Two seasons, one time zone

Two seasons, one time zone Sunday, 3 September, will be the last time that Namibians will adjust their clocks after the five-month winter time period.

The National Assembly has accepted a parliamentary standing committee report that supports the Namibian Time Bill providing for the abolition of winter and summer time.

In accordance with the Namibian Time Act of 1994, Namibia enters summer time at 02:00 on the first Sunday in September, and switched to winter time, one hour back, at 02:00 on the first Sunday of April.

The repeal of that Act means that next year, the Zambezi Region will be in the same time zone as the rest of country. Zambezi had been exempted from winter time under the 1994 Act.

The reasons put forward by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security to support one standard time include the impact the time change has on trading between Namibia and neighbouring countries.

According to the report, adopting one standard time zone may improve productivity during winter and ensure speedy provision of goods and services, which in turn would improve the country's economy.

The report further states that consultations with various stakeholders suggested that four hours of trading on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange are lost in winter.

Participants argued that Namibia, whose main trading partner is South Africa, loses about four business hours a day during winter time: one in the morning, two hours during the lunch break and one in the afternoon, at the close of business.

It was also stated that winter time disrupts the opening and closing times of border posts with neighbouring countries.

“Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration at Namibian border posts are sometimes prompted to adjust their time of work with that of the neighbouring countries. Customs officials are thus required to work longer overtime hours in winter time,” the report stated.

The original debate in the National Assembly was started by former DTA member of parliament Anna Frank in 1992.

She was concerned about children having to walk to school in the dark during the winter months, making them vulnerable to robbery and assault.

In recent discussions, the education sector expressed concern about the safety of schoolchildren and students in the evening.

The standing committee therefore recommended that the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture regulate school hours in consultation with parents and stakeholders.

It also recommended that the education ministry consider reintroducing four school terms, with specific focus on providing a proper winter school holiday, preferably from the middle or end of June to the end of July.

The standing committee was chaired by Leevi Katoma.

JEMIMA BEUKES