Namibian Sun

Above-average rainfall harbours risks ELLANIE SMIT

WINDHOEK

With above normal rainfall predicted for the most of Namibia during the rainy season, cognisance should be taken of the fact that this can also hold risks such as exacerbation of pest outbreaks in the country.

Seasonal rainfall forecasts indicate enhanced chances of normal to above normal seasonal rainfall totals for southern Africa, raising the possibility of a second consecutive favourable agricultural season.

According to the Food Security Early Warning System Report, the 2021/2022 season is off to a slow start in a number of areas, including drought-affected areas.

“Short-term forecasts suggest a continuation of dry conditions through the end of November.”

Namibia’s rainfall season stretches from October to March during which it has been predicted that the bulk of the country can expect normal to above normal rainfall. However, there are areas such as the north-west which will receive below normal rain from November to March.

However, the report warns that a number of risks are also noted in light of the seasonal rainfall forecast.

One of these is the risk of flooding due to excessive rainfall.

Waterlogging

“This is more likely to occur in flood-prone areas, particularly low-lying areas, as well as those that already have high water levels from last season.”

It said waterlogging may also occur should heavy rainfall occur in areas with poor drainage, including flat slopes and heavy soils.

Furthermore, wet humid conditions also increase the chance of occurrence of many crop pests and crop and livestock diseases.

“The forecast for normal to above-normal rainfall raises the risk of exacerbation of African Migratory Locust outbreaks if the pest is not quickly brought under control.”

According to the report, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe reported outbreaks of African Migratory Locust during the 2020/2021 season, with some areas reporting extensive damage to crops and grazing lands.

“Significant monitoring and control efforts were undertaken to manage the locusts. Appropriate scouting and monitoring activities will be required this season in order to keep the locusts under control.”

It added that Namibia is currently battling with control of brown locusts that are believed to have been activated by the early rains that created a conducive environment for hatching. The swarms were observed in the second week of November.

There is also a likelihood that African Migratory Locust nymphs are starting to hatch in other member states, hence there is a need to strengthen surveillance and monitoring as a preparedness measure to effect control interventions timely, it noted.

Rainfall predictions

During the period from October to December, most parts of Namibia are likely to receive normal to above normal rainfall, with the exception of the southwestern parts where below normal rainfall is predicted.

Meanwhile for the November to January period, the greatest part of the country is projected to receive normal to above normal rainfall, while the north-western parts are likely to receive normal to above normal rainfall.

The outlook for January to March also indicates that normal to above normal rainfall is likely over most parts of the country, while normal to below-normal rainfall is likely over the northwest.

ellanie@namibiansun.com

Tsumeb finance manager still suspended

Kenya Kambowe

RUNDU

The disciplinary proceedings for suspended Tsumeb municipality finance manager, Karolina Damaseb, have been remanded to early February next year as she continues to serve her indefinite suspension with full benefits.

Damaseb was suspended in July following the outcome of an investigation which implicated her in a number of cases of alleged gross misconduct at the town during her time as the finance manager as well as her close to two-year reign as acting CEO.

Talking to Namibian Sun, acting Tsumeb CEO Monique Muturi, who also heads the town’s human resource department, said the preliminary disciplinary hearing proceedings did take place, and parties expressed some of the issues they had to the committee prior to the main proceedings.

“The disciplinary proceedings have commenced, however, when a disciplinary process commences, there are preliminary proceedings where representatives of both parties bring their issues if they have any. All I can tell you is that it has commenced and it was postponed to next year early February,” she explained.

Irregularities

When asked about the charges levelled against Damaseb, Muturi said it all stems from alleged irregularities during her time as the finance manager and acting CEO of the municipality.

In July, Tsumeb mayor Mathews Hangula was quoted saying Damaseb was suspended because there were serious allegations against her.

“I don’t think council will suspend a person if there is no merit on the case levelled against the person. I am not in a position to shed light on it. [That is] to be handled by the human resources department,” he said at the time.

The company that conducted the investigation is owned by Katima Mulilo CEO, Raphael Liswaniso.

Namibian Sun has thus far uncovered that the allegations against Damaseb pertain to gross misconduct, with the local authority exploring the option of relaying the findings of the probe to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Damaseb was the acting CEO of Tsumeb since the former CEO, Alfeus Benjamin, resigned to assume his role as the accounting officer at Swakopmund in January 2019.

kenya@namibiansun.com

Engineering body takes on Roads Authority…Takes issue with engagement of expatriates The Roads Authority of Namibia has been accused of undermining local engineers after the company engaged engaging expatriates who were not registered with the Engineering Council of Namibia within a year of employment.

OGONE TLHAGE

WINDHOEK

The Namibian Society of Engineers (NASE) is accusing the Roads Authority of ignoring requirements of the Engineering Professions Bill that regulates workings in the industry.

This relates to its Oshakati regional engineering manager position, which the society said a locally registered engineer could occupy.

Its secretary for industrial and state-owned enterprise relations, Kefas Kanyungule, wrote to transport minister John Mutorwa last week bemoaning that the RA was not upholding the requirements of the set laws.

“It is our conviction that the position in the state-owned enterprise of the regional engineering manager: Oshakati does not qualify as an exceptional role with a skill set requirement with specialised knowledge that cannot be fulfilled by Namibian registered engineers, as it pertains to the directive of the ministry of public enterprises,” Kanyangule wrote.

Undermining locals

The NASE further took issue with the RA engaging expatriates who were not registered with the Engineering Council of Namibia within one year of employment, accusing it of undermining locally trained engineers.

“It should be noted that the annual understudy reports are always positive with regards to the performance of local engineers over the past 15 years, but the RA continues to undermine local talent and experience.

“We would like to petition the RA to not treat the understudy as a mere ‘window dressing’ but actually produce palpable results within the stipulated periods,” the letter further read.

Kanyangule further implored the RA to cease renewing the contracts of expatriates whose duties can be fulfilled by fully registered Namibian registered engineers.

“It is therefore our sincere hope that your respectable office will attend to the matter in the spirit of upholding integrity within the engineering industry and we look forward to your prompt response.”

Rundu man who died at clinic had Covid

Kenya Kambowe

RUNDU

The 32-year-old man took his last breath under a mango tree outside Sauyemwa clinic last Thursday - after nurses allegedly refused to attend to him because he did not have a medical passport - had contracted Covid-19. This after he had received one jab of the Sinopharm vaccine.

This is according to test results the late Mario Mingandja’s family showed Namibian Sun yesterday.

Mingandja only receive one dose of Sinopharm on 11 May.

The Covid-19 test was conducted last Friday, a day after he died.

However, the cause of death is yet to be determined as a post-mortem has not yet been conducted.

While the family has placed blame on the health professionals who allegedly refused to help the deceased on the fateful day, they are also calling on the health ministry to conduct a post-mortem as information has surfaced that the victim was assaulted four days before died.

According to the family, they want justice to be served and said they will leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of what killed their loved one.

They are adamant that the deceased died of injuries he sustained after being assaulted, which they suspect led to him dying of internal bleeding.

Justice for Mario

“All we want is justice for Mario. We are now confused about what to believe because we don’t buy the story of him having Covid-19 because he showed no symptoms. Secondly, he was vaccinated, therefore it should not have taken his life so easily,” a family member said.

They also said they have since approached the people who assaulted the deceased, however, they denied the altercation.

“We approached the owner of the house where they dragged my brother into and assaulted him. That person told us that he did not assault him and that the post-mortem might vindicate him,” Mingandja’s sister said.

The family added that the police told them that witnesses to the assault should give statements which could assist law enforcers to compel the ministry to conduct a post-mortem.

When contacted for comment, Kavango East health director Timea Ngwira said that a post-mortem can and will be conducted.

On the deceased’s death certificate, the cause of death has been left blank.

Meanwhile, his family said despite the issues surrounding the death, the nurse who allegedly refused to Mingandja should be dealt with by the ministry.

kenya@namibiansun.com

12 700 Namibians unable to afford healthy diet ELLANIE SMIT

WINDHOEK

More than 12 700 people, almost 0.51% of the Namibian population, cannot afford a healthy diet, while another 3 493 will join the ranks if further unpredictable events reduce incomes by one-third.

This is according to a new report released this week by the United Nations food agency, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The 2021 State of Food and Agriculture report, titled ‘making agrifood systems more resilient to shocks and stresses’, stated that without proper preparation, unpredictable shocks will continue to undermine these systems.

Globally, approximately three billion people, almost 40% of the world’s population, can already not afford a healthy diet, with another billion at risk if their salaries are reduced by one-third due to unforeseen events, the report said.

The FAO stressed the need for countries to make their systems more resilient to sudden shocks such as the Covid-19 pandemic, which played a large part in the latest global hunger surge.

“The pandemic highlighted both the resilience and the weakness of our agrifood systems,” FAO director-general Qu Dongyu added.

Shocks more frequent

Agrifood systems, the web of activities involved in the production of food and non-food agricultural products and their storage, processing, transportation, distribution and consumption, produce 11 billion tonnes of food a year and employ billions of people directly or indirectly.

The FAO underscored the urgency of strengthening their capacity to endure shocks, including extreme weather events and surges in plant and animal diseases and pests.

It said while food production and supply chains have historically been vulnerable to climate extremes, armed conflicts or increases in global food prices, the frequency and severity of these shocks are on the rise.

Moreover, a disruption to critical transport links could push food prices up for some 845 million people.

While low-income countries generally face much greater challenges, middle-income countries are also at risk.

ellanie@namibiansun.com

Invest in water and sanitation, Calle urgesEfforts focused on accelerated action to achieve SDGs Available information indicates that 63% of the urban population in Africa still faces challenges accessing water, while about 340 million people in Africa lack access to potable water.

ELLANIE SMIT

WINDHOEK

The Covid-19 pandemic has underscored the need for Africa to address investment in bulk water supply and urgent needs in the sanitation sector for safety and hygiene protocols.

This is according to agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein, who opened the Africa Water and Sanitation Conference held virtually this week.

He is also the president of the African Ministers' Council on Water.

The minister said the council is convening for a week-long dialogue to focus their efforts on accelerated action to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for water and sanitation in Africa.

The conference will respectively focus on water security for public health and human development and accelerating access to safe sanitation and hygiene in Africa, five years into the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said available information from the African Water and Sanitation Sector Monitoring system indicates that 63% of the urban population in Africa still faces challenges accessing water, while about 340 million people in Africa lack access to potable water.

Furthermore, about 550 million people in Africa lack access to basic sanitation and less than 50% of the African population have handwashing facilities with soap at home.

Open defaecation an issue

According to Schlettwein, the prevalence of open defaecation was on the rise in the period 2000 to 2017 and the underdevelopment of water infrastructure accounts for up to 2% of Africa’s lost annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

“This usual state of affairs is unacceptable and calls for concerted efforts to avert a scenario where our failures in service delivery in the water and sanitation sector become the limiting factor to Africa’s development agenda.”

The minister said Africa’s response for investment in secure water generation and distribution infrastructure is contained in the Continental Africa Investment Programme, a flagship project supported by the Africa Water Facility and the Global Water Partnership.

“However, the mobilisation of resources, public, private and developmental, to finance the required investment outlay remains a difficult proposition.

Schlettwein noted that Africa is still challenged to translate the political commitments into action on the ground.

“Twenty-one years of pursuing the Africa Water Vision 2025; eight years since the launch of Agenda 2063 and five years into the implementation of the SDGs, the continent still faces enormous developmental challenges, not least to mention teething challenges in the water and sanitation sectors.

“We believe that integrated water, weather and climate solutions bring direct benefit for people and businesses.”

Investment crucial

Schlettwein added that investment in integrated water management systems is therefore crucial at country, regional and continental level, including investment in data and information management systems to support evidence-based resource management and public availability of information.

He said universal access to clean water and sanitation cannot be achieved without addressing the vast infrastructure gap that perpetuates undignified, unhealthy living conditions in many poverty-stricken areas.

The minister called upon Africa’s political leadership and the water and sanitation community to prioritise commensurate investment in water and sanitation.

“Strengthening water security and sustainable sanitation is a prerequisite for inclusive socio-economic development.”

SA’s DA becoming dominant over ANCWinning mayoral posts in three major cities The smaller opposition parties voted for the DA candidates despite negotiations between them failing to reach coalition agreements. Today the whole of South Africa knows that the ANC can be beaten. John Steenhuisen, Leader: DA

South Africa's largest opposition party won mayoral posts in three major cities in the country's economic heartland, a blow to the governing African National Congress (ANC) in the wake of its worst-ever election result.

Mayoral candidates from the ANC's main rival the Democratic Alliance (DA) won in the three metropolitan areas up for grabs in the country's most populated province of Gauteng: Johannesburg, Tshwane which includes the administrative capital Pretoria and Ekurhuleni, where the busiest airport is located.

However, DA victories were made possible by the support of the Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by firebrand Julius Malema, and ActionSA, led by a former DA mayor of Johannesburg who broke away from the party.

There seems little to unite them beyond their common enemy. The DA, for instance, has struggled to shake off its image as a party of white economic privilege, while the EFF argues for radical economic policies like the nationalisation of land and the central bank.

In municipal elections early this month the ANC's overall support dropped below 50% for the first time since the end of white minority rule, and its share of the vote in big cities like Pretoria and Johannesburg slid to roughly one-third.

The smaller opposition parties voted for the DA candidates despite negotiations between them failing to reach coalition agreements. That means the DA mayors will be beholden to the EFF and ActionSA to support their initiatives, and they could be voted out at short notice if relations turn fraught. A previous partnership between the DA and EFF broke down.

DA leader John Steenhuisen, who during the election was adamant he would do no deal with the EFF, told reporters his party's victories meant a psychological threshold had been crossed. "Today the whole of South Africa knows that the ANC can be beaten," he said.

ANC spokesman Pule Mabe did not respond to a request for comment, but the ANC in Johannesburg has congratulated the DA's incoming mayor and said it would hold her administration accountable.

ActionSA said its support for the DA was motivated by a desire to keep the ANC out of power and it was now up to the DA to return to the negotiating table if it wanted stable local governments. -Nampa/Reuters

Rates in SSA economies to stay on hold

VUYANI NDABA

Major Sub-Saharan African central banks will keep rates on hold this month as most emerging markets continue to lag the global recovery after the pandemic shock that disrupted economies across the continent, a Reuters poll found.

Benchmark interest rates for Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya will probably remain on hold at 13.50%, 11.50% and 7.00% respectively in the coming days. All three central banks have been on an easing cycle for around five years.

“With an altogether different growth trajectory in much of frontier SSA, there will be less pressure on central banks to tighten, just yet,” said Razia Khan, research head for Africa and Middle East economies at Standard Chartered.

A recent poll here suggested growth in sub-Saharan Africa's big economies would be mixed into 2022, after a year of recovery from Covid-19 lockdowns, as life slowly returns to normal amid low vaccination rates.

Virág Fórizs, emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, said policymakers would maintain their focus on supporting recoveries by keeping rates unchanged this month and beyond.

“In Ghana, the central bank cut rates earlier this year to give a boost to the economy and policymakers are unlikely to reverse course at this point. Meanwhile in Nigeria, the case to tighten monetary policy has weakened with inflation dropping back in recent months, especially so as the rebound in economic activity seems to be fading,” she added.

IMF

The International Monetary Fund last month confirmed its sub-Saharan Africa growth forecast of 3.7% for this year and 3.8% for 2022.

Last month the World Health Organization here said vaccination rates have not improved greatly on the continent, with only five African countries expected to meet a target of fully vaccinating 40% of their population against Covid-19 by the end of the year.

Nigeria is starting a mass vaccination campaign, aiming to inoculate half its targeted population by the end of January. Africa’s most populous country has a goal to vaccinate 111 million people to reach herd immunity.

South Africa's here central bank raised its main lending rate by 25 basis points to 3.75% in a close call on Thursday, the first-rate hike in three years in response to growing inflation risks.

The Central Bank of Kenya is expected to hold rates as inflation will probably drop towards the target midpoint in coming months without policy intervention. Its meeting is scheduled for the end of November. -Nampa/Reuters

More children recruited into conflict

West and Central Africa has recorded the highest number of children recruited into conflict of any region in the world, and the number is growing, the UN children's agency said on Tuesday.

Children are used as fighters as well as messengers, spies, cooks, cleaners, guards and porters by armed groups from Mali to Democratic Republic of Congo, UNICEF said in a report.

The United Nations verified about 21 000 children as being recruited by armed forces and non-state armed groups in the region between 2016 and 2020, the same number as in the whole preceding decade. The number of UN-verified cases increased by 16% to 4 592 children in 2020 from 3 947 children in 2016, UNICEF said.

West and Central Africa also had the highest number of child victims of sexual violence in the world and the second highest number of abductions in the same period, UNICEF said.

"These are rankings we would rather not be part of. And, these are only the cases the UN was able to verify the actual number of grave violations are much higher," said Karin Heissler, UNICEF Regional Chief of Child Protection, at a news briefing in Geneva.

West and Central Africa has multiple ongoing conflicts, including Islamist insurgencies in the Sahel and Lake Chad basin, a separatist conflict in Cameroon and militia fighting in Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo.

In one particularly egregious case, Burkina Faso's government said that a massacre in which more than 130 people were killed in June had been carried out mostly by children between the ages of 12 and 14.-Nampa/Reuters

EDITORIAL: Don’t shoot NSFAF in the foot The national student fund’s feisty attitude to recover loans given to needy students should not be viewed in isolation, especially when considering the state of governance in the country.

While student movements are partially justified to boycott the repayment of loans, citing that the country has enough resources to provide free tertiary education, there is a scary reality that cannot be ignored – poor fiscal ability of government to fund basic operations.

Whether this limited fiscal capacity is due to mismanagement of public resources or external factors, it would be unwise to cripple NSFAF for those reasons.

While we are all in agreement that education should be free in the country, the realities on the ground call for a different approach on this matter, and this goes both ways.

NSFAF should consider waving even half of the historic student debt as an interim measure, while government should commit to setting up a dedicated student funding facility sustained by different industries as a long-term measure.

NSFAF beneficiaries are not wrong to have an opposing stance to repaying loans, especially when it is clear that resources that could have ensured free education were being squandered over the years on non-productive factors.

It cannot be right that the public must bear the brunt of government’s inability to plan ahead and devise revenue streams to ensure the future of the country’s biggest assets – the youth.

City asset register finally in placeOn track to submit financials to AG The Office of the Auditor General took issue with the accounting used to account for the City of Windhoek’s income contributed from public-private partnership agreements.

OGONE TLHAGE

WINDHOEK

The City of Windhoek says it has completed its asset register despite concerns raised by the Office of the Auditor General (AG) that the municipality was not implementing its asset management policy with regards to the classification of its properties.

Speaking on the matter, acting CEO Jennifer Comalie said the City was now in the know regarding its assets.

“We have a fully fixed asset register in place. We know where our assets are,” she asserted.

According to her, the City was also on course to submit its financial statements to the AG.

“We are pleased we can say the City audit reports are complete. We are busy with the 2021 financial year; we are getting ready to submit those to the AG,” Comalie said.

Questions

In a report, the AG stated that the City’s audit evidence submitted was an insufficient and inappropriate basis for an opinion to be formed.

“No evidence that the municipality is implementing the asset management policy with regards to the classification of properties held for sale in the ordinary course of operations or in the process of construction or development for such a sale as inventory,” the AG said.

It also questioned discrepancies with regards to the City’s property, plants and equipment.

“Property, plants and equipment is overstated by N$32 million due to differences in property sizes and valued between the fixed asset register and E-planner,” the AG said.

It further took issue with the accounting used to account for income contributed from public-private partnership agreements.

“Management created a liability instead of recognising income,” the AG said.

More people suffering from poor nutritionNearly half the world's population The GNR estimates the nutrition spending will need to increase by nearly US$4 billion annually until 2030 to meet stunting, wasting, maternal anaemia and breastfeeding targets alone. Avoidable deaths due to poor diets have grown by 15 percent since 2010 and poor diets are now responsible for a quarter of all adult deaths. Renata Micha, Chair: GNR

Nearly half the world's population suffer from poor nutrition linked to too much or not enough food, a global assessment said Tuesday with wide-ranging impacts on health and the planet.

The Global Nutrition Report (GNR), a yearly survey and analysis of the latest data on nutrition and related health issues, found that 48 percent of people currently eat either too little or too much resulting in them being overweight, obese or underweight.

At current rates, the report finds, the world will fail to meet eight out of nine nutrition targets set by the World Health Organization for 2025.

These include reducing child wasting when children are too thin for their height and child stunting when they are too short for their age, and also adult obesity.

The report estimates nearly 150 million children under five years old are stunted, more than 45 million are wasted and nearly 40 million are overweight. It also finds more than 40 percent of adults (2.2 billion people) are now overweight or obese.

"Avoidable deaths due to poor diets have grown by 15 percent since 2010 and poor diets are now responsible for a quarter of all adult deaths," Chair of the GNR's Independent Expert Group Renata Micha told AFP.

"Our global findings show that our diets have not improved over the last ten years and are now a major threat to people's health and to the planet."

This year's GNR is the first to look at global diets and how food choices are affecting people and the planet. It finds people are failing to consume enough health-promoting foods like fruits and vegetables, particularly in lower-income countries. Higher-income countries had the highest intake of foods with harmful health impacts like red meat, dairy and sugary drinks.

Consumption

Consumption of harmful foods is on the rise, the report found, with red and processed meat already at almost five times the maximum recommendation of one serving a week.

The report notes that current global nutrition targets do not mention diet, with the exception of limiting sodium, and recommends new, more holistic targets.

"The science supports a food-based approach or diet-pattern approach in assessing the impacts on health and the environment," Micha said.

In line with other estimates, the GNR calculated global food demand generated some 35 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in 2018.

"Animal-source foods have generally higher environmental footprints per product than plant-based foods," the report said.

"Consequently, they were responsible for the majority of food-related greenhouse gas emissions and land use, with particularly large impacts from beef, lamb and dairy."

The report called for urgent funding to improve nutrition across the globe, particularly as Covid-19 has pushed an estimated additional 155 million people into extreme poverty.

The GNR estimates the nutrition spending will need to increase by nearly US$4 billion annually until 2030 to meet stunting, wasting, maternal anaemia and breastfeeding targets alone. -Nampa/AFP

Kenya vaccine mandate draws praise, criticism

MAGGIE FICK

A Kenyan government directive that residents must show proof of Covid-19 vaccination by Dec. 21 to access services was welcomed by some businesses on Monday but criticized by others, who said low vaccination rates made it unrealistic.

Only 8.8% of people are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in Kenya so far. Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe made the announcement on Sunday. Public services affected include schools, transport services, immigration and other state offices, and hotels, bars, restaurants, national parks and wildlife reserves.

The government will start a 10-day mass vaccination campaign on Friday, Kagwe said. Directives about vaccines have split public opinion globally. Some politicians and citizens say measures infringe on personal choice and others say they protect the public.

Carol Kariuki, chief executive of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), which claims more than half a million members, told Reuters the group encouraged all Kenyans to get inoculated.

"This is not only good for business continuity and the economy but also to protect others," she said. But some local business owners said the directive were not practical.

"Who is going to implement it?" said Franklin Odhiambo, a restaurant owner in Nairobi. "Some of us may want to be compliant, others may not. So, it will create some unfair competition."

The edict comes just a month after the government lifted a curfew in place since March 2020. Rights group Amnesty International said Kenya would not be able to vaccinate the majority of its population by the deadline, so many people might be unable to earn a living, access transport or go to school.

Regulation

Irungu Houghton, executive director of Amnesty International's Kenya office, said the government directive was unrealistic and flawed.

"These regulations will deprive millions of people of their ability to earn a livelihood, to have access to security, health and transportation services back and forth from home to work or school," he told Reuters.

"That’s not how we will win the war against Covid-19," he said, calling on the government to work harder to address vaccine hesitancy.

"It turns what the World Health Organization (WHO) would argue is an important voluntary exercise into a coercive exercise."

"They ought to have done a more aggressive vaccination campaign before lifting the lockdown," Buong said. "I don’t understand why they want to make our lives more difficult.”

Though low compared to Western nations, Kenya's rate of fully vaccinated citizens is higher than the African average of under 5%. The WHO says Africa lags in Covid-19 vaccination rates due to global inequities in vaccine supplies, not because Africans do not want to be vaccinated.

Kenya has reported about 255 000 coronavirus infections and 5 300 coronavirus-related deaths, according to a Reuters tracker. -Nampa/Reuters

Russians defend Stampriet uranium drilling

ELLANIE SMIT

WINDHOEK

Mining prospector Headspring Investments is adamant that its drilling work at the Stampriet Artesian Basin, in an effort to find uranium, is in compliance with Namibian laws.

This comes after the agriculture ministry recently cancelled two of its prospecting licences due to gross violations and non-compliance.

Nearby farmers and residents of towns in the Kalahari have expressed major concerns after establishing how Headspring would go about extracting uranium from ore deposits in the Stampriet Artesian Basin with its intertwined aquifer system. The drinking water source extends into Botswana and South Africa.

However, Andrey Shutov, president of Uranium One Group, which represents Headspring, has assured that all work at the site is being carried out in strict compliance with Namibian laws.

In a statement, he said Headspring has been conducting exploration work in Namibia since 2010 and has eight valid exclusive prospecting licences (EPLs).

“Current legislation in Namibia requires an environmental clearance certificate (ECC), required in addition to an exploration licence for any exploration activity. “Headspring Investments has eight approved and valid ECCs for drilling operations on the respective EPLs,” the statement read.

They say, we say

Shutov further said a separate permit is required from the agriculture ministry to carry out hydrogeological surveys in the Stampriet Artesian Basin near the village of Leonardville, which is a specially protected water area.

“Between 2019 and 2021, 78 hydrogeological wells have been permitted, of which 37 have been drilled in strict compliance with the permits issued for both drilling and grouting technology - these requirements are outlined in permits number 11439, 11561 and 11562, among others.”

In the statement, he said an on-site inspection was conducted in October by the agriculture ministry, who forbid the presence of Headspring employees during interviews with contractors and land owners.

“The results of the inspection were not provided. Upon receipt of the audit report, the company will prepare a formal response outlining its position.”

The ministry found that Headspring, which is a subsidiary of Russian nuclear power corporation Rosatom, does not meet the conditions under which permits 11561 and 11562 were issued.

The permits were issued on 30 March for uranium exploration and geohydrological purposes respectively.

ellanie@namibiansun.com

Swapo accused of ‘bulldozing’ Rundu land deal

Kenya Kambowe

RUNDU

The Rundu town council in October approved the sale of 4 828 square metres of land to the Swapo Party to build its Rundu district urban office. This despite the party having applied for just 1 500 square metres.

The land sale approval for the new office comes months after party president Hage Geingob inaugurated Swapo’s regional office in Rundu.

According to the council documents, the Swapo Rundu Urban district coordinator, Gabriel Hakusembe, applied for the land on 21 October 2019.

Council records show that Swapo councillors voted in favour of granting the party 4 828 square meters on 27 October 2021.

The party had initially only applied for 1 500 square metres.

Hakusembe wrote to the then Rundu acting CEO, Herman Haingura, about the district’s intent to acquire at least 1 500 square meters of land for the construction of its district office.

He said the district needs an office to operate from because “we cannot work from home”. He added that various funding models would be adopted to construct the office.

Conflict of interest

Opposition councillors allegedly attempted to thwart the land sale, but Swapo’s majority on council proved too difficult a hurdle to overcome.

It is understood that the four Swapo councillors forced for a voting process after the opposition councillors objected to the entire land sale.

Rundu mayor Gabriel Kanyanga, who served on the party’s Rundu Urban district executive committee when the land was applied for, now stands accused of conflict of interest after failing to recuse himself from the proceedings which approved the application.

“We wanted to know why the mayor won’t recuse himself and why they need such a big land for a district office [sic]. They did not want to listen to us and they went ahead and called for a vote simply because they are in majority,” a council insider revealed.

‘Not for public consumption’

Situated in Rundu’s Extension 8, the land is being sold at N$100 per square meter, meaning the ruling party will fork out N$482 800 to complete the transaction.

The land in question was previously leased to Pasinami Construction CC from November 2014 to October 2016, but council revoked the lease deal after the company failed to settle the purchase price within the agreed timeframe.

Ordinarily, Swapo districts countrywide do not have offices. Many councillors make use of private venues or the party’s regional headquarters for their meetings.

Despite the touted office, it is unclear what the rest of the land will be used for.

At the time of discussing the matter in chambers, Kanyanga evicted the media and members of the public from the meeting, saying “matters of land are not for public consumption”.

Attempts to get comment from him proved futile as his phone went unanswered while he ignored text messages for over a week.

It is not clear whether Kanyanga has rescinded his position on the Rundu Urban district executive committee.

kenya@namibiansun.com

NSFAF considers selling loan book Student movements not shaken by threats The fund embarked on a project to convert its physical files into electronic format, finally establishing towards the end of 2019 that it is owed a massive N$4.2 billion.

OGONE TLHAGE

WINDHOEK

Over 130 000 Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) beneficiaries - some who refuse to pay back their loans -could be in for a big surprise after the fund confirmed that it is considering selling its loan book.

The move is part of concerted efforts to recover the N$4.2 billion it is owed by former beneficiaries, its acting CEO Kennedy Kandume said yesterday.

Kandume made the remarks in a telephonic interview following a stakeholder engagement where he gave an overview of the fund’s operations since it was established as an independent public entity in 2010.

The fund is owed N$2.1 billion by economically active beneficiaries while the remaining N$2.1 billion was issued to beneficiaries whose economic status NSFAF has not been able to establish.

“It’s a consideration we had made and we made proposals to financial institutions but because it [the loan book] was not clean, it was not appetising,” he said.

The fund had up until 2018 not converted its loan book into electronic format, leaving it in the dark about how much it was owed. The process to clean up its books has now, however, been completed, with Kandume adding that selling the loan book is an option the fund may still consider.

Billions owed

“We are cleaning it up and starting with that process again. It must be noted that it is a soft loan; it is charged at half the prime lending rate so that needs to be taken into consideration in terms of its attractiveness,” the CEO said.

“The N$4.2 billion, the status of them [the beneficiaries], we can only confirm that N$2.1 billion are economically active, leaving another N$2.1 billion,” Kandume said.

“If you are looking at the strict definition, N$4.2 billion,” he said on what the fund is owed.

Establishing value

The fund had been able to establish how much it was owed and by whom when it embarked on creating an electronic database, Kandume said.

“Towards the end of 2019 we established a project that we called the Data Integrity Project which aimed to convert all the physical files that we had into electronic format. Previously we were not able to say how much your loan book was because the information was scattered.”

The fund recently started an initiative to have its 130 000 defaulters repay matured loans.

“It is important that you, a former beneficiary and responsible Namibian, show your patriotism by paying back your loan for the benefit of future potential students. By failing to pay [it] back, you risk being blacklisted or having a court order against you, so arrange with the fund to pay back your loan today,” NSFAF said.

We won’t pay

The Students Union of Namibia (SUN) and Namibia National Students Organisation (NANSO) have, meanwhile, both reiterated earlier stances that students who owe the fund should not repay a cent.

SUN acting secretary-general Oscar Shikongo said no consideration would be given towards repaying NSFAF.

“No one is going to pay back that money. The loans should be turned into a grant,” he said, adding that if the fund follows through on its threats, they will take it to court.

NANSO acting spokesperson Ester Shakela said it was in support of the repayment of loans either.

“From the organisation as it pertains to the repayment of loans, for us, we do not encourage the repayment of loans.”

The SEZs a key policy instrument for NamEnhancing industrialisation The policy aims to create industrial hubs and technical skills development, and enhanced developmental impact of the SEZ regime. We are pleased to note that, the policy is finalised, draft bill is also finalised internally. Elijah Mukubonda, Spokesperson: MIT ELIJAH MUKUBONDA

The Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are a key policy instrument that is deployed to ensure the attainment of economic goals as set out through the industrialisation path. It provides a valuable platform to enable structural change through infrastructure development and streamlined regulatory mechanisms that yield significant economic benefits such as sectoral investments, employment creation, strengthened value chains as well as enhanced regional industrial cooperation.

SEZs are essentially geographically defined areas usually being administered by a single body and offering conducive incentives for enterprises to locate and operate. The incentives are usually for a defined period and may be both financial and nonfinancial in scope. They provide more liberal laws than what may be found in the general economy, pertaining to labour, customs and investment procedures and land use.

The national SEZ policy expands and subsumes the existing Export Processing Regime (EPZ) by strengthening key provisions such as expanded sectoral focus as well as a clear monitoring and evaluation framework. The ultimate outcome of the policy is to bring about successful industrialisation.

The policy title emphasis ‘sustainable’ to ensure that SEZ’s should be inclusive, lead to sustainable development and re-emphasize that Namibia was the first country in the world to observe the need for environmental sustainability in her Constitution.

The policy builds on experience from the existing incentives regimes and proffer appropriate strategies on zone administration and the creation of appropriate institutional frameworks. The policy furthermore, calls for the promotion of Private Public Partnerships (PPP) in zone development.

Transformation

This policy is developed within the presiding global policy space whilst ensuring adherence to the national agenda embedded in various policies and development frameworks. Further, the development of the policy is through a consultative process with the aim to ensure that it is fit for purpose for our national developmental trajectory. Ultimately, the aim of this policy development is to ensure alignment to our national objectives of stimulating industrialisation, structural transformation of the economy, total factor productivity and the attraction of both sustainable FDI and Domestic Direct Investment (DDI).

The SEZ policy is to be reviewed every five years by the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade (MIT), in order to incorporate new market dynamics and developments. However, MIT may at any interval and from time to time make changes, modifications, additions to this policy in order to meet changing needs of industry.

Given the pedestrian growth of our manufacturing sector over the years, high regional inequality as well as the low sectoral productivity levels, a National SEZ policy becomes an imperative. The SEZ Policy signals to both domestic and foreign investors our readiness for doing business, building key strategic sectors whilst adhering to sustainability principles. The SEZ policy also pivot towards ensuring our laggard regions’ development, community sustainability and inclusion whilst maintaining fiscal credibility.

The need to attract both foreign and domestic investment, increase exports, foster employment creation and act as a catalyst for structural transformation and industrialisation are among the motivating factors for the new policy. SEZ are useful in addressing policy key constraints such as limited access to serviced land, poor quality infrastructure and high regulatory constraints on investment and business operations.

Objectives

The overall objective of the SEZ policy for Namibia is to create a modern regulatory framework governing economic zones to attain structural transformation of the economy, inclusive and sustainable growth and job creation. The SEZ policy thus aims to provide the requisite policy and implementation frameworks to ensure the development of inclusive, competitive, dynamic and innovative Namibian economic zones.

We are pleased to note that, the policy is finalised, draft bill is also finalised internally. The initial timeline was set for 2023, however, the timeframe has been shortened and the policy is expected during the first quarter of 2022. The policy is expected to translate into law after incorporating public consultation inputs.

The SEZ expects to yield a regulatory framework that optimise the development and attainment of an inclusive SEZ regime in Namibia, a regionally balanced operations of SEZ across Namibia, and attraction of both qualitative and quantitative investments into the SEZ across both industrial and services sectors.

It further expects to foster key cross-border regional and bilateral value chains development through SEZ, create industrial hubs and technical skills development, and enhanced developmental impact of the SEZ regime.

We want our money, Gladiators cryPlayers fed up with ‘hopeless’ situation The financial issues at the NFA have been well documented in recent times, but the Brave Gladiators of Namibia say they are just after what is owed to them.

Limba Mupetami

WINDHOEK

The Namibian Football Association (NFA) owes the Namibian women’s team, the Brave Gladiators, wages for matches played, amongst other fees. The players have now formed a coalition to fight the NFA tooth and nail until they are paid, claiming that no one cares about them, what they eat and how they survive outside the corridors of the association.

The majority of the players in the squad are unemployed or students, with a few employed either privately or by the Namibian Defence Force.

Some have now decided to quit the national team indefinitely, whether their wages are paid or not.

One of the seniors, well-respected player and former captain, Zenatha Coleman - who plies her trade for Sevilla in Spain - has been very vocal about the non-payment issue and used Twitter to state that she will always be the voice of the players, even if she is no longer captain.

“They have done their job, won away and home games in the qualifiers [African Women Cup of Nations] and still haven’t gotten paid. If the girls can’t be paid, then why is there a national team?” she asked.

She added that players face victimisation if they speak out. “The thing is most girls out there are scared to speak, you know, and that is really a big problem too.”

Toxic

Another senior player, Annushka Kordom, said the conditions within the NFA are toxic and she is retiring from national football.

“How they treat the Gladiators, it's just not working for us any more. The NFA does not like us going to the media but, personally, I’ve protected them for too long. From here on out, I speak my truth.”

The footballer added that there is about a pool of 30 players who are owed wages.

“They owe me about N$35 000. That amount goes for all starts and coming in from the bench to play for about five games. Some players are owed N$30 000, others between N$20 000 and N$27 000,” she said.

A third player – who preferred to remain anonymous - said they haven’t been paid camping fees and have been training from 7 September.

“Imagine being a woman in camp for more than a month. Some of us are not employed. Some took unpaid leave and didn’t receive a cent from the NFA,” she said.

Long time coming

Further adding to the NFA’s money woes, yet another player, who refused to be named but is backing the current players in their wages crusade, said the association owes her money too for being in camp when the Gladiators played in Angola.

“Till today, no payments received. I have written it off as bad debt not recovered,” she said.

She added that there are many former players owed by the old leadership.

When asked about the outstanding wages, NFA secretary-general Franco Cosmos said there is no money to pay players with.

He said Fifa has halted finances to the association. This after association president Ranga Haikali called into question certain requests made to the global football organisation by the NFA.

Cosmos added that all national teams are owed wages, while the NFA’s service providers have also not been paid.

“There is a restriction on funding. This will most probably only be resolved in the first week of December when Fifa visits again,” he explained. He added that under his tenure, he paid all players and teams and didn’t owe anyone a cent.

Eagles face off against OmanTournament kicks off today This will be the first time Namibia hosts a Cricket World Cup series.

Limba Mupetami

WINDHOEK

Namibia's senior cricket team, the Eagles, are set to face Oman today and tomorrow in the first matches of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup League two one-day international series.

Taking place at Wanderers in Windhoek, the tri-series tournament – part of the 2023 50-over Cricket World Cup qualification - will run until 6 December and will also see the local boys face off against the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

All of the matches in the Castle Lite series will kick off at 09h30.

The Eagles squad is as follows:

JJ Smit (captain), Jan Frylinck, Karl Birkenstock, Ben Shikongo, Bernard Scholtz, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Craig Williams, Michael van Lingen, Stephen Baard, Ruben Trumpelmann, Zane Green (wicketkeeper), Helao Ya France, Michau du Preez (wicketkeeper) and Mauritius Ngupita.

Reserves: Tangeni Lungameni and Shaun Fouche.

The head coach is Pierre de Bruyn, while Fortune Matawu will assist. Riaan Minnie will be the analyst for the tournament, while Wihan du Plessis will be the team physio.

Here are the rest of the fixtures for the tournament:

28 November : Rest/training day

29 November : Oman vs UAE

30 November : Namibia vs UAE

1 December: Rest/Training Day

2 December: Oman vs UAE

3 December: Rest/Training Day

4 December: Namibia vs Oman

5 December: Namibia vs UAE

6 December Oman vs UAE

Namibian businesswomen inducted to Namibian Business Hall of Fame

Staff Reporter

The Namibia Business Hall of Fame (NBHF) has honoured emerging entrepreneurs this month.

Founder of Poiyah Media, Ilke Platt, was inducted as an emerging entrepreneur last month during the virtual event. She was awarded Africa’s World Woman Leader.

Managing director of Global Entrepreneurship Network and founder of NBHF, Johanna Cloete has been curating this ecosystem of entrepreneurs with criteria based on who has been making or made immense contributions to the Namibian economy during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, curation is also based on who has achieved business excellence, upholds the values of entrepreneurship and leadership, reigning as a custodian of our community.

Well-known members of the Namibian community have been inducted as laureates and include the late Werner List, Dr Frans Indongo and First Lady Monica Geingos.

Upon receiving her award, Platt said: “There needs to be more emphasis on emotional and mental support for an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs often work in isolation, and the side effects, if not managed properly, can be devastating”.

She added that “this can easily result in the closure of business, slowing down of creativity, and a lack of passion. “Entrepreneurs should be guided towards a financially free environment. There's nothing more depressing than worrying about finances and losing your focus on providing a service to fill the gap. With these two aspects and also through more awareness around and mechanisms on how to cope mentally, a lot of entrepreneurs can easily avoid major pitfalls”.

Events like these are a reminder that hard work pays off and that perseverance prevails above all. All winners for 2021 can be viewed on GEN Namibia social media platforms.