Category: General

Ombara Eben Tjozohongo II Nguvauva of the Ovambanderu people is urging his people to embrace unity amongst themselves and the people around them.

Nguvauva during an annual commemoration at Okeseta in the Omaheke Region over the weekend said he is willing to lead a united tribe and wants the Ovambanderu to welcome anyone who is willing to work with them.

“Let us open our arms and welcome any Ovambanderu who is willing to come back home, we are all Ovambanderu and it is our obligation as the Ovambanderu people to welcome each other and embrace unity,” he said.

“I am an Omumbanderu because you are Omumbanderu, your friend today might be your enemy tomorrow and your enemy today becomes your friend tomorrow, thus, we ought not to question anyone who is coming home regarding where they are coming from or why they are coming back,” said the chief.

Nguvauva further urged young people to participate in cultural activities and be responsible for taking the tribe forward, adding that the Ovambanderu should fight for what is theirs, especially their culture and religion.

“Let us try to bring forth the young generation to follow in our footsteps for our tribe to grow, I am happy now that after six years we are back here commemorating our heroes regardless of the many challenges,” the Ombara said.

The traditional leader furthermore urged those in the know to educate farmers on the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) farming taxation as he said it is a matter of concern among communal farmers.

“There is something going around that has become a concern to some of us, the traditional leaders. The issue of NamRA is a thing that is going to affect communities and families. It is something that we need to work on as soon as possible as it is tough on our communities economically,” he alluded.

The farming taxation is a tax from all income received from selling farm animals and game, leasing land for grazing and agricultural products. A farmer will also be taxed on the livestock or produce that has been donated or consumed.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations, and Employment Creation on Monday warned the public against using a fake website that purports to be the Namibia Integrated Employment Information System (NIEIS) website.

The ministry said in a media statement that the fake website (nieisnamibia.com) is not affiliated with the ministry or the Employment Services Bureau (ESB).

It urged the public to only use the authentic NIEIS website, which is accessible at nieis.namibiaatwork.gov.na/.

The ministry also said the NIEIS website is the intellectual property of the Government of the Republic of Namibia, and that any unauthorised use of the same name in any manner is unlawful and punishable by law.

The NIEIS online platform was developed by the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations, and Employment Creation to facilitate the matching of job seekers with employers.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

More than 100 members of the Namibia National Farmers’ Union (NNFU) have gathered at Otjiwarongo to discuss the union’s new five-year strategic plan and review policies.

NNFU board member, Patricia Gurubes who officiated at the event, said the five-day meeting is expected to interrogate several key policies in the amended constitution governing the farmers’ union.

“A total of 104 delegate members, meaning eight members from the 13 regions where we are represented, will be attending the meeting,” Gurubes said adding that Khomas is not represented as it is not a member of the NNFU.

Governor James Uerikua in his remarks called on all farmers present to deliberate on the topics of economic farming in the northern communal areas so that farmers from there can contribute to food security in Namibia.

“Discuss during the meeting how a communal farmer can sell their livestock directly to the slaughtering institutions at a good price without going through a middleman. Farmers from the northern communal area, also see to it that you produce quality livestock in order for you to be competitive on the market,” he advised.

Uerikua discouraged NNFU members from exporting livestock on the hoof as this means they are in effect exporting employment instead of selling their livestock to Meatco.

He expressed confidence in Meatco’s future plans, saying it just needs support from farmers for it to revive its business model.

The meeting ends Friday.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The 37-year-old murder suspect who was arrested Friday night while hiding in the Tsaraxa-Aibes informal area at Otjiwarongo, was on Monday afternoon remanded in police custody.

The accused, Irwin Oukumeb, appeared before Magistrate Immanuel Udjombala at Otjiwarongo on a charge of murder.

Udjombala explained to Oukumeb his legal rights to engage a private lawyer of his choice; apply for a State-funded lawyer from the Legal Aid Directorate in the Ministry of Justice or defend himself.

The accused opted to conduct his own defence.

Udjombala then postponed his case to 10 October 2023 and ordered that Oukumeb be remanded in custody pending police investigations.

Prosecutor Mwaka Lushetile representing the State in the matter opposed any granting of bail to Oukumeb, citing the seriousness of the crime he allegedly committed.

It is alleged that the accused, last week Thursday, allegedly stabbed to death Ismael Gawiseb with a kitchen knife once in the chest, and fled the crime scene.

During his arrest on Friday, a knife suspected to have been used in the stabbing incident was found with him, and it was seized.

Police investigations into the matter continue.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Erongo Governor, Neville Andre Itope has requested the assistance of the church leaders, police and community groups in finding ways to assist the neglected boy child in the region.

Itope during a recent meeting with the three groups said the boy child has been disregarded in society, especially without the guidance of father figures, therefore pushing them into the hands of drug use and other social ills.

“We are leaving the boy child alone and they are taken up by the issues of the world, hence there is an urgent need to address issues faced by the boy child in our communities and this issue requires concerted efforts from all stakeholders.

The boys are not inspired and they tend to become unsuccessful and also personalities that are disturbing our community and societies,” the governor highlighted.

The meeting was held to deliberate on how they can all collaborate to support boys and young men and provide them with the necessary tools and skills to enable them to become valuable members of society.

The governor proposed a regular, structured engagement between community organisations, churches and the police, where he envisions leaders coming to church services to have conversations for about an hour with congregations, to address and discuss these pressing issues.

“It is also vital that we, as parents, support our children to make sure they have the necessary education and support to deal with the challenges they face in life,” the governor added.

Founder of The Blue Project Tangeni Mujoro, who is also a concerned mother of a son, expressed that women face difficult struggles when raising boys in the absence of sufficient male role models.

The project is a platform that invites men to engage, mentor and shape boys into responsible men.

Mujoro noted that as a woman and mother, she is unable to raise her son without adequate male figures in his life.

“We are also struggling to find men to come and mentor our young men and would therefore appreciate it if more take up the responsibility of mentoring our young men,” she said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Windhoek High Court on Friday dismissed with costs an application by an energy and mineral exploration company, Red Soil, which sought an order to have Mines and Energy minister’s refusal to grant them a mining license in January 2021, declared unlawful.

Judge Esi Schimming-Chase also declared the matter final and removed it from the court roll. The company wanted the court to also review and set aside Minister Tom Alweendo’s decision.

Alweendo reportedly declined Red Soil Energy and Mineral Exploration’s application for a petroleum exploration license over Blocks 2512A and a portion of Block 2612A due to the company not meeting the requirements and its failure to demonstrate technical and financial capability to carry out exploration operations.

Red Soil Managing Director, Kaura Kaura in his argument also made damning allegations against the ministry’s Petrol Commissioner Maggy Shino, who he says informed him that his company was compliant with all the requirements of the ministry, but that the blocks are reserved for ‘politically connected people’.

Kaura, represented by Patrick Kauta also claims that Shino instructed him to withdraw his company’s application and apply for ‘any of the blocks west to those Red Soil applied for,’ which he refused.

Kaura, a geologist, has since attached alleged screenshots of missed WhatsApp calls from Shino, who he claims called him numerous times.

“I started receiving emissaries purportedly sent by the minister and Shino not to approach the court for review but rather attend to their office to settle the matter. The WhatsApp calls from Shino continued. The company’s legal practitioner on record then advised that I call back Shino and record our telephone conversation. I was able to do this and had the conversation transcribed,” Kaura claims in his affidavit.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency