Category: General

Farmers are divided over the exploration of uranium in the Stampriet Aquifer, as some believe the process will contaminate underground water.

The exploration, which is supposed to be carried out by Uranium One in the Aminuis and Leonardville area, has sparked mixed feelings among residents in the area.

This was revealed during a parliament standing committee on natural resources’ visit to deliberate on concerns on Friday in Leonardville, within the Aminuis Constituency in the Omaheke Region.

During the visit, Tjekero Tweya, the committee’s chairperson, highlighted that his committee had come to the concerned communities and farmers to listen to them before making recommendations to parliament.

‘We have come to hear you out, discuss issues as adults, and as responsible citizens. Parliament will make a decision that will affect everyone. We will not make the decision here today; we will collect your concerns and also endeavour to find solutions based on your recommendations. We didn’t want to defer this di
scussion to next year because we want to understand your concerns and collaborate on finding solutions for the benefit of all of us,’ Tweya indicated.

Former member of Parliament, Atti Riruako, urged the parliament’s standing committee to seek information from independent experts and compare it with the experts used by those who oppose the exploration before making any recommendations to parliament.

‘I urge you to seek scientific knowledge before proceeding with this exploration. We are concerned about the contamination of underground water, and this concern stems from research conducted by many other experts globally regarding uranium mining,’ said Riruako.

Petra Witbooi, the chairperson of the Leonardville village council, stated that people had criticised those opposing the exploration, noting that residents in her town are experiencing hunger and require employment and food.

‘Some claim that Uranium One is providing us with food parcels to obtain approval for their exploration, but that is not true. W
e are hungry and dismayed by that,’ she highlighted.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Works and Transport Minister, John Mutorwa, expressed the need for stakeholders to find more ways to invest in the road safety across the African continent.

Mutorwa in remarks delivered on his behalf during the commemoration of the 12th Africa Road Safety Day in Swakopmund on Sunday, recognised and commended current Sub-sectoral interventions and initiatives but stressed the requirement for stakeholders to dig deeper into their reserves to make national roads safe and citizens safer.

‘We recognise the current funding limitations as a result of the global financial crunch that affect us in terms of new austerity measures, but we need to see how we can creatively and innovatively apply the available resources to the greater good of the sub-sector,’ he explained.

The minister noted that road traffic accidents have emerged as an important public health issue, which needs to be tackled by a multi-disciplinary approach.

‘The trend in road traffic accident injuries and death is becoming alarming, so much that r
oad traffic accidents induce loss of three per cent of African Gross Domestic Product, as more than 296 000 lives are lost each year.

The victims include engineers, doctors, nurses, businessmen or business women, teachers, lawyers and the list go on. These are economically active members of the Namibian society.’

Inspector General of the Namibian Police Force, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, added that despite the extent of the problem, the issue of road traffic death and injury and the suffering of victims has been largely ignored until now.

‘It has been left mainly to non-governmental victim organisations to offer assistance to fellow victims and to try and change attitudes by highlighting the extreme human suffering caused by road traffic crashes and the indifference by society,’ he said.

Shikongo explained that every citizen has a role to play in supporting road traffic accident victims and that support must be provided by all stakeholders in the sub-sector.

The First African Road Safety Day was
launched on 18 November 2012, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and since its inception, African states have commemorated the loss of its people on national highways.

The day is commemorated on every third Sunday of each November with the aim to educate and create awareness about the plight of the victims of traffic related deaths and injuries.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Namibia Football Association (NFA) on Friday held its 32nd Ordinary Elective Congress, where Blue Waters Sports Club and Namibia Premier Football League Chairperson, Robert Shimooshili, was elected the new president of the Namibia Football Association (NFA).

Shimooshili won against his rival Patrick Kauta after receiving 19 votes, while Kauta received 15 votes.

The 32nd NFA Elective Congress was attended by 78 delegates, although only 34 were eligible for voting for the new NFA Executive Committee (Exco), which will run the country’s football matters for the next four years.

Namibian football has been under the administration of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Normalisation Committee for the past two years, due to the infighting in recent years, bringing the sport to a standstill for nearly three years.

The newly elected president promised the Namibian football fraternity that his committee has decided to unite and take the game further, with their main objective being tol
erance.

‘Action will be more than just the word. We once again assure the football fraternity that there will be no single infighting in the game,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service, Emma Kantema-Gaomas, urged the new executives to execute their duties diligently and refrain from interfering with the day-to-day running of the office.

‘Those of you standing for positions, you must separate the roles of the executives and administrators as most of the time people clash when the executives want to take over the administration part of the business,’ she said.

In his concession speech, Kauta, wished his counterparts the best in running the affairs of football in the country.

‘As an individual, I would no longer run for any other election at the NFA in the future, but I wish those voted in power to run football for the best interest of the game as they are football people,’ Kauta said.

The NFA Exco members are: Shimooshili (president), Murs Markus (vice-president), Laura
nce Kandundu, Joseph Hailombe, Precious Chaka, Rafael Kamuyoyo, Egidius Nambara, Michael Situde. The incumbent chairperson of the NFA women’s football association, Monica Shapwa, is also expected to form part of the executive committee.

Source: NAMPA

Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa, emphasised that the effective practical implementation of the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 will only be achieved through robust collaboration and cooperation among stakeholders.

Speaking at the launch of the Festive Season Road Safety Campaign in Swakopmund on Friday, Mutorwa highlighted the significance of the goals, targets, and objectives embedded and articulated in the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety.

‘This action plan should not merely exist on paper; it should be tangibly translated into projects and programmes, aiming to significantly enhance the socio-economic, educational, and cultural well-being of Namibians, residents, and visitors to our country,’ the minister said.

Conrad Lutombi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Roads Authority, expressed concern about the rising prevalence of fraudulent activities involving fake driving licenses and vehicle license discs within the community.

According to Lutombi, officials wil
l be deployed during this festive campaign, equipped with special instruments to urgently address this issue. He cautioned drivers to ensure all their documentation is in order to avoid potential consequences.

‘In addition, our Mobile Vehicle Testing Station will be utilised at various roadblocks as part of the road safety campaign. This testing station is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and equipment, ensuring accurate and efficient testing of multiple aspects, including vehicle emissions, brakes, lights, and overall safety compliance,’ he stated.

Lutombi expressed confidence that this comprehensive testing unit will elevate road safety standards and decrease the risk of road crashes resulting from poorly maintained or non-compliant vehicles.

Rosalia Martins-Hausiku, CEO of the Motor Vehicles Association (MVA) Fund, acknowledged a decline in the number of road traffic crashes during the last festive season. However, she noted that on an annual basis, the Fund spends an average of N.dollars 200 m
illion on medical costs and another N.dollars 80 million on other direct claims.

‘The medical costs linked to these road crashes, alongside subsequent deaths and injuries, encompass various expenses from on-scene attendance to recovery or death. They include first-aid and rescue services (ambulance services), hospital costs, and the final stage of rehabilitation care and life enhancement,’ she added.

Source: NAMPA

Inspector General of the Namibian Police Force (NamPol), Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, has reassured Namibians and visitors that despite Namibia’s recent decline in its ranking among the safest countries, law enforcement is striving to safeguard both citizens and visitors throughout the country.

Shikongo responded to a recent article published in a local newspaper stating that Namibia was rated by the global polling group Gallup as one of the worst countries in terms of law and order.

In the latest poll results, which were based on interviews conducted in over 140 countries and areas in 2022, Namibia received an overall law-and-order score of 62, a decrease from last year’s 65. This positioned Namibia as the 11th worst country globally concerning law and order.

Shikongo made these remarks during the launch of the Festive Season Road Safety Campaign in Swakopmund on Friday.

‘We simply want to assure the public that we will strive to enhance our standing in the index to ensure public safety and secur
ity.

Moreover, I believe the world should not only focus on the number of incidents involving tourists because our national police force aims to ensure security and safety for the entire population, regardless of their background,’ he emphasised.

He also urged all law enforcement officers assigned various duties during this festive season campaign to be extremely vigilant and committed to fulfilling their duties impartially and conscientiously.

He further appealed to all stakeholders, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians and the road safety community as a whole, to collaborate for the success of this Festive Season Campaign.

The campaign, which commenced on 17 November and will run until 17 January 2024, will be implemented nationwide, with a particular focus on the notorious B1 and B2 highways.

The objective of the campaign is to achieve a significant reduction in crashes, injuries, and fatalities by targeting common road offenses.

Source: NAMPA

The Ministry of Health and Social Services has announced the termination of a N.dollars 26 million tender awarded to a company to construct a neonatal health care facility in Swakopmund.

The ministry decided to build the new neonatal intensive care ward in the Swakopmund Hospital in order to cater for the coastal area and its surrounding areas including Walvis Bay.

The new 28-bed neonatal ward will consist of 12 standard care beds, six high care beds, six intensive care unit (ICU) and four isolation unit beds, along with a 12-bed mothers’ lodging unit.

Currently, the Swakopmund district has a maternal ward with a capacity of 26 beds and four neonatal incubators.

According to Minister Dr Kalumbi Shangula in an interview with the media on Thursday, the tender which was awarded in November 2020, when construction commenced, was cancelled after the company failed to complete the construction in the agreed period of time of February 2022.

‘The tender was awarded to a contractor and the work was supposed to b
e completed but unfortunately there have been challenges with the contract and despite all the remedial actions the ministry instituted, it was not coming to completion. As a result, a decision was taken by the ministry to terminate the contract and we now have to issue a new contract,’ the minister said.

Shangula added that the ministry has revised the scope of work and what needs to be done before appointing a new contractor who will then complete the job.

‘This is critically important because we know from experience that babies and mothers used to be transferred to Windhoek, which usually takes more than three hours to arrive. This puts the lives of both the mother and baby at risk, hence the need to have a place nearby in order to cater for the needs of mothers and babies in these surroundings,’ he said.

He noted that the ministry regrettably acknowledges the delays, however, there is a way forward and the project will be completed in due course.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency