Category: General

The commencement of the trial involving a pensioner who stands accused of trafficking and raping a minor at Noordoewer has been put on hold, following an application in which the accused seeks clarification on the charges he faces.

Dirk von Weidts, 72, faces nine criminal charges in connection with the alleged rape of an 11-year-old girl between October 2020 and January 2021 at Noordoewer. The state alleges that the suspect harboured the victim by deception and subjected her to sexual exploitation. According to the indictment the victim, who cannot be named to protect her identity, was also indecently assaulted and physical force was inflicted on her.

Von Weidts is charged alongside Jors Arrie, who also faces nine charges including trafficking in persons and attempted rape. Von Weidts, in a counter application filed in the Windhoek High court on Tuesday before the commencement of the trial, wants the State to clarify and provide further particulars in respect to the charges he faces.

Judge Naomi Shivute has since ordered that the State, represented by Felistas Sikerete, files its written heads of arguments on 26 September, when the matter will be heard.

The state alleges that Arrie also sexually violated the 11-year-old girl between the period of October 2020 and January 2021, also at Noordoewer.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Despite the commercial significance of tourism, human-wildlife conflict remains a challenging conservation dilemma in the Kunene Region due to the escalating effects of climate change and resource competition.

This is according to Moses Araseb, the region’s warden for resource management under the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, in a recent interview with Nampa.

Araseb said these conflicts have become more frequent and severe in recent years, citing human population growth as a cause, including the extension of transport routes and farmers penetrating wildlife areas in search of greener pastures due to the recurring drought.

“The expansion of agricultural and industrial activities, including the recurrent drought, which has forced livestock farmers to penetrate into wildlife areas for grazing, has led to increased human incursion into historically wild and deserted areas,” Araseb stated.

It has now devolved into a battle between wildlife and farmers, as farmers who lose properties to elephants seek to respond by harming elephants.

“We have serious problems with elephants destroying properties. On the other side, the region is still suffering from a lengthy drought, with dams and ponds drying up, causing wildlife to seek water in nearby settlements,” he noted.

This issue, he said, requires long-term solutions to reduce the continual conflict between wild animals and humans and suggested that the ministry focus on educating people on how to coexist with wild animals through community participation.

According to Araseb, around 15 incidences of human-wildlife conflict are reported each month.

He also bemoaned the lack of funding to compensate farmers who lost property to wild animals, claiming that demands are stacking up every day, draining conservancies’ coffers.

Kunene is home to 46 per cent of the country’s conservancies, which house wildlife such as desert elephants, rhinos, lions, giraffes, and other wild species.

Chief Public Relations in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Romeo Muyunda said Namibia recorded 1 175 human-wildlife cases in the last three years, with 621 of those involving crop damages. The overall number of cattle cases lost was 475, with 45 humans injured and 34 people killed by wild animals.

He said the ministry had dispersed millions of dollars in compensation to make up for different damages caused by human-wild animals, with more than N.dollars 29 million in payments made from 2019 to date.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Omuthiya Town Council has responded to complaints by vendors on their planned relocation to a new market, which they claim is not close to their customers.

Omuthiya Town Council spokesperson, Ottilie Shingenge, in a response to the complaints said there is a water pipe that passes underneath the area where the vendors normally conduct business and the council’s fear is that the pipe could burst and cause damage.

In an interview with Nampa on Tuesday, Shingenge added that the Roads Authority has stated that there must be an open distance in front of any structure and the vendors operate too close to the main road.

“Once the new market is completed we will erect a structure there and make sure there is no business area, so everyone is going to suffer the consequences,” Shingenge said.

She said all northern towns have gone through the process of relocating vendors and people are always resistant to change, but they are trying to prevent problems that may arise in the future.

The head of the committee representing the vendors, Anna Shahonya, expressed her complaints to Nampa on Monday.

“They built a new market for us without consulting us. They just informed us that there is a pipe here,” said Shahonya.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen, held discussion with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, Kamina J Smith in Havana, Cuba on the margins of Group 77+China Summit.

According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two officials have agreed to take the longstanding ties take to the next level.

Minister Kamina also said there is room for more engagements with Ethiopia.

It is to be recalled that the Group 77+ China Summit held in Havana with the objective to ensuring technology works for all humanity and accelerating Sustainable Development was concluded on Saturday.

Speaking at the Group 77+ China Summit, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen bhas called for genuine reform of global institutions to accommodate the interest of the South.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The inscription of the Gedeo cultural landscape is a global diplomatic recognition for Ethiopia’s commitment to preserving natural and cultural heritages, according to ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Recall that the UNESCO has this weekend inscribed the Gedeo Cultural Landscape in the World Heritage List. This is the 100th inscription in Africa and the 10th in Ethiopia.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the inscription of the Gedeo cultural landscape is a global diplomatic recognition for Ethiopia’s commitment to preserving natural and cultural heritages.

The inscription also holds immense significance for its people, acknowledging their generations-long dedication to preserving their unique culture, the ministry pointed out.

It further said Ethiopia is deeply committed to safeguarding its cultural and natural diversity, as well as respecting the environment. Gedeo’s equilibrium between humanity and nature serves as a valuable lesson for the world.

In accordance with the Rules and Procedures of the Convention, the Ethiopian government reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to preserve this exceptional heritage, which will greatly benefit present and future generations in Ethiopia.

With its breathtaking landscapes, including majestic mountains, lush valleys with dense forests, and fertile agricultural land, Gedeo has been instrumental in the development of sustainable agricultural practices and unique land management systems, it was indicated.

These efforts have contributed to the preservation of an exceptional ecosystem and remarkable biodiversity.

Gedeo’s sacred forests are home to numerous endemic and indigenous Ethiopian flora, as well as more than 2,000 ancient megaliths marking graves dating back to the first millennium of the Common Era.

What makes this site truly exceptional is the harmonious relationship between society and nature that flourishes here, according to the Ministry.

The people of Gedeo not only respect but also protect nature as a fundamental part of their lives. In contrast to the typical scenario where population growth leads to environmental degradation, in Gedeo, it leads to afforestation – “More People, More Trees.”

Gedeo’s agroforestry system is self-sustaining and guided by culturally ingrained knowledge and practices. Beneath the forest canopies, a unique vertical cultivation system thrives, protected by the traditional institutions of the Gedeo people, Songo and Mangano, who are the guardians of the forest.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Two Zambian nationals were arrested in connection with the alleged smuggling of both prohibited and non-prohibited goods into the Zambezi Region on Saturday night.

The smuggled goods include eggs, bags of charcoal, non-alcoholic beverages, whiskeys and traditionally brewed beer, among others with an estimated value of N.dollars 5000.

Namibian Police Force (NamPol) Station Commander at Katima Mulilo, Inspector Charles Mayumbelo informed the media on Monday that the men aged 59 and 43 years were arrested after a tip-off from members of the public, not far from the riverside where they illegally crossed the river with the smuggled goods.

It is alleged that the men used a seven-seater vehicle to transport the goods and were stopped and searched, by the police, who found the goods inside the vehicle.

According to Mayumbelo, the two men are first-time offenders and will thus be handed over to the Namibia Revenue Agency for further action.

‘The smuggling of goods from neighbouring countries remains a great concern in the Zambezi Region, with numerous cases of smuggling of both prohibited and non-prohibited goods registered with my office lately,’ he said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (MIRCO) has extended an apology to the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority for inappropriate seating arrangements that resulted in the OTA’s leader, Martha Mwadinomho Kristian Nelumbu, being placed on an ordinary plastic chair during the funeral of late ambassador Hadino Hishongwa on Saturday.

The apology was issued in a media statement issued by MIRCO deputy minister, Jenelly Matundu, on Monday.

“Regretfully, the seating arrangements made were not appropriate, which resulted in Meekulu Mwadinomho being unintentionally placed on a normal plastic chair instead of an executive ceremonial chair; as is customary. This unfortunate incident has caused serious dismay among the mourners and the general public who followed proceedings of the burial on various platforms.”

“As a Government and particularly as the ministry responsible for State Protocol, we view this error in a very serious light and we would like to offer our sincerest apology to Meekulu Mwadinomho and the people of the Ohangwena Region,’ stated Matundu.

Matundu stated that MIRCO is dealing with the matter internally and will take appropriate action against those responsible, to ensure that such an incident does not recur in the future.

“The incident took place at the late Ambassador Hadino Timothy Hishongwa’s state burial at the Eenhana Shrine in Ohangwena Region on 16 SEP 2023. The late Ambassador Hadino Timothy Hishongwa, served the Namibian Nation in various portfolios and as an advisor to the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority and its leader,’ reported Matundu.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency