Day: February 6, 2024

Okapya Livestock Development Centre Manager, Sheuyange Tuhafeni has encouraged northern subsistence cattle farmers to start growing buffalo grass for their cattle instead of buying it from commercial farmers at a high price.

Tuhafeni said during a demonstration to farmers on how to plant buffalo grass at Okapya in the Nehale Lya Mpingana constituency of Oshikoto that buffalo grass is favoured by livestock and farmers lack the knowledge on how to plant and grow it.

‘Our farmers do not invest in growing this grass but it is the favourite of our animals. Instead they buy it from commercial farmers at a high price,’ said Tuhafeni.

He urged local farmers to visit the centre so that they can be trained on how to grow and harvest the buffalo grass. He added that the grass has a lifespan of 40 years and only grows during the rainy season.

One of the objectives of the centre, he noted, is to train indigenous farmers from north of the red line who are not familiar with livestock farming.

‘We focus mostly on livest
ock farming and livestock marketing such as dehorning, castration, animal health, feeding and animal grazing, and train farmers on how to produce animal feed,’ Tuhafeni said.

The centre also works to conserve indigenous cattle such as the Sanga breed, and to train the community in all aspects of farming.

Established in 2015, Okapya Livestock Development Centre falls under the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform to empower formerly disadvantaged communities in terms of farming.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Residents of Keetmanshoop on Monday gathered for a candlelight vigil ceremony in remembrance of the late President Hage Geingob.

The ceremony organised by the Keetmanshoop municipality was held to honour the president’s legacy and for the residents to send messages of condolence to former First Lady Monica Geingos, the children, his family and the entire country.

Speaking during the ceremony, Reverend Dr Andreas Biwa urged Namibians to unify, be strong and courageous and to continue in the spirit of Harambee.

He said Namibians should learn from past lessons and carry the president’s legacy and vision forward, as he had visions of green schemes, new mines and the increment of pension funds.

‘We cannot take this situation lightly, we have strong and weak people in this country, so let us Harambee together. We are moving into an unknown challenge, we know of our past but we are not sure of what is ahead, but let us remember one Namibia, one nation,’ said Biwa.

Keetmanshoop municipality councillor, Annalise
Knouwds described the late Geingob as not just a leader, but a guiding light, a beacon of wisdom and a source of inspiration for many people. He said as the community of Keetmanshoop, they should not only share in the sorrow of the president’s passing, but also in the gratitude for the years of the president’s dedication, resilience and unwavering commitment to the betterment of the nation and its people.

‘Let us remember the moments of strength and courage that the late president displayed in times of challenges, his vision for unity, equality and progress will continue to inspire us as we move forward carrying the torch of his legacy,’ she said.

Geingob, who was Namibia’s third president, died at age 82 on Sunday.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu has encouraged the new cohort of students at the Cape Town Society for the Blind to use the year-long course to learn, grow and provide for their families.

‘Nothing must stop you from achieving your dreams. Take the skills you learn and use it to improve your lives. This programme offered [by] the Cape Town Society for the Blind is a great opportunity and I want to urge you to give it your best,’ Zulu said.

The Minister was speaking during the first day of build-up activities leading to the State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Zulu is conducting a two-day outreach programme focusing on teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence, youth, women and persons with disabilities in and around the City of Cape Town.

The Cape Town Society for the Blind is a non-profit organisation (NPO) registered with the Department of Social Development, and funded by its agency, the National Development Agency (NDA).

The NPO assists persons who struggle with their eyesight by equipping them
with skills so that they may reclaim and live positive lives and make a positive impact in society. The NPO provides Low Vision Assessment and Treatment Clinic services.

According to the department, the organisation used more than R558 000 from the NDA to purchase equipment for the Low Vision Clinic and their Braille programme as well as on staff training courses.

The visually impaired and those with low and reduced vision have applauded the work, and support they receive from the Cape Town Society for the Blind.

Roeshda Panday, who works as a receptionist at the Low Vision Clinic said that her life changed dramatically after she lost her vision in 2020 after struggling with headaches.

She was later diagnosed with a brain tumour which affected her optic nerve.

‘As a single mother, it was difficult to adjust to my new life but survival mode kicked in, so I started reading up on blindness and discovered this society which gave support to people like me. It was here, at Low Vision Clinic, that I found a com
munity of people who gave me support and care as I learned how to live with my condition,’ Panday said.

The 52-year-old excelled in the courses offered at the clinic and was then offered an internship to work at the clinic.

She added that it was at the organisation that: ‘I found my joy by helping those who walked through the clinic doors. We can all learn so much from each other.’

She also learned a lot more from the optometrist at the clinic who taught her about the anatomy of the eye. She advised the new class to grab every opportunity offered by the Cape Town Society for the Blind.

Another beneficiary at the organisation, Sergil January, said that he became blind in 2006 after he was shot in the head. However, he refused to have his confidence taken away by the loss of his eyesight.

In 2009, he joined the Cape Town Society for the Blind where he completed a computer course. Two years down the line, which was in 2021, he took up the position of an awareness officer within the organisation.

January’s
work includes conducting outreach programmes at schools and even participating in radio and television interviews on a regular basis to educate communities and persons who need help.

‘I am responsible for creating awareness and advocacy for this amazing organisation that continues to change lives and, in the process, I have grown so much and can confidently say that this is my space, and these are my people,’ January said adding that being blind

should not stop people from achieving their dreams.

Minister Zulu also visited another organisation, the Sozo Foundation, a local NPO in the Cape Flats which was funded by the NDA. The organisation renders youth development programmes, focusing on young people who are not in education, employment, or training.

This NPO achieves this by creating pathways to skills development and youth-led enterprises to address high rates of school dropout, gangsterism and youth unemployment in the area.

Today, Minister Zulu will continue with pre-SoNA outreach activities by host
ing a dialogue with boys and girls on teenage pregnancy at Ihlumelo Junior Secondary School in Mbekweni, Paarl.

Source: South African Government News Agency

WINDHOEK: Minister of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), Peya Mushelenga, has urged the public to disregard information circulating on social media regarding the mourning and funeral arrangements of the late President Hage Geingob.

Addressing the media here on Tuesday, Mushelenga said the ministry will be the focal information dissemination centre regarding all arrangements and activities for Geingob’s mourning period, leading to the funeral.

‘There are people who have a habit of saying apparently this and that about the funeral…if you have heard your things keep them to yourself. If you have not heard it from me and I have not heard it from the national preparatory committee…’ he said.

A national preparatory committee chaired by Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila was constituted by President Nangolo Mbumba to preside over the protocol on the funeral planning and sequence of events in consultation with the family.

Mushelenga further called upon the public to observe the period of mour
ning in harmony, noting that the government has requested organisations to keep their planned official ceremonies and gatherings at a minimum and in a dignified manner.

He further noted that public members and singing choirs willing to deliver a message should make their request through the executive director of MICT for further communication to the family for a final decision and dates.

Equally, regional governors planning to host any event in honour of Geingob must receive the directive from the national planning committee.

‘It is very important that during this time we remain calm as a nation. National mourning of the country is not different as we have it in most cultures, it means it is time to reflect, honour and respect the spirit of a departed one,’ he noted.

Geingob, 82, died on Sunday in Windhoek.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu has encouraged the new cohort of students at the Cape Town Society for the Blind to use the year-long course to learn, grow and provide for their families.

‘Nothing must stop you from achieving your dreams. Take the skills you learn and use it to improve your lives. This programme offered [by] the Cape Town Society for the Blind is a great opportunity and I want to urge you to give it your best,’ Zulu said.

The Minister was speaking during the first day of build-up activities leading to the State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Zulu is conducting a two-day outreach programme focusing on teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence, youth, women and persons with disabilities in and around the City of Cape Town.

The Cape Town Society for the Blind is a non-profit organisation (NPO) registered with the Department of Social Development, and funded by its agency, the National Development Agency (NDA).

The NPO assists persons who struggle with their eyesight by equipping them
with skills so that they may reclaim and live positive lives and make a positive impact in society. The NPO provides Low Vision Assessment and Treatment Clinic services.

According to the department, the organisation used more than R558 000 from the NDA to purchase equipment for the Low Vision Clinic and their Braille programme as well as on staff training courses.

The visually impaired and those with low and reduced vision have applauded the work, and support they receive from the Cape Town Society for the Blind.

Roeshda Panday, who works as a receptionist at the Low Vision Clinic said that her life changed dramatically after she lost her vision in 2020 after struggling with headaches.

She was later diagnosed with a brain tumour which affected her optic nerve.

‘As a single mother, it was difficult to adjust to my new life but survival mode kicked in, so I started reading up on blindness and discovered this society which gave support to people like me. It was here, at Low Vision Clinic, that I found a com
munity of people who gave me support and care as I learned how to live with my condition,’ Panday said.

The 52-year-old excelled in the courses offered at the clinic and was then offered an internship to work at the clinic.

She added that it was at the organisation that: ‘I found my joy by helping those who walked through the clinic doors. We can all learn so much from each other.’

She also learned a lot more from the optometrist at the clinic who taught her about the anatomy of the eye. She advised the new class to grab every opportunity offered by the Cape Town Society for the Blind.

Another beneficiary at the organisation, Sergil January, said that he became blind in 2006 after he was shot in the head. However, he refused to have his confidence taken away by the loss of his eyesight.

In 2009, he joined the Cape Town Society for the Blind where he completed a computer course. Two years down the line, which was in 2021, he took up the position of an awareness officer within the organisation.

January’s
work includes conducting outreach programmes at schools and even participating in radio and television interviews on a regular basis to educate communities and persons who need help.

‘I am responsible for creating awareness and advocacy for this amazing organisation that continues to change lives and, in the process, I have grown so much and can confidently say that this is my space, and these are my people,’ January said adding that being blind

should not stop people from achieving their dreams.

Minister Zulu also visited another organisation, the Sozo Foundation, a local NPO in the Cape Flats which was funded by the NDA. The organisation renders youth development programmes, focusing on young people who are not in education, employment, or training.

This NPO achieves this by creating pathways to skills development and youth-led enterprises to address high rates of school dropout, gangsterism and youth unemployment in the area.

Today, Minister Zulu will continue with pre-SoNA outreach activities by host
ing a dialogue with boys and girls on teenage pregnancy at Ihlumelo Junior Secondary School in Mbekweni, Paarl.

Source: South African Government News Agency

A national coordinated task team has been set up to review service delivery mechanisms for water and sanitation services by the Departments of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Corporative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).

This was one of the resolutions adopted during a recent water summit hosted by DWS with the 144 municipalities that are water services authorities (WSAs).

The task team which was established to initiate and coordinate Municipal Systems Act Section 78 processes in certain municipalities, aims to address the decline of water and sanitation services, as outlined in the recent Blue Drop, Green Drop and No Drop reports released by the Department of Water and Sanitation.

The drop reports indicated a general decline in performance.

Water and Sanitation spokesperson, Wisane Mavasa, said the task team will focus on the 105 municipalities that are in the critical and poor performing categories in terms of the Blue and Green Drop re
ports.

Mavasa said the DWS, including CoGTA, Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency, Department of Human Settlements, and National Treasury, are providing extensive support to assist water services authorities with the provision of water and sanitation services.

‘This includes providing water and sanitation infrastructure grants worth more than R20 billion per annum; providing technical and engineering support and assistance; capacity building and training, and financial management advice and support.

‘However, despite all this support, the drop reports indicate that municipal water services have declined sharply. This indicates that there are limitations to which support from the national government can solve the problems, and that more fundamental reforms are required,’ Mavasa said.

Routine maintenance and operations must be funded by revenue from the sale of water by municipalities to customers, and municipal councils must take the required decisions to prioritise budgets for this.

She emphasised tha
t the Water Services Act states that the WSA can approve any legal entity to function as a water services provider (WSP) in the municipality, and ‘almost all WSAs in South Africa are currently both WSA and WSP’.

‘The Water Services Act requires the WSA and WSP functions to be managed and accounted for separately by municipalities, but this is generally not happening. The Act states that the key role of the WSA is to ensure that the WSP provides services which meet minimum norms and standards – and this is also generally not happening, as borne out by the results of the Drop assessments,’ Wisane said.

Other key decisions taken at the summit include that all WSAs must develop action plans to address their drop results and submit them to DWS by the end of February 2024; training institutions should prioritise the training of uncertified process controllers to enable them to become certified; and that all WSAs must issue advisory notices without fail when their drinking water fails to meet microbiological water
standards.

Source: South African Government News Agency

With the 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA) taking place on Thursday, the City of Cape Town has advised the public of numerous road closures.

‘Road closures in the Central Business District will be in effect to assist with traffic flow and accommodate the State of the Nation Address at the City Hall. The road closures will affect the normal flow of traffic in and around the City Bowl,’ the City said on Monday.

SONA is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 8 February at 7pm at the Cape Town City Hall. This will be the last SONA for the sixth administration.

SONA is a joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament – the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces and is called by the President in terms of Section 42(5) of the Constitution.

It brings together the three arms of the State under one roof.

‘Some road closures will be in place until 15 February 2024. Road users are requested to acquaint themselves with the closures and to plan their routes accordingly,’ the City said.

A list of r
oad closures can be accessed here:

https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre%20Assets/SONA%20Opening%20of%20Parliament%202024-02-01%20TMP__Communication.pdf

Motorists should also note that there will be restricted parking in some areas.

Source: South African Government News Agency