement process. Employers are allowed to re-submit evidence for any rejected application. “This means that evidence for applications from 2014 is still being re-submitted. This result in a back-and-forth process and ongoing evaluations,” the report says.

The definition of training is also problematic. “Despite the all-inclusive definition as provided for under the VET Act, some employers have raised concerns that a number of their training interventions are not eligible for the grant, as the seemingly do not meet the definition,” the annual report states.

Mitigation

According to the annual report: “In mitigating these challenges, the NTA has embarked on reviewing the policy statements pertaining to the disbursement of the ETG. In addition, the VET levy regulations are also going to be reviewed.”

Louw told Business7 that the process to review the policy statements is underway and yet to be completed.

Key steps taken in the interim to improve the claim process and make it more employer-friendly include the adoption by the board of directors of amendments to the evidence requirements to accompany ETG claims, he said.

“These alternatives now include inter alia certificates of attendance, course registration forms and training service provider receipts for training conducted internally; and assessment result statements, letters with names of training course attendees and payroll reports for training conducted externally.”

Louw said “these changes have already resulted in a more streamlined and efficient claims process on the part of employers, as witnessed under the most recent (2016/17) ETG claim submission round”.

Regarding the review of the VET levy regulations, he said: “The NTA appreciates that the review of the gazetted VET levy regulations requires thorough and deep consultation with those stakeholders key to this programme’s implementation and ongoing success.”

He said the consultation process has kicked off “in earnest” and have taken place with the board of directors and the ministry of higher education, training and innovation (MHETI). As a next step, the NTA intends to engage the broader industry sector, which includes all VET levy-registered employers, Louw added.

Compliance inspectors

The VET Act requires that the education minister appoints compliance inspectors in line with the laws governing the public service.

“Although the NTA anticipated that the appointment of compliance inspectors to be finalised before the end of 2017/18 financial year, as stated in the 2017/2018 Annual Report, the process is yet to be finalised,” Louw said.

The NTA has commenced the process of recruitment of the compliance inspectors with the assistance of the Public Service Commission secretariat and the MHETI. Recommendations have been forwarded to MHETI for consideration and approval, he said.

These inspectors will also help the NTA in overcoming the challenge to determine the exact total of employers who qualify to pay levies, as there is no database that could support the authority in enforcing compliance in this regard, Louw said. Site verification visits could be performed to verify the accuracy of the basis used by registered employers to calculate their levy payments.

“As a measure to ensure all eligible employers are identified and registered, the NTA engaged the ministry of finance and other institutions to solicit their databases of employers to ascertain their eligibility for the VET levy. Advocacy campaigns have also been carried out to sensitise employers of their obligations to register and pay the VET levy,” he said.

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Nam focuses on AfCFTA’s rules of origin

July 31, 2018, 4:00 pm

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Nam focuses on AfCFTA’s rules of originWants better deal on production inputs The benefits that the Namibian agricultural community could obtain from the Continental Free Trade Agreement are twofold. The current restrictive rules of origin that exist especially in SADC and in the Tripartite Free Trade Area do not benefit Namibia. - Anton Faul, senior trade adviser: Agricultural Trade Forum NDAMA NAKASHOLE - The senior trade adviser at the Agricultural Trade Forum, Anton Faul, says the Namibian agricultural community stands to benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in the form of cheaper and more readily available inputs.

These inputs could then be used in the manufacturing and agro-processing sectors.

Here the rules of origin are an important component of the negotiations that Namibia is paying full attention to.

Rules of origin are the criteria used to determine the national source of a product. Their importance is derived from the fact that import duties and restrictions in several cases depend upon the source of imports. There is wide variation in the practice of governments with regard to the rules of origin.

Faul told Market Watch that Namibia needs flexible rules of origin, unlike those in SADC, to allow its processing and manufacturing sector to source inputs competitively in order to produce tradeable goods that can compete with those from the rest of the continent.

“The current restrictive rules of origin that exist especially in SADC and in the Tripartite Free Trade Area do not benefit Namibia,” he said, adding that they were trying to develop new rules for the continental free trade area that could be more beneficial to Namibia’s emerging and existing industries.

Apart from offering an opportunity for Namibia to competitively source its inputs, the AfCFTA could provide opportunities in the form of an enlarged market for Namibia’s agricultural exports.

“This is provided that Namibian negotiators manage to get rid of tariffs and non-tariff barriers that currently hamper our exports to these markets on the continent,” said Faul, who is an experienced agricultural economist.

Sitting at the table

The Namibian Agriculture Trade Forum (ATF) and the Namibia Trade Forum (NTF) are both represented on the Namibian negotiating team on AfCFTA.

According to Faul, they provide technical and strategic advice and support to the ministry of trade, industrialisation and SME development, the ministry of agriculture, water and forestry, the ministry of finance as well as the attorney-general office during the negotiations.

“The ATF also provides continuous feedback to its members as the negotiations unfold and this includes sharing of information and providing trade updates on the negotiations,” he said.

The two trade forums also produce quarterly trade negotiating reports that cover all other trade negotiations that Namibia is involved in as part of SACU.

Status

Faul said the current agreement, although Namibia has signed it along with 48 other African countries, is not yet economically implementable.

This, he said, is because negotiations on the core components of the agreement are yet to be concluded.

“These include tariff offers, market access schedules and the rules of origin. Without these components concluded, there will be no trade under preferential terms,” he said.

“The agreement in its current form is therefore, from a trade and economic point of view, just an empty shell which still needs to be populated. In the same vein, the trade in services negotiations are also not yet completed.”

Namibia recently signed the agreement after being one of a small number of countries that did not immediately sign in March.

The chief negotiator, Annacsy Mwanyangapo, told Market Watch that the country will continue participating in the ongoing negotiations on outstanding negotiation issues as provided for in the AfCFTA Transitional Work Programme.

The Namibian parliament is yet to ratify the agreement.

Lack of awareness

One of the concerns that emerged recently is a lack of knowledge and awareness of the AfCFTA among the Namibian private sector and business community, Faul said.

“I am glad to inform you that the ATF has arranged a public dialogue for 14 August 2018 in Windhoek to provide such opportunity for the public and interested stakeholders to learn more about the AfCFTA, its challenges and opportunities and the process and progress in the negotiations thus far.

“Invitations to the public dialogue will be distributed in the media during the course of the next two weeks,” he said, urging members of the public to participate.

US eyes deals on Sub-Saharan Africa

July 31, 2018, 4:00 pm

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US eyes deals on Sub-Saharan Africa US trade representative Robert Lighthizer (photo) recently said the United States is in the finishing stages of completing a deal to update Northern American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) and plans to pursue free trade agreements in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and possibly with the Philippines. Lighthizer, testifying before a US Senate Appropriations subcommittee, said he liked the idea of a trade deal with the Philippines as a "good first agreement" in the region. He said a number of Sub-Saharan African countries also would make good candidates for bilateral trade deals. "We want to have a model agreement. We want to pick someone where there are clear advantages to US manufacturing and agricultural sales and our hope is that most of what is in that model is something we can use with other people," he said. Photo Nampa/Reuters

Not the source, but the level of income matters

July 31, 2018, 4:00 pm

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Not the source, but the level of income matters Column Klaus Schade Benjamin Franklin reportedly said that there were only two things certain in life: death and taxes.

Taxes have been with us for many thousand years dating back to ancient civilisations including in Africa. Taxes have been collected to finance public services ranging from safety and security (police, military) to health, education and other vital infrastructure, and have been used among other to redistribute wealth.

Some see paying taxes as a responsibility of every citizen, such as the Tax Justice Network Africa that stated: “Taxation is therefore needed to underpin the contemporary African version of Ubuntu as one of the fundamental responsibilities of every citizen”. Therefore, taxes are here to stay. The question that arises is who should pay taxes.

Adam Smith in his well-known book, “The Wealth of Nations”, referred to four principles of taxation. One of the principles states that it should be “in proportion to the revenue which [the citizens] enjoy under the protection of the state”.

This principle has been fine-tuned over time and is referred to as horizontal and vertical equity of taxation. While the latter refers to the taxation of different income levels at different tax rates, for instance through progressive taxes, the first refers to non-discrimination of taxpayers, meaning irrespective where the income is derived from or irrespective of how you buy goods the same tax rates should be applicable.

This brings us to the public debate whether the informal sector should be taxed.

It will contravene the principle of vertical equity if someone who happens to be employed in the formal sector and earns for instance a salary of N$60 000 per annum has to pay income tax, while the neighbour, who runs an informal business and makes a profit of N$60 000 at the end of the year, does not need to pay income tax. Both ought to pay income tax on the amount that exceeds the tax threshold of currently N$50 000 per annum, which would also level the playing field between formal and informal businesses.

The tax threshold ensures that low-income earners whether they are employed or self-employed, whether they are involved in the formal or informal sector are protected from being taxed. As argued earlier, taking inflation into account, the tax threshold should be increased to at least N$65 000.

However, collecting taxes from the informal sector will increase costs, since tax inspectors have to go out identify un-registered businesses and determine their profit. In the absence of any or at least incomplete records of turnover and input costs, this will be challenging.

These challenges touch on another principle, namely the cost-effectiveness of tax collection. If cost-effective ways are found, everyone who earns an income or makes a profit that exceeds the tax threshold should contribute to government coffers in order to finance public services.

Once bitten, twice shy

July 31, 2018, 4:00 pm

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Once bitten, twice shyHealthy cash flow crucial Despite the downturn, Namibian entrepreneurs can still pick themselves up, given they do not repeat the same mistakes made in the past. The ‘government should’ mentality is a large part of the problems that the country faces at this point in time. - Rowland Brown, Economist and Co-Founder: Cirrus Capital NDAMA NAKASHOLE - Namibian entrepreneurs are generally known for liking luxury. In Namibia, the moment an entrepreneur makes some cash, they end up buying a new phone or new car.

Because of this culture, local entrepreneurs end up finding themselves in problems when the economic season changes.

Economist Rowland Brown made these comments in his lecture at a workshop on business, credit and labour market regulation and their impact on economic development, organised by the Chevauchee Foundation in Windhoek recently.

Brown, whose talk was titled ‘Challenges Faced by Namibian Entrepreneurs’, said it is wise for entrepreneurs to keep their fixed costs low at all times.

“Don’t keep employees you don’t need,” he said. Also, getting rid of unnecessary things such as cars and furniture will help the business to survive when the economic climate turns cold.

Feasting

Brown said while funding for entrepreneurs is becoming less of an issue in many parts of the world, it is still a big challenge in Namibia.

However, when Namibian entrepreneurs get access to finance, they borrow too much.

“When entrepreneurs come to me and tell me that they have obtained a loan, I always tell them to keep in mind that the banker might be friendly but the bank is not your friend,” he said.

Brown also reminded entrepreneurs that banks are not interested in their business cash flow; their only interest is the loan.

Clientele

Brown said that building a client culture is crucial. He believes Namibians are lagging behind in this aspect of entrepreneurship. For example, there is a vast difference between the service offered at a restaurant or lodge in Namibia and one in South Africa.

“That is something we need to change,” he urged.

He also emphasised the importance of honesty: “If you are honest, your mistakes will be honest.”

Tenderpreneurship

Brown touched on the issue of government contracts, saying that tenderpreneurship is costly to the economy.

Tenderpreneurship refers to the culture of entrepreneurs whose core business is to bid for tenders, especially public ones, by acting as middlemen and inflating the tenders, making huge profits in the process.

“You as a middleman making money from nothing … Who is paying for that? Because definitely government is not paying for that,” he said.

‘Never give up’

Brown said that Namibians’ attitude towards failure is that one gets one chance only to make a success. On the contrary, failure is part of the learning process and entrepreneurs should rather “fail forward”.

Brown urged entrepreneurs not to give up on their ideas.

“Naysayers shouldn’t be listened to … but they also shouldn’t be ignored entirely,” he said.

Investment

Brown emphasised that there is an extremely high level of unemployment, which is rising. Large salary increases are unlikely because of the economic downturn, while household debt is also very high.

“We will not see growth driven by households at the current point in time,” he said.

That basically leaves the country with investment as the only option to increase employment, household income and government revenue.

“The ‘government should’ mentality is a large part of the problems that the country faces at this point in time,” Brown said.

“For the government to do something, they have to get resources from somewhere.”

This means higher taxes.

“For every additional dollar you make, you keep less and less of it,” he said, adding that this mentality will lead to a situation where there are fewer people who are working, fewer people doing business and the government will ask for more.

Advice

Brown said Namibia needs to do away with too much regulation, as it takes time to comply with regulations. He added that Namibia can handle many of the problems it faces.

He said while many jobs are created by entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship is not for everyone. He said being an entrepreneur is not easy and it is also very stressful.

If one does it right, one definitely reaps the rewards, “but it definitely doesn’t come without sacrifices”.

Stagnation

The head of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s policy department, Leonard Kamwi, said at the same event that Namibia needs to learn from success stories where economic recovery was achieved in few years.

He said Namibia is a small economy and that makes its cash-flow problems bigger.

“If you have a N$60 billion budget in 12 months, that means you spend N$5 billion a month. In a small economy like ours, you don’t get N$5 billion coming in in a month,” he said, adding that even the African Development Bank’s N$3 billion loan disbursement to Namibia came in over three months.

He said a finance minister in a country like Namibia does not sleep, “because any single mistake you make means you might not be able to pay salaries”.

PwC Process Intelligence: Data-driven analytics

July 31, 2018, 4:00 pm

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PwC Process Intelligence: Data-driven analytics There is often a gap between how business processes are intended to be and what reality is. There are many reasons for this: inherent process complexity; changes that occur over time; deviations from the “happy path” for operational reasons; users with broad access in the IT systems; and finally, people often only see part of the processes and miss the complete picture.

The traditional approach to understand processes is through interviews, workshops, observations and document analyses. This approach is time-consuming and prone to subjective judgement based on incomplete or old information.

Our approach

PwC Process Intelligence approach is based on analysis of factual transactional data from organisation’s IT systems. When combined with PwC sector, process knowledge and experience, it allows to quickly and objectively understand and improve processes. PwC Process Intelligence includes two key components: process monitoring and process maps.

Process monitoring dashboards are tailor made visualisations that allow for quick process insights and continuous monitoring of your process. They include key performance indicators and process visualisations that allow you to identify performance deviations, process inefficiencies, standardisation level, and potential controls and compliance issues.

Process maps give an end-to-end view on a process. They allow for an in-depth understanding of the current state of your processes based on factual transactional data. Inefficiencies and bottlenecks can be easily identified with automated root cause analyses and advanced process mining techniques, which allow for identification of direct reasons for unwanted process behaviours and actionable conclusions for process improvement.

PwC Process Intelligence is an efficient and effective approach successfully applied at our clients for various industries and processes.

KASSIE

Amongst others, PwC Process Intelligence has helped companies to:

• Reduce costs of operations by reducing re-work and increase process automation;

• Identify unwanted behaviours related to payment processing like fraudulent transactions, duplicate payment and back-dated journals;

• Optimise shared service centres by improving process design and monitoring of operations;

• Increase effectiveness and improve business value of internal audits teams;

• Identify inappropriate access rights that have resulted in segregation of duties violations and increased process risk; and

• Identify executions deviating from the process design and transactions instances where controls were circumvented.

Contact Johan Oosthuizen, associate director at PwC Namibia at johan.t.oosthuizen@pwc.com

Reserves increase by 5%

August 1, 2018, 1:29 am

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Reserves increase by 5% Namibia’s international reserves rose to about N$29.6 billion, up nearly 5% or N$1.5 billion from N$28.2 billion the previous month.
Statistics released by the Bank of Namibia (BoN) show that June’s reserves are the second highest so far this year, surpassed only by the around N$30.7 billion recorded in April.
Last year in June, reserves totalled about N$28.5 billion.

Windhoek issues water scarcity alert

August 1, 2018, 1:35 am

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Windhoek issues water scarcity alert The City of Windhoek has declared an official water scarcity, changing the current category B (supply alert) to category C – water scarcity.
The water savings target for Windhoek has therefore been shifted from 5% to 10%, following only about 24.91% of the average expected inflow into the dams for the past rainy season.
This has become part and parcel of the reality for Windhoek residents with a critical shortage experienced every few years but, reaching its peak in early 2017.
Experts have criticised authorities, saying these crises were predictable. According to the Institute for Public Policy Research, water crises
"in Windhoek have been long coming, caused by population growth, urbanisation, economic growth and poor rainfall." The institute last year raised questions on long-term water supply.

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Zanu-PF attains parliament majority

August 1, 2018, 2:06 am

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Zanu-PF attains parliament majority Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party won the most seats in parliament, official results showed yesterday, as the count continued in the presidential race and the opposition MDC cried foul, alleging widespread fraud. EU observers are due to give their preliminary report on Zimbabwe's election later Wednesday, two days after the vote - the first ballot since Robert Mugabe was ousted after 37 years in power. With elections under Mugabe marred by fraud and often deadly violence, his successor President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 75, promised a free and fair vote and invited international observers. "The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has announced a further 50 National Assembly results, bringing the total so far to 153. Of the 153, ZANU-PF has won 110 seats, while the MDC Alliance got 41 seats," ZBC state media reported. There are 210 seats in the national assembly lower house.
NAMPA/AFP

Household bank debt up N$3 bn in a year

August 1, 2018, 6:22 am

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Household bank debt up N$3 bn in a year The latest figures released by the Bank of Namibia (BoN) show consumers owed commercial banks about N$54.6 billion in total at the end of June.
This is 6.4% or nearly N$3.3 billion more than in June 2017.
“Other loans and advances”, which includes personal loans and credit cards, rose by 14.3% or nearly N$705 million to more than N$5.6 billion.
Instalment credit was N$343 million lower at nearly N$6.9 billion.
Read the full report tomorrow in Market Watch.

Environment PS retires

August 1, 2018, 7:41 am

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Environment PS retires Dr Malan Lindeque, who has massive institutional knowledge on conservation and its related fields, has retired from his position as environment and tourism permanent secretary.
The ministry announced his retirement today, saying Teofilus Nghitila has been appointed as acting PS, effective 1 August.
Nghitila, who is the ministry’s environmental commissioner, has been appointed for a period of six months.
He will remain in his current position while acting as PS.
Lindeque was appointed in July 2015. He also served in the PS post from 2003 to 2007, before being redeployed as trade PS.
At trade he oversaw the reform of Namibia’s investment legislation, industrial development strategy and related instruments.
He started his career as an ecologist at the Etosha National Park for 13 years, working mainly on elephant and other large mammal research and conservation projects, as well as vegetation ecology, park management planning and population monitoring.
Lindeque worked a total of 15 years as a government PS, and altogether 19 years in senior management at government ministries and international organisations. He has extensive experience in working with a wide variety of government and non-governmental agencies, as well as the business sector, and has contributed to developing national plans, policies and legislation.
His experience includes corporate governance and performance-oriented management, as well as teamwork in a multi-cultural environment.
He has extensive working knowledge in the field of environment and natural resource management, with substantial expertise and experience in the interdisciplinary areas of biodiversity conservation, community-based natural resource management, the wildlife trade and the sustainable use of wildlife resources.
ELLANIE SMIT

Harare on fire following vote

August 1, 2018, 8:11 am

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Harare on fire following vote Violence has broken out in Harare as armed troops try to disperse hundreds of opposition protesters angry about alleged manipulation in the country's election. The latest news from Associated Press is that smoke can be seen rising from burning vehicles and trucks carrying security forces are circulating in the streets. The opposition supporters gathered outside the compound of the electoral commission and were met by riot police who fired tear gas.
Election observers from the European Union and United States are warning that presidential results should be released as soon as possible to avoid "volatility".
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's president has warned against making "provocative statements". He added: "Now is the time for responsibility and above all peace."
The electoral commission says it will advise "sometime tomorrow" when it will begin announcing those results. It has five days from Monday's vote to release them.
Opposition challenger Nelson Chamisa has again claimed victory over Mnangagwa and said on Twitter that "No amount of results manipulation will alter your WILL.”
Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party has won the most seats in parliament, according to incomplete official results.
Questions have been asked about why the presidential results will be released last as they were counted first.
Mnangagwa's party is poised to win a substantial parliamentary majority in Monday's poll - the first elections since long-serving ruler Robert Mugabe was ousted.

Etche needs new blade

August 1, 2018, 4:00 pm

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Etche needs new bladeLack of training could cost athlete Para-athlete Etchegaray 'Etche' Nguluwe needs a new blade in order to compete locally and internationally. Namibia's very own blade runner, T65 athlete Etchegaray 'Etche' Nguluwe, is desperately in need of a new running blade.

He was born with a club foot and underwent surgery in 2016 during which his left foot was amputated.

The Namibia Paralympic Committee (NPC) raised money last year for a new blade from Pretoria. However, the blade has widened and is causing the athlete severe pain and bleeding.

In April this year Nguluwe ran the 100m at the Nedbank National Championships for Physically Disabled in Bloemfontein with discomfort, but managed to win a gold medal while breaking the African record.

The discomfort has since become worse and he had to stop training altogether.

“I left Windhoek because I could not stay there without training. I'm home near Outapi doing nothing and I'm very sad because all I want to do is run, but I cannot do that without a blade,” he said.

Nguluwe is an active sportsman, having been involved in boxing, football as well as athletics as a T44 para-athlete. He now competes in the T65 category as t44 is for double amputee athletes.

The athlete made his mark in 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, as well as at the 2015 IPC world championships in Doha.

His coach, Michael Hamukwaya, said they are trying their best to get the athlete back into action, but a new blade is expensive and no one has come forward to sponsor the athlete.

“It is very sad to see him sitting at home doing nothing. Etche is a brilliant athlete and we have to come up with a way to find funds for him.

“There is a gym in Windhoek were he trains but other than that he cannot run because the current blade hurts him.”

Hamukwaya said an operation, together with the new blade, accommodation and transport costs, will be nearly N$90 000. Nguluwe is eyeing taking part in the 2020 Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Hamukwaya said there is still time to get him ready, as long as he can gets a new blade.

“We wish we could even start with the operation and get him a new blade so that he can heal in time and start training. We want to send athletes in various categories to the games and we don't want him to miss out.”

LIMBA MUPETAMI

Old Crooks to entice crowd

August 1, 2018, 4:00 pm

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Old Crooks to entice crowd The organisers of the popular

//Goa !Haob Festival will host an Old Crooks tournament that will see players aged between 50 and 60 reclaiming some of the glory of yesteryear.

Teams interested in the Old Crooks tournament are encouraged to register by 10 August.

John Ramakhutle has sponsored N$12 000 towards the tourney.

He said it will give a chance to former football stars to show off their skills and to socialise.

According to Gerson Ore-aob, one of the organisers, former Civics player, Tiger /Goagoseb, as well as former Orlando Pirates player, Josef Benjamin, are among those who will feature on the day.

//Goa !Haob has been a very popular programme on NBC radio since 2003.

The annual festival will take place at Outjo from 24 to 27 August.

There will be various sport activities and music performances at the event.

For more information contact Ore-aob on 081 395 5053, Ricardo //Garoeb on 081 592 2130 or John Ramakhutle on 081 244 3643.

LIMBA MUPETAMI

The ultimate sedan receives an update

August 1, 2018, 4:00 pm

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The ultimate sedan receives an updateNew SA-made C-Class unveiled The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class offers new levels of looks, safety and performance. Selvin Govender, marketing director of Mercedes-Benz Cars SA - “This new model is our sportiest and most dynamic C-Class to date, and with its looks, safety and performance, we’re confident it’s going to appeal to a broader audience than ever before.” Mercedes-Benz South Africa has launched the new edition of its highly successful C-Class range to the regional market at an event in Johannesburg’s inner city, celebrating its strong themes of improvement and renewal.

The C-Class is the most successful model series from Mercedes-Benz, and the new edition boasts a wealth of enhancements.

In terms of looks, the car features a redesigned front end, with new-look headlamps and tail lamps. The electronics are completely new, with safety and driver assistance systems now at the level of the flagship S-Class series.

There are also new petrol and diesel engines across the range.

The current generation C-Class was Mercedes-Benz top-selling model, selling more than 415 000 cars worldwide in 2017.

The secret of the C-Class's success is partly down to the wide model range, also including two sporty two-door versions: the Coupé and the Cabriolet, which have opened up entire new audiences in the local market, says Selvin Govender, marketing director of Mercedes-Benz Cars South Africa.

“Southern Africans just love the C-Class. This new model is our sportiest and most dynamic C-Class to date, and with its looks, safety and performance, we’re confident it’s going to appeal to a broader audience than ever before,” says Govender.

The exterior: the best-looking C-Class yet?

The new-look C-Class boasts a striking new front, and a new design of the headlamps and tail lights. The sedan features the diamond grille as standard in combination with AMG Line, with front bumpers redesigned for all lines, and rear bumpers varying according to the selected equipment and engine variant.

The C-Class comes with LED high-performance headlamps and features a particularly striking interior design. For the first time in this model series, Multibeam LED headlamps with Ultra Range high beam are additionally available.

Interior design: exquisite fine-tuning

The new C-Class features a brand new electronic architecture, with the major addition being the latest Mercedes-Benz driving assistance systems. This puts the new series on a par with the S-Class, providing a higher level of active safety than ever and the ability to drive semi-autonomously in even more situations.

The interior has also been given a facelift and the new Multicontour Seat package now literally offers massages on the move.

The car’s new display concept includes an optional, fully-digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster, and the upgraded infotainment system includes standard smartphone integration that can be accessed through touch-sensitive controls in the steering wheel, which respond to swiping motions like the screen of a smartphone.

New engines: electrification continues

The new C-Class sees the launch of a new generation of four-cylinder petrol engines. There is a new 4-cylinder, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine in the C200, with 9-speed automatic transmission across the range. The 1.5-litre engine is supplemented with a 48-volt on-board network and the EQ Boost integrated starter-generator that produces an additional 10 kW and 160 Nm while accelerating. There’s also a new-generation 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine in the C300, with outputs of 190 kW and 370 Nm.

The new 1.6-litre variant of the current diesel engine family will celebrate its world premiere in the C-Class, with the new C 220 d 4MATIC providing a healthy 143 kW and 400 Nm.

There’s also more performance for the mighty range-topping C43 4MATIC, which boasts a V6 bi-turbo engine that combines powerful output with low consumption and emissions.

For the new C-Class, the AMG development engineers have increased the output of the 3.0-litre V6 engine by 17 kW to 287 kW. The peak torque of 520 Nm is available from 2500 to 5000 rpm.

This package allows impressive performance figures: the new C 43 4MATIC Sedan accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds, with top speed electronically limited to 250 km/h.

Another new feature is the automatic "push notification" message to the Mercedes me App if the vehicle suffers an impact caused by another vehicle when parked, is towed away or there is a break-in attempt. The optional feature includes the new sensors and the corresponding software.

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Aazaizai taya likola okuza melanditho lyoongumi

August 1, 2018, 4:00 pm

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Aazaizai taya likola okuza melanditho lyoongumi Omahangano ngoka kage shi gAafrika otaga mono iiyemo oyindji okuza melanditho lyoongumi sho ongumi owala yimwe yomoongumi 10 tadhi landithwa muSADC ya longwa menenevi.

Ndhoka odha popiwa kuDr. Kanyanta Sunkutu ngoka e li omutseyinawa gwopautekinika mOmbelewa yOshitopolwa Uuzilo nUumbugantu waAfrika moUNFPA.

Pahapu dhe, oshitopolwa shaSADC oshi li shina ongeshefa ombwaanawa ngele tashi ya kiilandithwomwa yomoostola dhomiti nonando oshitopolwa oshi li sha taalela omukundu omunene mekondjitho lyombuto oshowo omategelelo mokati kaanona aashona.

Sunkutu okwa popi ngaaka pethimbo lyomutumba gwoonkundathana kombinga yoshikondo shelanditho lyomiti onga oshitopolwa shoshiwike sheyambulepo lyaSADC mOvenduka.

Okwa popi woo kombinga yoshitopolwa sho shiikolelela owala maagandji yooshali dhomiti niikwathitho yopaunamiti ngaashi omaluvalo galongekidhwa, ta popi kutya shoka oshi li omukundu omunene.

Okwa tsikile kutya ope na ompumbwe onene opo ku yambulwepo elongo lyomiti niikwathitho yopaunamiti menenevi.

Okwa tsikile kutya UNFPA okwa tameka omukalo gwokukwathela aanduluki yomiti menenevi opo ya vule okumona omayambididho yo ya vule okuya methigathano naanduluki yopauyuni.





Greg Perry, ngoka eli omunambelewa omukomeho omukwatheli gwoInternational Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (IFPMA) okwa popi kutya ethimbo olya thikana opo SADC a totepo olutu talu ithanwa SADC Health Products Agency.

Pahapu dhe ngoka omukalo gwokuyambulapo nokutunga omilandu dhuundjolowele dha kola moshitopolwa.

Perry okwa popi kutya enkondopeko lyoshikondo shuundjoolowele inali talika onga oshinima tashi pula mondjato unene ihe nashi talikeko onga epungulo.

JEMIMA BEUKES

Namibia ta pumbwa ootona 150 000 dhepungu moshikako shika

August 1, 2018, 4:00 pm

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Namibia ta pumbwa ootona 150 000 dhepungu moshikako shika Namibia oku na ootona 200 500 dhiilya moshikakomumvo shika naadhoka odhili oopresenda omi 57 dhompumbwe yoshilongo.

Shoka osha hala okutya oshilongo otashi ka pumbwa okukutha pondje ootona 150 000 opo ku vule okukuthwa po omwaka ngoka, gwa kwatela mo oontona 67 400 dhiilya oshowo ootona 85 000 dhepungu.

Palopota ompe ndjoka ya pitthwa tayi ithanwa Crop Prospect and Food Security Report, Namibia ngashiingeyi oku na ootona 15 400 dhiilya, ootona 96 800 dhepungu oshowo ootona 88 300 dhiilyaalyaka.

Omatengeneko otaga ulike kutya okwa holola eyambulepo kashona okuyeleka noshikako sha piti.

Olopota ndjoka oya tsikile kutya elongo lyondya ndhoka oli li pombanda omolwa eteyo ewanawa ndyoka lya dhidhilikwa moshilongo moshikako shomuloka gwa piti.

Iitopolwa ayihe ya li ya dhidhilikwa eteyo ewanawa kakele koshitopolwa shaZambezi shoka sha mono eteyo li li pevi nopresenda yimwe, palopota ndjoka ya pitithwa.

Muunafaalama wopangeshefa eteyo olya shuna pevi okuza pootona 70 900 okuya pootona 58 500.

Okuyeleka noshikako sha piti, moofaalama dhopangeshefa omwa monika eeteyo lyoopresna 19 li li pevi nuumvo okuyeleka noshikakomvula sha piti. Enduluko ndyoka olya shuna pevi omolwa omuloka gwankundipala gwa dhidhilikwa kuyele pethimbo lyoshikako shoka oshowo okapuka hoka ka ponokelwa iikunwa moofaalama ndhoka unene moopoloyeka dhiikunino yepangelo.

Elongo lyepungu miitopolwa ngaashi (Zambezi, Kavango East oshowo Kavango West) olya londo pombanda noopresenda 10%, okuza pootona 6 300 okuya pootona 6 900. Eteyo ndyoka ewanawa okwa lopotwa lya etithwa komuloka omuwanawa ngoka gwa dhidhilikwa miitopolwa mbyoka poomwedhi ndatu dha hugunina shoshikakomvula shoka.



Eteyo liilya nalyo olya holola eteyo ewanawa okuza pootona 57 600 okuya pootona 83 500.

Iitopolwa yilwe moshilongo ayihe oya mono eteyo liilya ewanawa kakele koshitopoolwa shaZambezi moka eteyo lya lopotwa lyayi pevi omolwa omeya ogendji ngoka ga dhenge oshitopolwa shoka.

Iilyalyaka okwa lopotwa kwa monika eteyo ewanawa ndyoka lya yi poombanda noopresenda 45 okuyeleka neteyo lyooshikako sha piti. Okwa lopotwa woo e yo pombanda ndyoka lya yi pombanda nootona okuza po 2 800 okuya po 4 000.

Konyala eteyo lyankundipala ndyoka lya lopotwa olya etitha kuupuka mboka kwa lopotwa wa ponokele oofaalama dhimwe po ngaashi oopoloyeka dhuunamapya dhepangelo, moka aanafaalama yamwe po ya tokola okukuna oombundufukwa pehala lyokukuna epungu.

Opolota ndjoka oya holola kutya onkalo yegameno lyoondya momagumbo oya yambukapo omolwa eteyo ndyoka ewanawa, noondya ndhoka otadhi ka vula okupalutha aanamagumbo sigo omwedhi Mei gwo2019.

ELLANIE SMIT

Epangelo olya ndopa – Tucna

August 1, 2018, 4:00 pm

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Epangelo olya ndopa – TucnaEpangelo olya pumbwa okugamena aaniilonga Endopo lyepangelo mokunkondopeka oompango dhaaniilonga osho sha etitha Shoprite a kale ina simaneka aaniilonga ye. Ngoka omaiyuvo gehangano ekalelipo lyaaniilonga lyoTrade Union Congress of Namibia (Tucna), ngoka ga hololwa kOimupresidende gwounon ndjoka, Mahongora Kavihuha .

Kavihuha okwa popi kutya ominista yAaniilonga Erkki Nghimtina oshowo amushanga guuminiteli mboka Bro-Matthew Shinguadja, oya kala nokulombwelwa opo ya talulule Ompango yAaniilonga.

Omupresidende gwaTucna okwa popi kutya omaihumbato gehangano lyoostola dhaShoprite oga etithwa kOmpango yAaniilonga moshilongo ndjoka ya nkundipala, na otayi keelele aaniilonga ya wayimine omahangano omakalelipo gaaniilonga nokweetitha woo omanano koondjambi dhaaniilonga kage li pauyuuki.





Kavihuha okwa yelitha kutya opo aaniilonga ya tyapule uuwanawa wokukala ye li iilyo yehangano ekalelipolyaaniilonga, Ompango yAaniilonga otayi pula opo oopresenda 50 dhaaniilonga mehagano ndyoka dhi li kale dhi li iilyo nongele hasho nena omugandji gwiilonga oha tokola kuyemwene ngele ota futu uukwashilyo mboka nenge itewu futu.

Kavihuha okwa tsikile kutya Ompango yAaniilonga oya pumbwa owala okulundululwa kashona, moshinima shoka na osho ya kala nokulombwela minista oshowo amushanga guuministeli mboka waaniilonga.

“Otwa tsakanena nale naminista nokumulombwela opo ku ningwe omalunduluko ngoka. Amushanga opo a li. Ompango oya ningitha woo oshidhigu opo aaniilonga ya wayimine omahangano omakalelipo gaaniilonga.”

Kavihuha, okwa tsikile kutya ngaashi naana tashi holoka muShoprite omahangano ogendji kagena uuwanawa mboka na aaniilonga owala aashona taya tyapula uuwanawa okuza kuukwashilyo wawo waaniilonga.







Kavihuha okwa popi kutya Shoprite oku na ontseyo kombinga yuunkundi mboka wu li po onkene osho tashi etitha iihumbetele aaniilonga ngaashi a hala molwaashoka epangelo kali na oonkondo na kape na woo ohokwe yoopapolotika yokukondjitha Shoprite.

Shinguadja okwa popi kutya Tucna okwa li oshitopolwa shokomitiye ndjoka yali tayi tala kenkondopaleko lyoompango dhaaniilonga ndhoka dhi li miilonga ngashiingeyi.

“Onda simaneka omaiyuvo goTrade Union Congress of Namibia. Ihe kandi wete ye mu lombwele kutya oya li oshitopolwa shokomitiiye ndjoka ya li tayi talulula oompango yaaniilonga oshowo oshitopolwa sho Tripartite Labour Advisory Council,” Shinguadja a popi.

Kavihuha okwa yamukula kutya Tucna okwa li owala ta kondjitha elundululo limwe mOmpangu yAaniilonga. Okwa tsikile kutya: “oya li owala ya pumbwa okuninga elundululo limwe ihe kashi shi ompango ayihe ndjoka tayi ka kutha oomvula odhindji okulundulula, onkene amushanga ina kambadhala okutula iinima mumwe.”





Omutseyinawa gwoonkalo dhaaniilonga, Herbert Jauch okwa popi kutya oshikumungu shaShoprite otashi holola ngele epangelo oli na tuu ohokwe okugamena aaniilonga.

Okwatsikile kutya ngele epangelo olya ndopa okugamena aaniilonga moshikumungu shoka nena otashi ka etitha omahangano ogendji ga landule moompadhi dhaShoprite.

Momikanda dhe dhoka uukitha kompangu, ehangano lyoostola dhoka okupitila momukalelipo gwawo gwopaveta, olya popi kutya olya li elalakano lyaaniilonga opo ya shunithe pevi iiyemo yehangano opo Shoprite a thiminikwe a pate oostola dhe.



Oya tsikile kutya inaya vula okupatulula oostola dhawo momasiku 28 Juli 2015 na oya kanitha oshimaliwa sha thika pooN$288 000.

Opo ya ye moshipala ekanka ndyoka, ostola ndjoka aniwa oya futu oshimaliwa sha thika poomiliyona 3.4 miifuta yopaveta omanga kwa kutwa miilonga aaniilonga yopakathimbo opo ya longe pehala lyaamboka ya yi mekanka na okwa li kwa longithwa oshimaliwa sha thika pooN$189 750 mokufuta aaniilonga mboka.

Mokuningila aaniilonga omitumba dhomautho, natango aniwa oya longitha oshimaliwa shooN$616 398, nokweetitha kumwe ehangano ndyoka li longithe iimaliwa ya thika poomiliyona 4.5.

Omukomeho gwiikumungu yaaniilonga mUuministeli wAaniilonga, Phillip Mwandinga, okwa li a tseyitha muAguste gwo 2015 kutya ekanka ndyoka lya ningwa kaaniilonga kali li paveta.

Jauch okwa popi kutya ehangano lySahoprite otali kambadhala okutalapo epangelo ngele otali vulu tu okugamena aaniilonga sho epangelo sigo opaife kali na shoka lya ninga po.

Jauch okwa tsikile kutya ngele Shoprite okwa pitikwa okuninga ngaaka nena oshilongo oshili muupyakadhi uunene onkene epangelo olya pumbwa okukatuka oonkatu nokugamena aaniilonga.

Jauch okwa popi kutya Shoprite nafute yemwene omatokolo ge ngoka a ningi mokukatuka oonkatu dhopaveta oshowo okuningila aaniilonga omitumba dhomautho. Iifuta mbyoka oya holoka po omolwa oonkatu dhopaveta ndhoka a katuka onkene ngashiingeyi okwa hala e shi ninge omukundu noshinakugwanithwa shaaniilonga.

Pahapu dhe, aaniilonga otaya geelwa nokupula oonkalo dhiilonga dhanawapala.

Shinguadja okwa popi kutya uuministeli wawo owa halutha komaihumbato gaShoprite molwashoka iifuta mbyoka oyi li oshizemo shomaihumbato ge sho ehangano ndyoka lya tindi omayele ngoka lyapewa opo li hulithepo eningo lyomutumba gwomautho.

OGONE TLHAGE

Company news in brief

August 1, 2018, 4:00 pm

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Company news in brief Huawei overtakes Apple

China’s Huawei Technologies overtook Apple Inc to become the world’s second-biggest smartphone seller in the June quarter, data from market research firms showed, as it gained ground in Europe and expanded its lead back home.

The estimated rise in market share comes as a slowdown in the world’s biggest smartphone market, China, eased. Huawei has also managed to get ahead of rivals by selling more feature-packed phones, analysts said.

-Nampa/Reuters

Insurers grilled on exposure to J&J verdict

Wall Street is trying to figure out whether the US insurance industry will bear any costs from a record US$4.69 billion judgment against Johnson & Johnson awarded to customers and their families who claimed that asbestos-contaminated talc caused ovarian cancer

Analysts have flagged talc litigation as a financial risk for insurers, including Travelers Companies Inc, Chubb Ltd and The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.

-Nampa’/Reuters

Credit Suisse charged with rigging foreign exchange rates

Credit Suisse has been charged by European Union antitrust regulators with rigging foreign exchange rates, the Swiss bank said on Tuesday, a sign that the five-year long EU investigation may reach a conclusion in the coming months.

Credit Suisse said in its quarterly report it received notification from the European Commission on July 26 alleging that it “engaged in anticompetitive practices in connection with its foreign exchange trading business”.

-Nampa/Reuters

Siemens thinks big with small-batch production

German engineering group Siemens is redoubling its efforts in an area where it has traditionally lagged: managing the processing of materials into medicines, chemicals or foodstuffs.

Siemens excels at helping makers of cars, planes and trains make their production and assembly smarter by using its software to create distinct items and components - so-called discrete manufacturing.

-Nampa/Reuters

iPhone X deliver earnings beat

Apple Inc sales led by the pricey iPhone X pushed quarterly results far beyond Wall Street targets on Tuesday, with subscriptions from App Store, Apple Music and iCloud services bolstering business.

The world’s most valuable technology company also forecast revenue above expectations for the fall, when it typically launches new iPhone models, reassuring a nervous tech sector that saw sell-offs last week in Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc and Netflix Inc on concerns about their future growth.

-Nampa/Reuters

Big blow for rand, economy

August 1, 2018, 4:00 pm

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Big blow for rand, economyANC set to change Constitution on land It is with uncanny ability that South Africa's politicians deal the beleaguered economy yet another blow just when it appeared as though things were settling down. This was the reaction of TreasuryONE head currency dealer Wichard Cilliers after President Ramaphosa announced late on Tuesday night that the ANC will be looking to change the constitution to more explicitly allow for expropriation of land without compensation. The ANC said earlier expropriation this will only be done in a manner that doesn’t harm the economy, agricultural production or food security.

"While the market was shaping up for a break below the R13.00 handle [against the US dollar], this news has dealt the ZAR a blow and in all likelihood the news will not be well received," he said in a note on Wednesday morning.

"This latest move is once again believed to be politically motivated ahead of the National Elections next year and is aimed at neutering the political stance of the EFF", he added.

“This is a surprising and premature announcement by the ANC because parliament is still in its review process on changing the constitution,” Lawson Naidoo, executive director of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, told Bloomberg.

“Parliament still has to gather and evaluate the many submissions that have been made. We are in a pre-election phase and the ANC announcement is part of that.”

The rand responded immediately to the news on Tuesday, losing 16c against the greenback after Ramaphosa announced that his party wanted to amend the constitution to clarify the conditions under which expropriation of land without compensation would take place.

Ramaphosa, speaking in his capacity as the head of the ruling party, was giving an economic update at the conclusion of a two-day ANC lekgotla.

"The ANC will, through the parliamentary process, finalise a proposed amendment to the constitution that outlines more clearly the conditions under which expropriation of land without compensation can be effected," said Ramaphosa, who was elected ANC leader in December.

He said the aim of the amendment was to promote redress, advance economic development and boost food security.

"It will also transform the unjust spatial realities in urban areas."

The local currency opened trade at R13.28 on Wednesday morning from R13.10 just before Ramaphosa started speaking and "there is a high probability that it will likely weaken further".

"If communicated poorly this holds the potential of turning into a game changer depending on how seriously foreigners view this threat to property rights more generally," said Cilliers.

-Fin24