Day: March 4, 2024

The Joint Standing Committee on Defence has urged the Department of Defence and Military Veterans and the Office of the Military Ombud, to find workable solutions to the Ombud’s current challenges in spending its goods and services budget.

The committee received a mid-term report for the 2023/24 financial year (1 April to 30 September 2023).

‘While the committee welcomed the progress in implementing the Ombud’s mandate, it highlighted that the current process where the Ombud can only procure goods and services through the department, limits its ability to properly function and spend its budget.

‘The committee acknowledged that the Minister of the Defence and Military Veterans has given assurances that the matter is under consideration. Furthermore, the committee hopes the National Treasury’s review of the Ombud office’s capacity to ensure it is adequately resourced will bear positive fruit,’ said the Committee in a statement on Friday.

The Office was created in 2012 with the mandate of investigating compl
aints by South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members and former members regarding their conditions of service.

Part of the mandate is also investigating the complaints from the members of the public regarding the official conduct of the SANDF when they are on duty.

Meanwhile, the committee welcomed progress made in investigating complaints lodged with the Ombud Office, especially carryover cases from the previous financial year.

The committee was informed that the office had 100 active cases by September 2023, which included 53 cases lodged in this financial year and 47 lodged in the previous year.

The committee has encouraged the Office to continue ensuring the effective and efficient resolution of complaints within the set timeframes through continued improvement of investigation turnaround times.

This, according to the committee, will further entrench the legitimacy of the office in the hearts and minds of South Africans.

The committee also welcomed the work the Office has done in strengthen
ing its outreach programme across the country to make the public aware of its mandate.

The Office reported that it has undertaken 52 outreach programmes across the country and that it is now collaborating with sister government departments and municipalities to ensure its work reaches a wider audience.

‘The heightened outreach programmes will lead to greater awareness of the mandate of the office and will ensure adherence to set standards. Also, training of members of the South African National Defence Force by the office will ensure that members are aware of expected official conduct,’ co-Chairperson of the committee, Cyril Xaba said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

OTJIWARONGO: A member of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) at Grootfontein has appeared in court on charges of rape and assault through threatening after he allegedly raped a 15-year-old girl.

The 42-year-old Martin Hangula made his first court appearance before magistrate Boniface Konga and was denied bail when he appeared in court last week.

Hangula was accompanied by his private lawyer, Bernard Tjatjara who represented him, while prosecutor Wendy Nkando appeared for the State.

Nkando strongly objected to the granting of bail to the accused, citing the seriousness of the matter as well as the fact that police investigations are in the initial stages. She told the court that Hangula, who is also a businessman at Grootfontein, might interfere and jeopardise the police investigations if he is to be released on bail at this stage.

Nkando added that the 15-year-old girl is a minor who is in Grade 10 at Grootfontein. She said the girl is highly vulnerable and could be persuaded by the accused to withdraw the c
ase once he is out on bail.

Hangula allegedly raped the girl at his flat last month. He reportedly threatened her and told her to not tell anyone or report the matter to the police, or he would shoot her.

Hangula was arrested at Grootfontein last Wednesday and his case was postponed to 23 April 2024 to allow for police investigations.

He however on Monday through his lawyer applied for a bail hearing on the matter. He is remanded in police custody at the Grootfontein Police Station holding cells.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has received a total of 1 936 330 applications for funding, as of 16 February 2024.

Briefing the media on the registration process and payment of allowances on Monday, NSFAS Acting Chairperson, Professor Lourens Van Staden, said that of the 1 936 330 applications received, 1 244 854 are provisionally funded as of 1 March 2024, with 108 345 registrations received, 59 723 awaiting evaluations, and 94 816 awaiting supporting documents.

Van Staden said a total of 84 225 applications have been withdrawn by students, while 52 038 are in progress, and 136 468 are on the not-started status, as applicants only created profiles and did not submit applications.

‘NSFAS has rejected 243 113 applications and 15 174 appeals have been lodged to date,’ Van Staden said at a briefing held at the Government Communication and Information System in Pretoria.

The briefing comes after the applications for funding closed on 15 February 2024.

Van Staden said the scheme is determin
ed to improve its systems, including applications processes, to enable a smooth and seamless application process.

The chairperson said the scheme is also committed to continue working with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to verify the financial eligibility criteria of all the applicants, by ensuring that the consent form is submitted by non-South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) applicants.

He reiterated the call to applicants to submit accurate information when applying, as this assist in reducing the timelines to make funding decisions.

Through third party verifications, Staden said NSFAS has processed about 23 000 applications per day and has prioritised applicants who have received firm offers of admission from universities, or who were enrolled at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges.

Over 30 000 loan applications received

On the 2024 loan applications, Van Staden said NSFAS has received 30 728 loan applications as of 16 February 2024.

Van Staden said the s
cheme has pre-assessed and determined students who pre-qualify for the loan, and communication was sent to the affected students via the student portal, to confirm whether or not they were accepted for NSFAS to process their loan application.

He stressed that this is specifically for students who had applied for a bursary, but were above the income threshold for the bursary, but within the loan threshold.

‘The next step would be for NSFAS to communicate with institutions, to request them to submit admission data for registered students in line with the requirements of the loan of the 70 vs 30 split in STEM [Science, technology, engineering and mathematics] and social sciences respectively.

‘At the completion of this process, we envisage that a total of 31 800 missing middle students will be provided with student loans,’ Van Staden explained.

The loan applications also closed on 15 February 2024.

Source: South African Government News Agency

KATIMA MULILO: Eighty-nine teachers from the Zambezi Region are receiving training in chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics this week.

Zambezi Regional Education Director Josty Kawana welcomed the training which started Monday and concludes on Friday, and which trains science teachers to be confident in practical teaching.

‘This training is going to expose us to do our practicals in terms of critical work and to capacitate us even further in the areas our teachers still need to be capacitated in. We are fortunate to have this programme,’ Kawana stated.

The training workshop which is being conducted by the Education, Arts and Culture Directorate in the Zambezi Region is made possible with the assistance of Risk-Based Solutions through Dr Sindila Mwiya.

‘Education is the greatest equaliser and if we can 100 per cent empower our science and maths teachers, then you get the benefit of producing the best learners who will become the knowledgeable and well-equipped leaders of tomorrow,’ Mwiya emphasised.

H
e further insisted that training such as this is vital as it provides support to the teachers as they also get cutting-edge understanding of new concepts and new ways of doing things.

The 89 selected teachers are from all secondary schools in the Zambezi Region who are responsible for science and maths.

They are being trained by lecturers from the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) under the leadership of Professor Sylvanus Onjefu.

This is the second time the training is being offered.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

On Monday, 04 March, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture in partnership with the Department of Justice and Correctional Services will launch the 2024 Human Rights Month at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre.

Also on Monday, Eastern Cape Rural Development and Agrarian Reform MEC Nonkqubela Pieters hands over industrial machines, agricultural inputs, and tools to business owners in Bathurst.

Monday also marks World Obesity Day.

From Monday, 04 March to Thursday, 7 March, the Department of Employment and Labour will be taking a basket of its services to the communities of eMalahleni Local Municipality, Mpumalanga.

On Tuesday, 05 March, the Electoral Commission will launch its annual national Civic and Democracy Education Tertiary institutions campaign to improve youth understanding and participation in the country’s democratic processes, in Limpopo.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe will deliver a keynote address at the 16th annual edition of Africa Energy Indab
a in Cape Town.

On Thursday, 7 March, the District Development Model Presidential Imbizo will take place in the eMalahleni Local Municipality, Nkangala District in Mpumalanga.

Source: South African Government News Agency

OSHAKATI: A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 38-year-old man at Onaanda village in the Omusati Region on Sunday.

The Namibian Police Force’s Omusati crime investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Moses Simaho, said the incident occurred around 15h00.

It is alleged that the suspect, who is a cattle herder, was looking after livestock with the girl near their house at the time of the incident.

Simaho said a case has been opened and the suspect was arrested.

Police investigations into the matter continue.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency