The University of Namibia (Unam) Student Representative Council (SRC) is up in arms after it emerged that hundreds of poor students will in all likelihood be excluded from the new main campus hostels and that rooms may be rented out to non-students.
SRC vice-president Vincent Shimutwikeni slammed the new hostels, saying they do not address the need for accommodation.
About 3 000 students apply for living space at the main campus each year, while only 1 080 can be accommodated at this stage.
The new hostel rooms, some of which are expected to be made available at the start of the academic year next month, are double rooms that cost between N$2 150 and N$2 300 per month per person sharing.
“Our conviction is that the new accommodation is not student friendly at all. All we can do now is bargain with the owners for more affordable pricing, as many poor students, who have a greater need for accommodation, won’t be able to afford it with the current pricing,” he said.
Hanganeni Emona Investments managing director, Braam Vermeulen, confirmed to Namibian Sun that the company’s agreement with Unam does allow them to rent the hostel rooms to non-Unam students.
“Our first obligation is to fill the Emona Student Residence with students from Unam. However, there is provision made in the agreement between ourselves and Unam that should the occupancy from Unam students not be as projected, we have the option to open the residence to students from other educational facilities,” he said.
Unam students, who spoke yesterday on condition of anonymity, said the rooms are likely to be occupied by non-students because they would not be able to afford them.
Even the more affluent Unam students Namibian Sun spoke to yesterday claimed that they would not be willing to pay N$2 300 for a room that they share.
Many students, because of lack of money, said they would rather keep living off campus, where they rent rooms and share flats together in poorer areas in Katutura and in Khomasdal.
Vermeulen addressed fears yesterday that students who study with government loans would be deliberately sidelined to make way for others who are able to pay cash for their monthly rent.
“This is not true. As we speak we are trying to negotiate with government, via Unam, to see how we can accommodate these students,” he said.
When Namibian Sun broke the story last year about the rental costs attached to the new hostels, Swapo Youth League (SPYL) Secretary Elijah Ngurare described it as the privatisation of education and said it was unacceptable.
"We have held the view that Windhoek is a place where people from all corners of Namibia, including the poor, come to have their academic and economic dreams realised and all students at universities should have access to the same facilities regardless of their economic background," he said at the time.
Ngurare said few students would be able to afford living in such upmarket hostels.
Unam spokesperson Edwin Tjiramba, who Namibian Sun sent a list of questions last week Wednesday, did not respond despite several attempts to speak to him.

WINDHOEK GORDON JOSEPH

Former magistrate Leah Shaanika, who appealed against a High Court decision upholding her dismissal by the Magistrate’s Commission after she was found guilty on six misconduct charges, yesterday failed to appear in court for the hearing of the application.
In July last year the Windhoek High Court struck from the roll Shaanika’s appeal against her dismissal as a magistrate since she did not file a complete record of the disciplinary hearing which resulted in her dismissal by the Magistrates’ Commission.
Acting Judge Maphios Cheda yesterday said there had been no communication regarding Shaanika’s non-appearance and added that he found a request by the defendants’ attorney, Norman Tjombe, to dismiss Shaanika’s application in order. Tjombe was acting on behalf of the Magistrates’ Commission and the Minister of Justice.
Shaanika also did not turn up at court last week Friday to hear judgment in her application for the recusal of the presiding judge. Judgment was given in her absence.
She wanted Cheda, a Zimbabwean national, to recuse himself from her case and for an order to compel Judge President Petrus Damaseb to appoint a judge from any other SADC country other than from Zimbabwe or Namibia.
In Friday’s judgment Cheda further said the court has no jurisdiction to order the Judge President to appoint a judge from a particular country.
“A litigant who behaves in a rude manner and is warned of such conduct to which she apologises for cannot be allowed to turn around and allege that the court was biased against her,” Cheda stressed.
He added where bias is alleged, the applicant must prove that her apprehension of bias is not only reasonable, but that she is also reasonable in that assertion.
He said court must protect the constitutional rights of individuals to a fair trial and at the same time protect the dignity of the court. “Applicant failed to pass the two tests set by the authorities,” he said and dismissed the application.
The Magistrates’ Commission found Shaanika guilty of six charges of misconduct. These were based on allegations that she had used derogatory language when speaking to staff members and to persons appearing before her, had refused to deal with a civil case, had been selling food at court and had been involved in a public spat which brought the magistracy into disrepute.

WINDHOEK FRED GOEIEMAN

An attempt to solve a territorial dispute ended tragically on Saturday afternoon when one of the people involved committed suicide in the presence of the emissaries who were sent to find a solution.
The incident happened at Odjana village near Okongo in the Ohangwana Region.
According to Ohangwena police spokesman Sergeant Kaume Itumba, the headman of the Odjana village, Jacob Nghishoongele, 58, left the meeting, walked to his parked car and shot himself with a revolver.
He was taken to the Okongo hospital where he died later that same day.
The chairman of the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority, George Nelulu, said a committee was sent to the area to investigate and find a solution to a dispute between headmen who disagreed on the exact location of the border between their villages.
“I do not have all the details on what transpired but it appears that late Nghishoongele was not happy with the findings of the committee,” he said. “But that was not reason enough to commit suicide.”
The police in the Ohangwena Region have also reported an incident where an elderly woman committed suicide by hanging herself in her hut on Monday.
According to Itumba, Oshikwiyu village resident Ester Haipinge, 75, did not leave a suicide note and no foul play is suspected.

Namibia’s political and corporate landscapes continue to be dominated by countless examples of employing and deploying people into positions based on their regional, tribal or family origins.
Most governors are being served by personal assistants who are their relatives or tribesmen, a trend that has become common on boards of directors and the appointment of parastatal executives too.
Apart from being used as a tool to empower those that are close to the appointing authorities, patronage is also used as a covert vehicle to retain power and control.
This is done through a “you scratch my back, I scratch yours” strategy, in the authorities’ quest to remain in power irrespective of how useless they have become in their roles.
This is a case of leaders holding onto public office through the distribution of State resources to their cronies. This growing habit has the potential to neutralise competence in the public sector and holds the risk of creating social conflict.
Conflict erupts either because the masses feel that the elite have selfishly taken control of a country’s resources or because they have reserved every opportunity for their friends and comrades – thereby shutting the doors in the faces of other citizens.
There are already sentiments in Namibia that some tribes, racial groups, persons from certain regions or supporters of specific political parties are enjoying preference ahead of others.
Sentiments like these led to a bloody revolt in Rwanda, just like they have contributed to what is happening today in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Egypt or Central African Republic.
In Namibia people boast about having “connections” to certain powerful individuals and how such links can propel them to easy acquisition of tenders or good jobs.
What this essentially means is that those who have no connections are left at the mercy of market forces.
And unfortunately it is the masses that have no so-called connections and are therefore pushed to the very edge of the economic mainstream.
It is no surprise that every young person today wants to be close to the highest offices in the land, or to be leaders of powerful political organisations, which automatically edge them an inch closer to the heavens of looting and questionable tender acquisitions.
In the best interest of maintaining this country, the homeboy politics must be nipped in the bud.

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata did what he does best on his debut to inspire his new team to a convincing 2-0 win over Cardiff City in the Premier League on Tuesday. The former Chelsea playmaker probed and pushed in his usual understated way to fire the champions to an important victory before being substituted to a standing ovation. “We had chances to score more than two. The win was very important for the team,” Mata told the BBC. “It was very exciting for me. The fans are unbelievable. The lads welcomed me very well. I think it was a good game; I’m looking forward to improving. We will try until the end (to finish in the Champions League places). We will never give up.” United stayed seventh in the table, 12 points behind leaders Arsenal and six points off Liverpool in the fourth and final Champions League spot, but they appeared revitalised after a poor start to the season under new manager David Moyes. Mata was involved in the first United goal, spraying a fine pass out to the right from where Antonio Valencia sent in a cross for Robin van Persie to score on his return from injury after six minutes. The Spaniard took responsibility for all their corners and free kicks in attacking positions and looked very comfortable on his first appearance in a Man United shirt at Old Trafford. Ashley Young doubled the home side’s lead with a fine individual strike just before the hour mark but Mata continued to pull the strings, galvanising a midfield long since short of creativity and quality. The United fans recognised Mata’s contribution with a standing ovation when he was replaced by Adnan Januzaj and the Spain international’s arrival has certainly created a new air of optimism around the club. “We kept a clean sheet, scored a couple of goals, got a couple of players back from injury and gave Juan Mata his debut,” Moyes said. “He gave us a bit more craft. He did well. We know how much of a good player he is. Getting Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney back made a big difference,” he added after United’s England forward replaced the Dutchman just past the hour. Elsewhere, Arsenal’s wings were clipped in a 2-2 draw at Southampton as they missed a chance to soar four points clear in the Premier League title race while Liverpool thrashed Everton 4-0.

Former Namibia Premier League (NPL) team Mighty Gunners plan on repeating their dream final appearance in last year’s Bidvest Namibia Cup. The Otjiwarongo team will take on Robber Chanties in the cup’s elimination round of the North West First Division (NWFD) on Saturday at the Mokati Stadium in Otjiwarongo. According to Gunners captain Veno Namolo, the club plans to go all the way once again but admits it won’t be an easy ride to the final in Windhoek in June. “We plan to go all the way to the final again, but we know we first have to get past the hurdle of our stream preliminaries,” said Namolo. Gunners can fancy their chances of winning their quarterfinal clash against Robber Chanties, having beaten the Khorixas side away in a league match last weekend. “They are not an easy side but we can be buoyed by our 1-0 victory in the league at their home last weekend. But we know in cup competitions, the approach is always different because you play only once and they have nothing to lose while we want to prove that our final appearance was no fluke,” Namolo said. The versatile player missed Gunners’ victory over Chanties last weekend due to a hamstring injury and is hoping to be fit and available for this weekend’s cup tie. “We are just calling on all the football loving people of our town [Otjiwarongo] to come out in numbers and witness the cup of dreams in action at our town. It doesn’t get bigger than this,” Namolo said. The NWFD elimination round for the Bidvest Namibia Cup will start on Saturday at the Mokati Stadium where Eleven Warriors face Golden Bees at 09:00, to be followed by Touch & Go against Blue Birds at 11:00. Two hours later Young Chiefs face African Lions while Unam Ogongo will battle it out against Golden Bigs at 15:00. The two finalists will both qualify for the round of 32 of the Namibia Football Association’s premier flagship tournament.

A few fans who attended the matches of the Southern Stream First Division’s (SSFD) elimination round of the prestigious Bidvest Namibia Cup expressed unhappiness after the final of the event did not take place. Namibian Sun had been informed that the final between Citizens and Bee Bob Brothers had ended on a 0-0 draw, with the latter emerging victorious after the penalty shootout ended 5-4. It turns out, though, that no such match took place with a fan informing the paper that one of the teams had apparently cited tiredness as an excuse. “The people had paid the entrance fee but there was no match,” the fan said. “There was not even talk about a possible refund,” he added. This situation left egg on the faces of the organisers, who later admitted that, after both teams agreed, no final was played. “The whole issue of playing the final was left in the hands of the two teams to decide because we understood some of the factors they cited,” explained SSFD league administrator Mervin Geiriseb. “So they both agreed that in order to avoid unnecessary injury and such, playing the final was not necessary,” he stated. Nothing untoward Geiriseb goes on to explain that since all the teams in the SSFD had already agreed to use the prize money for paying the transport fees of the different clubs to Mariental, there really was nothing to play for in the final. “This is something that was already discussed at the Namibia Football Association (NFA) secretariat level and everyone was duly informed in writing about all of this,” he said. “The only thing that was decided by the organising committee was whether to allow the final to be played or not,” Geiriseb clarified. As for the entrance fee, which was set at N$10 per person with entry for cars costing N$5, the administrator says that these were paid early in the morning for the matches that started at around 09:00. “We had one quarter-final match and two semi-final matches that took place in the morning... it is for these that fans had to pay,” he said. “In fact, by the time the final was supposed to be played we had already opened the gates and no one was being charged for entry to the field.” The preliminary round of the Bidvest Namibia Cup has been somewhat contentious in the past, as the draw for the competition’s last 32 takes place well before the teams from the lower ranks have eliminated each other. Last year, it was reported that a certain team conspired to lose their final in order to avoid being drawn against a Namibia Premier League (NPL) side.

The MTC Nestor Sunshine Academy is taking its next event to Outapi, home of the traditional Olufuko ceremony. And judging by the sheer enthusiasm and excitement of those who hail from that area, the March 1 event, which will be headlined by Paulus ‘The Hitman’ Moses, will be quite extraordinary. Omusati Governor Sophia Shaningwa, speaking at a press conference announcing the fights yesterday, said she made the trip to the capital to show that the region is serious about hosting the event. “We are here to show our appreciation towards the decision to bring our great heroes to the Omusati Region,” she said. Kanu Amadhila, a businessman from Outapi, added that this is a great chance for the young boxing fans in the area to watch their heroes in person. “Some of the young kids travel up to 15 to 20 kilometres to watch fights on television when their favourite boxers are in action... So now they can see the boxers live in person,” he said. The academy’s Nestor Tobias said he received a warm welcome when he visited Outapi last week. “I had a great reception last week, maybe because some of the people thought I was The Hitman,” joked Tobias. Challenges But while the promoter stated that nothing will stop the fight from taking place in Outapi, he called on potential backers to step to the plate to complement what main sponsor MTC will make available for the hosting of the event. “The show is on. About that there is no doub, but we still need sponsors to come on board to supplement what MTC is doing,” he said. For her part, Shaningwa called on the people of Omusati to help make this event a reality. According to her, MTC has already made N$700 000 available for the staging of the boxing bonanza, but they need N$1 million more. “I call on everybody in the region to make sure the financial aspect of this event is met. So any contribution, whether it’s N$10 or N$100 000, will be greatly appreciated,” she said. The governor said those interested in making a contribution can make use of the following account: Hitman in Outapi, Bank Windhoek, Cheque Account: 8003833141, Outapi Branch code: 484173. Tickets for the event will be on sale at N$50 for general entry and N$300 for VIPs. Full Outapi card Emmanuel Mungandjela v TBA Jeremia Nakathila v Manfred Haimbanga Johannes Simon v Abner Mwafangeyo Japhet Utoni v Lukusa Kashini Sakaria Lukas v Ilunga Kabwe (DRC) Julius Indongo v Joel Mwelwa (ZAM) Martin Haikali v Tekesha Ilunga (DRC) Paulus Moses v Cristian Rafael Coria (ARG) WINDHOEK-HECTOR MAWONGA

Ukraine’s opposition yesterday vowed further protests after defiantly rejecting an amnesty bill to free activists and ease the ex-Soviet country’s worse crisis since independence.
The parliament passed an amnesty bill late Wednesday with backing from the ruling Regions Party, but the opposition rejected its conditions and a breakthrough appeared unlikely.
President Viktor Yanukovych has granted several concessions to protesters who have packed the centre of Kiev for the last two months, including accepting the resignation of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov. But the opposition wants the head of state to go.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said after meeting Yanukovych that it was time for “real dialogue” to start and for “the violence and intimidation” to
stop.
In a move that is likely to complicate matters further, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow would wait until a new government is formed in Ukraine before it considers releasing a crucial US$15 billion bailout package for Kiev in full.
Analysts say the Kremlin may back out of the deal if it saw a staunchly anti-Russian government come to power in Ukraine, and the EU may end up having to bail out the former Soviet nation.
Three activists were shot dead in clashes in Kiev last week, but tensions have calmed somewhat since negotiations between the government and the opposition gained traction.
However, there still appears to be no easy way out of a crisis which will influence the future orientation of the nation of 46 million people sandwiched between Russia and the
EU.
Putin on Wednesday discussed the crisis with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Kremlin said, stressing that “any outside interference is unacceptable.”
Merkel for her part told Putin to push for a “constructive dialogue” to defuse the crisis in Ukraine, her office said.

‘On the brink of civil war’
Protesters, some from right-wing radical groups, remained camped out in much of the city centre of Kiev and have now erected wooden watchtowers at their barricades. They are still occupying key municipal buildings including the Kiev city hall.
Underlining the gravity of the crisis, Ukraine’s first post-independence president Leonid Kravchuk on Wednesday warned that the country was “on the brink of civil war”.
“It is a revolution.
It is a dramatic situation in which we must act with the greatest responsibility,” said Kravchuk, who was president from 1991 to
1994.
The opposition did not vote for the amnesty bill as it is unhappy that the law is conditional on protestors vacating buildings they have occupied in Kiev.
The majority Regions Party backed the law after a rare closed-door meeting at parliament with Yanukovych, who reportedly threatened early parliamentary elections if they did not support it.
A total of 232 deputies voted for the bill and 11 against, but 173 MPs present in the parliament did not vote.
The amnesty will only be enforced after the Prosecutor-General confirms protesters have left all government buildings across the country.

Gents, if you’ve ever looked at your kid’s homework and asked yourself how on earth you ‘passed with flying colours’ at primary school, you are not alone.
You see, during our school years, a teacher would stand in front of the class, with a piece of chalk in one hand and a rod in the other, start mumbling the story of the world’s largest this, smallest that and when was what made and by whom!
That was all you had to remember for the exams. All these cute questions requiring us to use our minds were never part of the deal!
Ja, back then, we were all probably only trained to become teachers, pastors and drivers for FP du Toit Transport – those were the only jobs one could think of.
Oh how things have changed since then. I tell you, today’s children are being taught not to only be able to interpret NASA codes, but to rewrite them!
My friend Tjeripo asked me for assistance as he could not make out his daughter’s homework. A little secret – I was not the smartest at school, but I surely was smarter than Tjeripo. Ja, in his view I knew everything.
So, when Tjeripo and his daughter, Cutie, showed up at my place last Saturday, I figured that I could extend my legacy and uphold the reputation I earned in Tjeripo’s eyes. We opened the books and got right down to it.
“How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator,” came the first question. I was puzzled. Is this a trick question?
Tjeripo’s daughter looked up at us and said “The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and close the door.”
I looked at the words in brackets next to the question “This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.”
I was not impressed with myself. How on earth did I get such a question wrong?
We moved on to question number two; “How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?”
That was simple, I thought.
“Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and close the refrigerator,” I replied.
Wrong answer, came Cutie’s reply. “The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door.”
Again I glanced at the words in brackets … “This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.”
Hoping for a quick and massive recovery, I asked for the third question.
“The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend ... except one. Which animal does not attend?”
I shook my head, couldn’t think of anything. It could be the cunning jackal which is probably out eating my goats. Or perhaps it is some or the other lizard that has crept back under the stone it came from – how the hell am I expected to know the answer?
In fact, why don’t they hold an animal census and we will know for sure. The correct answer, however, struck me like a bolt of lightning!
“The elephant, silly. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there, Uncle Charlie.”
Again, the words in brackets reminded me “… this tests your memory.”
At that point I did not even know if I warrant being referred to as ‘uncle’. I mean, what kind of uncle am I that do not know the answers to such simple questions?
Okay, even if I was yet to get a question right, I figured I’d try my luck and flex my muscles at the last question.
“There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles and you do not have a boat. How do you manage it?”
Both Tjeripo and I scratched our heads. Cutie – the person we were supposed to be helping – again came to the rescue.
“Come on, Uncle Charlie. You jump into the river and swim across. Have you not been listening? All the crocodiles are attending the animal meeting.”
And the words in brackets? “This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.”
Learn from my mistakes? Who writes these school manuals – Santa Claus?
Eish, thank God I was schooled in the ‘80s – I would have probably failed with flying colours under the new curriculum.
Until then…
Tjatindi@gmail.com

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Opolisi oya dhimbulula aantu yahamano yomaantu yaheyali mboka ya hulithile moshiponga sha holoka pokati kaKahandja naTjiwarongo ongulohi yEtiyali.
Ombesa yahumbata aaniilonga yEhangano lyaNamdeb ndjoka yali molweendo okuza mOshomeya (Tsumeb) okuya kOrange, oyiidhenge mumwe neloli lya humbata iikunwa yEhangano lyoNamibia Dairies.
Oshiponga shika osha ningilwa oshinano shookilometa 25 mOnooli yaKahandja lyopotundi 19:30 naantu omulongo oya ehamekelwa moshiponga. Ayehe mboka ya hulitha okwa lopotwa kutya aalumentu.
Oonakusa mboka yadhimbululwa, oya tumbulwa komadhina kutya omushingi gweloli Fablius Nangaku omunamimvo 40, omuhingi gwombesa Robert Bekker, 43, Hendrik van Wyk, 54, naAndalika Vilho, 59. Yaali yomwaamboka ya dhimbululwa inaya vula okutumbulwa komadhina molwaashoka aakwanezimo yawo inaya tseyithilwa natango.
Omupopiliko gwopolisi yaTjozondjupa Sergeant Maureen Mbeha, okwa indile oshigwana opo shi kwathele opolisi mokudhimbulula omudhimba ngoka inagu dhimbululwa natango tagu adhika mokila yopolisi yaVenduka.
Mbeha okwa kumagidha woo aahingi yiiyuthe koompango dhomoondjila opo kuyandwe iiponga.

OVENDUKA OMUTOOLINKUNDANA GWOMENI

Ongamelo yanuninwa omainyanyudho, yaNgoloneya gwOshitopolwa shaHangwena Usko Nghaamwa, oya yahwa nuutati komunamukunda ngoka a adha tayi hanagula po iikunwa yawo.
Oshiningwanima shika osha ningwa momasiku 21 gaJanuari mOmukunda Oipapakane mOshitopolwa shaHangwena na oshe etitha etulomiipandeko lyaValendi Kamati.
Kamati goka e na oomvula 21, okwa holoka komeho yompangu yamangestrata gwaHangwena mEtiyali na okwa pewa omboloha yooN$500.
Omupopiliko gwOpolisi yaHangwena Sergeant Kaume Iitumba, okwa koleke oshiningwanima shoka ta ti omutamanekwa okwa yaha ongamelo pwaa na omatompelo gomondjila.
Sho a popi noshifokundaneki shoNamibian Sun, Nghaamwa okwa ti okwa uvithwa nayi noonkondo koshiningwanima shoka, molwaashoka Kamati ke na omatompelo gokuyaha oshinamwenyo shoka.
Ngoloneya okwati, okwa ndhindhilike kutya oshinamwenyo she osha ehamekwa sho she ya kegumbo tashi tondoka shi na oshikuti shuutati.
“Ope na embo lyoompango ndyoka lya indike aantu opo yi ikuthile oompango momake gawo yene. Nonando omuntu okwa dhipaga mumwanyoko ku na uuthemba woku mu dhipaga ihe owu na oku ka lopota oshiningwanima shoka kopolisi nomulumentu nguka shoka osho a li e na okuninga,” Nghaamwa ta ti.
Pahapu dhaNghaamwa, aanamukunda momukunda Oipapakane oye shi shi nawa kutya ongamelo ndjoka oye, onkene kehe ngoka a adha tayi yonagula iikunwa ye nenge epya lye okwa pumbwa okukatuka oonkatu dhomondjila opo ya kandule po uupyakadhi mboka.
“Kamati okwa li e na okuya kegumbo lyandje opo a holole uupyakadhi we, e ta tu wu kandula po nge pashimaliwa, nuuna ina tu adha etsokumwe nena opwali pe na ompito opo a ka patulule oshipotha kopolisi. Ke na uuthemba okuyaha oshinamwenyo,” Nghaamwa ta ti.
Ngoloneya okwa gwedha ko kutya ongamelo ndjoka okwe yi eta momukunda ngoka opo aakwashigwana ya vule okumona omauwananwa okuza moopoloyeka dhoshigwana pakufutitha aataleli po naakwashigwana mboka ya hala okukayila ongamelo ndjoka.
Nghaamwa ta hokolola kutya omathimbo hamale ga piti po sho ongamelo ndjoka yali ya kana na oya adhika koongamba dhaAngola naNamibia naanona oyali ya nyanyukwa okumona ongamelo oshikando shotango.
“Opoloyeka ndjoka nda tokola okutameka otayi ke etela aakwashigwana omauwananwa molwaashoka aakalimo yomOshitopolwa shaHangwena niitopolwa yopuushinda oha ye ya okutala ongamelo ndjoka naanaskola ohaye ya okwiilonga iinamwenyo onga oshitopolwa shomailongo gawo. Ongamelo ndjika oyi li eliko enene kaakwashigwana na onduuvite nayi molwaashoka omuntu gumwe okwa kambadhala oku yi dhipaga pwaa na omatompelo,” Nghaamwa ta tsikile ko.

Namibians abroad who live far from Namibian diplomatic missions complain that they have to travel long distances to register as voters.
Despite this, the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) says it will not meet them halfway and all eligible voters should make the effort to travel to Namibian embassies, high commissions or consulates.
According to the ECN Namibians, especially students studying in China and Russia, have complained about having to travel far to the missions in Beijing and Moscow to register.
In China most complaints came from students in the province of Liaoning which is a seven-hour drive (680 km) from Beijing, and Nanjing, which is more than 1 000 km (11 hours) from the Namibian mission.
Shanghai, Chongqing and Wuhan are even further and Namibians living in those cities will have to travel more than 1 700 km, which is a 19-hour drive, to register.
Students studying in Alchevsk and Lugansk in the Ukraine will have to travel to the Russian capital Moscow in order to register.
“For this current general voter registration we will only operate from our missions where registration points have been established,” said ECN director of operations Theo Mujoro.
“In the future the Commission may consider establishing registrations at some of these points but only on advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the number of eligible Namibians there.”
A total of 972 eligible Namibians of voting age living outside the country have registered so far.
The highest number of registrations was done in Cape Town, South Africa, where 536 Namibians turned up to register, compared to only 27 in Pretoria.
In China, 62 voters have registered, in Malaysia 51, Russia 32, Austria and Zimbabwe 25, and 23 registered at Ondjiva in Angola.
The lowest figures were recorded Japan and Cuba – three, Menongwe, Angola – five, Democratic Republic of Congo and Brazil – six and France, Germany, Tanzania and Sweden - all with eight.
No single Namibian has registered so far in Egypt.
“When the registration process started, Egypt was conducting a referendum, it was some sort of holiday, and our missions were held at up customs,” explained Mujoro.
“We only started with registration in Egypt mid-last week and by the time of publishing these latest results we had not received any statistics from them.”
Mujoro said he has it on good authority that there are only ten Namibians in Egypt and registering them could be done within a day.
He added that those who do not get an opportunity to register during this round of registration still have a chance to do so during the supplementary voter registration shortly before the elections.
The current registration campaign ends in March.

WINDHOEK ELVIS MURARANGANDA

Regional and local councils’ chief executive officers have been urged to stop behaving like kings at their workplaces.
Regional and Local Government Minister Charles Namoloh repeatedly stated at the ministry’s annual planning workshop that most of the CEOs he has known do not behave like public servants.
“They behave like kings at their offices, yet we appointed them as public servants to serve the local and regional councils,” he stressed.
Several regional and town councils’ CEOs as well as some senior ministry officials attended the workshop.
Namoloh also reminded the CEOs of when they were interviewed for their positions.
“Do you remember the first day you were interviewed for that position? You were a very humble person, well-dressed and promised us that you will deliver quality services, but most of you act and behave like kings in your offices,” he charged.
Regional and town councils’ chief executive officers are appointed by the regional and local authority councillors.
Therefore, the minister expects them to report directly to and respect those who appointed them.
Namoloh further stated that the CEOs must cooperate fully with the appointing authorities, rather than going around boasting about their ‘qualifications’, which in most cases the local and regional councillors do not have.
Namoloh said town councillors who are elected to power must aim to deliver top-quality services by implementing lasting solutions to problems related to a lack of serviced town land and housing shortages.
“But to me, it seems like there is no teamwork between the CEOs and their town councillors.
They don’t talk to each other, and in most cases you will hear that a certain CEO is suspended,” the minister added.
He said teamwork is the way to go this year, adding that he does not want to hear of a CEO who is suspended on allegations of insubordination this year.
Before April this year, officials in his ministry as well as those working for the regional and local authority councils countrywide are expected to sign performance agreements to hold them accountable in case of incompetence.
“Those who will fail to deliver to the expected levels on mass housing programmes due to incompetence will be forced to ship out of their employment comfort zones,” he warned. The minister further said that there are some local authority councils claiming not to have funds to service town land for residential purposes, but more than N$1 billion earmarked for capital projects by the ministry remains unutilised.
If the money is not used for its intended purposes by March 31, it will be returned to the Ministry of Finance.
The ministry’s three-day annual planning workshop ends today.

After years of delays the Oshakati Town Council has announced that the much-anticipated new open market, which is expected to restore order in the town, will be completed by June.
Speaking to the media at the construction site yesterday, council spokesperson Jackson Muma said town officials on Wednesday had a meeting with the contractors where it was decided that the open market would be handed over to the community by the middle of the year and no later.
The N$70 million project, which was implemented in 2009, has suffered numerous setbacks, mainly due to budgetary constraints experienced by the Oshakati Town Council.
Muma said the purpose of the open market is to promote enterprise and allow informal business to be conducted in a conducive environment.
The open market will accommodate an administrative office, information kiosk, craft market, retail stalls, cold-storage rooms, a public meeting hall and public toilets.
It will also have a braai and raw meat market, fresh vegetable market, a children’s playground and a 37-metre-high observation tower giving people a bird’s eye view of the town.
Muma also announced yesterday that a long-distance and short-distance bus and taxi terminal will also be available at the open market.
He said a ticket booth at the bus terminal will ensure that order is maintained and that the current situation of bag grabbing by bus operators will soon be a thing of the past.
“The terminal is one of the much-needed facilities in Oshakati in order to ensure that commuters are embarking and disembarking in an orderly manner. There is also a provision for public parking,” said Muma. The existing market, which will be demolished soon, accommodates about 300 vendors while the new open market has a capacity of more than 350 stalls.

The standoff between the Minister of Defence, Nahas Angula, and the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) about soldiers having to produce municipal bills to register for local authority elections is officially water under the bridge.
The tense situation was amicably resolved after the two parties reached an understanding concerning certain ECN voter registration requirements, which the minister said barred NDF members from registering as voters.
The tension between the two parties was caused by the ECN’s alleged refusal to allow members of the NDF to register for local authority elections without producing municipal bills.
The ECN will now amend the requirements of the Electoral Act to allow members of the NDF to register.
Angula had threatened to sue the ECN, accusing them of misinterpreting the Electoral Act and disenfranchising members of the armed forces.
He had reportedly confirmed earlier this week that he had already consulted his lawyer.
Angula also said he would approach Cabinet, which is expected to meet on February 11, about how to deal with the issue.
The minister told Namibian Sun yesterday that he had a meeting with the ECN and that they agreed to look at the issue again.
“We agreed the current requirements are cumbersome,” he said, adding that ECN is going to probe the matter further.
He added that the ECN intends to amend their rules regarding producing municipal bills, in anticipation of supplementary voter registration scheduled for September.

He confirmed an understanding had been reached.
“The members of the defence force will register during the supplementary registration period,” Angula emphasised.
Meanwhile, the United Democratic Front (UDF) had earlier expressed concern about Angula’s threats to “court-martial the Electoral Commission of Namibia”.
UDF president Apius !Auchab said: “The Electoral Act was promulgated while Angula was a member of the parliament. Yet today he is uncomfortable with its implementation and wants to turn against the same law he enacted.
“He said that Angula was “confusing people by threatening ECN with legal action”.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has been busy lately. It has been busy making arrests and disseminating this information to the public via the media.
In fact, we in the media are having a field day. Hardly a day passes lately without receiving a statement from the ACC announcing an arrest or two.
Just yesterday, as we were wrapping up production for today’s edition, there came a correspondence from the ACC announcing the arrest on Wednesday of professional boxer Wilberforce Shihepo.
The pugilist, who works in the Office of the Prime Minister, is accused of using a government petrol card to fill up a private vehicle to the tune of N$700.
The day before that, the ACC announced its arrest of two officials of the Ondonga Traditional Authority for allegedly pocketing money (over N$200 000) generated from sand mining.
If we list story by story what the ACC has been doing in recent weeks, we will find no space to fit them all in.
But while we appreciate the efforts being made by Paulus Noa and his lieutenants, we are deeply concerned that their efforts continue to be centred around what, in true measurements, amounts to petty crime.
Filling up a private car to the tune of N$700 is obviously a concern that must be nipped in the bud, but what about the Omusati toilet saga in which close to N$20 million is still unaccounted for, four years since it came to the fore?
The ACC will shield itself by arguing that the matter has been forwarded to the prosecutor-general for a decision – but this defence mechanism cannot exonerate the ACC from its lax handling of this matter.
And what is the breakthrough with regard to bribery claims that rocked the Neckartal Dam tender? We know for a fact that the agency has made progress in identifying the suspected culprits but the speed at which this is being handled is nothing compared to the lighting pace at which the likes of Shihepo were arrested.
Just this week, Noa told Namibian Sun that he has cleared the Roads Authority for awarding a N$16 million road maintenance tender to one of its own employees.
While we understand that this was due to the company’s internal policies, the contrast is just too sharp to stomach. Mr Noa, please help us understand!

Government has established a senior management level technical committee which has been tasked with comprehensively addressing the challenges faced by the University of Namibia (Unam)’s School of Medicine.
The technical committee consists of representatives of the Ministry of Health and Social Services led by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Andrew Ndishishi; representatives of the Ministry of Education led by its PS Alfred Ilukena and representatives of Unam, led by Unam’s Pro-Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research, Professor Osmund Mwandemele.
The technical committee was established after media reports that some members of the public, medical specialists and practitioners, and students of the School of Medicine raised concern about a number of issues pertaining to the medical education and training programme of the School of Medicine.
Addressing the media at a joint media conference in Windhoek on Friday, Ilukena said the technical committee will consult and interview as many stakeholders as possible.
The stakeholders will include the Health Professions Councils of Namibia (HPCNA); Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA); National Council for Higher Education (NCHE); health ministry officials and those at training facilities; Unam officials including the Chairman of the Unam Council; medical specialists and practitioners.
The joint technical committee has been given three weeks to complete its task and compile a comprehensive report with clear recommendations to be submitted to the government for advice and action.
Once the government has approved the report, the committee will inform the public about its recommendations and the implementation strategy.
“The government of the Republic of Namibia has heard and listened to the concerns raised,” Ilukena said, noting that the School of Medicine is an important government project which is there to produce well-trained and qualified medical practitioners. Ilukena acknowledged that there may be some teething difficulties for a new institution like the School of Medicine at Unam, and said the government takes the concerns seriously.
It was reported in a local daily newspaper recently that several local State hospitals and private institutions are refusing to take in interns from Unam's Medical School citing poor quality training.
Republikein reported that nearly 20 medical professionals had written to Ndishishi, expressing concern over various issues and setting conditions that should be met before they would start working with students from the medical school.
The doctors said they were not impressed with some of the students' knowledge, especially the third-year students.

WINDHOEK NAMPA

The Namibian Employers’ Federation (NEF) has raised concern about the reclaiming process of the new training levy that will come into effect in April this year.
The Vocational Education and Training Act of 2008 provides for the imposing of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) levy on employers to facilitate and encourage vocational education and training.
The VET levy requires affected employers to make a monthly contribution to the Namibia Training Authority’s National Training Fund (NTF), which will apply such funds towards training Namibians in key national priority training and occupation areas.
Registration for the levy, which is payable by every eligible employer with an annual payroll of N$1 million or more as per Section 35 of the VET Act, started on Monday and ends on February 27, 2014.
NEF Secretary-General Tim Parkhouse, in a media statement issued on Friday, raised the alarm on the cash-flow implications on companies which are already engaged in training.
“We are concerned at the cash-flow implications on companies who are engaged in training, and remember that there are some companies already investing heavily in training. They will now have to pay the one percent levy upfront and will only be able to claim back their 50 percent after one year. We would have liked this to have been effective after a maximum of six months, perhaps even every four months,” he said.
Parkhouse said the NEF is also concerned about the restrictiveness of the reclaimable expenses, as only Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) registered courses will be allowed.
“There are a vast number of short courses being offered which are all aiding the development of vocational workers in the country,” he said.
He said the NEF hopes that this can be reviewed once the operation of the levy collection is running. A survey carried out by the NEF during 2012 indicated that 83% of the respondents asked for short courses to be allowed for reclaiming.
“Generally, it is vital that the NTA is able to re-distribute the funds collected reasonably quickly, while maintaining the required controls, and not allow a massive reserve to build up for whatever reason,” the statement read.
Every eligible employer with an annual payroll of N$1 million or more will have to contribute one percent to the NTA.
The NEF however requested that the levy be reduced to 0.5% instead of the current one percent.
On a more positive note, Parkhouse called on employers to accept the levy and to see it as a medium- to long-term investment in the country.
The federation also encouraged employers to continue all the training they previously offered their workers.

WINDHOEK NAMPA