Namibian Sun

EDITORIAL Pressure is mounting on defence minister Peter Vilho and he has done nothing to substantively convince the public that Job Amupanda’s obsession with his name is due to anything but corruption.

The minister, one of the most articulate members of Cabinet, has been largely mute on allegations of corruption, answering vaguely and in patches. He hasn’t done anything to reverse the mounting negative perception that now engulfs his name.

For a man who has listed barely anything tangible in the assets register at Parliament, Vilho has failed to clear the contradiction between what he actually owns and the humble items he jotted down in that book.

Any public official whose conscience is clear and who subscribes to the ethos of transparency would come clean and prove their innocence. He is not a private citizen and thus has no privilege to remain silent to allegations as serious as these.

President Hage Geingob too owes the nation, at the bare minimum, feedback on the matter because people have started to question his own silence amid the myriad of damaging allegations.

The president must summon his courage and demand answers from the minister, if he hasn’t done that already. If he is satisfied with the answers given, he has every reason to keep Vilho in the job. But to simply fold hands like an altar boy cannot be accepted.

South Africa's rising cost of funding concerning Foreign investors avoiding the country's bonds Yields came down as the central bank slashed lending rates and launched a bond-buying programme. In South Africa, 10-year domestic currency government bond yields have risen about 70 basis points this year. S&P

South Africa's rising long-term bond yields and the related cost of government borrowing remain a concern, ratings firm S&P Global said in its second quarter economic outlook for emerging markets.

The yield on South Africa's benchmark 2030 government bond hit a record-high above 13% in March 2020 at the height of the financial crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Yields came down as the central bank slashed lending rates and launched a bond-buying programme. But they have started rising again in 2021, to near the 10% mark, as climbing Treasury yields in the United States lured away lenders.

"In South Africa, 10-year domestic currency government bond yields have risen about 70 basis points this year. While less abrupt, the rising cost of funding presents a challenge, given that interest rate payments in South Africa are already among the highest in key emerging markets," said S&P in a release dated March 30.

S&P said this month that the 2021 budget did not focus enough on economic reforms, making a sustained rebound in gross domestic product unlikely.

Projections

The deficit is forecast to more than double to 14% of gross domestic product in the 2020/21 fiscal year, from 5.7% in the previous year.

Foreign investors have avoided the country's bonds or demanded a high premium, or yield. The central bank said on Tuesday non-residents had sold R74.6 billion of bonds in 2020.

Year to date, foreign selling of local bonds was R28.5 billion, according to Johannesburg Stock Exchange data.

The Reserve Bank (SARB) last week resisted raising lending rates following hikes by other emerging market central banks, saying the inflation outlook was benign. The bank said it had little control over long-term bond yields.

S&P said in the report the increasing divergence between the US rebound and the rest of the world could "force central banks to implement defensive interest-rate hikes" to compensate for the growing yield differential, especially those countries with large fiscal deficits like South Africa. - Nampa/Reuters

Health gambles with Indian vaccine

JEMIMA BEUKES

WINDHOEK

The health ministry is pushing ahead with negotiations for Covishield vaccines despite concerns of its lack of effectiveness against the South African coronavirus variant currently spreading in Namibia.

Covishield is Serum Institute of India's (SII) version of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine that is being produced in collaboration with the University of Oxford.

Government talks are taking place at a time when the South African government sold off one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines acquired from SII.

Correspondence between the health ministry’s head of procurement at the Central Medical Store (CMS), Fabiola Vahekeni, and SII suggests the ministry is willing to negotiate conditions in order receive a delivery of the vaccines.

In correspondence seen by Namibian Sun, Vijay Patil from SII responded to a request by the CMS about availability of stock, stressing the need for a mutually beneficially deal.

“We wish to inform that we would not be able to submit the offer as we cannot comply with the terms and conditions and we don’t intend to commit clauses stated in the enquiry. We need to discuss how Serum Institute and CMS can work closely to make Covid-19 vaccine available for Namibia, separately to evolve a business model that is in mutual interest (sic).”

Patil also informed Vahekeni that they are under huge pressure due to the commitment to supply vaccines to the Indian government, the Covax facility and other countries with bilateral agreements.

Easy

On 4 February, Seija Nakamhela, a health ministry senior pharmacist, wrote to the Indian vaccine producer asking what process South Africa followed to receive their vaccines, suggesting that Namibia is interested to follow suit.

Patil responded on 5 February explaining that the process is simple. He requested that a proposal be sent without “too many pre-conditions”. The proposal should indicate whether the health ministry wants to purchase vaccines directly or through a local distributor.

Patil underlined that the vaccine business model requires a 100% upfront payment with the purchase order.

He also informed CMS that the institute would not be able to submit an offer, as they could not comply with the proposed or revised conditions.

“Serum does not have a valid manufacturing licence. Serum-manufactured Covid-19 vaccine is not listed on a World Health Organisation emergency use listing. We cannot ensure that the vaccine to be supplied [has] at least 70 to 80% shelf life,” he wrote.

Vahekeni wrote back: “Based on your in-depth discussion with Ms. Nakamhela, chief pharmacist at CMS, we have amended the request to address some of the concerns you had and the clauses that were not feasible to your business model. Please receive a new request.”

The health ministry executive director Ben Nangombe confirmed that talks with the vaccine producer are ongoing.

“I am not at liberty at this stage to disclose to the media more about our negotiations with a particular service provider. It is going to undermine all our efforts engaging with other suppliers. The information you have is confidential and should not be in the public domain,” he said yesterday.

jemima@namibiansun.com

Assailant teacher faces new theft charges TUYEIMO HAIDULA

OSHAKATI

Ohangwena teacher Fransina Mwetufa, who is accused of stabbing a colleague last week, appeared in the Oshakati Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for forgery after she allegedly acquired a Polo Vivo by providing false bank statements as proof of payment.

Mwetufa, who appeared before magistrate Helena Ekandjo, is accused of theft under false pretenses, fraud, forgery and uttering.

Oshana police spokesperson Thomas Aiyambo said Mwetufa allegedly falsely pretended to sell her car to the complainant, car dealer Maree Hendrick Johannes, after a few days, she went to him with the intention to buy it back. The police report indicates that the transaction took place on 22 March.

Johannes told Namibian Sun yesterday that he had agreed with Mwetufa that she could buy the car back as long as this is done within 30 days of purchase.

He said Mwetufa sold the car to him for N$30 000, and he offered it back to her for N$37 500.

Johannes said Mwetufa informed him that she initially sold the car to pay for her university tuition fees.

He said she agreed to do a bank transfer from her Bank Windhoek account to Standard Bank.

Suspicious transaction

“She forwarded the same day proof of payment via WhatsApp. After three days, the money didn't go through on account and I went to the bank to confirm the transaction. I was then informed that the transaction and the notification she gave me are very suspicious,” Johannes said.

He said he then approached her again and she informed him that she would pay and that he should be patient.

After the money had not reflected a few days later, he decided to open a case with the police.

Mwetufa was denied bail at Oshakati. Her case has been postponed to 19 May to allow for further police investigations.

Crocodile tears

Sources at the court told Namibian Sun that during her appearance she cried and pleaded to be taken for psychiatric evaluation before she is allowed to stand for trial. This plea was not entertained.

On Monday, Mwetufa appeared in the Eenhana Magistrate’s Court on a charge of attempted murder and reckless or negligent driving after she was arrested on 25 March.

She is accused of allegedly choking a colleague before stabbing her multiple times with a knife in the neck and face.

Ohangwena police spokesperson sergeant Andrew Nghiyolwa said the attack happened at Ondaanda village on Friday afternoon.

The victim, Ndapewa Indongo (24) narrated the incident to Namibian Sun and said Mwetufa had invited her out for lunch to discuss her financial problems.

On their way to lunch, the two took a detour before Mwetufa attacked Indongo.

Indongo said Mwetufa accused her of spreading gossip about her at school.

Indongo is currently recovering at a private hospital in Ondangwa and survived with cuts to her lower lip, right eye, forehead and right thumb. She had a successful operation on Wednesday to help her thumb function properly again.

– tuyeimo@namibiansun.com

PG probes Vilho’s Hong Kong accountMinister keeps HSBC account out of asset registry Prosecution authorities have contacted China and Hong Kong, seeking clarity on the defence minister’s offshore account, which he did not list in the parliamentary asset registry.

JEMIMA BEUKES AND KENYA KAMBOWE

WINDHOEK

Defence minister Peter Vilho has confirmed owning a unit trust account with HSBC bank in Hong Kong, which had a market value of N$3.4 million as of September 2020, but did not list it in the asset registry at Parliament as required by law.

Vilho confirmed that he has had the offshore account for 12 year, but his submission of assets and sources of income at Parliament – which he signed on 2 June 2020 – does not reflect the account.

He did not answer questions on why he omitted it from his list of assets and source of income.

Instead, the defence minister listed two houses, a mahangu field, a plot and 10% in Aussenkher Energy PTY Ltd.

Prosecutor-general (PG) Martha Imalwa yesterday confirmed that she is investigating Vilho’s account in Hong Kong, after it was alleged that the defence minister’s account in that country was used to transfer N$1.5 million into the account of former chief of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF), Martin Shalli.

Shalli was charged for fraud related to large amounts of money allegedly given to him by a company which had a contract with NDF, which he was in charge of at the time.

The alleged payment from Vilho’s Hong Kong account to Shalli was made around the time the latter’s money from China was forfeited to the State, the PG said.

‘My prerogative’

Commenting on Vilho’s account yesterday, Imalwa said: "We sent requests to China and Hong Kong and we haven’t received feedback. We had to make an application. That was a criminal matter and I have mandate to ask for information. What I know is that the police requested for information in terms of the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, to get information through diplomatic channels. Up to now nothing has changed".

Vilho’s offshore banking activities were revealed by Windhoek mayor Job Amupanda, who continues to allege that the defence minister is corrupt and must be fired.

Vilho has consistently denied the allegations and challenged his detractors to take their evidence against him to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Yesterday, he told Namibian Sun that he has been banking in Hong Kong for over 12 years prior to becoming executive director in the ministry of defence in 2017.

He was appointed the commander of the maritime wing of the NDF in 2002, a position he held before becoming executive director in 2017 and minister of the same portfolio in 2020.

Vilho yesterday said where he banks his money is a decision only he can make - and not anyone else.

“I became a minister in 2020 and an executive director in 2017. Before that, I have been a private citizen like everyone else,” the 59-year-old minister said.

“I suppose what I do with my money is my prerogative.”

Corruption allegations

Amupanda has been on Vilho’s trail for months now, and this week called for President Hage Geingob to recall his defence minister or become liable to the alleged corrupt activities of the former military man.

Amupanda separately claimed that Vilho sanctioned a N$200 million transfer from the defence ministry to its commercial arm, August 26 Holding Company, in 2017 without Treasury approval.

Amupanda claimed to be in possession of a report in which the transaction is listed.

According to the mayor, the report stated that the defence ministry bought naval ships and military uniforms from Brazilian companies at inflated prices and without following tender procedures during Vilho's term as executive director. In response, Vilho said if this report was an official one from the auditor-general, the current executive director should be able to respond to that.

Calle Schlettwein, the minister of finance when the alleged transfer took place, told Namibian Sun at the time that he was unaware of such a transfer.

“I tried to establish [the facts] and there was no payment to August 26 [from the finance ministry]; there was also no budget for August 26. There was no money provided in the budget to be paid to August 26 from finance. Whether the defence ministry paid it, that I do not know,” he said.

Auditor-general Junias Kandjeke has over the years complained that his work is adversely affected by the defence ministry's reluctance to share its financial reports for auditing. The ministry has consistently used national security as reason why it would not open up its books.

jemima@namibiansun.com; kenya@namibiansun.com

Economy on life supportNamibians bleed The real gross domestic product last year grew by -8%, bringing the average annual economic growth since 2016 to -1.7%.

Jo-Maré Duddy – The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with the ongoing recession, sucked more than N$5 billion out of the economy last year.

Preliminary data released by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) yesterday, showed the country had a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of about N$176.3 billion in 2020, compared to nearly N$181.6 billion the previous year. This is the lowest nominal GDP since 2017.

Namibia’s real GDP – measured at the constant prices of 2015 to allow for, among others, the impact of inflation – came in at nearly N$133.7 billion. Compared to 2019, this is a drop of around N$11.6 billion. This is the lowest real GDP since 2013.

Namibia’s economy grew by nearly -8% in 2020, Namibia’s deepest contraction on record. Growth was worse than the forecast of the Bank of Namibia (BoN) in February and finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi in his budget speech last month. Both the BoN and Shiimi hoped for a contraction of 7.3%.

Average annual economic growth since 2016 now stands at -1.7%.

OUT OF POCKET

The NSA’s preliminary national accounts for 2020 show how economic woes impacted Namibians.

Compensation received by employees totalled N$80.35 billion, some N$661 million or 0.8% less than in 2019.

Gross national income (GNI), the total amount of money earned by a nation's people and businesses, came in at about N$173.3 billion – around N$3.8 billion or 2.1% down from 2019.

Real GNI per capita for 2020 was N$56 284, down N$4 847 or 7.9% from 2019. This is the lowest real GNI per capita in the NSA’s rebased records going back to 2013 and a drop of nearly 12% from its peak of N$63 921 in 2015.

Gross national disposable income fell by about N$400 million or 0.2% year-on-year (y/y) to about N$195.5 billion in 2020.

Private consumption expenditure at current prices last year amounted to about N$121.5 billion, nearly N$5.5 billion less than in 2019.

Private consumption expenditure at constant 2015 prices fell by about N$10.2 billion or 9.3% y/y and was the lowest since 2014.

Net investment, or gross fixed capital formation, at constant 2015 prices, plummeted by more than N$3.7 billion or 15.9% to some N$19.7 billion, the lowest on the NSA’s rebased records. Net investment in Namibia has been nose-diving since 2015.

KNOCKED OUT

The contribution of four sectors to Namibia’s nominal GDP fell by more than N$1 billion y/y.

Manufacturing suffered the biggest blow, with its GDP contribution falling by about N$3.1 billion to nearly N$19.4 billion, the lowest since 2016. It contributed 11% to the nominal GDP compared to 12.4% in 2019.

The contribution of both wholesale and retail trade, as well as hotels and restaurants (a proxy for tourism) shrunk by about N$1.2 billion y/y. Wholesale and retail’s contribution of about N$17 billion represented 9.6% of the nominal GDP (2019: 10.0%), while hotels and restaurants contributed nearly N$2.6 billion or 1.4% (2019: 2.1%). For both these sectors, it is the lowest nominal GDP contribution on the NSA’s rebased records.

Transport and storage contributed about N$4.5 billion to the nominal GDP, some N$1.1 billion down from 2019. Its GDP share dropped from 3.1% to 2.6%, the lowest since 2013.

Financial and insurance services activities missed the N$1-billion mark by an inch. It pumped nearly N$11.7 billion into the economy in 2020, about N$989 million down from 2019. Its GDP contribution declined from 7% to 6.6%.

In terms of real GDP, the sectors recorded the following growth: Manufacturing -19.6%; wholesale and retail trade -11.7%; transport and storage -22.4%; and financial and insurance services activities -11.7%. Tourism’s y/y growth came in at a surprising -33.1%, as the BoN still forecast -55% barely two months ago.

GREEN SHOOTS

Agriculture blossomed last year: Livestock farming contributed nearly N$6.3 billion to the nominal GDP, an increase of nearly N$1.1 billion y/y. Crop farming and forestry’s contribution rose by some N$2.2 billion to nearly N$5.2 billion. Livestock’s contribution to the nominal GDP rose from 2.9% to 3.5%, while crop farming and forestry’s was up from 1.6% to 2.9%.

Shining Light Awards 2020/2021An opportunity for young aspiring jewellery designers to showcase their artwork The competition invites young jewellery designers from Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. The awards platform forms part of the De Beers Group Designers initiative (DBGDI), a youth beneficiation skills development initiative.

Monique Adams

Namibia has been involved in the Shining Light Awards since 2008. The competition has been regarded as a getaway for young designers to gain access to the global diamond jewellery market, which has evolved over the years, moving away from a jewellery design competition focused on designing and producing beautiful pieces.

Three winners will be selected from each country and will stand a chance to win a 12-month post-graduate programme at Politecnico di Milano in Milan, a 12-month artisanal goldsmith training programme in South Africa and a three-month exposure in a De Beers Group business unit.

“This competition aims to expose young individuals in the diamond chain of the world. It is an empowering opportunity. By the end of their submissions, the students will leave with a business perspective, so it is about creating entrepreneurs in the industry,” Pat Dambe, vice-president of corporate affairs and government relations at De Beers Global Sight holder Sales, said.

The design theme for this year’s competition is ‘The Evolution of Love and Life’, which aims to inspire young designers to create innovative pieces to showcase their interpretation of the theme.

It should be versatile and commercialised with red carpet elegance, celebrate fresh thinking, and showcase the beauty and sustainability of natural diamonds, which should appeal to the millennial consumer anywhere in the world.

“The 2020/2021 Shining Light Awards theme was birthed form the current global context and sends a powerful message of hope and resilience at a time when the world continues to evolve and innovate at lightning speed, humankind continues to search for meaning and gain strength through our traditions, our culture and our passions that have made us resolute for centuries, now more than ever celebrating love and life, Dambe said.

For Namibia, the awards are also perfectly positioned to support the Harambee Prosperity Plan’s pillars on improving vocational training, as well as youth development and skills development.

They are open for entries, so be sure to visit their website at shininglightawards.com.

Mr and Mrs Triumphant lend a helping hand It is inspiring to see the youth giving back to the less fortunate.

Desiree Gases

The Aspiration of Hope is a non-profit organisation, and with the Easter egg drive which they aim to give back to the community.

Two law students, Winnie Shixwameni and Mpumzi Mpimde from the Triumphant College, which also happens to be Mr and Mrs Triumphant started this initiative in 2020. Mr and Miss Triumphant decided that they are going to host an Easter egg competition for the less fortunate in honour of the Easter weekend.

This Easter egg drive will take the form of a public competition. The Aspiration of Hope, in collaboration with the facade and Miss Miedoso, requested the public donates to this great initiative which they donated to orphanages around Windhoek. They, therefore, called on all Namibians to donate what they can to make someone’s Easter as memorable and loving as possible.

To join the competition, the public had to call in with the number of Easter eggs that they would like to donate or have already collected, which automatically entered their name in the competition. At the end of the competition, they will announce how many Easter eggs they have collected.

There will also be prizes up for grabs for the people who collect the most Easter eggs. The first prize is a free dinner voucher for two to Spur, the second prize will win a free photoshoot from the Façade Studio, and the third prize is N$100 worth of airtime.

A ray of light for José Eduardo dos Santos campus The German government donated five million Euros for the construction of a 250-bed student hostel block at the campus.

Desiree Gases

At the heart of Namibia's northern regions, which collectively account for about 60% of Namibia's population, lies the José Eduardo dos Santos campus. This is just one of the 12 campuses of the University of Namibia which are spread all over the country. The campus is situated in Ongwediva in the Oshana Region, about 725 km to the north west of Windhoek. The campus was founded in 2009 after the government of Namibia approved funds for the construction of phase one a year earlier. On 17 April 2009, Sam Nujoma, the founding father of the nation, inaugurated the first students’ hostel.

The ground-breaking generosity of the government of Germany shared their resources to support the Namibian educational system. The German government donated five million Euros (8774621,93 Namibian dollars) for the construction of a 250-bed student hostel block at the campus.

“This donation will go a long way in providing accommodation for students and ensuring that the campus is mainly focused on being at the forefront of science, technology and innovation,” said the governor of the Oshana region, Elia Irimari.

He further added that it brings ease to the educator knowing that the student does not have to worry about shelter. Unam has over the years in exceptional ways benefitted from the support of the German government in the form of infrastructure.

“It fills me with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction to stand here in front of you today for the ground-breaking of the students’ hostels,” said Herbert Beck, Ambassador of Germany to Namibia.

Since 2012, Germany has provided significant support via their financial and technical co-operation for the construction and establishment of the department of civil and environmental engineering at Unam’s faculty of engineering and information technology - both for software and hardware.

“The German development bank has not only provided eight million Euros for the construction of the so-called German wing at the Unam campus in Ongwediva. This project was implemented by KFW together with the University of Namibia,” Beck said.

The ambassador, who was visiting the campus for the first time, toured the famous German wing and had an opportunity to inspect the laboratory equipment donated by GIZ.

Nangolo Mbumba (vice president of Namibia) congratulated the vice-chancellor of Unam, Kenneth Matengu for his great vision and determination to expand the various training programmes, establishing collaborations that contributed to infrastructure and development of various Unam campuses. “I would also like to appeal to our engineering students and their lecturers, especially those representing here through SRC, to cherish the magnificent facilities at their disposal,” he concluded.

Eagles win first series game

Nampa

WINDHOEK

The Namibian senior national men’s cricket team The Eagles won their first match of the 2021 Castle Lite series by seven wickets against Uganda’s Cricket Cranes on Saturday.

Player of the match and skipper of the Namibian team Gerhard Erasmus had a brilliant game as he surpassed 1 000 T20 career runs during the match.

Erasmus played a captain’s innings to steer Namibia to a commanding seven-wicket victory in their first T20 international against Uganda at the Wanderers field in Windhoek.

Erasmus and Michau du Preez had an unbroken partnership of 82 runs as Namibia easily reached the winning target of 135 with five overs to spare.

Cranes win the toss

Uganda, who won the toss, opted to bat and got off to a quick start with Roger Mukasa and Arnold Otwani putting on 37 for the first wicket.

Namibian pace bowler Ben Shikongo got the breakthrough, bowling Mukasa for 26, and when spinner Bernard Scholtz dismissed Otwani for seven, Uganda were two down with 40 runs on the board.

Uganda’s innings was revived by Hamu Kayondo and Ronak Patel with a 48-run partnership before Nicol Loftie-Eaton dismissed Kayondo for 28 while Shikongo bowled Dinesh Nakrani for one, and the Cranes were four down for 92 runs.

Riazat Shah added a rapid 23 off 14 balls as Uganda reached a total of 134 for five wickets off their 20 overs.

In reply, Namibia lost their openers early on, with JP Kotze going for two and Craig Williams for four, but Erasmus and Loftie-Eaton put them back on track with a 41-run partnership.

Namibia reached the target with five overs to spare and Shikongo - with two wickets for 24 runs - was the pick of the Namibian bowlers.

Iron Fist to face MilanziBattle of the best African featherweight No stone will remain unturned when Sebastian Nathanael clashes against Hassan Milanzi on Saturday at the Windhoek Country Club.

LIMBA MUPETAMI

WINDHOEK

MTC Nestor Sunshine Tobias Promotions have added an appetising second WBO Africa title fight to the ‘Together As One Part 3’ boxing card which will take place over the weekend.

This vacant title will be contested by Sebastian ‘Iron Fist’ Nathanael and Zimbabwe’s undefeated Hassan ‘Starboy’ Milanzi. The fight will be the top supporting bout for the main one between John John Paulus and Anthony Jarman, who will duke it out for the WBO Africa Super Middleweight title.

“I’m happy to confirm that we managed to secure the vacant WBO Africa featherweight title fight for Nathanael. We will now have two exciting WBO title fights on the card, which is tremendous for boxing fans,” promoted Nestor Tobias said.

“We have done an excellent job over the last six years in developing a new pipeline of exciting new talent and we are now ready to unleash them on the world boxing scene by allowing them to fight for continental titles that will seem ranked amongst the top 15 in their respective divisions.

‘‘I’m confident that he will do us proud and secure the title on Saturday,’’ Tobias said.

Winning streak

Nathanael has a record of 15 fights, 13 wins and two losses. He will go into this fight on a three-time winning streak.

His opponent Milanzi has a record of 10 fights, nine wins and one draw.

“I’m excited by the news of this fight. I have always wanted to be a continental champion and my dream is about to come true.

“I want to thank my promoter Nestor Tobias and the entire coaching staff, as well as our sponsor MTC for connecting my championship dream. I promise to make Namibia proud by winning this fight,” an excited Nathanael said.

There will also be many other mouth-watering undercards on the day.

Salah can prove loyalty to Liverpool in showdown

Nampa/AFP

Mohamed Salah can silence the critics who question his loyalty to Liverpool by avenging the most painful moment of his career when the Egypt star faces Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals tonight.

Salah sparked howls of indignation among Liverpool fans recently when he refused to rule out the possibility of playing for a Spanish club in the future.

The fact that he was speaking to Madrid-based newspaper Marca at the time only increased speculation that he was laying the groundwork for a move to Real Madrid.

"I hope to be able to play for many more years. Why not? No one knows what's going to happen in the future, so maybe one day, yes. It's not up to me," he said when asked if he was keen to try Spanish football.

Salah's flirtatious response was similar to the one he gave to another Spanish outlet in December when questioned about a potential La Liga move.

"I think Madrid and Barcelona are two top clubs," he told AS.

Chasing personal glory

Whether either Real or Barcelona could afford to buy Salah amid the current financial difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic remains to be seen.

But for a club whose supporters pride themselves on their passionate and unflinching loyalty to the Liverpool cause, Salah's refusal to rule out a switch to Spain was a careless own goal.

It tapped into the long-standing suspicion among a section of Liverpool's fan base that the footballer, whose contract runs until 2023, is motivated by personal glory rather than team success.

The cynics support their claims by highlighting Salah's occasional spats with Liverpool forward Sadio Mane when he shoots, rather than passing to a better placed team-mate.

They also point to his sulky response to being substituted during the defeat against Chelsea in March, and his reported frustration at being ignored for the Liverpool captaincy in the absence of the injured Jordan Henderson.

Of course, Salah could rightly mention that Liverpool might well have failed to win either the Champions League in 2019 or the Premier League last season without his goals and sublime skills.

Even this season, with The Reds in the midst of a failed title defence marred by seemingly endless injuries, Salah's haul of 26 goals - including one in Saturday's 3-0 win at Arsenal - shows what a threat he carries.

All-time great

With 120 goals in 193 appearances in all competitions since joining from Roma in 2017, Salah is rightly ranked among Liverpool's all-time greats.

But the 28-year-old's place in the hearts of Kopites might not be so secure.

Inspiring Liverpool to a revenge victory against Real in a rematch of the 2018 Champions League final won by the Spanish club would go some way to appeasing the doubters.

"Let's just say that I have special motivation to win the tie and go through to the semi-finals," Salah told Marca about the Real reunion.

If he can play a leading role in making that dream come true, his commitment might not be questioned quite so often.

#BeFree to be youOne Economy Foundation invests in youth development With the theme 'Building Resilience', the One Economy Foundation and the sport ministry held the official ground-breaking of Project #BeFree, to commence construction on the N$30 million-dollar project.

Mariselle Stofberg

On 31 March, the One Economy Foundation - in partnership with the sport ministry - launched the ground-breaking of project #BeFree, which represents the coming of age and harnesses the vibrancy of the #BeFree Movement.

Project #BeFree was born as a result of engaging over 100 000 young people from all 14 regions in Namibia, the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the United States, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

“This is done through frank, non-judgemental dialogue and thematic conversations on experiences through #BeFree engagements. Young people have taken ownership of the #BeFree brand and are driving the values, programming, services and modalities,” said Steven Bernardus Harageib, the head of programmes at the Once Economy Foundation.

“The #BeFree key learnings report revealed that there is a pressing need for an integrated protection system with adequate capacity and resources to prevent harm and respond to the needs of young people in a coordinated manner,” Harageib added.

He said the long-term vision of the project is the transition towards a physical building where adolescents and youth can be in a community where they feel accepted, understood and heard.

“The intention is to create an enabling environment for the full realisation of young people’s potential and where they can access adolescent-friendly services and high-quality programmes.”

Creating safe spaces

The aim is to create a state-of-the-art safe space for young people to access services and facilitating a safe recreational space where they can engage with peers and access services such as counselling, comprehensive adolescent sexual and reproductive health services and family planning.

The facility is comprised out of several interactive spaces namely the clinic, the Yo! Hub which is focused on futuristic technologies, a resource and training centre and an administration building.

The One Economy Foundation is committed to financing the construction and furnishing of the facility, ensure the implementation of all necessary activities and ensure the financial sustainability of the project.

The foundation will donate the facility back to the ministry after construction has been completed. The foundation also will facilitate the transfer of skills, ensure consistent maintenance of the facility and utilise the project construction phase to renovate parts of the Multi-Purpose Youth Centre.

The foundation has further earmarked 40% of the procurement budget for the project.

Being you

Rodelio Lewis, a BeFree beneficiary, said that #BeFree helps young people to see themselves as benefits to society. “This project allows the youth to see themselves in spaces they are not usually invited into. It allows us to truly see ourselves and our imperfections and realise these imperfections are our real strengths. You don't have to be more; you don't have to do the most - you just have to be you."

Sport minister Agnes Tjongarero emphasised that #ProjectBeFree has the potential to significantly address sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and psychosocial service provision in Namibia.

“This project helps to facilitate dialogue with youth across Namibia and will empower our youth.”

The First Lady of Namibia and chairperson of the One Economy Foundation, Monica Geingos, said the aim of the BeFree movement is to help the youth break free from whatever is holding them back and preventing them from reaching their full potential. “This building will institutionalise the #BeFree movement and will become a one-stop youth centre of excellence that will provide a continuum of holistic services. It is my hope that we will create an enabling environment where youth can realise their full potential by providing access to services and opportunities to change the trajectory of their lives.”

Star Teacher

Alleta Kavilikita Shikukumwa

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

The plan was never to become a teacher, I have always wanted to become a nurse, but life happened. After grade 12, I improved my English and started doing a little bit of research towards the language and I eventually fell in love and I thought to myself, why can I not go educate the Namibian child? My aunt also played a role in me becoming a teacher.

What were your aspirations at a younger age?

Well, growing up I have always wanted to become a nurse or a doctor, but since I did not perform well in grade 12, I could not qualify for any medical course. That is when I decided to go into the field of education.

What motivates you to get up every morning to go to work?

I have a heart for the Nambian child. I believe as a teacher it is my responsibility to make sure that I fulfil my duties to go to work every day and the fact that I am greatly contributing to an educated Namibia. A lot of these children come from less fortunate families and me fighting for them to better their future motivates me every day.

What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learnt from one of your learners?

They like teachers who are close to them, they have taught me the importance of socialising and to not always to make lessons about teaching every day. Furthermore, learners will eventually fall in love with the subject if you are close to them. I would say the biggest thing is love.

How long have you been a teacher?

I have been teaching since 2014 at the same school, which is Shaanika Nashilongo Secondary School. In total, it is eight years.

What is your favourite book, song and favourite place to visit in Namibia?

Book: Conversations with Myself by Nelson Mandela.

Song: Each Tear by Mary J Blige.

Favourite place: I visited a lot of places during university, so places like the Fish River Canyon I would like to go back to on my own time and expense.

What are your talents? What are you passionate about?

I like thinking out loud and it helps me a lot, so I would say that is my talent. I am - in most cases - always a step ahead, I would think of something today that I have to do tomorrow.

I am passionate about photography and interior décor. I want to take a step ahead and do something about it, I would not mind doing it in my free time.

Tell us about your journey?

I grew up in the north with my grandmother and my grandfather and started pre-primary at Oshigambo Primary School. In 2004, I moved to Iipumbu Secondary School where I finished grade 12. I had to upgrade ny points as I could not enrol in university. In 2010, I managed to get the required points and I enrolled at the University of Namibia. I graduated in 2014 and I’ve been a teacher ever since.

Cuff, Liebenberg claim victory West Coast MTB and Run a success The second leg of the Hollard Gravel and Dirt MTB Marathon series concluded on Saturday at Moonlight Resort, about 15 km outside of Swakopmund.

Adolf Kaure

SWAKOPMUND

Dubbed the West Coast MTB and Run, the second Hollard Gravel and Dirt MTB Marathon series leg included a 75 km mountain bike race main event as well as a 35 km cycling race for the fifth successive year.

Ingram Cuff smashed the men’s record, winning the 75 km race in a time of 2:29:43. Courtney Liebenberg won the women’s race in an impressive time of 3:00:50.

According to organiser Silvio Suardi, the level of cycling at the event was impressive.

“The development of cycling in Namibia is tremendous. You can just have a look at all the youngsters who are coming through.

“The route was marked very well and it was a fast race, if you take in consideration the record that was broken today,” he said.

For the first time, there was also a trail run (14 km and 5 km) which took place. Erick Goeieman (55:56) won the men’s 14 km race, while Nicoleen Karsten (1:09:40) was the first woman over the line.

“We had a lot of good feedback on the trail run as well. Overall, it was a well organised race,” Suardi said.

Covid-19 protocols

Although there were more than 400 participants who took part in the various races, Covid-19 protocols were adhered to throughout the event.

“There were staggered starts for all the races, so that the participants were not more than 100 in a bunch,” the organiser said.

It was also a non-spectator event, and there was no prize-giving ceremony to avoid a gathering of many people.

“This year, we did not do the 20 km mountain bike race or the kiddies ride, which is usually a big highlight for parents. We all did this to avoid spectators. We also asked the cyclists not to bring their families along.”

All the winners will receive their prize money at a later stage. The third out of eight legs of the Hollard Gravel and Dirt MTB marathon series will take place after a fortnight in Windhoek.

The detailed results of the two main events for men and women are as follows:

Men’s 75 km MTB

Ingram Cuff 2:29:43

Jeane-Paul Burger 2:29:44

Bergran Jensen 2:29:45

Women’s 75 km MTB

Courtney Liebenberg 3:00:50

Nina Holtrup 3:02:31

Jeane Heunis 3:05:17

Men’s 14 km race

Erick Goeieman 55:56

Pierre van Rensburg 56:11

Petrus Shigwedha 59:09

Women’s 14 km race

Nicoleen Karsten 1:09:40

Lydia Thiel 1:13:10

Inka Krafft 1:14:36

Rugby players test waters Friendly match between HTS and WAP

Enzo Amuele

Known for being the champions of the Superleague, Windhoek Technical school (HTS) U/19 first team decided that Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool (WAP) would be a good team to play against to test the waters and see if they are fit or not.

The friendly match took place in Windhoek at the home ground of HTS with Covid-19 regulations being adhered to.

Both teams could agree that it was a very pleasing and wonderful game with good speed. HTS was outplayed with a score of 7-56, but they were certainly built up.

HTS also realised what they needed to work on and improve the most.

This included their defence, which they depended on the most in this game, together with their line outs and scrums.

HTS is in a building phase again but it was evident that they are more than capable of taking on their games.

Johan Zayman, the WAP coach, said he was quite impressed as it was their first game of the season.

“I am satisfied, the speed of the game was good. HTS lost a lot of players from last year; I can say we also lost players that is why we changed so many players in the second half to give each and everyone a run.”

According to HTS coach Robert Bezuidenhout, WAP outplayed them.

“We can only build up from this, this match was sort of an eye-opener. We need to look at our defence, line-outs and our scrums because we were outplayed in these scenarios.”

All in preparation for the Desert Festival that takes place in Walvis Bay, both teams look good and ready.

Schools from South Africa and around Namibia will compete in rugby, netball and hockey at the festival.

Sport uitslae FNB- Reise Uitslae Die top drie per kategorie was soos volg:

SEUNS ONDER 6

1 Hendré Badenhorst (Windhoek Affies)

2 Markus Pack (Kammis Kinderwelt)

3 Karl Jooste (Windhoek Gim)

MEISIES ONDER 6

1 Naita Mukete (WCA)

2 Milan Schutte (Windhoek Gim)

SEUNS ONDER 8

1 Ivor Chase (St. Georges)

2 Cody Heigan (Windhoek Gim)

3 Tristan van den Heuvel (St. Pauls)

MEISIES ONDER 8

1 Mienke de Beer (Windhoek Affies)

2 Kiana Brand (Pikkie Paradys)

3 Skylar Swanepoel (DHPS)

SEUNS ONDER 10

1 Micah Chase (St. Georges)

2 Christo Nell (Windhoek Gim)

3 Luke Coomer (St. Pauls)

MEISIES ONDER 10

1 Qara Volschenk (St. Pauls)

2 Lillian Kibble (Fowler House)

3 Danika de Beer (Windhoek Affies)

SEUNS ONDER 12

1 Julius Braun (DHPS)

2 Henry Chamberlain (St. Pauls)

3 Mike Baartman (Windhoek Gim

MEISIES ONDER 12

1 Anne Cramer (DHPS)

2 Xane Meyer (Windhoek Gim)

3 Nicole Surén (Windhoek Gim)

SEUNS ONDER 14

1 Roger Surén (Windhoek Gim)

2 Nathan Chase (St. Georges)

3 Marco Thiel (DHPS)

MEISIES ONDER 14

1 Delsia Janse van Vuuren (Windhoek Gim)

2 Kylie Dickerson (Windhoek Gim)

3 Rose-Marie Thiel (DHPS)

SEUNS ONDER 16

1 Daniel Hahn (St. Paul’s College)

2 Kevin Lowe (DHPS)

3 Adrian Key (DSW)

MEISIES ONDER 16

1 Ada Kahl (Windhoek Affies)

2 Lotte Beulker (DHPS)

3 Laura Engling (DHPS)

SEUNS ONDER 18

1 Bergran Jensen (Windhoek Gim)

2 Ethan L’Estrange (St. Georges College)

3 Anton Engling (DHPS)

MEISIES ONDER 18

1 Monique du Plessis (Tucsin)

St. Barnabas se skoolsaal ingewy

NamPower het ’n tender van N$1,4 miljoen aan Muno Trading CC toegeken om St. Barnabas se skoolsaal te voltooi. Van links is die skoolhoof, Hinuua Mbangura, Simon Angula, Dominikus Vendura, inspekteur van die ministerie van onderwys, kuns en kultuur en Matheus Petrus, toesighouer van Muno Trading CC.

FOTO’S VERSKAF

Opstelkompetisie bly langer oop

BW Kudu, die maatskappy wat die Kudugasveld ontwikkel, het bekendgemaak dat graad 9- to 12-leerders nog tot 15 Junie vir die BW-opstelkompetisie mag inskryf.

Die kompetisie in samewerking met die Nasionale Petroleumkorporasie van Namibië (Namcor) en die ministerie van energie is op 1 Maart van stapel gestuur met die tema “Hoe ontwikkel ons ons aardgasbronne die beste vir die toekoms van Namibië?”

Die uitstel van die sperdatum kom vanweë ’n lae aantal inskrywings en skole wat tot dusver deelneem. Die lae getalle word aan die impak van die Covid-19-pandemie op leerders toegeskryf.

Die kompetisie word gedryf deur ’n begeerte om belangstelling in energieverwante kwessies en wetenskaplike vakke onder Namibiese leerders te kweek.

Die doel is om leerders die geleentheid te bied om hul bewustheid van die olie- en gassektor in die nasionale ekonomie te verhoog, en die potensiële voordele van koolwaterstof (natuurlike gas) te ondersoek en ontwikkel.

Leerlinge word aangemoedig om hul inskrywings in te stuur aan entry@kuduessay.com in die vorm van ’n opstel van 1 000 woorde of ’n kort twee minute video, podsending (podcast), plakkaat of animasie en sodoende die die kans te staan om wonderlike pryse te wen.

Altesaam 14 wenners word gekies (een wenner uit elke streek) wat elkeen ’n bedrag van N$3 000 ontvang – plus ’n bykomende N$4 000 vir hul skool.

Die topdrie wenners ontvang boonop elk ’n splinternuwe skootrekenaar. Die prysuitdeling sal na verwagting middel Julie plaasvind.

"Ons voel dit is belangrik om hierdie veldtog langer te laat loop om aan diegene wat belangstellende om deel te neem ’n regverdige kans te gee om in te skryf,” sê die hoofbestuurder van BW Kudu, mnr. Klaus Endresen.

Namcor se uitvoerende beampte vir stroomop-ontwikkeling (executive upstream development), mnr. Manfriedt Muundjua, voel sterk die kompetisie sal leerlinge baie bevoordeel.

“Deur hul navorsing oor die onderwerp sal leerders meer insig oor die aardgashulpbronne in Namibië kry.

“Ons versoek alle onderwysers om hul leerders aan te moedig om aan die kompetisie deel te neem. Die toekoms van die energiebedryf lê in ons jongmense, so kom ons ondersteun en lei hulle terwyl hulle nog jonk is,” beklemtoon die petroleumkommissaris in die ministerie van myne en energie, me. Maggy Shino.

Verdere inligting oor die kompetisie is beskikbaar by: www.kuduessay.com of Dananai kan by 061 401 877 of e-pos dananai@emergo.com.na bereik word.

Schools impress during FNB MTB league

The FNB MTB Schools League had 200 riders ranging from under six to under 18 participating when the league kicked off in March.

“We are ecstatic with the growth experienced as we averaged 120 riders per event last year and this has now increased to almost 200. We are even more delighted with the 27 riders from PAY (Physically Active Youth) who were present, ready to compete in their branded FNB and PAY shirts,” said Elzita Beukes, FNB communications manager.

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED.