Category: General

The Otjiwarongo Municipality on Tuesday announced the names of five candidates shortlisted for interviews for the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The position became vacant after the departure of Moses Matyayi at the end of July this year, when he assumed the role of CEO at the City of Windhoek.

Otjiwarongo Mayor, Gottlieb Shivute in an interview with Nampa on Tuesday said the five candidates are Johannes Iipinge, Mberipura Hifitikeko, Boniface Mutumba, Lischen Ramakhutla and Erikson Mwanyekange, who is now acting in the position.

“These five successful candidates were already notified, and as soon as we are done finalising the panel members, we will communicate to them the exact date, time and place of the interviews,” said Shivute.

The mayor said a total of 37 applicants had applied for the position, from which these five were shortlisted.

Their interviews were supposed to have taken place two weeks ago, but the management committee of the municipality rescheduled it to a date to be announced, said Shivute.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Samora Machel Constituency Councillor, Nestor Kalola has accused the City of Windhoek (CoW) of lying about the provision of ablution facilities in informal settlements, which has forced residents to construct their own toilets.

Kalola’s allegations follow CoW’s decision last week to demolish a privately-owned toilet at an informal settlement in the constituency, saying CoW has not provided the informal settlements of the Samora Machel Constituency with any ablution facilities and as a result, residents have resorted to constructing their own.

“People are suffering and now that they are trying to build their own toilets to avoid using plastic bags and riverbeds when nature calls … CoW is destroying their toilets… Where are the toilets they built? They must come show us. How does CoW expect the people to survive or are they giving the residents riverbeds as the primary option for sanitation?” he fumed while speaking to Nampa on Tuesday.

Kalola said the constituency’s informal settlements house 80 000 inhabitants and the CoW provides communal water points only. He said the councillor’s office wrote a letter in 2021 requesting basic services such as ablution facilities, more water points and electricity, but nothing has been provided yet.

Meanwhile, CoW spokesperson Harold Akwenye said amongst six constituencies where the largest informal settlements are located, 157 toilets were provided from 2020 to 2022, of which 16 were allocated to Samora Machel, increasing the allocation to 69 public toilets.

“The demolition was done on the basis that there was no peaceful occupation of the toilet that was illegally built on the municipal land, hence the person was distracted from fully completing and taking peaceful occupation of the toilet structure,” he noted.

“The City is planning, subject to availability of resources, to implement an additional 115 toilets over the period 2023-2025 in Samora Machel, which is half of the total allocation planned for the entire informal settlements, of 231 toilets,” Akwenye added.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Omaheke Regional Council approved the allocation of N.dollars 404 000 to be distributed amongst its seven constituencies for rural development programmes for the current financial year.

This was revealed in a media release issued by the regional council following the adoption of resolutions in its latest council assembly earlier this month.

According to the report, every constituency will be allocated just under N.dollars 58 000 respectively. The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development allocated this amount to the regional council to implement rural development initiatives, through the Micro Finance Scheme, One Region One Initiative, Regional Specific Action Plan/Food Security or Food/Cash-For-Work programmes.

During the council meeting, the regional council approved an operational budget of N.dollars 52 million, of which 90 per cent is expected from the line ministry whilst the rest should be generated from municipal services in the region.

“The regional council granted provincial approval to Value Development Trading (VDC) to conduct an environmental impact assessment for the construction of a fuel station in Epukiro Post 3 on Erf 31,” it also said.

The regional council’s engineers will determine service demand and availability and verify the proposed plot size of 6 600 square metres to be allocated for the development proposal for retail shops, private clinics and a fuel station.

The VDC proposal that was submitted to the Epukiro Constituency Development Committee is expected to create around 270 jobs in the region. The company reportedly plans to invest N.dollars 21 million.

The council also provisionally approved that the Namibia Agricultural Mechanisation and Seed Improvement Project (NAMSIP) machinery that is currently unused at the Regional Directorate of Agricultural Production, Engineering and Extension Services be distributed to all constituencies to assist with mitigating the effects of drought in the region.

“Council further directed that the machinery be distributed equitably, with Gobabis, Kalahari and Okorukambe constituencies each receiving 10 machines, while the rest of the machines should be distributed among Aminuis, Epukiro, Otjinene and Otjombinde constituencies,” it said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

A five-day workshop for the parliamentary standing committee members on rules, orders and businesses as well as the committee for privileges and immunity of the National Council (NC), commenced at Otjiwarongo on Monday.

Chairperson of the National Council, Lukas Sinimbo Muha officially opened the training Monday morning.

Muha in his official remarks said the purpose of the workshop is to build capacity and create an in-depth understanding of the mandates of the two standing committees.

Thirteen NC members who serve on these standing committees of rules, orders and businesses as well as on privileges and immunity are attending the training.

“As members of the two committees, part of our task is to interpret and apply the law in a fair and reasonable manner at all times, therefore, these laws should be understood and approached by balancing the provision of rights, morality and corresponding obligations,” said Muha.

The chairperson further stated that regulating the conduct and behaviour of people will always bring about the law versus morality debate, therefore, it is of paramount importance that the parliamentary standing committee members note and understand that the law and morality are interdependent.

Secretary to the National Council, Advocate Tousy Namiseb, with a legal team from the National Council will facilitate the workshop.

The National Council has a total of 42 regional constituency councillors – three from each of the 14 regions across the country, said Namiseb.

Vice-Chairperson of the National Council, Victoria Kauma, and the Chief Whip of the National Council, Gerhard Shiimi are also attending the workshop which comes to an end on Friday.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

High Court Judges Naomi Shivute and Philanda Christiaan on Monday dismissed the bail appeal of Michael Amushelelo, 31, who was arrested in March on charges relating to contempt of court.

Amushelelo reportedly organised an unemployment protest on Namibia’s Independence Day, 21 March 2023, despite a High Court ruling stating otherwise.

The two judges did not deliver the full judgment and only read the order. Amushelelo’s lawyer, Kadhila Amoomo, has in the meantime indicated that they would appeal the High Court’s ruling in the Supreme Court.

Katutura Magistrate Sally Salionga in April denied Amushelelo bail on the grounds that there are no conditions that could be attached to his bail, that would deter him from committing similar offences. It was further her ruling that Amushelelo was granted bail with conditions attached in two previous cases, but no change was seen in his conduct while he was free on bail.

Amushelelo was arrested alongside Dimbulukweni Nauyoma and Popular Democratic Movement parliamentarian Inna Hengari. They face charges of incitement of public violence and malicious damage to property. Hengari and Nauyoma were both released on bail in the amount of N.dollars 5 000.

The trio contends that they were not intending to protest when they arrived at the protest meet-up point, and that they were merely instructing protestors about the High Court ruling that disallowed them to protest.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Former Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bernhardt Esau, said on Monday that the government should cover his legal fees in the Fishrot trial, citing he was charged in his capacity as a minister.

Esau made a brief court appearance alongside his co-accused, son-in-law Tamson Hatuikulipi; former Minister of Justice Sakeus Shanghala; former Investec Asset Management Managing Director, James Hatuikulipi; former Fishcor Chief Executive Officer, Mike Nghipunya; Otneel Shuudifonya; Pius Mwatelula; Phillipus Mwapopi and Nigel van Wyk.

Esau, whose lawyer Richard Metcalfe withdrew because of a lack of funding, told a fully packed courtroom that he is no longer able to cover his legal costs, as his assets and bank accounts are frozen. He indicated that he wants the State to allocate funds for his preferred lawyer.

Meanwhile, the court was also informed that another suspect, Ricardo Gustavo, is hospitalised.

State prosecutor Ed Marondedze said the State is ready to proceed with the trial on 02 October 2023.

Defence lawyer Mbanga Siyomundji said the lawyers only received the full disclosure in June and that the documents require ample time to read. Another lawyer, Kasper Gilroy, said consultation with his clients at the Windhoek Correctional Facility’s trial-awaiting section is frustrating as they are not allowed to enter the premises with their vehicles. He has also confirmed that they received the voluminous disclosure.

The matter has been postponed to September for a status hearing, before the trial commences in October. The suspects were arrested in November 2019 on charges ranging from fraud and money laundering to racketeering.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

A matter in which the Deputy Minister of Finance, Maureen Hinda-Mbuende is suing the former Mayor of Windhoek, Job Amupanda to the tune of N.dollars 1 million on Monday commenced in the Windhoek High Court, with the deputy minister taking the stand.

Hinda-Mbuende is suing Amupanda for alleged defamatory remarks he made against her in a social media post in July 2021. Amupanda posted a photo of an unknown woman on his social media platforms, and captioned it: “It looks like deputy minister of finance Maureen Hinda during the liberation struggle. Maureen was soo WizWiz. It’s like she won’t think twice about taking a knife out.”(sic)

Hinda-Mbuende claims the post was meant to be understood by the public that the woman in the picture was her in her youthful days; that she was a street girl ready to fight at a moment’s notice. She told Judge Collins Parker on Monday that by September 2021, the Facebook post had 511 comments, 2 800 reactions and it was shared 39 times.

Hinda-Mbuende in her opening statement said the liberation struggle is not a joking matter, and that both she and Amupanda are political leaders who influence important decisions in the country. She indicated that she will prove that Amupanda’s posts were intended to defame her and that he showed no remorse afterwards.

It is further her testimony that Amupanda continued to perpetuate gendered insults against her. A mother of six, Hinda-Mbuende said she is a role model to many and that Amupanda’s posts were hurtful.

“My integrity is what has gotten me this far,” she testified.

Amupanda will also take the stand.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency