Day: September 6, 2023

The Automobile Association of Namibia (AAN) on Wednesday launched the third edition of its ‘Together for Safer Roads’ campaign Soccer Day, which takes place in Swakopmund on 18 November.

First launched in November 2021, the campaign is a collaboration with the Namibia Road Safety Forum, the National Road Safety Council, and the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund.

It provides an opportunity for public passenger transport such as taxis and long-distance drivers, traffic law enforcement agencies such as the Namibian Police Force, Roads Authority traffic inspectors, as well as municipal police services from Windhoek, Henties Bay, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Otjiwarongo to synergise on the soccer pitch.

AAN Managing Director Hileni Tjivikua during the launch of the event sponsored by Vivo Energy Namibia said: “The main prerogative for this would be to bring a sense of harmony, instil mutual respect, build and sustain the relationship between traffic law enforcement agencies and public passenger transport providers, and ultimately enhance abidance to related laws and improve road safety in our country.”

She said the event is aimed at reaching the objectives of Pillar 4 of the Namibian Chapter of the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, which specifies safer road users.

“Furthermore, the interaction between the public passenger transport drivers and law enforcement agencies will potentially enhance and change driver behaviour and attitude for the better, thus ensuring safer road usage and a resultant decrease in road crash casualties,” she said.

Swakopmund Mayor Dina Namubes welcomed the initiative, emphasising the much-needed harmony it will lead to between the public transport providers and law enforcers.

“I was specifically pleased with this initiative as I believe that this interaction between the public passenger transport drivers and law enforcement agencies will enhance and change driver behaviour and attitude as it will create mutual respect and understanding between the parties. This in turn will definitely ensure safer road usage and subsequently, decrease road crash casualties,” she said.

The soccer day will precede the launch of the national Festive Season Road Safety Campaign and World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Central North Regional Electricity Distributor (Cenored) has revealed that it will embark on a Token Identifier (TID) project to have the current system used on all its pre-paid electricity meters, upgraded.

According to Cenored Communication and Marketing Officer Josua Hamunyela in an interview with Nampa on Wednesday, the new system to run for the next 32 years, will enhance the prepaid electricity meters in the regions where it the electricity distributor operates, namely Otjozondjupa, Omaheke, Kunene, and Oshikoto.

Hamunyela, who is updating Cenored’s clients on the new project at the Okakarara Annual Trade Fair, said: “The new system is required since the old system which had a lifespan of approximately 32 years, has expired.”

He assured all clients that the system upgrade would not result in any additional charges or affect the performance of pre-paid electricity.

He also stated that all pre-paid meters will be effected by the TID rollover on 24 November 2024 and that any tokens generated after this date will be rejected by meters that have not been upgraded.

“This process will be carried out by a Cenored task team who will be identifiable when they visit your homes by having an identification card on them, as well as a Cenored or TID branded clothing. Through this, we are trying to assure Namibians that the project is not a scam but rather forms part of the roll-out project,” he said.

Hamunyela said the commencement date of the project is yet to be communicated and only the towns in the regions where it operates, and where pre-paid meters are used, will be affected.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Menzies Aviation has maintained that it was not evicted, but was forced out of the Hosea Kutako International Airport (HKIA) by the Deputy Sheriff and the Namibian Police Force (NamPol).

The British ground handling services company was evicted from HKIA on 19 August.

Menzies in a media statement on Tuesday said “The company was stopped at the gate and was prohibited from entering the airport while NAC and Paragon used the Deputy Sheriff and the Namibian Police Force to prevent Menzies’ entrance to the airport by force,”

It stressed that until the high court application challenging the said eviction is finalised, it will not hand over any cargo to the lawful consignees. The company however will hand over the Blood Transfusion Service of Namibia’s (NamBTS) critical lifesaving equipment on Wednesday.

This was after a mediation process held on Monday involving the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) and Paragon Investment Holdings.

“If Menzies was indeed evicted, as so falsely claimed by Paragon and the NAC, it would have been possible for Menzies to take all its belongings from the airport, and it would also have been permissible for Menzies to hand over all cargo to the lawful consignees,” the statement reads.

It went on to say that Paragon and the NAC did not execute any court order to evict Menzies, and that it instead prevented the court order – which they claim they rely on – from being executed. In fact, the truth is that they acted in contempt of the very order they seek to rely on, it said.

Meanwhile, Paragon Managing Director Lazarus Jacobs said Menzies’ statement is a misrepresentation of what transpired in the meeting.

“We will overlook the bruised egos and focus on the real issues. The blood reagents will be delivered to NamBTS,” Jacobs said on Tuesday.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Judge Christie Liebenberg has convicted Marcus Thomas and Kevan Townsend for the murder of Andre Heckmair. More to follow.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The national green hydrogen roadshow as announced by the Namibian Government and Hyphen Hydrogen Energy reached Mariental on Tuesday.

It aimed to engage stakeholders in the Hardap Region on the Hyphen project and its socio-economic development (SED) framework recently launched in Keetmanshoop.

More than 250 people, including learners from Empelheim Junior Secondary School and Mariental High School, showed up for the meeting chaired by Obeth Kandjoze, Director General of the National Planning Commission and Chairperson of the Green Hydrogen Commission.

Regional heads of line ministries and agencies, control administration officers, traditional authorities, political leaders, the business community, church and youth leaders also attended.

The meeting that lasted for almost the entire day focused on insightful information shared by Kandjoze and Hyphen representative Toni Beukes, the Head of Environment, Social and Governance.

In his opening remarks, Hardap Region Governor Salomon April said that as inhabitants of Hardap, they were delighted to receive the green hydrogen leadership.

“Most of the time we hear things are happening, things took place here and there but oftentimes we are not participants. Probably just benefitting from hearing, this time around the government and Hyphen decided to take a different approach and decided to engage communities so they have the opportunity to ask questions in order to understand,” he said.

Kandjoze gave assurance about the positive social and economic transformation the green hydrogen project will bring to Namibia and in particular the south of the country. This he said will happen as a result of billions of dollars that will be pumped into the Namibian economy over a 40-year period once the green hydrogen project starts to operate.

According to him, the investment is worth N.dollars 200 billion of which 30 per cent is reserved for local procurement, meaning that N.dollars 15 billion worth of goods, services and materials will be supplied by local Namibian companies.

Those in attendance posed questions to Kandjoze and Beukes. Learners wanted to know whether Hyphen would offer employment in the commercial fields or would only cater to science fields.

Beukes responded that the project will be multi-faceted in terms of jobs.

On the question of land ownership by Hyphen, and Government borrowing money to invest in the project, Kandjoze said: “I can be quoted on this, the government has not borrowed any money. Hyphen, the investor is paying for everything during the two years of the planning/feasibility phase, including already even paying royalties and taxes to the Namibian Government.”

The land, he said belongs to the government; Hyphen will only be leasing the land.

Hardap governor April and ||Kharas Region Governor Aletha Frederick have meanwhile been appointed as ex-officio to the Green Hydrogen Council by President Hage Geingob.

The envisaged green hydrogen project will be located in the Tsau-||Khaeb environmentally protected area (Sperrgebiet), 72km north of Lüderitz in ||Kharas. It is projected that Hyphen will employ about 30 000 workers in the starting phase and up to 3 000 permanent workers, with 4 000 employee houses to be constructed.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency