Month: August 2023

Namibia commemorated its 33rd Heroes’ Day on Saturday, with the President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, being the guest of honour.

President Hage Geingob, in his address, stated that Namibia and Cuba share a longstanding bond of friendship, forged through the sacrifice of fallen heroes and engraved in the battlegrounds of Namibia’s fight for freedom and independence.

‘Even the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean that separates our nations cannot sever this enduring connection. Truly, our sons and daughters traversed numerous rivers of blood, aided by our allies, the courageous Cuban internationalist fighters who stood shoulder to shoulder with our combatants from the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), in order to ultimately overcome the scourge of apartheid ideology in Southern Africa,’ Geingob remarked.

He emphasised that the Cuban fighters sought no recompense for their valiant deeds.

‘They were solely propelled by the very principles that propelled their own revolution. Their blood sacrifices, coupled with those of Namibia’s own offspring, marked the turning point in our armed struggle and will forever be etched in the pages of history,’ Geingob concluded.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Namibian national senior rugby team’s hopes were dashed by lapses in focus and handling errors, resulting in a 43-30 defeat against South Africa’s Blue Bulls at the Windhoek High School sportsground on Saturday.

The Namibian Rugby team, known as the Welwitschias, concluded their final home game on Saturday before embarking on the journey to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, scheduled from 08 September to 28 October 2023.

Namibia finds itself placed in Group A alongside Italy, New Zealand, Uruguay, and the host nation, France.

In their ultimate preparation match for the forthcoming World Cup, the Welwitschias momentarily clinched a three-point lead. However, the visitors swiftly established dominance with Deon Slabbert scoring in the second minute, a try expertly converted by Jaco van der Walt.

The Welwitschias managed to put points on the board in the ninth minute through a penalty kick by Andre van der Berg. Alcino Izaacs secured Namibia’s first try in the 18th minute, followed by a successful conversion from Van der Berg, granting Namibia the lead for the first time.

At a score of 10-07, the Bulls responded with a second try, credited to Mpilo Gumede, which was converted by Van der Walt, propelling the visitors to a 10-14 advantage.

Van der Berg added another penalty kick to the Welwitschias’ tally, narrowing the gap to 13-14. However, Stravino Jacobs’ try for the visitors just before halftime gave them a six-point advantage.

The first half concluded with a score of 13-19, favouring the Bulls.

As the second half unfolded, Cornal Hendricks extended the Bulls’ lead with a try, expertly converted by Van der Walt. The Welwitschias swiftly retaliated with their own try, courtesy of Le Roux Malan. Despite Van der Berg’s successful conversion, the Bulls maintained their lead at 26-20.

A mere seven minutes later, the Welwitschias managed another try, this time by Obert Nortje. Unfortunately, Van der Berg missed the conversion, leaving the score at a narrow 26-25, still in favour of the Bulls.

The Bulls, driven to secure victory, rapidly added to their tally with a try from Bernard van der Linde. Van der Walt’s conversion attempt went wide, settling the score at 25-31.

With only 15 minutes left on the clock, Hillian Beukes secured a try for the Welwitschias. However, Van der Berg’s missed conversion left the score at 30-31, with the Bulls leading.

In the final moments of the game, the Bulls surged ahead with two additional tries, scored by WJ Steenkamp and Tiaan Lange, both effectively converted by Van der Walt. The match concluded with a score of 43-30, favouring the Bulls.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Department of Public Enterprises has entered into a Collaboration Framework Agreement with the China Development Bank (CBD) which the department says will enhance the sustainability of State Owned Companies (SOCs).

The CBD already has funding agreements with Eskom and Transnet for locomotives and the building of power stations, Medupi and Kusile.

“We are laying the foundation for a more sustainable path to ensure that our developmental goals as a country stay on track. This agreement is also a sign of our commitment as government to create an enabling environment for our SOCs. They are a critical lever to drive service delivery and economic opportunity to improve the lives of millions of South Africans,” DPE Minister Pravin Gordhan said.

He added that the agreement will open new paths for SOCs.

“This agreement is a culmination of the discussions and engagements that we conducted with the CDB during our visit to Beijing in May this year. The DPE is confident that this agreement will allow us to better position our SOCs for future growth as we leverage the exchange of expertise, technical skills and other strategic catalysts that this collaboration framework agreement makes possible,” Gordhan added.

The agreement was signed on the side lines of the 15th BRICS Summit held in Johannesburg and is one of the key initiatives to deepen China-South Africa relations following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Official State Visit to Pretoria on Tuesday.

CBD Vice Chairman and President, Tan Jiong, said: “We view this agreement as one more step in our efforts to enhance cooperation across a range of key strategic sectors to enable further development that is underpinned by a strong relationship between our two countries”.

“The CDB already has a close relationship with Transnet and Eskom, but now we also have the opportunity to work with the DPE in other areas of mutual interest, including mining and forestry

Source: Nam News Network