Day: January 17, 2024

OMUTHIYA: Omuthiya Town Council (OTC) spokesperson, Ottilie Shingenge, is urging residents of Omuthiya who have been adversely affected by a recent thunderstorm to contact them for any assistance needed.

Shingenge made this statement in an interview with Nampa on Wednesday, following their assessment of the damage caused by the thunderstorm to eight residents within the town.

Despite the town having insufficient budgetary provisions for addressing damages caused by natural disasters, Shingenge emphasised that they are committed to providing emotional support and temporary accommodation to those in need.

‘We have a limited budget, so we cannot cover the damages caused by this thunderstorm, but we can offer emotional support and temporary accommodation,’ she said.

Shingenge highlighted that certain house structures, particularly in locations such as the Kaniita informal settlement, were damaged by the catastrophic natural disaster that occurred on Monday and Tuesday.

‘We advise people who have trees within
their compound to cut off limping branches or trim them properly before they cause harm during strong winds.’

Furthermore, Shingenge emphasised the importance of remaining vigilant regarding the condition of trees in the vicinity to prevent them from falling onto structures. She said this in reference to an incident on Monday night, when a 61-year-old resident, Ananias Martin, from the Kaniita informal settlement had his home structure swept away by a thunderstorm at around 22h00.

Recounting the incident, Martin expressed his devastation at being abruptly awakened by heavy rain and wind. He described the ordeal as horrific, mentioning that he sustained injuries to his head from objects within his structure.

‘I managed to escape as I ran to my neighbours to accommodate me, but everything was swept away by water,’ said Martin, adding that with the assistance of OTC and neighbours, he was able to successfully reconstruct his room on Tuesday.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

ONYAANYA: A 40-year-old man allegedly drowned in a pool of water on his way home from the cuca shop in the early hours of Wednesday at the Oshikulu village in Oshikoto Region.

According to a report issued by the Namibian Police Force on Wednesday, the man’s lifeless body was allegedly discovered by a passerby at around 07h00 on Wednesday morning.

‘The deceased is suspected to have fallen in the water on his way home from the cuca shop last night and subsequently drowned,’ the report said.

The deceased’s body has been taken to the Omuthiya Police Mortuary for an autopsy.

Police investigations continue.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

KATIMA MULILO: Deputy Director of Education in the Zambezi Region, Norah Maemeko-Munembo, has declared that no child will be denied school placement this year.

Maemeko-Munembo revealed that despite the completion of the school admission process from June to September last year (2023), there are still students seeking new school placements for the current year.

In an interview with Nampa on Wednesday, the Deputy Director noted that while classes could have fully resumed on Monday, the presence of new learners requiring placement means normal school classes may only recommence from next week Monday.

‘The challenge that we face is that parents hardly comply with our requests to begin applying for admission for their children on time. The whole year they will just sit and wait for the following year, and they will start rushing in search of school placements,’ she stated.

Furthermore, she said that placements in rural schools have been sorted out, with challenges remaining only for those in urban areas, where
many parents insist on specific schools.

‘When we visited Caprivi Senior Secondary School (CSSS) yesterday, I came across two hundred parents wanting their children to get places there. However, it’s not possible to accommodate all those because we have designated CSSS as our project school of excellence, and therefore only learners with points from 30 and above will be considered,’ argued Maemeko-Munembo.

The deputy director urged parents still seeking school placements for their children to visit the circuit inspector’s office this week to ensure that learners do not miss out on classes, which have already commenced for those placed in classes.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

KORHOGO: Former Brave Warriors captain, Ronald Ketjijere, says Namibians should take pride in the team’s accomplishments at the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON), after the team recorded a 1-0 victory over Tunisia on Tuesday evening.

Ketjijere, in an interview with Nampa on Wednesday, said that the senior men’s national team went through a challenging qualifier process, with all their matches played away from home.

The Brave Warriors began their 2023 AFCON championship with a 1-0 victory against Tunisia, and they are in Group E with South Africa and Mali and based in the northern town of Korhogo in Ivory Coast.

In an interview with Nampa on Tuesday, Ketjijere said that, as a player, he could not return to the team to feature at the 2023 AFCON Finals despite being called up, due to injury.

‘I am happy with what the team has achieved. The team did well by qualifying, especially since they played all their matches away from home. I am confident that the experience in the team, consists of 70 per cent of
players who competed at the 2019 AFCON, so this will help them in this tournament,’ he said.

Ketjijere commended the technical team for assembling a team that played most of its matches away from home and still qualified.

‘The current pressure on the team is to try and do better, as this is the fourth time Namibia is qualifying for AFCON, and they needed to break the curse of not winning a match at the competition. As a Namibian, I call on everyone to support these great players who have always done their best against all odds,’ Ketjijere said.

The former captain also called on the players to go out there with confidence and continue delivering the hard work they have been doing.

‘Our team’s pressing game puts opponents under pressure, and since everyone is playing away from home, each team stands a chance of making it at this competition,’ he said.

Ketjijere, who is in Ivory Coast on a CAF ticket to promote Namibian and African football, stated that he would have loved to form part of the team, but his
exclusion due to injury offered an opportunity for another player.

‘The current talent in the team is the future of Namibian football, and they deserve all the support and encouragement for the future of our game,’ he said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency