Namibian Sun

A dangerous precedent Revelations this week that President Hage Geingob has approved the transfer of more than N$11 million from the Social Security Commission towards the training of the struggle kids has been frowned upon, and rightfully so.
To taxpayers and ordinary citizens, this cloak of secrecy under which public funds are handled is a reminder that government is not walking the talk when it comes to their apparent policy of transparency and accountability. The latest shenanigans confirm our assertions that dodgy dealings within government are still rampantly the order of the day. Namibians have the right to scrutinise and hold government officials accountable when questionable dealings are exposed. Secretary to Cabinet George Simataa this week claimed that the issue to transfer SSC funds to government to address the plight of the struggle kids was a Cabinet decision. However, if such a decision were in the interests of the Namibian public, surely they wouldn’t have hesitated to make it public, as is normally done with other Cabinet decisions. Seemingly ordinary Namibian workers, who contribute to this very development fund through their hard earned Social Security contributions, are apparently not the only ones in the dark, since the association representing the struggle kids (who are seemingly the beneficiaries) is said to have no idea about this transfer of N$11 million either.
When it was announced earlier that the struggle kids would receive a monthly grant while on training, Namibians had already raised questions as to where this money will come from. This was the perfect time for Cabinet to offer the required clarity and answers, instead of these secret dealings. The SSC Act is clear and does not give authority to the president or the labour minister to authorise the release of funds from the SSC Development Fund. This is clearly an irresponsible act and should not go unchallenged. The authorities are setting a dangerous precedent and this not good for our cash-strapped government, which is struggling to deal with a myriad of serious issues, including teachers’ salaries and frozen state tenders. Let’s not forget, our Kora millions are still missing to this day.

Taxi union seeks answersFines, loading zones, illegal taxis and even a new curriculum to train taxi drivers were discussed with transport ministry. Peaceful protest led to transport ministry offices

The Deputy Minister of Works and Transport, James Sankwasa on Tuesday met with roughly 100 unhappy taxi drivers and members of the Namibia Transport and Taxi Union (NTTU) at the ministry’s head office in Windhoek.
The union has been at loggerheads with the government for months now with union head Werner Januarie threatening as far back as June of this year that his members would march if they see no progress on the implementation of the new public transport plan.
The protest action, which was peaceful, was accompanied by a heavy police presence on Tuesday morning.
Discussions held with Sankwasa included what taxi drivers described as the “harassment by police of taxis”. Sankwasa instructed them to report such members of the police and to secure their identities, they should ask for the police members’ identity cards.
“We want to know what the strategy is for better results in the plan for the reform of public transport in Namibia,” Januarie asked Sankwasa.
The plan, published in June, holds specific deadlines of which some are slated for 30 September.
Sankwasa informed the union members that the government is currently on a fact-finding mission in this regard and is travelling across the country to acquaint themselves of the situation on the ground.
“We need to know what must change and why,” he said, adding, “They have done the Khomas Region and are currently busy in Erongo.”

Earlier in the year, the strategy for the reform of the public transport sector was launched with great fanfare by government. One of the goals in the strategy was for local authorities to provide taxi loading and off-loading points in urban centres.
According to Sankwasa, local authorities have their own challenges that influence their budgetary exspenditure and he told Januarie, “Rome was not built in a day.”
He, however, admitted that loading zones are essential for taxis.
“When you stop to load passengers in the middle of the street you block traffic and furthermore, taxis that stop anywhere are breaking the law. It is high time that both citizens and taxi drivers learn not to get into a taxi anywhere they want.”
He added that the registration of taxis, such as is the case in Windhoek with registration numbers, is being rolled out to the regions.
Januarie wanted to know why the deadlines for the reclassification of taxi drivers in relation to the labour law are not being met. He told Sankwasa that work permits are not being issued to taxi drivers but that foreigners are becoming more and more common in the industry.
“Who appoints them?” Sankwasa asked, “Namibians are appointing foreigners.”
He urged the union to assist government with illegal taxis. He said that Windhoek has 5 000 registered taxis but more than 13 000 are operational. “This is a matter that must be regulated but, tell me, how do the unregistered taxis get into the industry. You tell me? It is your industry.”
Allegedly there is a Whatsapp group that warns taxi drivers of road blocks and Sankwasa asked Januarie to assist them to close this group.
With regards to the high traffic fines, Sankwasa said parliament will discuss the matter as it was brought to the fore by the Swapo Party Youth League. He added that the ministry is also preparing a new curriculum for the training of taxi drivers and is looking for reputable driving schools to provide such training.

AUGETTO GRAIG

Remember the rhinos

The international community celebrates World Rhino Day today, in the midst of the greatest crises these animals have faced in their eons of evolution.
Targeted for their horns which are used in traditional Chinese medicine and as a status symbol in Asia to demonstrate a person’s wealth and success, global populations have dwindled. On the black market, the horn sells at a higher price per ounce than gold.
According to environment minister Pohamba Shifeta, “For people whose annual income is often far below subsistence level, the opportunity to change one’s life by killing an animal that they do not value, is overwhelming.”
World Rhino Day celebrates all five species, including the black and white rhino from Africa, the greater one-horned rhino from India, the Sumatran rhino and the Javan rhino. The latter is the most critically endangered with between 58 and 60 animals left in the world, while the Sumatran rhino shares a similar fate with around 100 animals. In India, there are only just over 3 000 greater one-horned rhino. Between the white and black rhino, the white fares far better with around 20 000 animals left in the wild in Africa, while its black counterpart totals just over 5 000.
Namibia is home to the largest population of black rhino and according to Shifeta, “Is the stronghold of the south-western subspecies of black rhino, Diceros bicornis. More than 91% of the total number of this species is found locally.”
Namibia has been lauded internationally for its management of its rhinos and the numbers have, over the years, steadily grown. However, as poaching took a foothold in southern Africa, it invariably, as it does, spilled over into Namibia from South Africa and other countries in the sub-region.
Our animals traverse vast areas, especially in the north-west of the country and Etosha National Park too, is very large in size. While this is a bonus for management and conservation, it hampers the battle against poaching due to the isolation of the animals and the areas they live in. More often than not, carcasses are found days or even weeks, months or years after the poaching incident.
Anti-poaching efforts by the authorities in Namibia have borne fruit and Etosha is also being patrolled by specially-appointed units of the Namibian police. There is also good collaboration between the relevant NGOs, stakeholders and government.
Roadblocks have also achieved successes with arrests of poachers and just recently, the landmark case in which four Chinese nationals were arrested in possession of rhino horns in 2014, was concluded with a guilty verdict.
Calls have been made to legalise rhino horn as there is a viable market for the product. While most conservationists agree, the jury is still out on the issue and debates continue. Trade is banned under CITES.
Conservationists say there are three Es in saving animals which are: whether they have economic value, ecological value and of course, the ethics of sharing resources with the animals. In the case of the rhino, the economic value alone is reason enough to protect these animals with everything we have. The value of such a success will impact our international image and our tourism on economic levels that could have major spin-off effects.

Community shuts bar

The City Police on Tuesday closed a bar in Katutura after community members petitioned the Katutura Magistrate''s Court for its closure.
The court granted approval for the closure of OTT Entertainment Bar in the “Gemengde” residential area in Katutura.
Among their complaints, residents said bar patrons block the entrances to their houses, block access to the street and generate noise pollution.
City of Windhoek (CoW) town planning officer, Marks Karongee told the media on Tuesday that numerous complaints were received with regards to the operations of the bar by the affected neighbours.
The bar was also operating without a liquor licence.
“The bar was, however, issued with a fitness certificate that allows for their operations along with the liquor licence. Due to the fact that the liquor licence was not approved, we are revoking their fitness certificate,” Karongee noted.
The owner of the bar was not available for comment.
Karongee said the bar is not the first to be closed due to complaints by community members.
Fabian Amukwelele of the City Police’s Community Policing and Public Relations Division told the media on the same day that the CoW is running a campaign to educate residents on bylaws.
The campaign will address issues of noise pollution, dog control and drinking in public areas.
“We are intensifying this operation especially this month. We are going to different bars to look for all the bylaw transgressions,” said Amukwelele.
He said they have found many bars and shebeens, where the owners do not have fitness certificates or have expired certificates, while some are not registered.
“In such cases, we close them down,” Amukwelele noted.
NAMPA

Man shoots girlfriend, self

Yet another woman has died at the hands of her intimate partner who shot her three times and then killed himself.
Police spokesperson Slogan Matheus confirmed the incident which took place on Monday morning in Outapi Street in the Havana informal settlement on the outskirts of Windhoek.
According to Matheus, the woman who was identified as the 26-year-old Ester Ishuki, lived with the alleged killer Joel Paulus Shiimi with whom she had a four-year-old daughter.
“The deceased left an 11-page suicide note that was written in Oshiwambo,” explained Matheus.
According to him, the letter must first be discussed with the family of the deceased.
The man reportedly worked at a well-known fast food restaurant while his girlfriend worked at a local butchery. Their bodies were discovered by their neighbours. According to the police Shiimi allegedly used a Makarov pistol that was licenced in his name.
Police investigations into the matter continue.

GBV evil
Namibia has in the last decade seen an unprecedented rise of gender-based killings, locally referred to as passion killings.
By July 2015 more than 800 GBV cases had been reported in the country.
Last month the First Lady Monica Geingos lamented the fact that almost every day Namibians wake up to the news of yet another gruesome murder, rape or assault on a woman or child at the hands of a man with whom she was intimate.
Geingos argued that offenders must be punished to the fullest extent of the law, but within the parameters

Human-wildlife conflict a priorityDespite budgetary challenges, the environment ministry says it is working hard to mitigate escalating conflict between animals and communities. Ministry says they are doing all they can

Regional consultations for input on the revised national policy on human wildlife conflict which commenced on 15 September are underway.
The government has received flak of late on the current legislation that is out-dated with very low rates of compensation for damage inflicted by wildlife, as well as what has been described in particular by communities in the Kunene and Zambezi regions, as a slow response by authorities.
At the consultations in Kunene, the director of parks and wildlife management in the environment ministry for Kunene, Colgar Sikopo told Nampa the National Policy on Human Wildlife Conflict of 2009 contains provisions that need to be addressed as soon as possible.
“Incidents reported over the years led to gaps in the policy, which if addressed will put us in a position to have the appropriate directives in place,” he said at Opuwo.
Sikopo said input is needed from all stakeholders to determine what people see as the appropriate measures to be implemented.
The consultations will be completed by the end of October, after which feedback will be forwarded to Minister of Environment and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta, who will present it during the national workshop on HWC scheduled to take place in November.
Also speaking to this news agency on Friday was the ministry’s deputy director for the north-western regions, Christopher Munwela, who said issues at the upcoming conference will vary from region to region as different forms of conflict are experienced in each region.
“In order for us to address the problems we need to be specific and not nationalise the conflicts,” Munwela said.
Some of the concerns raised by farmers at the Opuwo meeting were that they want the ministry to be represented in all constituencies so it can be more easily accessible.
Others suggested that a ministry official must be on duty at all times, as some incidents of this nature occur during the weekend when their offices are not operational. This leads to communities having to take action themselves.
There was also a suggestion that a toll-free number be established for farmers to report cases of conflict.
The farmers could however not agree on how the animals involved in such conflict should be dealt with.
Some felt the animal should be killed on the spot if found attacking livestock or a human being or destroying crops, while others felt it should be availed for trophy hunting and the money made from the trophy hunting be given to conservancies.
The Kunene has been under pressure from roaming lions for some time now, exacerbated also by the drought conditions experienced across the country and in the lions’ rangeland.
Environment minister, Pohamba Shifeta, in a statement released late Tuesday, urged communities to “not take the law into their own hands by shooting or hunting problem-causing animals before the approval of the ministry. Our officials have been directed to be on alert 24/7 to attend to cases of human wildlife conflict despite our financial constraints.”
Lion predation on livestock in the north-west of the country remains problematic not only due to the wildlife conflict element, but also the global view of the uniqueness of the animals that are described as “desert lions”. As such, they have captured the global community’s imagination even though the chairperson of the African Lion Working Group of the International Union for Conservation, Sarel van der Merwe, is on record as saying that there is no such species.
“The desert lion does not exist as a separate species of African lion. All African lions have been shown to be almost independent of drinking water and can survive in harsh environments,” Van der Merwe said.
Shifeta asked communities to be patient and said every effort is being made to limit conflict with these animals, also those migrating westwards from Etosha.
“A great effort is made to keep every pride collared and monitored and to erect predator-proof enclosures where livestock can be kept overnight. However, more resources are need for this,” he said.
In Zambezi, communities suffer conflicts with elephants which raid their crops but the problem is also widespread in Kunene.
“We have collared four elephants in the Kamanjab-Fransfontein area in collaboration with the private sector. Farmers further contributed two collars which will shortly be placed on elephants to ensure that every main herd is collared to monitor their movements,” he added.
Shifeta announced that his ministry will conduct and elephant census in the northwest including the Kamanjab area, Kunene and the elephant ranges in Erongo and Omusati so as to better understand the distribution of these animals and to inform a management plan for elephants in Namibia. No further details were provided on when this would take place.
Thus, the minister said, contrary to claims that the ministry is not attending to cases of conflict, the ministry has in fact invested resources and continues to do so, to mitigate the impact of human wildlife conflict.
“We recognise that such conflicts have always existed where people and wildlife coexist and will continue to be so in the future. This means that it will not be possible to eradicate all conflicts, but that it has to be managed in the most effective and efficient way.”
STAFF REPORTER

Gun dealer commits suicide

Sven Ahrens, 42, a Windhoek gun expert and dealer, committed suicide early Wednesday morning.
Nampol spokesperson Kauna Shikwambi confirmed the incident that happened at Finckenstein Estate, where Ahrens and his family had recently moved.
“The body was discovered by a newspaper delivery person at about 05:00,” Shikwambi said.
It is alleged that Ahrens drove his car to the chosen spot, a few kilometres from his house, got out of the vehicle and shot himself. The weapon was a licensed pistol he owned.
Ahrens, the older brother of Namibia’s Olympic trap shooter Gaby Ahrens, left a suicide note addressed to his wife.
Ahrens was the owner of Ahrens Guns and Ammunition in Windhoek.
In October last year, during a spate of high-profile robberies, Ahrens’s gun shop was targeted, leading to losses of more than a million dollars. Camera footage showed the robbers stealing handguns, bulletproof vests and other stock to the value of N$150 000. Just under N$800 000 in cash was stolen.
The carefully executed operations pointed towards well-informed robbers who had obtained sensitive information in order to break into the premises. To this day, the crime remains unsolved.
Family and friends were not available for comment yesterday.
Ahrens leaves behind his wife, a daughter (4), a son (18 months) and his parents and sister.

Namibians surrender illegal weapons

Namibians have surrendered close to 450 firearms, 1 000 rounds of ammunition and more than 110 explosive devices since the police declared a three-month amnesty last month.
Last weekend, the police confirmed that since 18 August, members of the public had surrendered 443 rifles, handguns and shotguns.
A total of 1 070 rounds of ammunition were dropped off at police stations in the Khomas, Karas and Omusati regions.
The police again urged the public to surrender any illegal weapons and ammunition to the nearest police station before the amnesty expires on 18 November.
Illegal weapons have been a hot topic for more than a year and have led to several arrests and anonymous dumping of illegal weapons and ammunition.
Close to 13 000 rounds of ammunition, in addition to dozens of illegal firearms and military equipment and memorabilia, have been discovered on farms or dumped anonymously in several parts of the country this year.
“The government and the Ministry of Safety and Security are concerned about the proliferation of illegal firearms, ammunition and armaments discovered by the Namibian police force during our operations conducted nationwide,” Police Inspector-General Sebastian Ndeitunga said last month.
He said the discovery of illegal machine guns and war material, much of which dates back to pre-independence, is a “grave concern to the police and our government”.
He said the presence of dangerous weapons in the public domain poses a threat to the safety and security of citizens.
Ndeitunga said 560 illegal firearms had been confiscated between 2013 and 2015. He was not able to confirm the number of illegal weapons police have confiscated this year.
However, by May this year, five farmers had been arrested in connection with illegal firearms, ammunition and war memorabilia.
According to some sources, more arrests were made which were not reported.
In one case, the police confiscated 10 000 rounds of ammunition and in May.
In July, police in the Otjozondjupa Region found 2 220 rounds of R5 ammunition that had been dumped along the B1 road between Otavi and Otjiwarongo.

Namibia fights for Africa slot on Security CouncilThe Namibian president yesterday addressed the UN General Assembly, urging reform of the Security Council. Geingob calls on UN to reform body

President Hage Geingob has said the United Nations Security Council is too important an organ to be left in the hands of a few members.
“The reform of the Security Council cannot be reduced to the aspirations of a few countries,” Geingob said yesterday while addressing the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“Hence we reiterate our call for the comprehensive reform of the Security Council, thereby making it more democratic and transparent, so as to better serve humanity.
“Namibia remains fully committed to the African common position on UN reform. We are of the opinion that the Security Council should reflect the broad membership of our organisation. Fairness and justice warrant that Africa be part of the equation.”
The UN Security Council is responsibile for maintaining international peace and security and has five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. It also has ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.
Geingob also touched on the unresolved question of self-determination for the Palestinian people, saying their freedom cannot be denied forever.
“Namibia thus calls for the full implementation of the all relevant UN resolutions on Palestine.
“The international community must fulfil its obligations and assist the people of Palestine to realise their basic right to independence and self-determination.
“Their freedom and independence cannot be denied forever – it can only be delayed – let history be our best teacher,” said Geingob.

Western Sahara left out

The Namibian leader also renewed the country’s position that the people of Western Sahara, currently annexed by Morocco, should be given the chance to have a referendum on the issue of self-determination.
“We are a nation that believes in being an enemy to none and a friend to all, and we also believe in a world where no one should feel left out,” said Geingob.
“Unfortunately, our brothers and sisters in Western Sahara feel left out. We therefore hope that the people of Western Sahara will soon enjoy the freedom that the Kingdom of Morocco helped Namibia to attain.
“It is in this vein that we call for the full implementation of resolutions calling for a referendum in the occupied Western Sahara, so that the people there can freely express themselves as to whether they opt for independence or unification with Morocco, so that the disagreement between brothers and sisters comes to an amicable end.”

STAFF REPORTER

State House warns against Harambee scammers

State House has warned the public to be on the lookout for scammers using the name of First Lady Monica Geingos to commit fraud.
A statement issued by the special advisor to the First Lady, Tuli-Mevava Nghiyoonanye, said scammers using Geingos’s name had tried to swindle people on 1 November and 30 December 2015.
Nghiyoonanye said the first scam required participants to recruit three people, who each had to pay a stipulated amount. They were asked to retain a portion of the money and give the balance to the person who had recruited them.
“This is a typical pyramid scheme and is illegal in terms of the Banking Institutions Act (Act 2 of 1998), Section 55.
“The second scam relates to a fictitious project of the First Lady which seeks to build low-income houses for domestic workers. We are informed that an upfront fee of N$80 is required and sign-up is happening at or around the Bethel Church in Katutura, Khomas Region,” Nghiyoonanye said.
She emphasised that neither the First Lady nor her One Economy Foundation solicits money from the public through agents.
State House warned Namibians to be extra careful when dealing with people who claim to be working for the First Lady or her office.
“Individuals and agencies that are soliciting money or attempting to recruit members must be reported to the Namibian Police. We would like to draw attention to two scams which are of particular concern to us as they target domestic workers, gardeners and security guards. The targets of these scams expose the heartless greed of fraudsters,” the statement pointed out.
STAFF REPORTER

N$13m missing at Rehoboth

The Rehoboth Town Council has allegedly failed to account for a number of financial transactions, including the missing N$13 million raised through land sales in the leafy Westridge area of the town in 2015.
The council’s suspended chief executive officer, Christophe /Uirab, confirmed the missing money, which according to him was one of the issues he raised in a report to the minister of urban and rural development, Sophia Shaningwa.
This report is allegedly one of the main reasons why /Uirab was suspended last week.
“The N$13 million has been used but that report has not been availed to me. The issue here is that there is a possibility that the money was not used in the way it should have been used,” he said.
According to him, financial statements must be submitted before the end of the financial year, which in this case was 30 June 2016.

Cash-strapped

This revelation comes barely a month after the town’s water supply was disconnected after it failed to settle long-overdue debt of close to N$30 million.
After making a payment of N$6.3 million to NamWater to reconnect the water supply, the council still owes the water utility about N$36 million in historical debt, plus an outstanding current account of approximately N$2 million, which will be settled under a strict repayment plan.

Irregular financial history

The Auditor-General’s report for the 2013 financial year also highlights a past riddled with financial irregularities.
The audit revealed that the council’s provision for bad debts may be understated by about N$4.5million, a steep increase from a mere N$643 493 in 2012.
The report also showed that the council is investigating stale cheques amounting to just over N$4.1 million.
It further revealed that the council failed to produce documentation for service loans of N$13.8 million.
JEMIMA BEUKES

Phosphate remains hot potatoThe government has not allowed a foreign company to conduct phosphate mining off the Namibian coast. Minister denies licence rumours

The minister of fisheries and marine resources, Bernhard Esau, has rubbished rumours that a licence for seabed phosphate mining has been issued to a foreign company.
At least two entities have shown interest in mining phosphate off the Namibian coast.
They include Namibian Marine Phosphate (NMP), which is a joint venture between Oman-owned Mawarid Mining LLC and the Namibian company Havana Investments, owned by well-known businessman Knowledge Katti.
The other firm is Leviev Group, which is owned by Israeli diamond dealer Lev Leviev.
“I am not aware of this. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism as the responsible authority must receive our opinion on environmental impact assessments (EIAs) before any clearance certificates can be issued,” the minister recently said.
Esau said he had called for the establishment of an inter-ministerial committee comprising the mines and energy ministry and the environment ministry to jointly address the contentious issue of marine phosphate mining following the lapse in March 2015 of an 18-month cabinet moratorium.
A cabinet committee chaired by Minister Tom Alweendo was set up to investigate the impact of phosphate mining and whether to allow or ban the activity, and met in February.

The committee was expected to make recommendations on the way forward but the cabinet has not yet made an announcement.
“I cannot just go ahead and pronounce myself on the issue of phosphate mining without proper consultation. The industry and relevant stakeholders need to be consulted. We are evaluating all comments and EIA reports received from those who want to do phosphate mining,” Esau said.
“It was also recommended that an internal study be carried out by the ministry on behalf of the government. This study will then forecast on what to say with regard to the EIAs that were done by the applicants who want to do phosphate mining.”
Esau confirmed that a scoping study was done by Norwegian company Sentech to determine the impact of marine phosphate mining on the seabed environment and on fisheries.
“They recommended that we first carry out an independent study to be conducted by a knowledgeable company which will inform and guide us scientifically. It is a time-consuming process which must be concluded before the Ministry of Environment finalises the opinion of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources on the issue of phosphate mining.”
Namibian Seaman and Allied Workers Union (NASAWU) president Paulus Hango announced this week that the union would march and hand over a petition protesting against phosphate mining to Erongo Governor Cleophas Mutjavikua today.
He did not want to elaborate on issues contained in the petition prior to it being handed over.
Phosphate mining in the seabed has described by some as a threat to the marine ecosystem and the fishing industry.
More mining companies are expected take to the ocean as minerals needed for technology, including mobile phones and hybrid cars, become scarce on dry land and miners search for new frontiers to explore. This also applies to the diamond industry in Namibia.
Environmentalists throughout the world are alarmed and raised concern about digging up the seabed and dumping sediments back into the water. According to them this could devastate unique marine environments, suffocate organisms and compromise fish stocks.
The World Wildlife Fund has warned that governments are not adequately prepared to regulate a new extractive industry operating in an ocean already degraded by overfishing, industrial and consumer waste and climate change.

OTIS FINCK

Man accuses prosecutor of love affair with girlfriend A man accused of contravening a protection order has accused the State prosecutor in the case of having a love affair with his girlfriend.
Prosecutor Ivan Tjizu in turn alleged that the accused, Kennedy Kaali (27), suffers from a mental illness and requested that he be referred for psychiatric observation.
However, it emerged in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court yesterday that the State had failed to arrange for Kaali’s admission for observation.
Magistrate Alweendo Sebby Venatius refused to postpone the matter to allow for psychiatric observation.
During earlier proceedings Tjizu informed the court that Kaali had alleged that the prosecutor was having an affair with the complainant in the case.
He said Kaali had made these allegations in a threatening manner.
“The accused suffers from a mental illness in that he is suffering from schizophrenia,” Tjizu maintained and requested the court to order mental observation for Kaali at a later stage.
Schizophrenia is a mental illness characterised by abnormal social behaviour and failure to understand what is real.
Kaali was referred for mental observation and was on a waiting list but when they inquired the State was informed that the investigating officer was no longer with the unit.
The request for mental observation was based on reports by the complainant and the evidence placed before court regarding the accused’s mental history.
“Based on that evidence the court made a referral order,” Tjizu said.
Kaali’s lawyer, Mbanga Siyomundji, confirmed that such a court order was issued but disputed the mental instability of the accused.
“In previous proceedings he was coming to court every time the case was postponed. There was no disruption of court proceedings, nor did he ever show any sign of mental disorder,” he argued.
According to him the order for mental observation was made in May but until now no observation was done. He added that the State informed the defence that the investigation into the case was incomplete but gave no reasons as to why it was not finalised.
Venatius consequently refused a further postponement for mental observation.
“I believe the defence counsel is disputing his client is suffering from mental disorder with the full instructions from the accused. I do not think there would be any prejudice to the accused should the matter proceed without mental observation,” the magistrate ruled.
Kaali was released on stringent bail conditions two years ago. Among other things he may not contact the complainant, Charity Mujon, indirectly or directly. He also may not go near her home or place of work.

FRED GOEIEMAN

Union looking for alternativesWith trying times for farmers and agricultural debt having increased by N$1 billion in a year, farmers must look at alternative methods and innovations. Unlocking the potential in agriculture 0

The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) is on the lookout for better, innovative and improved farming methods and has urged the Namibian farming community to look at alternatives to traditional production methods, which could increase production potential on farms. The Union also urged farmers to look at forming joint ventures which could complement different streams of agricultural production.
While it acknowledges that Namibian farmers have been under tremendous pressure in recent times, it maintains that farming is and will continue to be one of the mainstays of the Namibian economy.
At a press conference held as a precursor to the ‘Agri Outlook Conference’ which is due to be held on 6 October 2016 in Windhoek, the NAU announced that this bi-annual conference will focus on attempts to find and discuss alternative farming methods, as our farmers are clearly experiencing a huge number of challenges.
According to Sakkie Coetzee, the executive manager of the NAU, “Income derived from farming has shown very little increase in the past three years, while the expenses keep soaring. Thus our motto: ‘Unlock the potential in agriculture’. There is an increasing pressure on the farming community to find ways in which they can save, but entrepreneurship is just as important. We – the NAU – would like to encourage and assist farmers, who need to address these demands. We need to find capacity to increase their profitability.”
Dr Ben Amathila, the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Economics, Natural Resources and Public Administration, will welcome the attendees, whereafter the vice-president of Namibia, Dr Nickey Iyambo, will formally open the conference. When asked about the possible impact of issues, like the unsolved land evaluation and NEEEF, on the conference, Coetzee welcomed the possibility of allowing the politicians to air their views. He added: “We invited the minister of agriculture as the relevant line ministry and we extended various invitations to his staff too, so it would be good if they were prepared to attend and address the farmers when it comes to the open discussion rounds as their input is always appreciated.”
He further explained that the NAU invited various weather experts and economic advisors to express their views and introduce the newest trends to the farming community. He said: “One of our pet projects is the one making use of satellite technology for rangeland and agronomy. This project is supported financially by the EU and our government and we would like to see more farmers making use of this opportunity as we already circulated the related weather maps of Namibia on a bi-weekly basis. There is much more information to be gained from this system, which is the reason why we invited Dr Cornelis de Waal to speak about the subject.” Another speaker, Jurie de Kock, will spend time on reaching economics of scale through entering into joint ventures.
As far as Coetzee is concerned this is the way to go considering that land is often not available to those citizens who wish to increase their activities.
Christo Viljoen of FNB made it very clear that recent political developments will not have a negative impact on the bank’s willingness to invest in agriculture. Farming debt has decreased from N$5.8 billion to N$4.8 billion in the past year. “There are more than enough reasons for FNB to continue investing into the farming community by assisting with relevant loans,” he said.
The conference will take place at Safari Hotel and Conference Centre in Windhoek starting at 08:00 on 6 October. The attendance fee is N$750 on account of gracious sponsors including Santam, Sanlam, Novel Motors, First National Bank, Namib Mills and Feedmaster. Coetzee advises farmers to book in advance but explained that the NAU will allow late-comers to attend if space is available.

Tawana buys Namibian lithium project 0

Dual-listed Tawana Resources has moved to acquire a second lithium project, entering into an agreement to acquire the mining rights to the Uis pegmatite tailings stockpile in Namibia.
The Uis project consists of some 20 million tons of tailings derived from one of the largest pegmatite tin mines in the world.
Tawana on Friday told shareholders that the company had agreed to purchase all the shares in Lithium Africa No 1 for five million shares and A$100 000 in cash.
A deferred consideration of a further five million shares would also be payable on the completion of drilling, analysis and metallurgical test work by the end of June next year, and a further five-million shares on a decision to mine before the end of December 2018.
“The Uis project represents a unique and exciting opportunity to assess one of the world’s largest stockpiles of crushed pegmatites containing lithium minerals,” said Tawana CEP Mark Calderwood.
“The low-cost first drilling programme and metallurgy test work should give an excellent understanding of the potential of the project to produce a lithium concentrate in a short period of time.”
ASX- and JSE-listed Tawana in July this year acquired Mount Belches, in Western Australia, which held one tenement application and rights to acquire three exploration licences, as well as one exploration application in the Goldfields region. The five tenements are located in two project areas: Cowan, 55 km south-east of Kambalda and Yallari, 25 km south-east of Coolgardie.

Namibia’s diamond destinyDe Beers Group CEO Bruce Cleaver ponders the role of the current ‘Millennial’ generation on the diamond company’s long-standing deal with Namibia. Preparing today to meet tomorrow’s demand 0

Namibia has long been renowned for producing some of the world’s most beautiful and valuable diamonds.
And these treasures of nature remain just as important to Namibia’s future as they have been to her past. But for Namibia to continue to see the huge economic benefits that the partnership with De Beers has delivered there must continue to be strong demand from consumers for diamond jewellery.
That’s why we at De Beers spend so much time trying to understand what tomorrow might look like.
Recently, we published our latest ‘Diamond Insight Report’, which I’m delighted to say shows that not only is there still strong demand for diamonds, but also that this demand is set to grow in the years ahead due to the purchasing power of the ‘Millennial’ generation (those born between 1981 and 2000).
This is apparent in the results of a three-year study contained in the report, where we interviewed 75 000 Millennial consumers to understand their desire for diamond jewellery.
The study showed that Millennials are already spending more on diamond jewellery than any other generation. In 2015, they spent more than US$25 billion (N$342.5 billion) on diamond jewellery across the US, China, India and Japan – almost half of the total value of retail sales in these markets.
All this, despite this generation still being around 10 years away from its purchasing peak. This shows that younger consumers already have just as strong a desire for diamond ownership as their predecessors, even though it’s taking them longer to reach financial maturity.
And when Millennials do reach the life stage where they have the most disposable income, they will present a major source of growth potential for the diamond sector.
At De Beers, we’re poised to maximise this growth potential in two ways.
First, by continuing to invest in our Forevermark brand. Forevermark diamonds carry with them the promise that they are beautiful, rare and responsibly sourced, and our survey emphasised that Millennials express a stronger desire than previous generations for ethically sourced products. With a series of imaginative and engaging marketing campaigns we’re therefore bringing the Forevermark message to more and more consumers around the globe.
Second, we will continue to support ‘category marketing’ programmes – where we aim to drive demand more generically for diamonds, rather than for a specific brand – across the US, China and India, and through our work with the Diamond Producers Association (DPA).
The DPA, an organisation formed by De Beers and other diamond producing companies, is still in its infancy but has big plans for targeting Millennial consumers during the all-important end-of-year holiday selling season.
However, while investment on the consumer side is crucial for the industry’s continued success, a consistent supply of rough diamonds to meet that demand is equally important. To this end, I’m pleased that our major investment projects are progressing well. In particular, the mv SS Nujoma in Namibia.
Just last month, this innovative diamond sampling and exploration vessel arrived in Cape Town in South Africa for final outfitting before it sets sail to Namibia during the first half of next year.
Namibia remains a key partner for De Beers, as highlighted by our signing of a 10-year landmark agreement with the Government of the Republic of Namibia for the sorting, valuing and sale of Namdeb Holdings’ rough diamonds earlier this year.
However, we cannot become complacent and rely on past successes as an indicator of what future success might look like. The world is changing faster now than it ever has before.
With new markets emerging, consumer attitudes shifting and diamonds becoming even more difficult to find, partnership must remain the stable bedrock on which we will all flourish.
And it is the strength of our partnerships across the entire diamond value chain, from our joint venture partners and local communities, to diamantaires and retailers, which will ensure Namibia’s beautiful diamonds continue to be adored by consumers around the world for many years to come.
*De Beers’ Diamond Insight Report 2016 is available online at www.debeersgroup.com/insightreport .

Global economy caught in low-growth trapPoor global growth expectations are having the effect of further depressing trade, investment and wage growth. OECD projects modest recovery in 2017 0 The global economy is projected to grow at a slower pace this year than in 2015, with only a modest uptick expected in 2017, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
In its latest report released on Wednesday entitled Interim Economic Outlook, the OECD said weak trade growth and financial distortions are exacerbating slow global economic growth.
In the report, the OECD projects the global economy will grow by 2.9% this year and 3.2% in 2017, well below long-run averages of around 3¾%.
The report warned that a low-growth trap has taken root, as poor growth expectations further depress trade, investment, productivity and wages. “Global trade growth has slowed to half its pre-crisis rate, contracting at the start of 2016 with the current weakness concentrated in Asia,” said OECD.
Worryingly though is revelations that rebalancing in China and a reversal in the development of global value chains could signal “permanently” lower trade growth, leading to weaker productivity growth.
“The sharp slowdown in world trade underlines concerns about the robustness of the economy and the difficulties in exiting the low-growth trap,” said OECD chief economist Catherine L. Mann.
“While weak demand is surely playing a role in the trade slowdown, a lack of political support for trade policies whose benefits could be widely shared is of deep concern.”
The small downgrade in the global outlook since the previous Economic Outlook in June 2016 reflects downgrades in major advanced economies, notably the United Kingdom for 2017, offset by a gradual improvement in major emerging-market commodity producers.

Staff issues take centre stageThe human resources sector tonight recognises colleagues who performed exceptionally over the past year. Human resources sector convenes 0

Social media use and its effect on employee productivity will form part of discussions at the human resource sector’s sixth annual national conference, which starts at the Safari Hotel today.
As in previous years, the conference hosted by the Institute of People Management of Namibia (IPM) offers a wide range of specialist speakers, both local and international, reflecting on the year’s theme of ‘Championing a Culture of Excellence’.
Co-sponsoring the event this year are New Era and the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), while space has been offered to exhibitors wishing to market their products and services to delegates at the seminar.
“We are excited about this year’s conference, and creating opportunities to firstly bring our HR professionals together to network, share ideas and discuss issues that are pertinent to our national development,” IPM president Tim Ekandjo said.
Speakers lined up include Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI) director Dr Michael Akuupa, who is expected to present an overview of current industrial relations, trends and challenges in the local economy.
With a current moratorium on public sector salary increases in the background, HR specialist Julia Muetudhana will address the topic of remuneration in the public sector; while the NUST’s Enzy Kaura-Ndjavera will talk about Namibians’ use of social media in relation to work.
Notable international speakers to address the two-day conference include Timothy Webster Maurice, a weekly columnist for South Africa’s Star newspaper and Destiny Magazine.
Specialising in personal branding, design and psychology, Maurice is an acclaimed author of three brand leadership books, including the latest ‘Personovation – Re-inventing Your Personal Brand’.
Dr Ngao Motsei, a partner with the US-based executive search firm Heidrick and Struggles, will address the audience on recognised ‘drive’ and ‘drag’ factors associated with accelerated work performance.
As part of the event, the organisers will host the IPM Excellence Gala Dinner tonight at the Hilton Hotel in Windhoek, where individuals and companies will be honoured for their excellence in the field in the past year.
Awards will be presented in the categories best CEO, best director, best HR partner, best HR practitioner, best centre of excellence, best company employing students and best company employing differently abled people.

Tough times call for prioritising your spending 0

When in doubt, prioritise.
That’s the message Bank Windhoek executive Jaquiline Pack hopes to convey to Namibian consumers during the current tough time for the local economy.
After the recent uproar about international ratings agency Fitch’s downgrade pressures on the country, Pack says citizens should use the news as a message to become self-disciplined.
“We all want nice things in life, but before we want to splurge on luxuries or follow fashionable trends, we need to sit down and contemplate whether we really need it and, most of all, if we can afford it,” Pack says.
When faced with the difficult choice of having to prioritise spending, she suggests using the ‘Eisenhower prioritisation matrix’, named after former US President Dwight Eisenhower.
The method evaluates tasks into four categories based on criteria of urgency and importance.
“Determine the order for dealing with your finances according to their relative importance,” says Pack.
“Think of what is absolutely essential for you to survive on and what you can let wait for later. It all comes down to prioritisation, which is about focus on what to do with your precious earnings.”
As a rule, she suggests first focusing on important financial obligations that need to be met within a specific timeframe.
These could include housing, pension fund contributions, daily expenses and monthly contribution to a savings or investment account.
Important, but not as urgent obligations, such as vehicle maintenance or home renovations, she suggests can be scheduled or saved for, before jumping in.
Finally, whatever fails to qualify as urgent or important may be eliminated from the list entirely.
“By applying self-discipline and practising these three steps you will not only be able to plan for a secure financial future, but also reap these rewards,” Pack says.

Shot of the day 0

LET’S DO THIS: US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton shake hands during the presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York on Monday. Photo: NAMPA/AP