Day: October 4, 2023

The Bank of Namibia (BoN) engaged senior editors from various media houses on Tuesday to provide a status update on the bank’s various operations and activities.

According to the central bank’s Director of Strategic Communications and International Relations, Kazembire Zemburuka, this engagement forms part of its longstanding relationship with the media and its commitment to promoting transparency and accountability.

BoN Deputy Governors, Ebson Uanguta and Leonie Dunn, did presentations on the bank’s role. Uanguta provided insights into domestic economic highlights and noted that growth in the domestic economy slowed to 3.7 per cent during the second quarter of 2023, compared to 8.5 per cent recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2022.

Headline inflation rose to an average of 6.0 per cent during the first eight months of 2023, compared to the average of 5.6 per cent during the corresponding period of 2022. This increase was mainly on account of higher inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages, housing, alcohol beverages and tobacco, Uanguta added.

Globally, monetary policy tightening and geopolitical tensions have created economic uncertainty. The deputy governor, however, highlighted that domestic, global and regional economic developments, as well as the peg arrangement between the Namibia Dollar and the South African Rand, are essential considerations in the formulation of monetary policy. Responding to questions on the viability of the peg, the Uanguta said the bank continues to assess the arrangement and has found that it continues to serve Namibia well from a price stability perspective, while reducing transactional costs, ultimately benefiting the economy.

The meeting further provided key updates on the SME Economic Recovery Loan Scheme that was relaunched in February 2023. To date, over N.dollars 280 million has been disbursed to 267 businesses operating in the construction, retail, manufacturing and oil and gas industries.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust (NFCPT) on Wednesday handed over furniture, cutlery and stationery to the ||Kharas education directorate.

The funds used to buy the 650 desks and 700 chairs, cutlery and stationery were raised at a gala dinner held in Walvis Bay in 2021, where about N.dollars 508 700 was raised.

Receiving the donation, ||Kharas Region Deputy Director of Education, Arts and Culture, Jesmine Magerman, said the furniture will provide a comfortable and conducive learning environment, which is essential for the academic success and well-being of learners.

“Your donation is a significant contribution to our efforts to improve the quality of education in our schools. I am confident that these furniture items will go a long way in enhancing the learning experience of our students and helping them reach their full potential,” she said.

Magerman, while expressing her gratitude, assured the NFCPT that the furniture items will be used for their intended purpose and will be properly maintained to ensure their longevity.

NFCPT chief executive officer Victor Pea, who handed over the donation, said education forms the foundation upon which a country can build a prosperous and sustainable future.

He said NFCPT believes that education is the most valuable gift that can be provided to children.

“By supporting them in attending and remaining in school, we ensure they have a better chance of becoming productive citizens and securing a brighter future. We sincerely hope this contribution will significantly motivate our learners to realise their dreams,” he said.

In a speech read on her behalf, ||Kharas Governor Aletha Frederick said the provision of quality education is not only a responsibility, but also a collective effort that requires collaboration between various stakeholders.

“Together, we can make a significant difference in the lives of our learners and pave the way for a brighter future. I am confident that these school furniture items will be put to good use and contribute to creating an enriching learning environment for our learners,” she added.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Omaruru Municipality has relocated over 30 households from the dilapidated single quarters to Extensions 5 and 6 in the town’s Kapekaha Road.

The decision to demolish the N.dollars 2.2 million single quarters was taken in 2014 after it was discovered that the houses were poorly constructed by a local contractor between 2006 and 2013.

Omaruru Municipality Chief Executive Officer Valentinus Sindongo in a recent interview told Nampa the municipality has allocated land and houses to residents of the single quarters, as well as to residents who have been on the housing list since 2010.

“It was not an easy process to decide who to relocate and who to allocate housing and land to first as there is a long beneficiary list, but we finally managed to relocate the ones out of single quarters which are currently being demolished. We also went back to the list which we identified through the Build Together Programme which has been standing for some time, due to several delays too,” he noted.

Sindongo explained that the council however now faces a situation of availing a market or business hub for the residents who were relocated from the single quarters as most of them did business in the area.

“We have been seeking funding assistance from the line ministry to see how best they can assist us so that we can open a proper open market on the land where we are demolishing these structures to cater for everyone who was living here, as well as other business people around the town.”

The CEO noted that housing demand is high in the town, saying the municipality is currently working on its strategic plan which will help in finding the right modalities to address this issue.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

A lack of electricity in the Mix informal settlement north of Windhoek has been linked to fires in the area, with a recent shack fire claiming the lives of three children.

In an interview with Nampa here on Tuesday, community leader Jonas Nghifikwa said there have been three shack fires in the informal settlement so far this year.

Nghifikwa noted that lack of electricity provision for households in the informal settlement cannot be ruled out as residents resort to using alternatives such as firewood, gas stoves, candles and paraffin lamps.

“After pleading all these years, the municipality only provided the community with street lights last year, but that is not enough. Residents want electricity for daily usage, and in that regard, perhaps the shack fires can come to a stop,” he said.

Johanna Sikunda, an aunt of the three minors who died after the shack they were sleeping in caught fire on 24 September 2023, stressed that provision of electricity is crucial for households, especially those in the informal settlements where houses are made of flammable materials, leading to fire hazards.

“Lack of electricity is really a problem, the municipality or NamPower if they can see to it that at least they provide electricity here. They keep promising but they never deliver,” she said.

Sikunda said seven-year-old Magdalena Hamwanyena; Verdiano Hanghome, 10; and two-year-old Michael Shinyama were asleep when the fire broke out around 02h00, while their mother and two older sisters were at a neighbour’s house.

She said the cause of the fire is still unknown and police investigations continue, while noting that another shack fire incident occurred just a few metres from them on 25 September 2023.

“We don’t know how the fire started… We just know how it ended. It is not easy to cope with the death of somebody that was dear to you, it is going to be difficult, hearing your children screaming ‘Mom!’ until their voices go quiet while you stand there helplessly,” she narrated.

Sikunda indicated that the family of seven lost everything in the shack fire, and they have been receiving donations from the community members, including the City of Windhoek (CoW) which provided the tent they currently stay in.

CoW spokesperson Harold Akweenye in an interview said the municipality is busy conducting a pre-feasibility study to identify the most appropriate off-grid solution to advance the settlement’s electrification plan, along with establishing a potential implementation timeline.

He noted that CoW faces challenges including limited existing infrastructure, budget constraints and logistical complexities associated with providing electricity to remote areas.

“We are deeply concerned about the safety of Mix settlement residents and we acknowledge that the lack of electricity can contribute to shack fires and accidents. It is our priority to address this issue and provide a reliable source of electricity to enhance safety and quality of life for the residents,” he said.

A recent City council meeting authorised a plan to electrify 4 000 informal dwellings over the next five years, commencing this year, with an estimated budget of N.dollars 15 million to N.dollars 20 million per annum.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) councillors and a senior official of the Karasburg Town Council who were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), were remanded in custody when they made their first court appearance on Tuesday.

Karasburg Mayor Maria Veldskoen, chairperson of the management committee Franciskus Skeyer and acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hansina Isaacks were arrested Monday.

They appeared before Magistrate Samingo Kasaona in the Karasburg Magistrate’s Court, where their case was postponed to 06 October this year for the accused persons to lodge their formal bail applications.

They were charged under the Anti-Corruption Act for corruptly using their office or position for gratification and conspiring to commit offences.

Urban and Rural Development Minister, Erastus Uutoni about a month ago sent officials from the ACC to investigate the alleged disregarding of laws and rules governing local authorities by the Karasburg Town Council.

These included the appointment of Isaacks, who is a human resource manager at the Keetmanshoop Municipality, as well as the appointment of Kallie Goliath as personal assistant to Veldskoen, which is reportedly not provided for in council structures.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday during a press conference, ||Kharas Regional Council chairperson Joseph Isaaks called for the charges to be dropped, saying the charges are not applicable to the conduct of the accused individuals.

“What these people did does not benefit them at all. The PA and the acting CEO were appointed through a council resolution and they are not paid, so what gratification do they get from being in those positions? The mayor did not act by her own power, she was following the resolution and procedures, and we say the charges should be dropped,” he stressed.

Commenting on the claims that the councillors modified the signatories on the town council’s bank accounts, the chairperson said the acting accountant refused to make any payments that were ordered by the mayor.

“The acting accountant did not want to pay the allowances of the two new councillors, they did not want to add them to the payroll,” Isaaks said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) in the Kavango East Region on Tuesday arrested the off-duty police officer who allegedly shot and injured a civilian in the stomach at Gcacana village on Sunday.

NamPol regional crime investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Bonifatius Kanyetu told Nampa on Wednesday the police officer was arrested and charged with attempted murder and defeating the course of justice.

Kanyetu said the officer failed to submit himself for primer residue examination, which represents defeating the course of justice, as he was off duty at the time of the incident.

He is due to appear in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

It is alleged that the police officer booked out a service R5 rifle at the Ndama substation and went with it to Gcacana, where he was attending a traditional infidelity hearing.

It is further alleged that the suspect went with a family member to the village where someone married to a member of his family was caught committing infidelity.

The victim, who is now hospitalised in the Rundu State Hospital, had also gone to the same hearing when the police officer allegedly threatened to shoot him and instructed him to leave the meeting.

The police officer allegedly shot the victim at a cuca shop after the meeting.

Kanyetu said the service firearm used in the shooting was recovered and handed over to the police.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency