Namibian Sun

Nedbank launches Donate-A-Meal Bank initiates a campaign to help healthcare workers

Staff reporter

The often-undervalued role of healthcare workers is the source of inspiration for Nedbank’s humanitarian campaign. The bank collaborated with the Lithon Foundation, 3Measures, Co-Feed Namibia, Ogilvy and PayToday to launch the ‘Nedbank Donate-a-Meal: Help a Health Worker’ nationwide campaign.

Healthcare workers have been bearing the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nedbank Namibia aims to galvanise national support through the creation of a donation programme via the PayToday app. To kick-start the meal programme for critical staff at the Katutura State Hospital and Robert Mugabe Clinic, the bank has highlighted the importance of these workers and donated N$100 000 towards this programme. The programme will be extended to other hospitals and clinics in the country as fundraising efforts continue. Meals will be prepared by local restaurants, which in turn support small businesses, who too have been greatly affected by the necessary public health regulations.

As Namibia battles the third wave of infections, healthcare workers remain at the forefront of treating and caring for patients with Covid-19 across the country. Two weeks ago, healthcare workers accounted for 4% of the total confirmed cases of Covid-19. Without a doubt, the medical professionals work under immense pressure and have borne the brunt of the pandemic in more ways than one. Not only do they save lives and care for severely ill patients, but must further bear the physical and mental stress of heavy workloads and full hospitals. They have a high risk of becoming infected with the virus themselves. To date 0.6% of the total deaths due to Covid were healthcare workers.

“The campaign seeks to mitigate some of the daily frontline challenges healthcare workers face while selflessly dedicating their lives to help combat the impact of Covid-19 amongst those in critical care at state hospitals. Due to the strenuous nature of work and the long hours, Covid-19 frontline workers often find very little time to nourish themselves with sufficient daily nutrition,” says the head of marketing and communication at Nedbank, Gernot de Klerk.

Nedbank Namibia and its partners intend to ensure adherence to high-impact project management, monitoring, delivery and evaluation of this important initiative.

“Our healthcare workers have been selfless in their daily labour of love; the very least we can do is come together to support them in small meaningful ways,” said Chris Botha of PayToday.

“The PayToday app will enable more Namibians to get involved and demonstrate their gratitude to those who have held and continue to hold the frontlines”, he added.

NWR reshuffles managers

ELLANIE SMIT

WINDHOEK

Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) has effected changes within its operations, which include reassigning resort managers and introducing an in-house maintenance team.

According to NWR, these changes were necessitated to prepare the organisation for the remainder of the year and beyond.

The resort managers at Dolomite, Halali, Onkoshi and Waterberg have been reassigned, NWR spokesperson Mufaro Nesongano said.

“At the same time, the organisation’s operations have been split between two operational managers, with one having oversight over the northern part of the country and the other over the southern resorts, inclusive of the coastal areas,” he added.

Nesongano said the organisation also enhanced its in-house maintenance capacity, leading to maintenance-related matters being attended to internally at various resorts.

NWR managing director, Dr Matthias Ngwangwama, said all these efforts are aimed at ensuring their ability to withstand the current challenging times, but equally prepare for the future ahead.

“To improve operational efficiencies and provide growth opportunities to our team members within the organisation, we decided to reallocate some of them.”

Changes

Elly Nuule, the former Halali resort manager, has been reassigned to Waterberg. Johannes Pitji is now the Halali resort manager after previously heading the Sesriem campsite. Foibe Kapofi was transferred from Onkoshi to Dolomite, while Coster Shakwa was moved to Onkoshi after being the Khorixas rest camp manager. At Mile 108, Albert Awarab is now the camp administrator.

Meanwhile, the following camp/resort managers have been appointed in an acting capacity: Salomo Kuwa is now acting Gross Barmen Resort manager, Morris Mbeha is the acting Khorixas rest camp manager, Betty Kavangu is the acting manager at the Naukluft camp, and Sophia Burger is the acting Hardap Resort manager.

Operationally, Sunday Nelenge, who previously served as the Hardap Resort manager, is now the senior operations manager for southern resorts inclusive of coastal facilities.

Further, Rebekka Horaes, who headed the Gross Barmen resort, is now the manager of operations support at the head office and also the senior operations manager for the northern resorts.

He added that to reduce maintenance costs, an in-house maintenance team - headed by acting maintenance manager, Simeon Amakutuwa - has been developed.

NWR recently announced further cost-cutting measures to ensure the sustainability of the company, by reducing the basic salary and working hours of all its employees.

Accountant wins case against PAABControversial High Court ruling overturned The charges against Hashagen stemmed from an investigation into alleged misconduct at Namfisa in 2009.

MATHIAS HAUFIKU

WINDHOEK

The Supreme Court yesterday overturned a controversial High Court ruling which rejected an application by chartered accountant Hans Hashagen to block disciplinary charges against him.

Hashagen was charged with unethical and unprofessional conduct by the Public Accountants and Auditors Board (PAAB) after allegedly spearheading a dubious forensic probe that led to the dismissal of former Namibian Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa) boss Rainer Ritter.

Hashagen in 2017 filed an application to the High Court requesting the court to set aside a decision by PAAB to arraign him before a disciplinary hearing on six charges.

Hashagen’s challenge failed after Judge Thomas Masuku ruled that his attempt to have the disciplinary process reviewed by the High Court was premature, and that he had not exhausted internal processes within the regulatory body.

He challenged the High Court judgement in the Supreme Court after Masuku’s 2019 ruling.

Null and void

In its judgement, the country’s highest court ruled in favour of Hashagen when it set aside the High Court order, further declaring PAAB’s decision to charge Hashagen null and void.

The charges against Hashagen stemmed from an investigation into alleged misconduct at Namfisa in 2009 and his conclusion that a disciplinary process should be brought against Ritter.

Ritter claimed he was being persecuted for insisting on further probes against several senior political figures allegedly implicated in the missing estimated N$660 million from the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) through botched loans.

Ritter also alleged that some employees at Namfisa were involved in the cover-up of the GIPF investigation.

After his departure from Namfisa, mainly due to Hashhagen’s findings, Ritter laid a complaint against Hashagen with PAAB and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia (ICAN) alleging that Hashagen had omitted crucial information from his report to Namfisa.

Zimbabwe treasury to clear forex backlog Facing perennial shortage of dollars The central bank introduced weekly foreign currency auctions last year to improve access to dollars. We would want to assure the market that within the next 30 to 45 days we will clear the backlog that is there in the auction system. George Guvamatanga, Secretary: Finance Ministry

Zimbabwe will clear a backlog of foreign currency allocations owed from central bank-run auctions in the next 45 days, a senior treasury official said on Wednesday, with traders and businesses estimating around US$200 million is outstanding.

The central bank introduced weekly foreign currency auctions last year to improve access to dollars. But traders at three commercial banks and two officials from a business lobby group said it currently takes up to seven weeks for successful bidders to receive their allocations, which is disrupting companies' operations.

Finance ministry secretary George Guvamatanga said the backlog was manageable, without giving a figure.

"We would want to assure the market that within the next 30 to 45 days we will clear the backlog that is there in the auction system. We know what it is and it is very much manageable," Guvamatanga told an online forum.

Black market

The Zimbabwe dollar has traded between 82 to 85 to the US dollar since January, leading to accusations by business leaders that authorities were fixing the exchange rate, which the central bank denies.

On the black market, one US dollar can sell for Z$150 and many businesses and individuals who are unable to buy forex at the auctions buy currency there.

Guvamatanga said the black market only accounted for 10% of total foreign currency demand and could not be allowed to influence the official exchange rate.

Zimbabwe faces a perennial shortage of dollars, leaving it struggling to import medicines, fuel and electricity while investors face delays in repatriating their money.

Guvamatanga said banks were holding US$1.7 billion in foreign currency deposits but were not lending the money to businesses, contributing to higher demand for dollars at the auction.

Zimbabwe earns most of its foreign exchange from diaspora remittances, mining and tobacco. -Nampa/Reuters

Zimbabwe cuts power to some regions

Zimbabwe cut electricity supplies to several parts of the country on Wednesday after its biggest coal-fired generating station suffered a technical fault, losing 368 megawatts, the state power utility said.

The southern African nation has in the past experienced deep power cuts lasting up to 18 hours due to drought and ageing equipment at its power plants.

Hwange Power Station, in western Zimbabwe, has a design capacity of 920 MW but has been generating around 360 MW due to ageing equipment.

A technical fault at Hwange Power Station forced the company to curtail supplies, known locally as load shedding, ZESA said in a statement.

Only Kariba Hydro Power Station was operating on Wednesday, producing 1 000 MW, below the 1 500 MW that the country needs, according to official data.

The government contracted China's Sinohydro to add two units of 300 MW each at Hwange, which are expected to come on stream next year.-Nampa/Reuters

International role for telecommunication expert Ronel le Grange of CRAN has been appointed to head a working group of the International Telecommunications Union.

Jeanette Diergaardt

With 26 years in the ICT industry, Ronel le Grange, the head of electronic communications at the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia, is ready to spearhead a working group of the International Telecommunications Union.

Her new role entails overseeing the group’s work on technical and compatibility studies. This will include finding out whether mobile services will be able to co-exist with other services. This includes terrestrial television broadcasting and radio astronomy.

How will this affect Namibia and Namibians, you might ask. Le Grange’s appointment will lead to the implementation of 4G and in future 5G services. Once the working group has researched and successfully outlined the viability of the plan, possible implementation can be discussed. Once consensus has been reached, mobile services can be implemented in the spectrum where only terrestrial television broadcasting is currently provided. This can eventually lead to broadband coverage being expanded to rural areas.

Le Grange will be making recommendations as to how the objectives can be reached. The spectrum that is being studied is the 470-694 MHz band. All the recommendations and studies will be reviewed at the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference.

Reaching consensus with the different member states with different needs might pose a challenge, she says.

“It is a great honour to serve Namibia and Africa at international level. Resolutions and spectrum allocations emanating from the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference carries treaty status and serves as the basis of spectrum allocation for 22 services such as radio astronomy, maritime, aeronautical, satellite, mobile and fixed telecommunications services, and broadcasting services amongst other to strive to delivery communications services all over the world,” says Le Grange about her appointment at the international body.

She has been attending all WRC meetings since 2015. Le Grange has been devoted to CRAN for nine years after she started her journey at CRAN in 2012. She has been in the telecommunications industry since 1995, first kicking off her career in ICT at MTC when the company first opened its doors.

With her current title, more is added to her repertoire. The dynamic woman made her mark at the Southern African Development Community (SADC). She is not only a chairperson of a SADC working group but serves as the vice-chairperson of the Electronic Communications Committee of the Regulators Association of Southern Africa (CRASA). In addition, she represents Africa and SADC as rapporteur for the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference.

Providing a solution for each customerMika Jeremia is a customer service representative at MultiChoice Namibia’s head office in Eros. Developing an unwavering commitment to customer service

Michelline Nawatises

Mika Jeremia started his career at Old Mutual’s short-term insurance division as an intern for six months while he was a final-year student at the University of Namibia. At the time, he was busy with an honours degree in business administration.

During his tenure at Old Mutual, he interchanged between the credit control and general ledgers teams in the finance department. “I also worked at MTC as a Call center agent contractor/temp and I am currently at MultiChoice Namibia as a customer service representative (CSR),” he says.

A year later, Jeremia moved to the finance department as an accounts receivable accounts assistant and due to restructuring within the company, he moved back to the customer care department as a CSR.

A CSR is the first point of contact for the organisation. customers reach out to them concerning any information, clarification or technical issues about MultiChoice’s products and services.

“I must attend to these inbound calls within the prescribed turnaround times and provide a solution/resolution to create excellent service delivery,” he says.

Challenges and accomplishments

His biggest challenge by far was starting in a new role in the finance department at a time when MultiChoice took precautions working from home. It was difficult to learn a new system and the procedures but at the end of the day, it refined him into a valuable asset to the organisation.

“As for my accomplishments, I gained experience providing customer support in busy and demanding environments. My current and previous employer conducted monthly reviews where I would score at least 93% or above,” Jeremia says proudly.

His dedication and drive have resulted in him developing an unwavering commitment to customer service, with the ability to build productive relationships, resolve complex issues and win customer loyalty.

One word he uses to describe his day is “rollercoaster”. “I’m mostly busy but it can get quiet at times. My job requires a good amount of effort to adjust emotions to suit your client through the day. The trick is to be able to bend but not break, like a palm tree.”

Jeremia says he loves taking part in competitive sports, listening to good music and comedic content, and enjoying nature. He is also inspired by God’s word.

Also, he would like to complete his postgraduate diploma in management. “For now, I would like to develop myself more in the current role as a CSR until a great opportunity presents itself for me to pursue,” he concludes.

Humble roots don’t define your success Selvester Langerman zealously climbs the corporate ladder of success

Desiree Gases

“Perseverance and hardworking people will always win and stay ahead of the game.”- Selvester Langerman

Selvester Langerman was born in Khorixas in 1991, and completed primary school at Welwitschia PS. He then moved to Swakopmund, where he matriculated at Swakopmund Secondary School

He joined Bank Windhoek right after school and has completed several short courses that helped him in his career development plan.

Careers asked Langerman about his journey with Bank Windhoek. “I started at Bank Windhoek about ten years ago, at the Outjo branch as a temp clerk. Over the years I performed duties such as enquiries, teller, collateral, back office, supervisor customer services and officer in charge of branches such as Otjiwarongo, Okakarara and Ondangwa until my recent appointment as branch administrator of Bank Windhoek Rundu branch,” said Langerman.

Langerman was the youngest officer in charge of their Okakarara branch when he was 24 years old. That was one of his biggest accomplishments. Another was when he became branch administrator at Rundu. It put Langerman in the spotlight and it showed his ability to lead and manage a team of diverse young people. The only challenge he has faced in his journey was the language differences in the different towns.

When asked what his typical day looks like, Langerman said, “Funny enough, this was one of my interview questions. A typical day for me is thanking the lord for yet another day, getting to the office, scheduling my day and plans. With the current day-to-day life with Covid I see if I don’t have any online meeting and make sure the branch is fully operational before we open.”

10 Facts

· I am a very helpful,

· Reliable,

· Strong,

· Committed,

· Vibrant,

· Hardworking,

· Social,

· accountable, and

· responsible person.

Langerman has many things he likes to do but to mention a few he loves to be in a business-oriented meeting where he can share his views and opinions with people that he knows will contribute to his work. Apart from that he loves to spend time with family and friends and to spend his days doing research on the banking model.

“I would like to advise the youth that persevering and hardworking people will always win and stay ahead of the game. I also advise those like me who have not yet completed their studies that there are short courses that you can do online and be accredited for them. Be disciplined and Godfearing. Whatever you do, please do it to the best of your ability,” says Langerman.

Confident to grow in an ever-changing commercial environmentAries is part of a proudly Namibian establishment En route to qualifying as a chartered accountant

Michelline Nawatises

Pull quote: “It is a privilege to join the Pupkewitz Group, a proudly Namibian company with a rich history and a healthy corporate culture.” – Chris Aries

Christopher Arries was born and raised in Windhoek. He is the youngest of three boys and matriculated from Windhoek High School in 2013. In his matric year at Windhoek High School, he was honoured to be the head boy and was able to be capped as the youngest national rugby player ever during the same year.

He attended North-West University (NWU) in South Africa from 2014 till 2017 where he completed his Bachelor of Commerce and Certificate in Theoretical Accounting. He says he was fortunate enough to start his articles at PWC in July 2018 and completed them in June 2021.

Arries completed his first professional exam, and he says that it was a great milestone. “I am en route to qualifying as a chartered accountant with the second professional exam being my final hurdle to overcome at the end of this year,” he says.

Arries has now joined Pupkewitz Motors as group manager: finance and risk. His duties consist of performing various functions to ensure that financial reporting objectives are met, and identifying and analysing threats to the assets, earning capacity or overall success of the company.

“It is a privilege to join the Pupkewitz Group, a proudly Namibian company with a rich history and a healthy corporate culture. I look forward to building my career here, learning about the motor industry and understanding more what the opportunities and risks in a Namibian context are,” he says.

The foundation he has built with PWC gives him the confidence to be able to grow in an ever-changing commercial environment and add value to the Pupkewitz Group.

When asked by Careers what was important to him before deciding to work for a company, he mentioned the corporate culture, how people are treated at the company and how it adds value to its customers and society.

“Working at a proudly Namibian establishment which has the interest of the Namibian people at heart has also always been important for me,” he says.

Accomplishments and challenges

Embarking on the chartered accountant journey has been a rewarding as well as challenging experience. “I am proud that I have come this far and look forward to completing it successfully,” Arries says.

He adds that he plans on staying with the Pupkewitz Group for the near and mid-term future, as well as growing in knowledge and experience in the finance, strategy and investment decision-making space. “Growing within the team and adding value to the financial reporting and risk management space,” he says.

He also wants to give the Namibian World Cup 2023 a fair shot and hopes to be part of the national rugby team’s qualifying journey too.

EDITORIAL: A sublime epiphany The pre-coronavirus world nurtured and fostered so many opaque ways in which we viewed our existence.

Those celebrated were actors, sports stars, so-called self-made billionaires, and for some, the charismatic political and other ‘leaders’ among us.

They were worshipped as heroes and heroines in a society so absorbed by the fickle and mass accumulation of things that the horror of the scales over our eyes threatened to continue ad infinitum.

But as we continue to wake up every morning in this twilight zone we barely recognise as reality, it has become obvious that true inspiration comes from ordinary acts during extraordinary times.

During this time, it has become patently obvious that we should learn to celebrate the seemingly mundane more often. We are talking about the simple actions of those on the frontline of this pandemic.

This includes medical staff, law enforcement, the armed forces and those working tirelessly in informal areas.

We are talking about long-distance truck drivers, shop staff and others who continue to operate in these trying times, to the benefit of us all.

The concept of greatness and the ‘big leader’ has been turned on its head by what is currently unfolding during our state of emergency and lockdown regimes due to Covid-19.

May this and the other lessons we will still learn during these trying times never be lost as we move on after this trial by fire.

WHO calls for halt on vaccine booster Prioritising the most vulnerable The move was to enable that at least 10% of the population of every country was vaccinated. But we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Head: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for a moratorium on Covid-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September, its head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.

The move was to enable that at least 10% of the population of every country was vaccinated, Tedros said.

"I understand the concern of all governments to protect their people from the Delta variant. But we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it," Tedros added.

Last week, Israeli President Isaac Herzog received a third shot of coronavirus vaccine, kicking off a campaign to give booster doses to people aged over 60 as part of efforts to slow the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant in the country.

The United States in July signed a deal with Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech to buy 200 million additional doses of their Covid-19 vaccines to help with pediatric vaccination as well as possible booster shots.

"We need instead to focus on those people who are most vulnerable, most at risk of severe disease and death, to get their first and second doses," Katherine O'Brien, director, immunization vaccines and biologicals at the WHO, told reporters. -Nampa/Reuters

World food prices fall in July

World food prices eased for a second month in a row in July, reflecting declines for cereals, vegetable oils and dairy products, but remained up nearly a third over the past year, the United Nations food agency said yesterday.

The Food and Agriculture Organization's food price index, which tracks international prices of the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 123.0 points last month compared with 124.6 in June. On a year-on-year basis, prices were up 31.0% in July.

The index had declined in June for the first time in 12 months, marking a pause in a broad rally in agricultural commodities fuelled by harvest setbacks and Chinese-fuelled demand. -Nampa/Reuters

FlyWestair: ‘It's about time!’Sponsored content FlyWestair is adding two new destinations to their flight schedule - Rundu and Katima Mulilo. In an effort to help boost the recovery of tourism in Namibia, FlyWestair is launching two new routes to north-eastern Namibia, with the introduction of flights between their hub at Eros Airport Windhoek and Rundu, as well as Katima Mulilo later this month.

Departing from Eros Airport in Windhoek, the incorporation of these new scheduled routes will connect Namibians and visitors between the capital and the north-eastern regions and beyond.

FlyWestair’s domestic flight schedule, offers five weekly flights between Eros Airport in Windhoek and Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo Airport in Ondangwa. It will offer two weekly flights service between Rundu and Windhoek as of 24 August and three weekly flights between Katima Mulilo and Windhoek starting 25 August.

These destinations are integral hubs for so many of Namibia’s north-eastern denizens.

FlyWestair would like to continue its pledge to support and connect Namibians. Katima Mulilo, the capital of the Zambezi region, is an important gateway to other Southern African Development Community (SADC) nations, notably Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.

“Not only will the introduction of these two destinations help relieve the weight of travel for those who live there and conduct business, but it will also support our crucial, currently downtrodden tourism industry,” FlyWestair says.

“The introduction of Katima and Rundu is set to ease travel for visitors to Namibia who would like to include the Kavango and Zambezi regions in their itinerary, but do not have sufficient days in their schedule for the long drives,” it adds.

FlyWestair is a proudly Namibian privately owned airline, the first of its kind in the country. Since restarting operations in October 2020, FlyWestair has focused on simplifying the travel experience for all clients.

COVID-19

For international travellers, FlyWestair is offering easy and convenient Covid-19 testing at its Eros Airport offices. FlyWestair requires all passengers to follow strict Covid-19 regulations and to wear their mask correctly for the duration of every flight.

The airline remains focused on assisting the Namibian travel and aviation industry recover in a post-Covid environment, FlyWestair says.

“FlyWestair remains committed to developing and expanding the local Namibian aviation infrastructure by growing and investing back into the local aviation businesses and the communities in which we operate within.

“At FlyWestair, customer service is our top priority, which has led to the introduction of our new Customer Call Centre, which is operational 24/7. Contact us on +264 83 339 0011.

“We have also added a temporary policy where clients receive one free date amendment on their booking. We are here to support you during these uncertain times.

“We look forward to welcoming you on FlyWestair soon: It's about time,” the airline says.

TOURISM CRUCIAL

Tourism in Namibia on average contributed 2% to the gross domestic product (GDP), while between 2013 and 2019 it contributed on average N$4.49 billion per annum in foreign earnings, according to the Bank of Namibia (BoN). Preliminary data released by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) shows hotels and restaurants – a proxy for the performance of tourism – last year contributed around N$2.55 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP) in nominal terms.

From 2014 to 2019, hotels and restaurants’ annual growth averaged 4.6%. In 2020, real annual growth plummeted to -33.1%.

Prior to the pandemic, travel services were the third biggest contributor to Namibia’s export earnings, according to the BoN. In the country’s balance of payments, travel services mainly consist of expenditure by tourists on accommodation, food and local transport services.

The tourism sector is labour intensive and provides many jobs for low-skilled workers, together with higher-skilled jobs, the BoN points out.

According to the latest labour force survey, the sector in 2018 employed about 11% of the total workforce, making it the second largest contributor to employment. About 31% of employment in the sector was formal, while the remaining 69% was informal.

RECOVERY

The outlook for tourism is “extraordinarily uncertain”, the BoN says.

The BoN says the recovery of the sector will depend on the interlinked impacts of the economic and health crises on demand and supply side factors. These include the evolution of the pandemic, the availability of a vaccine (or alternative control measures) and the lifting of travel restrictions, as well as the survival and readiness of businesses throughout the tourism ecosystem to meet demand, the impact on consumer confidence and travel behaviour, and developments in the wider economy.

A smile that sellsProudly representing NBL with compassion Jacob Ashipembe is a customer (sales) representative at Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) - a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group - who is happiest when he gets to help people and share his passion for NBL with the community.

Mariselle Stofberg

With passion, a contagious smile, and a drive to always grow, Jacob Ashipembe’s journey at Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) continues to inspire those around him.

Sales is the name of the game for Ashipembe, but the road to where he is today has exposed him to different roles and responsibilities within NBL.

Ashipembe was born in Ondangwa and grew up in a small village near Omuthiya.

After completing school at Oshikoto Senior Secondary School in Tsumeb, he moved to Windhoek in the hope of creating a better future for himself.

His first job was at another brewery in 2002. His love for his country is a big part of who he is, and in 2003 Ashipembe knew he wanted to move to NBL because he wanted to become a part of a company that produces local Namibian products.

His first position at NBL was that of a promoter, where he would promote the cooldrinks produced by NBL in the informal settlements and establishments across Windhoek.

In 2004, Ashipembe was promoted to merchandiser, which is a position he held for almost 12 years.

Investing in education

“I realised I have to grow myself and with the support of management I was able to not only grow my skillset, but grow as a person. It was then that I realised I wanted to further my education and decided to complete a Sales and Marketing Certificate at the London School of Marketing, which used to have offices in Windhoek,” he said.

“I realised that if I wanted to represent my company on a higher level, and be capable of understanding the business sphere best, I had to continue to further my skillsets and keep growing. I then enrolled at the University of Namibia (Unam) to complete a degree in business administration.”

After completing his studies, Ashipembe was again moved to the position of messenger at NBL. “I would move all around, and knew Windhoek like the back of my hand. I enjoyed my work, but I knew my passion for sales would always be there, and in 2019 I applied to the position of customer representative.”

Ashipembe is responsible for selling products and engaging with customers, with the aim of building and maintaining relationships with clients. “I strive to bring NBL closer to the people, but also support our customers who always support us. My favourite part of my job is helping people. That is what drives me and makes me happy,” he says.

Dedicated and hardworking

Ashipembe believes his hard work has made him a stronger person. “I believe anything is possible. When I said that I wanted to further my studies, people laughed at me. They tried to discourage me and told me I wouldn’t be able to do it. I believed in myself and knew I can do anything, and today I can look back on my journey with nothing but pride.”

Ashipembe’s love and devotion towards NBL is evident in his commitment to always offer the best possible service. “NBL has made me who I am. It is a company who has helped my family and supported me unconditionally. To be part of such an organisation, and have the privilege of representing this company, is something I’ll always be grateful for.”

Despite challenges, Ashipembe has never allowed his circumstances or struggles to define him. Balancing work, his studies and taking care of his family taught him that only you can stand in your way of success.

From geochemist to a metallurgist An ambitious man and a sports fan Aloys Taukeni is part of the Debmarine Namibia family as a Senior Lab Technician.

Monique Adams

Raised by his godparents at Onakaolo village, Aloys Taukeni completed his primary education at Rössing primary school in Arandis where he lived with his godfather. He later attended grade 8 at Kolin Foundation secondary school.

After grade 8, his family decided that he would attend the rest of high school at Eengedjo Senior Secondary School. Since a very young age Taukeni always took part in a variety of sports codes such as boxing, basketball and soccer.

He mentions that he inherited his sports nature from his father, who was a multi-skilled sports legend.

“Growing up we would collect and play cards which featured basketball stars like the late Kobe Bryant and in doing so I found an instant interest in basketball, which I still play till this day,” he says.

After completing high school, he went to the University of Namibia (Unam) to study BSc in chemistry and geology and graduated in 2013. Immediately after graduating in 2014, he got his first job at Gecko Laboratories in Swakopmund and worked as a junior geochemist for nine months. He later joined Tschudi Mine as a chemist where he worked for a month before joining Debmarine Namibia towards the end of 2014 as a project lab supervisor.

Two years after joining the Debmarine family he was awarded a bursary by the company to study towards an honours degree in metallurgical engineering at the University of Pretoria.

“This adjustment required me to jump into unknown territory and onto a completely different path over a short period of time. It created new experiences and new requirements. It wasn’t an easy journey, but with an open mind, faith and a little courage, nothing is impossible especially when you have God in your corner,” he says.

“Upon graduating, I rejoined the company as a graduate metallurgist for two years. As a graduate metallurgist, I was exposed to the entire Debmarine Namibia diamond mining operations as well as land-based diamond mining operations at Namdeb and Venetia mine in South Africa,” he says.

“The reason why I chose metallurgy as a career choice is that I wanted to add instant value to the economy and that is exactly what metallurgy entails. It is the upgrading and beneficiation of valuables that makes mining so profitable. Without metallurgy, mining operations would have very little value,” he says.

When he is not at work, Taukeni enjoys playing basketball and soccer. He also enjoys travelling and exploring new places, which allows him to experience different environments.

If Taukeni could have dinner with someone that he admires the most, it would be Elon Musk because he sees problems as opportunities and believes that there is an innovation to solve every problem that arises and regardless of all the challenges Elon Musk faces he keeps on moving and that inspires the innovative Taukeni.

The advice he has for aspiring metallurgists: “It is important to make sure you study metallurgy because you have a passion for it and not just because you did math and science at school. Connect with people in the industry and try finding a mentor,” he says.

If Taukeni could change anything in the world it would be ensuring that every person has access to necessities and opportunities such as education and employment.

A logistics company that works towards quality services every dayAfter Muti completed his bachelor’s degree in logistics and supply chain management at Nust, he started his own logistics company with the passion of having his own business. Macco Muti, the founder of Macc Logistics, has six years of experience in the transport and logistics industry.

Monique Adams

The entity offers transportation, warehousing, logistics and supply-chain management.

His aim with starting his business was that he saw the need to create jobs for fellow Namibians. “It also serves as an institutional response in terms of the government’s efforts of promoting small and medium business enterprises in all sectors of the economy and encouraging previously disadvantaged people to take ventures in the mainstream of the economy,” he says.

With every business that operates, there are challenges and Macc Logistics struggles with fuel prices that are always on the increase. However, with so much experience acquired over the years, they normally ask their customers to meet them halfway.

Being an SME in the current Covid-19 pandemic, the company has achieved a lot by being able to retain its employees during these difficult times.

In the next five years, Muti hopes to enter the cold supply chain and in doing so they will try to increase transportation efficiency and reduce the time to deliver goods.

At the moment they have one driver and two working employees. “Our company culture is that we move anything movable; we are very flexible in terms of our operating hours.”

How the company gives back to the community is by offering unemployed graduates the opportunity to acquire experience by helping with the day-to-day operations of the business.

“At Macc Logistics we view success as a team that works well together and respects one another. We prioritise being agile and flexible in the way that we move products and deliver on time,” Muti says.

NSFAF not keen on reinstating Nghiwete TUYEIMO HAIDULA

OSHAKATI

The Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) is looking into fighting an order made by the Office of the Labour Commissioner to reinstate its dismissed CEO Hilya Nghiwete.

Allegations are rife that higher education minister Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi gave instructions to the fund’s board chairperson, Klemens /Awarab, to appeal the decision to have Nghiwete reinstated.

Kandjii-Murangi dismissed the accusations yesterday and told Namibian Sun that she has no business getting involved in board decisions.

“This is not the way to do things. Why would I interfere in the work of the board? I am in the middle of something and I do not have any comment on this,” she said.

Namibian Sun understands the NSFAF board is at pains to follow the reinstatement order which will see Nghiwete reporting for duty on 1 September because of “broken trust and continuous infighting between her [Nghiwete] and the current board”.

The fund has also reportedly already spent over N$5 million in legal costs because of unresolved internal issues, including the Nghiwete fight.

NSFAF received N$1.2 billion for the current financial year, but it remains unclear how much the institution channels towards legal costs annually.

/Awarab could not be reached for comment as his phone went unanswered and he did not respond to messages sent to his phone.

No bad blood

Nghiwete was dismissed in February last year following a lengthy suspension since April 2018 because of alleged maladministration.

The fund's spokesperson, Olavi Hamwele, said this is board issue and he does not have the mandate to discuss it.

“The reinstatement topic is not at my level. I cannot say anything about it. I am willing to discuss anything else, including the progress we made on recovering money from former students who owe us,” Hamwele said.

Nghiwete yesterday said she is not aware of any bad blood between her and Kandjii-Murangi. She was reluctant to discuss the issue further, but added: “I am a professional and I am ready to work with anyone for the best interest of the students and the country”.

Pay up

The Office of the Labour Commissioner ordered Nghiwete's reinstatement after a labour arbitrator found she had been unfairly dismissed from her position as NSFAF CEO.

NSFAF was also ordered to reimburse Nghiwete to the tune of about N$2.7 million for financial losses she claimed to have suffered during the period she was not at work at the students’ fund.

The payment should be made no later than the end of August, it was ordered.

- tuyeimo@namibiansun.com

Contempt of court sought against ECN chief

JEMIMA BEUKES

WINDHOEK

Three Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) members are seeking a contempt of court order against the outgoing Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) chairperson, Advocate Notemba Tjipueja, for failing to implement a High Court order to have the trio gazetted as their party’s members of Parliament.

They are also seeking an order for the deputy sheriff to announce the declaration in the government gazette to compel the National Assembly to swear them in as members, replacing the existing party MPs.

The High Court ordered in July 2020 that ECN should declare six PDM members, who were removed from the partly list, as duly elected members of the National Assembly.

PDM is opposed this order and contemplated appealing it in the Supreme Court, but did not go through with it.

“They neglected the appeal. In terms of the rules of the Supreme Court, the appeal was then deemed to have been withdrawn by 20 October 2020,” an official close the matter told Namibian Sun.

Three of the members, Hidipo Hamata, Charmaine Tjirare and Reginald Diergaardt, have in the meantime returned to the court to seek a contempt order against Tjipeuja for failing to honour the High Court order.

In their court papers, the trio, represented by lawyer Norman Tjombe, said PDM, ECN and its leadership failed to file a record of appeal with the Supreme Court, and, as such, the appeal application has been withdrawn.

Following this, the trio wrote to the National Assembly and demanded that Parliament comply with the Electoral Court’s order by declaring them duly elected MPs and allowing them to be sworn in as members.

‘Not interested’

“It has now been more than a year that this honourable court issued the order. The order remains violated. The respondents appear not to be interested in ensuring the compliance with the law by not ensuring the vacation of the seats by ‘the unconstitutional six persons’ and the swearing in of the legitimate six representatives, or the expedited hearing of the reinstatement of the appeal,” the documents read.

The National Assembly has not complied with the order and said it can only act once presented with changes in the government gazette.

National Assembly spokesperson David Nahogandja added that the matter is between the ECN and the ousted PDM members.

“So far, the National Assembly has not received changes to the gazette and will only comply once that is presented,” he said.

ECN chief electoral officer Theo Mujoro said the matter is in the Supreme Court and cannot be discussed.

PDM secretary-general Manuel Ngaringombe added that the party is waiting for a date for the appeal hearing in the Supreme Court.

jemima@namibiansun.com

PG seized N$600m in 2020Govt forges ahead with lifestyle audit plans Suspected illicit money was detected from the analysis of transactions worth N$13.8 billion, authorities said.

OGONE TLHAGE

WINDHOEK

The Office of the Prosecutor-General (PG) secured provisional restraint orders valued at N$600 million last year, suspected to have been proceeds of corruption, fraud and money laundering, the governor of the Bank of Namibia (BoN) announced.

Among other notable actions by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) include the issuance of 16 intervention orders involving 20 accounts to the value of N$5 million, fraud and money laundering convictions of one Namibian and 11 foreign nationals that helped secure N$24 million to state coffers and the preservation of N$17 million in cash and eight vehicles, BoN governor Johannes !Gawaxab said.

The prevalence of organised financial crime has now forced public financial authorities to devise additional measures to prevent and combat it.

One of these is the introduction of Unexplained Wealth Orders, which will require individuals who receive such an order to be brought before a court of law and prove that their wealth was acquired through legal means.

“We believe that law enforcement agencies' investigative skills and toolkits will be strengthened as a result of our proposal to introduce Unexplained Wealth Orders in Namibia. We are happy to report that consultations in this regard have been fruitful with all stakeholders. “Once introduced, our collaborative battle against financial crimes will take on new dimensions,” !Gawaxab said during the launch of the FIC annual report yesterday.

Billions investigated

Law enforcement agencies helped to make an impact with regards to financial crimes, he said.

“During the period under review, N$13.8 billion potential proceeds of crime were analysed compared to N$17 billion in 2019/2020. However, this is not confirmed proceeds of crime as this can either be proved or disproved by further investigations, enquiries and court processes by law enforcement,” !Gawaxab said.

The deputy director of the FIC, Zenobia Barry, said the centre’s work had not been hindered despite the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on its operations.

The BoN said: “435 intelligence disclosures were issued during the [reporting] period, representing a 26% increase over the previous year. Suspicious transaction reports, for example, increased by 36% and suspicious activity reports from financial institutions declined by 15.8%, while an increase in such reports from the general public was observed,” the bank said.

Tech schemes increase

Meanwhile, “there has been an increase in the number of fraudulent schemes that take advantage of technological platforms, particularly those that caught many of our people off guard during these trying times.

“Criminals are taking advantage of the Covid-19 crisis by changing their tactics or developing new modes to pursue criminal activities.”

The pandemic has also added a new layer of complexity to determining and mitigating crimes like bribery and corruption in international transactions, !Gawaxab said.

Business environment to remain gloomy Protect the economy by vaccinating The economy was initially projected to grow at 2.2% and 2.5% in 2021 and 2022 owing to a recovery in global demand, increase commodity prices and a stable health environment due to vaccination. We revised our GDP outlook down to 1.5% in 2021 with a based effect rebound of 2.8% in 2022. Agribank

PHILLEPUS UUSIKU

Due to slow and inactive economic activities in some sectors, strengthened by a lockdown in the second quarter of 2021, the Agricultural Bank of Namibia (Agribank) has revised its economic growth outlook down to 1.5% this year.

The increase in the number of Covid-19 deaths, even in the business world, triggered investment uncertainty for new business ventures. Consumer and business environment will remain gloomy for the remainder of the year, Agribank said.

Although the Covid-19 restrictions eased during the first quarter of 2021 (1Q2021), the pandemic continues to impact economic sectors and all aspects of our lives. Thus, the economy shrank further by 6.5% during the 1Q2021 compared to a negative growth of 2.5% in the corresponding quarter of 2020.

The poor performance can be attributed to diminished demand by both international and domestic consumers, Agribank pointed out.

The recent lockdowns, travel and gathering restrictions due to a rising Covid-19 cases cast renewed fears for downward revision of initial growth projections. The soft outlook is exacerbated by the sluggish 1Q2021 GDP numbers. The economy was initially projected to grow at 2.2% and 2.5% in 2021 and 2022 owing to a recovery in global demand, increase commodity prices and a stable health environment due to vaccination.

PRICE MONSTER

Lack of actual improvement in productivity and reinvestment in real economic drivers amidst prevailing low interest rate environment could fuel an economic collapse when spiralling inflation leads to rising interest rates soon. Inflation doubled to 4.1% in June 2021 when compared to a 2.1% recorded in the prior year.

Food, and non-alcoholic beverages category is on an upward spiral, increasing to 7.3% in June 2021 compared to 4.7% in the prior year. The increase can be attributed to a rise in meat and oils and fats prices to 16.0% and 16.7% in June 2021, a similar trend was observed in the beef and sheep producer prices. The rise in global oil prices continues to affect local petrol prices, with a rising in transport cost to 9.6% in June 2021 compared to -0.8% in the prior year. Ignoring inflation to prioritise on social economic goals leaves the economy sitting on a timing bomb that could have an equally devastating effect, the bank said.

SECTORS

The agriculture, and forestry sector is expected to remain positive in 2021, although at a slower pace compared to a 13.9% growth in 2020. The sector is projected to grow by 4.5% and 5.0% in 2021 and 2022, respectively, mainly driven by crop and forestry production. Total number of cattle and sheep marketed year to date ending June, declined by 25% and 5% to 94 868 and 220 045. While goats marketed increased by 63% to 49 690 during the same period. “Due to sluggish livestock numbers coupled with rebuilding of herd, we are of the view that livestock will slack behind, contracting by 1.2% in 2021 before improving in 2022. Forestry production and crop farming remains the beacon of hope for the agricultural sector in 2021. Sheep producer price increased by 34% year-on-year to N$61.42/kg in June 2021, this can be attributed to an increasing demand for sheep amidst low supply. It will take time to rebuild livestock population to pre-drought level,” Agribank pointed out.

The mining sector contributes about 10% to GDP but has recorded a deep contraction of 19% during the 1Q2021. The sluggish performance can be attributed to the poor performance in the diamond and metal ores subsectors. Mining plays a vital role in terms of employment creation, government revenue generation through taxes and royalties coupled with its significant impact on the overall growth of the economy. The increase in commodity prices is favourable for the sector, while rising global demand should trigger investment appetite, Agribank said.-phillep@nmh.com.na