Media Monitoring on Urban Development in Namibia

Media Monitoring on Urban Development in Namibia is a service provided by Development Workshop Namibia (DWN), a registered Namibian NGO with a focus on sustainable urban development and poverty reduction. DWN is part of a world-wide network of Development Workshop (DW) organisations with centres in Canada, Angola and France, and offices in Vietnam and Burkino Faso. It was founded in the 1970s by three architect students in the UK and has been funded by non-governmental organisations, private citizens, and national and international development organisations.

In Namibia, DWN’s activities focus on urban related research, effective urban planning for the urban poor, solutions to informal settlements, water & sanitation, and projects specifically targeting disadvantaged segments of the urban youth. Through 40 years of engagement on urban issues mainly in Africa and Asia, the DW network of organisations has acquired significant institutional knowledge and capacity and is well integrated in regional and international networks.

The Namibian media provide an important source of information on urban development processes in the country, highlighting current events, opportunities and challenges. The media further provide insight into the different views and perceptions of a variety of actors, be it from government, non- government, private sector, and individuals that reside in Namibia’s towns and settlements.

It is therefore hoped that DWN’s Media Monitoring service will provide insights into those different views, with potential use for a variety of institutions and decision-makers that work in the urban environment in Namibia.

The Media Monitoring service is currently provided on a monthly basis and monitors the following newspapers: The Namibian, Republikein, Namibian Sun, New Era, Windhoek Observer, Confidente, and Informante.

The articles are grouped into following categories:

1. Urban Planning, Land & Housing Compiled by 2. Urban Infrastructure and Services Engel Heita and Julia Kambunga 3. Livelihoods and Urban Economy Edited by: 4. Environment & Human Health Ester Veiko Produced by: The text of the news articles has not been altered and thus Development Workshop Namibia reflects the opinion of the respective media outlets, and not Address: that of DWN. We hope you find this service useful and 18 Nachtigal Street interesting. DWN is keen to improve the service and PO Box 40723, Ausspannplatz welcomes suggestions and comments. Windhoek, Namibia 061 240 140 [email protected] Yours sincerely,

Development Workshop Namibia

With support from: Namibian Chamber of Environment

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Table of Contents

1 URBAN PLANNING, LAND & HOUSING ...... 4 1.1 Otjomuise low-cost housing puzzle ...... 4 1.2 Divundu to service 82 residential erven ...... 5 1.3 Omuthiya to repossess undeveloped plots ...... 5 1.4 N$4 billion Ongos housing project to kick off ...... 6 1.5 Company seeks eviction of 20 tenants ...... 7 1.6 Katutura to get 4500 low cost houses ...... 7 1.7 Confusion over squatters ‘deal’ ...... 8 1.8 Rundu to survey new extensions ...... 9 1.9 Namdeb offers cheaper houses to staff ...... 9 1.10 Khorixas councilor donates to shack dwellers ...... 10 1.11 Rundu revokes plots worth N$52 million ...... 10 1.12 Okahandja squatters told to make a way for highway...... 11

2 URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES ...... 12 2.1 Kamanjab schools get extra classrooms ...... 12 2.2 Desalination plant still up for grabs ...... 12 2.3 Windhoek to tighten noose on water wastage ...... 13 2.4 Windhoek water tariff hiked by 5%...... 14 2.5 Dark Rundu poses security risk ...... 15 2.6 Gobabis marches over poor services delivery ...... 15 2.7 Groot Aub constituency office registering residents for electricity ...... 16 2.8 Spitzkoppe community wants police station ...... 16 2.9 City water tariffs increase draws critism ...... 17 2.10 Katima dialysis centre officially opened ...... 17 2.11 Rundu’s Ndama location extensions 2 and 3 get electrified ...... 18 2.12 Tunacor fishing goes solar ...... 19 2.13 New office for Sanlam in Katutura ...... 19 2.14 1% of water saved in Windhoek during past week ...... 20 2.15 City cuts Unam power over N$4 million bill ...... 20 2.16 NYS in the dark, again ...... 21 2.17 Underdevelopment haunts Impalila Island ...... 21 2.18 Slow development of infrastructure at Kai//Ganaxab ...... 22 2.19 Telecom launches at Impalila Island ...... 23 2.20 Forum hands over revamped graveyard at Rehoboth ...... 24 2.21 CoW admits cash control deficiency in bus revenue ...... 24 2.22 Rehoboth struggles with overflowing sewers ...... 25

3 LIVELIHOOD AND URBAN ECONOMY ...... 26 3.1 Hundreds court Swapo for jobs...... 26 3.2 People‘s Primary School receives food donations ...... 26 3.3 Namibia Dairies conclude successful Milk Month ...... 26 3.4 All poultry eyes on Ondangwa as three-day course gets underway ...... 27 3.5 AMTA hubs in dire straits ...... 28 3.6 Sanitary pads through kapana initiative a ‘success’ ...... 29 3.7 Women makes baskets from old newspapers ...... 30 3.8 Maltas 2019 Team, Alumni Dinapama Host Soup Kitchen in Okahandja Park ...... 31 2

3.9 Grootfontein train station is new logistics hub for DRC and Zambia ...... 31 3.10 Amta closes fresh produce hubs ...... 32 3.11 Vendors in despair ...... 33 3.12 Oshakati abattoir to reopen soon ...... 34 3.13 Topnaars wallow in poverty despite lucrative concessions, quota ...... 34 3.14 Oshikango’s businesss prospects worsening...... 35 3.15 Rundu fresh produce hub still operational: Thikusho ...... 36 3.16 Unemployed youth thrive selling kapana ...... 36 3.17 Outapi reaps bumper harvest from garden ...... 37 3.18 Reusable pads for 400 schoolgirls ...... 37 3.19 Otjiwarongo boasts new business complex ...... 38 3.20 Army, police rescue Amta ...... 38 3.21 Much anticipated Agra Ondangwa to bring products, services to the masses ...... 39 3.22 Orangemund to curb dependency on diamonds ...... 40

4 ENVIRONMENT & HUMAN HEALTH ...... 42 4.1 Outrage over purified waste discharge into lagoon ...... 42 4.2 State health patients left to die ...... 42 4.3 Marble miners' harsh working conditions...... 43

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1 Urban Planning, Land & Housing

1.1 Otjomuise low-cost housing puzzle The Namibian|04/07/2019

Windhoek municipality councillors have blasted the urban development ministry for allocating a N$58 million plot to a private company, warning that adding a middleman in the process could inflate the costs of houses. The land in question is a portion of Otjomuise Extension 10 which was allocated to a company called Calgrokuumba – a joint venture between a South African firm – Calgro M3 and Afrikuumba – owned by local businessman Titus Nakuumba. Nakuumba has developed a reputation of getting lucrative deals from the state. The land was initially given to the urban and rural development ministry by council for the low-cost mass housing initiative. The mass housing project was launched in 2013 by President Hifikepunye Pohamba to address Namibia's housing crisis. At its inception, the government promised to build 148 000 houses countrywide through the scheme by 2030. The ministry partnered with Calgrokuumba in 2013 to build the Otjomuise mass houses through a public-private partnership (PPP) worth N$350 million. Calgrokuumba was supposed to construct over 1 100 houses, on 150 square metre erven each, during the first two phases of the project. According to council agenda documents submitted at last week's meeting, Calgrokuumba have only managed to construct 360 housing units during phase 1A of the project. The company then applied to council in 2018 to buy phases 1B and 1C of the same land for about N$70 million containing 47 general residential erven. The initial price as per council's valuation was N$90 million, but it was renegotiated between the council, the ministry and the developer to N$58 million. Calgrokuumba wants to construct about 4 000 houses at the Otjomuise plot over six years. Although the transaction was approved by the council last week, some councillors had strong reservations that the houses to be built under this project could be unaffordable. Councillors were only given two options at Thursday's meeting. The first option, according to documents, was a proposal to outrightly sell the land to Calgrokuumba so that the company could use it as collateral for loans. The municipality stated that this option, although supported by the ministry, would have a negative impact on the eventual prices of the housing units due to interest on the development loans. The second option was that the company gets the land and pays the N$58 million in six years, but could not use the land as collateral. This option will also make the houses unaffordable if the company takes over the responsibility of transferring the ownership of the land to buyers, the document stated. Swapo councillor Ian Subasubani raised red flags over the transaction during the meeting. He said the approval of the deal meant that the municipality only cared about making a “quick buck”, and not the welfare of the residents who would be affected by the high prices of the houses. “My suspicion is that the reason we went for the first option is because we want to get a quick buck. The first option, for me, is a no-go area,” he stated. Swapo councillor Fransina Kahungu also expressed disappointment that the municipality was approving a deal which only favoured the developer. She alleged that the agreement between the urban development ministry and the private company was an inside job that was done to benefit Calgrokuumba. “The ministry knows what it did when they came up with this agreement. Follow very well, the people who were working for the ministry, where are they now? It was an in-house something which was done to suit whoever it was meant to suit. There is nothing much which we can do here,” she said. She was apparently referring to former National Housing Enterprise (NHE)'s property manager Uazuva Kaumbi, who joined Afrikuumba in 2017 as a business developer. Popular Democratic Movement councillor Ignatius Semba suggested that the deal be sent back to the council's management committee for further discussions. “I don't see the need of us trying to go forward, if we already know that this has more negative connotations. I strongly recommend that we send this item back, and come back with better solutions,” he said. Windhoek municipality chief executive Robert Kahimise opposed the proposal to delay the approval, implying that the municipality and the urban development ministry were being held hostage by the company. “Unfortunately, the way the contract between the company and the ministry was structured is in such a way that it will also affect the buyers. It is not a normal land transaction that 4 we would want to approve following the rules. “We are confined to an agreement which we were not party to, but our central government is. Unfortunately, the item cannot be deferred, the ministry is already in default as we are sitting here. If this resolution goes out, Afrikuumba will take the ministry to court, and we go in circles again. There is not much, according to that agreement, that we can do,” he stated. Kahimise added that the option to pass the burden to the end-users was not the best option, but “as it stands, we are in that unfortunate situation that our central government has signed”. “We don't want a situation where council will be blamed if the line ministry did not achieve its target of mass housing simply because of a decision by council,” he said. Businessman Nakuumba told The Namibian on Tuesday that his company was not at fault. He denied allegations that they were holding the government and the municipality hostage to a badly structured agreement. Nakuumba revealed that the urban development ministry wanted to terminate their contract in 2015, but “we took them [the ministry] to court”, and an out-of-court settlement was arrived at after consultations with the attorney general. “Clearly, everything was done above board, and there was thus no insider trading here, unless you doubt the collective intelligence of the ministry and the attorney general. It was completely independent,” he continued. Nakuumba also defended his business developer, Uazuva Kaumbi, who worked at the NHE when his company was awarded the tender in 2013. Kaumbi was one of the top officials at NHE who recommended Nakuumba for the mass housing tender and supervised mass housing sites in Windhoek. He later resigned from NHE and joined Afrikuumba. Nakuumba said he only knew Kaumbi during the implementation of the mass housing project. He said his company would prefer the council's second option to pay the N$58 million over six years. “We shall fully pay for those erven, and once they are fully paid for and transferred into the name of Calgrokuumba, we shall be legally able to use those erven as collateral,” he added.

1.2 Divundu to service 82 residential erven New Era|08/07/2019

The Divundu Village Council in Mukwe Constituency of Kavango East Region is in the process to service some 82 residential erven, CEO Athanasius Maghumbo said. This project which could have kicked off over a year ago but was delayed due to insufficient funds in the last financial year, he said. Initially, the plan was to service 242 erven but available funds only allow for 82 erven to be serviced. In the current financial year, Divundu has been allocated N$4 million for their development projects. “We are currently working on our new extension, Divundu West Extension 3, and we are going to provide water and sewer services to the 82 erven once completed as we have installed a water borehole on site a borehole as well as an eco-smart Sewer plant ready to be used,” said Maghumbo in an interview with New Era. “The layout has been approved and we are now just waiting for the approval from the township board and once that is done then we will have a surveyor on site to survey the whole area,” he added. According to Maghumbo the remaining 160 erven will follow suit once money is available to complete the whole Divundu West Extension 3 and they will not only consist of business and institutional plots, but residential erven as well. The council through a contractor have started to construct public toilets and according the CEO the contractor assured the council that the toilets will be ready by end of July so that they can also test the installed eco-smart sewer system. “We just want. to provide ablution facilities to cater to people who might not get their own toilets in the beginning but those who are able to build their own can connect to the sewer system,” he said.

1.3 Omuthiya to repossess undeveloped plots New Era|09/07/2019

The Omuthiya Town Council has granted residents three months to start developing plots allocated to them, or the council would take the land back. Failure to meet the deadline will prompt the council to re-allocate the land to other prospective clients who are on the waiting list. This message 5 is contained in a notice issued last week, wherein it stated that people were not forthcoming in developing plots despite being served with reminder letters. The notice said that the council has noted with concern that a number of plots are standing idle in town, at the expense of many residents who are looking for plots to build houses on. In an interview earlier this year, the CEO Samuel Mbango had informed this publication that those whose plots are to be repossessed would be barred from acquiring plots for a certain number of years, and council would charge a 10 percent fee. Mbango said close to 100 plots have been allocated and remain undeveloped, but which have now been targeted to be reclaimed. “We have been making follow-ups and people have given various reasons such as failure to secure a loan, while some request an extension to give them time to source funds,” said Mbango.

1.4 N$4 billion Ongos housing project to kick off New Era|10/07/2019

Ongos Valley Development director Americo de Almeida yesterday revealed that they have made tremendous progress in their multi-billion-dollar housing investment, and a ground-breaking ceremony is expected to take place end of this month. He made the announcement yesterday at State House when he briefed President Hage Geingob on the progress Ongos Valley Development has made so far in its N$4.3 billion housing investment. Last year, Ongos Valley Development launched a housing project with a promise to construct 30 000 housing units over 15 to 20 years as of this year. The aim of the project is to alleviate the critical housing shortage in Windhoek for the low- to middle-income households by undertaking a large-scale, cost-effective development, driven by private initiative and supported by government. In the long term, Ongos said, the project will supply more than 25 000 housing units for the low- and middle-income classes, four business centres including 106 business plots, 48 institutional plots, and over 20 percent of the development dedicated to public and conservation open areas. In 2017, Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking signed a partnership agreement with Ongos Valley Development for the servicing and construction of a proposed 3 665 low- and middle-income residential housing units at a total cost of N$3.7 billion. However, de Almeida said they managed to secure N$4.3 billion for the up to 30 000- unit housing project to kick-start. Nedbank executive: Corporate Investment Banking and Treasury Karl-Stefan Altmann yesterday said that about 4 000 direct and 9 000 indirect jobs would be created. Further, he said, financing partners of the project include Development Bank of Namibia, Absa, Nedbank, Standard Bank and Development Corporation of Botswana. “The first stage of the investment of the first phase will be N$1 billion which is about 4 500 houses that will be built. It will be sub-divided and over a period of five years, and the 4 500 houses will be developed. The big project is over a period between 15 and 20 years that will reduce to 20 000 houses over that lifetime. So, it’s a very big project,” Altmann said. He promised that once the houses are complete, the cheapest house will start from N$300 000 to a range of N$800 000. He said the Ongos project is not a mass housing project, but a green village self-contained area with schools, hospitals, police stations and a cemetery, among other services. He said the project is situated behind Monte Christo in Katutura. Geingob welcomed the project and promised to do the ground-breaking. “We are looking for this kind of things. I was in Rwanda and I must say, they are making good progress in their housing development schemes. It’s all private investment, not government. So, I am happy to hear this to address this problem of squatting. I think we can do this if we really hold hands. It’s really good news,” Geingob noted. In terms of regulatory requirements, de Almeida confirmed everything has been addressed and last week they signed a development agreement that allows them to start physical construction. He added that the contractor Octagon Construction will take possession of the site on Thursday to start site establishment.

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1.5 Company seeks eviction of 20 tenants Namibian Sun|10/07/2019

There is an interesting matter before High Court Judge Boas Usiku where Endobo Properties is applying for an order to evict 20 tenants from a property at Tsumeb. In September last year, Endobo filed its particulars, attaching a customer age analysis dated 13 June 2018. The total outstanding rent for the 20 tenants amounted to N$248 815 with N$189 795 of that outstanding for 120 days or more, the bulk of it dating back to March 2016 through to February 2018. According to the document, the biggest defaulter is the fourth defendant, Gustav Gariseb, trading as Longa Engineering, with N$46 205, with N$39 880 owed between March 2016 and January 2018. The other defendants, from one to 20 save for the fourth, are Petrus Nambundu, Selma Alpheus, Martin Martino, Masonde Viwangu, Basilium Kaguwo, Johannes Ndyamba, Christolene Kambamba, Selonika Upingasana, Bernhard Hikumua, Fillip Louis, Fillipine Gomusas, Immanuel Shilonda, Efat Pejamatjike, Lucia Sabatha, Norman Filiyati, Helarius Goseb, Andreas Thimbunga, Martino Mbimbi and Sara Haseb. Endobo told the court that it is the owner of the property at 103 President's Avenue, listing the transfer deed number, adding that “the aforementioned Endobo Properties (Pty) Limited was converted to a close corporation in 2007 and the transfer deed was endorsed accordingly”. Attaching the rental contract, Endobo said that according to the terms of the document, it could terminate the lease if rent was not paid when due, amongst others. “Should the lease be terminated, the lessee undertakes to vacate the premises on or before the termination date” and if not, Endobo has the right to enter the premises and remove the lessee's property, placing it in storage. Endobo told the court that 20 defendants were all in breach of their rental obligations, most starting from February 2016, according to the age analysis. Endobo asked the court to cancel all the relevant lease agreements and to evict the 20 defendants from the property. It also asked for costs. In their plea, the 20 defendants, represented by Sylsken Makondo, say that the property, at the time of transfer to Endobo, was not owned by Ongopolo Mining and thus, there was no legal cause for the transfer to be effected. In the alternative, they say the 1977 Rents Ordinance allows for a notice period of one year for a business and three months for a residence “when a lessor gives notice to a lessee to vacate”. Interestingly, they include in their plea, a section from the ordinance which states that “the period of notice as required by this section shall not be applicable where the lessee of business premises has done material damage to such premises, or has indulged in conduct which constitutes a nuisance to the residents or occupants of adjoining or neighboring premises, or is in arrears with the payment of rent of the said premises.” They add also that they did not consent to a shorter notice period as provided for by the ordinance. Alternatively, the defendants say that Endobo was not the lawful owner when the lease agreements were signed and executed and thus, they are entitled to resist eviction. They asked for the claim to be dismissed with costs. The matter is set to go to trial. Francois Erasmus appears for Endobo.

1.6 Katutura to get 4500 low cost houses The Namibian|11/07/2019

Okuryangava residents in Windhoek will soon have new neighbours with the contstruction of about 4 500 low-cost houses set to begin from August this year. The new township to be constructed will be managed by Ongos Valley Development – a company with a dream of building 30 000 low-cost houses in a period of between 15 and 20 years. The 30 000 houses will be spread over an area of about 1 000 football fields (1 700 ha), west of the Nubuamis area in Katutura. Nedbank Namibia, as lead financier, will bond with South Africa's Absa Bank, the Development Bank of Namibia, Standard Bank Namibia and the Development Corporation of Botswana in the financing of the project. The housing project was launched last September in Windhoek, and attracted politicians, including former education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, deputy finance minister Natangwe Ithete and deputy industrialisation minister Lucia Iipumbu, as well as Windhoek mayor Muesee Kazapua. At a meeting held at State House on Tuesday, Ongos Valley Development director Americo de Almeida

7 told president Hage Geingob that the project will see Ongos invest about N$4 billion in the project, and create about 4 000 direct jobs and 9 000 indirect jobs in the process. The groundbreaking ceremony, to be officially announced, is expected to take place at the end of July, De Almeida told the head of state. He said the houses are expected to cost between N$300 000 and N$800 000, and very few just above N$800 000. The president hailed the development, and asked private companies and banks to meet the government halfway in providing basic neccessities such as housing, not only in Windhoek, but in other areas as well. “It is a good start, especially with the banks being together in addressing the question of squatting,” Geingob stated. The president was quoted earlier this year as saying shacks around the city annoy him, and he wants them gone in five years. Nedbank Namibia's executive for corporate investment banking and treasury, Karl-Stefan Altmann, said the first phase of the construction will cost about N$1 billion for about 4 500 houses that will be built over five years, just N$250 million slightly above the cost of the Swapo party headquarters' building.

1.7 Confusion over squatters ‘deal’ New Era|19/07/2019

The Rundu town council is planning to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a group of illegal land occupants currently living at the Tumweneni informal settlement along Cuma Road, following a community engagement on 24 May. This is according to a letter seen by Namibian Sun dated 5 June in which former acting Rundu CEO Sikongo Haihambo says the municipality had engaged the community and this had birthed the decision to enter into an agreement. However, Rundu mayor Isak Kandingu, who was also among those who attended the 24 May meeting, said he is not aware of a MoU. He indicated all he knows is that the people living along Cuma Road are there illegally. New acting Rundu CEO Herman Haingura said he also attended the meeting on 24 May. “This is news to me. I do not know about any MoU,” Haingura said. He maintained this position despite being informed that he was copied in the letter. Haingura briefly explained that a MoU or a settlement agreement can only be entered once a council resolution has been taken, which should have emanated from the management committee through the relevant departments. The intent of Haihambo's letter addressed to NamWater's manager for the two Kavango regions, John Muremi, was to request that the water utility continue its supply of water to the community. It also explained the MoU. Haihambo said a meeting with the community took place on 24 May, where the Cuma Road Temporary Committee was established. The committee will play an oversight role in terms of land dealings, while combatting further illegal land grabs. This meeting was attended by the Kavango East police leadership, council employees and the region's political leadership. “At this meeting, the said committee was entrusted with the responsibility to oversee land-grabbing and infrastructure development matters in and around the Cuma Road area (which is unsurveyed land),” letter reads. “This will be regulated through a MoU with the Rundu town council. “This therefore is a request to your office to provide water strictly and directly to the Cuma Road area, noting that management measures are put in place. The supply of purified water may commence/continue with immediate effect within your schedules and at your rates to the users until the Rundu town council advices otherwise.” When Namibian Sun visited the Tumweneni informal settlement, vice-chairperson of the group, Alexander Muyambango, said they are happy to have been accorded an opportunity to engage the town council and for the establishment of the Cuma Road Temporary Committee. “We are happy to have a place which we can call a home,” Muyambango said. He also shed light on their one-year anniversary event they had on 25 June to mark a year of living in the area. When asked why they took the route of grabbing land, he explained this has been the “Rundu way” of getting land, saying that the majority of townships at the town were the result of illegal land grabs. “People call it illegal land grabs, but ask them how Kehemu and other townships were formed; they were formed the same way,” he said. He added their actions were the result of the town council's inability to service land for people to buy and settle on. “Some of us have applied for land since 2002 and yet up to today no land was approved for us. Renting is expensive, as we are poor, therefore this is the only way we can get a piece of land and settle,” he said. When asked about the MoU, Muyambango said

8 they are still waiting on council to come forward with the process. He, however, indicated they have lived up to the agreement reached on 24 May meeting, as no new land occupations had taken place along Cuma Road. “Currently no new registrations and land occupations are taking place. The only people setting up are those who were allocated plots and they did not secure the materials at the time,” he said. About 700 structures have been erected at the area. A pre-primary school has also been established.

1.8 Rundu to survey new extensions The Namibian|19/07/2019

The Rundu Town Council is planning to survey two new extensions of the Tuhingireni informal settlement for N$1 million, head of town planning Elfriede Gende says. Gende told Nampa on Wednesday that the council is planning to do the surveying themselves, starting with Tuhingireni before moving to other settlements such as Ndama and Sauyemwa. “Planning is already done, but due to our financial constraints, we are unable to get surveyors to do the groundwork, which is why we are doing the basic part of it by ourselves,” she stated. One of the two extensions has already been completed, and the other one is on hold as the council awaits the procurement of new pegs which will be used on site. Explaining why they are starting with Tuhingireni, Gende said the residents of that settlement collected funds to purchase a transformer to electrify the location. “This has come as per NoRED's requirement as they cannot electrify a settlement that does not show clear indications of how the roads will be demarcated. The setting out of pegs to indicate the streets has come as our immediate action so that we allow NoRED to go on with electrifying the settlement,” she added. At the same time, the department still has six other new extensions that they need to set up, four in Ndama and two for Sauyemwa. However, the planner pointed out that this can only be realised if the council will be able to source funds to get surveyors on board, or still take the same route of doing the basic part of the surveying to allow people to get access to services. To survey one extension would in total cost the council an amount of N$500 000. Residents who are currently occupying the plots in municipal areas where there are services rendered by the council will be required to pay N$50 per month for residential rent prior to them getting their plots priced for final purchase. Businesses and institutions will be notified of the amount that they will contribute to the council as their occupational rent on those plots.

1.9 Namdeb offers cheaper houses to staff The Namibian|24/07/2019

Diamond mining giant Namdeb, owned 50/50 by the Namibian government and De Beers Group has signed a historic three-year substantive wage agreement with the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) that unlocks new opportunities for the parties and the town of Oranjemund. The agreement signed by Namdeb CEO Riaan Burger and MUN branch chairperson Shavuka Mbidhi on Friday will enable Namdeb employees to purchase properties at the diamond-mining town, Oranjemund at reduced prices. The agreement effective immediately will also see those wishing to purchase properties outside the mining town getting financial assistance from the diamond giant company. It is effective until 2022. “The agreement demonstrated both Namdeb and the MUN’s commitment to the national imperatives of housing as priority area and furthermore serves as a tool for creating sustainable communities,” stated the two parties in a joint statement. According to the statement, the total value of housing benefit that will be provided by Namdeb amounts to over N$100 million, and is specifically tailored to enable first-time home ownership for lower income employees. “This win-win agreement demonstrates our commitment to supporting the national development goals and in particular our on-going commitment to the economic diversification of the town of Oranjemund,” said Burger. In this regard, Burger said, “I would also like to acknowledge our shareholders and stakeholders for the supporting role that they played in assisting the parties to reach this milestone. “ On his part, Mbidhi said, “as the MUN, we will continue to work hard to

9 ensure that our members can improve their living conditions and gain access to affordable housing.” In addition, he said MUN will continue to seek further job creation opportunities and will work with stakeholders and partners to develop economic prosperity.

1.10 Khorixas councilor donates to shack dwellers The Namibian|29/07/2019

The Shack Dwellers Federation at Khorixas last week received a donation of 200 bags of cement worth N$26 000 from Khorixas constituency councillor Elias /Aro Xoagub. Xoagub donated the cement in his personal capacity last Wednesday. “The donation was made to meet the group and the government halfway in solving the national housing challenge,” he said through Khorixas constituency youth forum chairperson Reginald Roman, who presented the cement on his behalf. The Khorixas Shack Dwellers Federation chairperson Emma Gomes thanked the councillor for heeding their plea for help when they approached him for assistance. “Some houses have already been completed by the federation at Khorixas. Others houses will be completed with the donated cement,” Gomes said. Indeed, some members of the federation have moved into their new houses a few months ago. Out of the 28 houses completed at the town, 23 are owned by women. The federation started constructing houses at Khorixas in 2017. Gomes thus called on the town's homeless residents to join the federation, and to start saving money towards the construction of their houses. She added that the Khorixas Town Council had assisted the federation a lot by giving them land for free, while it pledged to service the members' plots. “We appreciate their assistance, and our relationship with the chief executive officer is great. The council has been of great help to us,” Gomes told The Namibian. Xoagub is also a businessman at the town, who owns Aba Huab campsite situated near the famed world heritage site of the Twyfelfontein rock engravings.

1.11 Rundu revokes plots worth N$52 million Namibian Sun|30/07/2019

The Rundu town council says it has been left with no other option but to revoke the allocation of more than 80 industrial and business plots. According to an advertisement placed in daily newspapers, the plots are situated in Rundu’s extensions 3, 4, 8 and 29 and are valued at over N$52 million. Council spokesperson Benjamin Makayi told Namibian Sun that some of the plots were allocated as far back as 2002, but the occupants did not pay a cent. Makayi acknowledged that that a number of the plots are not yet connected to municipal services, especially those in Extension 8. All the plots in Extension 4 were provided with municipal services, yet the occupants failed to honour their purchase agreements. “The erven were planned and registered, therefore such activities require financial input costs that were borne by council,” Makayi said. “Most of the erven are not connected to municipal services, for example water, roads, sewer and electricity, particularly those in Rundu Extension 8 but Rundu Extension 4 is serviced.” The plots are being sold at N$100 per square metre, which locals feel is too much. One of those objecting to the price of land is town councillor Reginald Ndara, who represents the Rundu Concerned Citizens Association (RCCA). Ndara tried to table a motion on the issue on 21 June, but it was not seconded. Ndara argues that the council cannot sell the plots at such a high price, as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) won’t be able to afford them. “The prices are exorbitant and some citizens, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises and the upcoming business persons, will never afford these prices. The fact that the Rundu town council is deeply in debt does not give the town the power to come up with unaffordable prices on land,” Ndara argues. When asked how the council had arrived at the price of N$100 per square metre, Makayi said the council makes use of gazetted tariffs which are reviewed almost every year. He further cited the cost of surveying and registering land, which has to be recouped. “There are input costs involved in planning and registering the land and such costs were borne by the council and should be recovered from the proceeds of selling the erven. It is therefore necessary to recover costs incurred from conducting environmental impact assessments, costs for 10 township layout designs, costs to the Namibia Planning Advisory Board and Township Board fees, consultant fees and land surveying costs,” Makayi said. The Rundu town council is faced with a number of financial challenges, such as its N$50 million water debt to NamWater. This situation resulted in NamWater cutting off the town’s water, leaving the over 80 000 residents without water for weeks until the line ministry intervened. Due to a lack of funds, the council is also unable to implement its waste management system, resulting in the town’s open spaces becoming dumping sites.

1.12 Okahandja squatters told to make a way for highway The Namibian|30/07/2019

Up to 5 000 residents of the Vergenoeg informal settlement on the outskirts of Okahandja are facing possible forceful eviction to make way for the Windhoek-Okahandja dual carriageway. The road, which is nearing its final stages, has been planned to run through the area the residents have named Vergenoeg and have been living in for close to 10 years. They have vowed not to move from the area, claiming that they were never informed about the intended development. Community representative, Welfred Goaseb on Friday at a demonstration organised by residents said they were never told about the plans to build the road and once they found out, they were not given an opportunity to voice their opinions. According to Goaseb, the group held multiple meetings with the town council and CEO, and that is how they are aware that there is no more land at Okahandja. “The CEO is the one that told us that this place would become formalised once there are enough funds and until now there have not been funds. Those were all just lies,” he said. About 200 residents who gathered at the demonstration threatened that if the planned dual carriageway is not diverted from their community, they would not be voting at this year’s presidential and National Assembly elections. A resident of Vergenoeg for over eight years, Christiana Swartbooi echoed this sentiment. “There are plans to remove us from our homes that’s why we, the landless residents of Okahandja, will not vote,” Swartbooi said. Okahandja municipality’s chief executive Martha Mutilifa, however, dismissed the residents’ assertions, noting that they were made aware of the intended development some three years ago. “In 2016, we went there to tell people not to locate themselves there or to settle within the area’s that already had construction pegs,” she said. She added that the residents who live along the marked places do not have a choice but to move. “Who put them there? They knew that they were between the pegs. They knew that they should not locate themselves there,” Mutilifa said. According to Mutilifa, the Roads Authority said that they would start with the work on the road this month. Roads Authority spokesperson Hileni Fillemon yesterday said they would respond to queries today.

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2 Urban Infrastructure and Services

2.1 Kamanjab schools get extra classrooms The Namibian|01/07/2019

Extra classrooms are currently under construction at two schools at Kamanjab in the Kunene region at a cost of N$1, 5 million. Kunene regional education director Angeline Jantze said the need for classrooms in the region cannot be overemphasised. “The Directorate of Education, Arts and Culture is receiving an amount annually to address the shortage of classrooms from the central government, but the amount is not enough to address all needs,” Jantze told The Namibian recently. Two classrooms are under construction at DF /Uirab Primary School, which has an enrolment of 573 pupils from Grade 0 to Grade 7. The two classrooms are being built at a cost of N$680 000. Kamanjab Combined School, which caters for 618 pupils from Grade 0 to Grade 10, is constructing two classrooms for N$830 000. According Jantze, Kamanjab Combined School has been identified as one of the schools to cater for senior secondary pupils in the area, and will offer classes up to Grade 11. “That is the reason the school was identified to receive at least two classrooms for the curriculum extension. The school is still having additional classroom needs, but as an alternative, they are using the study room in the hostel and the school hall for the time being,” Jantze added. She said DF /Uirab Primary School struggled with classrooms for the past years, and the school authorities were renting the hall and dormitories at the Evangelical Lutheran Church hostel at Kamanjab. Jantze did not, however, reveal how much was paid in rent at the Evangelical Lutheran Church hostel. Last year, DF /Uirab Primary School used tents for classrooms due to overcrowding. The education director added that the Directorate of Education is doing its best to provide classrooms to schools in need, although not enough.

2.2 Desalination plant still up for grabs New Era|01/07/2019

Water is life in the desert. Although the cold Atlantic Ocean hugs the Namibian coastline for thousands of kilometres, the seawater has not diminished the grip of the Namib on almost a third of the country. All that water, and not a drop to drink. Until now. As has often been the case in the history of the ‘land of the brave,’ it is again the mining industry which has opened a new chapter in the development of this country. For the first time a large quantity of seawater is being purified at the Erongo Desalination Plant 30 km north of Swakopmund, supplying NamWater with 12 million cubic meters per year in 2017. The plant belongs to Orano, the international uranium and nuclear energy conglomerate, which changed its name from Areva Resources at the beginning of 2018. Aveng Water, which built the plant for Areva in 2010 to supply the nearby and then burgeoning Trekkopje uranium mine, still operates the state-of-the-art installation. The company has invested heavily in training and process knowledge, which has paid off – the plant is operating smoothly and there has been no major downtime since 2013. The plant is OHSAS 18001 certified for health and safety standards and has not experienced lost-time injury incidents in years. The plant employs 46 permanent workers. The Erongo desalination plant is the largest reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant ever built in southern Africa. It can produce up to 20 million cubic metres of water per year, although its capacity is not being fully utilised because Trekkopje has been on care and maintenance since 2012.In August 2013 Areva signed a supply agreement with NamWater for up to 10 million cubic metres per year for use by other uranium mines in the area, including Rössing, Langer Heinrich and the massive Husab mine. Because of Husab’s appetite the supply was increased to 12 million cubic metres in 2017. The seawater desalination process begins with screen filtration, followed by ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, limestone contact and, finally, chlorination. The intake of seawater is through a pipeline anchored 1 000 metres off the coast at a water depth of 10 metres. There, a 40-millimetre-diameter screen keeps aquatic plants and animals out of the pipeline.

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Production superintendent Lazarus Gariseb says there are two concrete-encased steel pipes, referred to as the northern and southern intake. On land the pumps are buried two storeys down and the initial gravity flow at the distant openings is weak enough to allow fish to swim in and out with relative ease, up to the steel grids with bars 40 cm apart. A third pipe extends 600 metres into the sea, through which brine is discharged. This waste stream contains more concentrated seawater, which disperses naturally in the ocean. Regular testing ensures that the impact on the local ocean environment remains minimal. “For every cubic metre we pump in, 72% returns to the sea so the 28% is not a massive change in concentration and has a minimal impact on the environment,” says plant manager Dave Baillie. “Twice a year divers inspect, repair and clean the metal bars (at the inlets) and scrape the mussels off. Every second year we take samples at the outlets to see if there has been any environmental damage. That happened again just two months ago. We also took test samples to the south to be able to compare, because the current here flows from south to north’’ Baillie says the intake was designed with excess capacity and can supply a second desalination plant. “Forward thinking,” is how he describes this provision. The existing single plant can supply up to 20 million cubic metres of desalinated water per year, which can easily be upgraded to 25 million cubic metres. With the construction of a second plant next door, the supply could be doubled to 50 or even 52 million cubic metres a year, Baillie says. “The supply is driven by demand,” he said. Baillie admits that the cost of producing desalinated water is definitely higher than extracting groundwater. But pressure on the local aquifer has reduced production from the Omdel network to about 400 cubic metres per hour, whereas the desalination plant supplies 1 500 cubic metres per hour. “The main cost of production is electricity,” he says. The pump houses on the beach are a kilometre underground and the energy needed to move the water inland and uphill is costly. From the pump houses the seawater enters the screen building for pre-treatment to rid it of any suspended solids. Five installed rotating drum screens with openings only 60 microns wide work day and night. The building has the capacity to add three more of these screens. Ultrafiltration takes place through filtration tubes which house 308 membranes each. Forcing the water through openings in the membranes only 0.02 microns wide, the system can remove even bacteria from the water. The reverse osmosis process is also achieved through the use of hollow tubes with membranes that even dissolved salts cannot pass through, Gariseb explains. Pressure of between 7 200 and 7 300 kilopascal forces the water through the membranes, which recover up to 47% as purified drinkable water, while the rest makes up the excess brine. The Erongo plant is also able to recover some of its energy expenditure through the use of pressure-exchange devices. After reverse osmosis the water is demineralised, and chlorine is finally used to disinfect the water. Besides supplying the desalinated water to local mines, NamWater mixes it with borehole water to supply the nearby town of Swakopmund. “We currently have the best technology for the desalination of large volumes of water,” says Baillie. In less than two hours after leaving the sea, the water is transformed into drinkable water and pumped about 5 km inland to join the supply from the Omdel boreholes to the beautiful town of Swakopmund.”

2.3 Windhoek to tighten noose on water wastage New Era|02/07/2019

The City of Windhoek finds itself in a severe water shortage crisis and will go after residents who fail to comply with its water saving measures as of 01 July 2019. This was said by Windhoek Deputy Mayor, Loide Kaiyamo, during the monthly council meeting on Thursday. Kaiyamo raised the concern that not all residents were taking the crisis seriously. “I would like to use this opportunity to remind Windhoekers about the seriousness of the severe water scarcity facing our city. Although we have been on record on many occasions cautioning Windhoek residents about the critical shortage and the importance of using water sparingly, the demand consumption response has not been satisfactory” the deputy mayor said. This is because the City failed to reach the 15 per cent water saving target it set for itself, she said. It is an open secret that Windhoek relies heavily on surface water supplied by NamWater, “which is our bulk water supplier”, Kaiyamo said. NamWater has,

13 however, said it is currently not in the position to meet Windhoek’s water demands going forward as it can only supply Windhoek with slightly above 163 000 m3 (cubic metres) against the required demand of 539 000 m3 per week. “I, therefore, would like to remind you that the City of Windhoek will officially start with the implementation of water restriction as of 01 July 2019 as recommended by our water management plan,” she said. The restrictions are to ensure water availability for the next two rainy seasons, should the current drought situation persist. “Let us therefore collectively pull in the same direction to delay the run-dry date,” Kaiyamo stated. The water-saving measures among others include the restriction of car wash operations, to allow only such operations that comply with the environmental, sewer and water saving regulations and to stop the watering of public lawns with potable water. On the development front, Kaiyamo said political will alone is not sufficient to take Windhoek forward. “It needs to be accompanied by technical will. I implore the technical management of the City of Windhoek under the chief executive officer to ensure development projects budgeted for, are implemented,” she said.

2.4 Windhoek water tariff hiked by 5% Namibian Sun|02/07/2019

A 5% water price hike on the majority of water tariffs, and a revised drought tariff structure in line with the category D severe scarcity water restrictions that came into effect yesterday, were approved by the City of Windhoek council last week. The City's June agenda notes that the 5% water tariff adjustment was approved for implementation effective as of yesterday (1 July) and that the new drought tariff structure is in line with efforts to control the usage of water “in these difficult times to sustain the scarce resource”. The City of Windhoek council was advised that the current water tariffs for Windhoek “are way below similar tariffs of other local authorities nationally”. The council agenda notes that the drought tariff structure categories are aimed at achieving the required water saving targets for the various severity conditions. The current water saving targets are 15% as per the category D severe water scarcity category. While the tariffs remain the same for all categories, the limits where penalties are introduced are lowered in each new category. Although the tariffs are not yet gazetted, the 5% increases are likely to result in residents paying N$34.64 per 1 000 litres if their consumption is between 6 000 to 25 000 litres used per household per month, a water consumption tariff table submitted to council shows. The table further shows that households that use between 25 000 to 30 000 litres per month will pay N$69.29 per 1 000 litres, which indicates a proposed 14% increase in the penalty fee for overconsumption compared to the 2018/19 tariffs in category D water tariffs. Consumers who will use more than 30 000 litres a month will be penalised with a tariff of N$138.57, which translates to a proposed 2% decrease in category D from the previous over 30 000 litre penalty tariff, that was N$141.00 per 1 000 litres. A 5% increase is also being applied to the basic water tariffs charge to domestic and non-domestic users.The 5% tariff increase is lower than the initial 10% proposed increase, in addition to a 5% sewer tariff hike, announced by a City official in May during a talk on water scarcity in Windhoek. The agenda's request to approve the revised water tariffs for the 2019/20 financial year notes that the tariff hike is part of an annual review in order to amend tariffs to recover direct costs as well as indirect costs. The agenda notes that NamWater has obtained an approval from cabinet which reflected an increase of 5% in the bulk water tariff. The council was advised that the 5% water tariff increases are based on the cost of the bulk purchase increase, inflation, the current national economic conditions, fuel price increase, and consultation with stakeholders, outstanding debt, and additional costs to treat water. Moreover, the current energy cost to transfer from reservoirs, storage and boreholes to consumers, and between reservoirs, is not currently available and is not included in the tariff adjustment, council was advised.

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2.5 Dark Rundu poses security risk Namibian Sun|04/07/2019

Rundu, the capital city of Kavango East, is in dire need of street lights, as most parts of the riverside town remain in darkness at night, which poses a security risk to residents. The chances of being mugged and losing your valuables at night in Rundu are very high, because criminals take advantage of dark areas, even along the town's main roads. Some of the existing street lights are not operational. This has been the case for years, despite residents calling on the Rundu town council to address this issue. The town council and Northern Regional Electricity Distributor (Nored) have signed service delivery agreements over the years, but the street light issue remains a concern. The reality on the ground is that Rundu remains a dark town at night, when compared to other major towns in Namibia. Last week, during the renewal of a service delivery agreement between the town council and Nored, Rundu mayor Isak Kandingu called the electricity distributor to prioritise various issues, including the erection of high-mast lighting in formalised areas. Kandingu also called on Nored to install street lights of the required standard and not the current ones that do not adequately light up the town at night. “Rundu is growing at an accelerated pace in terms of population, hence the growth of the town in terms of services, including electricity. Therefore, we would like the following aspects to be prioritised and accelerated: High-mast lights required at formalised areas, street lights of the required standard and the replacement of bulbs, as the streets of Rundu are still dark, as this increases the security risk,” Kandingu said. Rundu acting CEO Sikongo Haihambo said the recently signed service delivery agreement was long overdue. Haihambo stressed the document should not collect dust, but should rather be implemented. “What we don't want to see is that this document is just filed. The dynamics of the agreement need to be implemented,” Haihambo said. Nored CEO Fillemon Nakashole assured that they will play their part in ensuring that priority areas are given the desired attention. He, however, pointed out that the town council should also work on its poor road infrastructure, as it will not make sense for Nored to construct streetlights in areas with bad roads. Haihambo said the council is in the process of addressing the issue of bad roads in the town.

2.6 Gobabis marches over poor services delivery New Era|05/07/2019

Discontented with what they say is the slow service delivery and land, residents of Gobabis in the Omaheke Region will today march to the office of the Omaheke Regional Governor Festus Ueitele to handover a petition listing their grievances. The march organised by the Gobabis Right to Shelter Community Group, will according to group interim chairperson Efriam Kooper start from Epako Community Hall in Thlabanello Street. Kooper told this publication yesterday that the group of about 200 people are expected to partake into the demonstration that will start by handing over the petition to the Gobabis Constituency Councillor, Phillipus Katamelo. The group will also handover a petition to Omaheke Regional Council Chairperson Ignatius Kariseb followed by another petition to the Municipality of Gobabis CEO Ignatius Thudinyane, before proceeding to the Office of the Governor to handover a petition to Ueitele. After handing over the petitions, Kooper said the demonstrators will be convening at Kalahari Convention were they will have a mass meeting and press conference. Residents of the one street town have been unhappy about the state of affairs at the town. A few weeks back, residents started clearing bushes in Nossobville location in an attempt to grab land. They claim that the municipality officials have been dishing out land to friends, families and developers instead of giving land to residents. President Hage Geingob is expected to visit the town next week Thursday. In a letter to the Swapo Omaheke Regional Coordinator Ruth Kaukuata- Mbura, Executive Director in Presidency Moses Pakote said Geingob’s objective is also to provide feedback on issues raised during a town hall meeting in 2015 at Gobabis. He is expected to engage with all inhabitants of the ‘cattle country’ town at grassroots level, to listen to their concerns and challenges in particular the drought situation. Most importantly, Pakote said Geingob wishes to meet with all leadership structures of the Swapo Party in the region, including all constituencies for

15 deliberation. “The President’s office will appreciate the office of the regional coordinator, Omaheke Region, in collaboration with Swapo Head Office, organise venues for the meeting,” reads the letter to Kaukuata-Mbura. “Inform and invite the Swapo Omaheke Regional leadership structure to the meeting for deliberations on issues affecting the ruling party in the region and how best to address such matters going forward,” it further reads.

2.7 Groot Aub constituency office registering residents for electricity New Era|09/07/2019

The Groot Aub constituency office is in the process of registering residents for electricity connection. Since last week, over 200 residents registered for electricity, Windhoek Rural Constituency Councillor Penina Iita told New Era. She said this follows constant demand for electricity connection from residents who do not have such service yet. Iita said that after registration her office will approach NamPower and the City of Windhoek to map out the area to enable them to provide services such as electricity, water and roads. Iita said that residents were visiting the constituency office on a monthly basis asking when they will get electricity, and as a result they started registering people to have informed planning instead of haphazard scheduling. “We really want to find out what the exact demand is. We want to find out how many people do we have in Groot Aub that don’t have access to electricity. What is it that we need to do from government perspective to push all stakeholders so that we give electricity? I believe that if our planning is not informed by data then we are not doing proper planning and we are doing it on an assumption basis,” said Iita. Iita said the registration will run until July 15 but it doesn’t mean if people don’t register by that date, they won’t be part of the planning. Iita added that there is no fee to be paid for registration. And when asked who qualifies, Iita replied that everyone who has a shack or house and does not have access to electricity should register.

2.8 Spitzkoppe community wants police station The Namibian|09/07/2019

The small community at the foot of the Spitzkoppe Mountain in Erongo have appealed to the government to build a police station for them. The community of about 600 residents have a school, clinic and an office of the ministry of agriculture, among other institutions. The main industry is tourism, with thousands of tourists a year from all over the world spending time at the famous mountain's camp and lodge, bringing much-needed income and creating jobs. The flip side of the coin is that the fairly isolated community also provides a safe haven for criminals who flee there after committing crimes elsewhere, the senior headman of the !OeGan Traditional Authority, Benjamin !Naruseb said. “Spitzkoppe has become a breeding ground for crime as its surrounding area is large and provides a favourable environment for criminal activities due to the absence of law-enforcement entities and a police police station,” he added. “Crime management and prevention are impossible in the absence of a police force as other measures such as community policing and leadership are not effective enough,” !Naruseb said, adding that criminal activities which could have been prevented have resulted in lives and property being lost. The ongoing scourge of stock theft has also become a problem, while the smuggling of drugs amongst the community is an evil that is, together with alcohol abuse, destroying the community, he continued. According to the community leader, shebeen operators disregard the law when it comes to admittance age, time and noise management. “We urgently demand a permanent police station in our community,” he reiterated, adding that there is a police substation at another settlement operating from a normal house, and “why not here”?

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2.9 City water tariffs increase draws critism The Namibian|10/07/2019

Hiking water tariffs and passing the burden onto Windhoek consumers at a time when the country has declared a state of emergency because of the drought was being inconsiderate, a unionist says. The secretary general of the Trade Union Congress of Namibia (Tucna), Mahongora Kavihuha, made these remarks when he addressed the media at the union's offices in Windhoek last week. “We are all surprised at its timing, especially taking into account the prevailing drought situation in the country, and the hardships citizens are faced with,” he said. The Windhoek City Council recently increased its water tariffs by 5%, a similar margin to the NamWater bulk water increase which came into effect on 1 July 2019. Kavihuha said the city council and NamWater had failed to justify the raise in water tariffs. “Is NamWater going to fabricate new water with the money they raise through these increments, or are they building new dams?” Kavihuha asked. He said struggling workers have been subjected to yearly water tariff increases while service provision is deteriorating. Two months ago, the government begged public servants and the rest of the workforce to make a voluntary once-off 2% contribution from their salaries for drought mitigation. Kavihuha said the reason for recovering direct and indirect costs associated with water provision does not hold water as most of the infrastructure was put up by the colonial regime. “Even if that argument was genuine, why during this difficult time? Why not wait until after the drought eases?” he asked. Kavihuhua said the tariff increase is a contradiction and disregard of the declaration of the state of emergency concerning the drought. “We have repeated the call for the government to work on long-term contingency plans and maintain such, instead of the knee-jerk reaction to the twists and turns of the economy, or social upheavals,” he stressed. Windhoek chief executive officer, Robert Kahimise said in response to the union's views that the city is not responsible for the current 5% increase in water tariffs, but it is instead NamWater. “The 5% is just a pass-over from NamWater to the consumers. We are a distributor, we are just passing over the increases”, he stated. Kahimise added that consumers should also be grateful that council is not sourcing all its water needs from NamWater, otherwise the increase could be higher. This is because the city has reverted to drawing water from aquifers for the time being since NamWater has reduced their allocation to the city. Kahimise explained that the situation will only change if the city finds different sources of water, apart from NamWater. “It will only cost less if we can in the long term sustainably diversify our reliance on NamWater, which won't happen soon,” he added. He said the only viable plan, going forward, is to expand the Gammams reclamation plant, and to convert the wastewater to a potable standard. However, it will take another five years to materialise, even though the funding has been secured by borrowing through the Development Bank of Namibia from KFW Bank in Germany. NamWater, however, hit back at the city council, saying they do not dictate how distributors decide on their tariffs for their end-users. The water utility's spokesperson, Johannes Shigwedha said: “NamWater does not have any jurisdiction nor power over how its clients determine their tariff increments to their customers, the end-users. There have been a number of years where NamWater was not granted tariff increments by Cabinet, but that did not mean the water utility's customers had not always increased their tariffs to customers”. He said their 5% increase per cubic metre was approved by Cabinet, and is even less than what they had asked for to recover operational costs. Shigwedha said they initially wanted an increase of 9, 8%, which would have been ideal for their operations, but the government had only approved a 5% increase.

2.10 Katima dialysis centre officially opened New Era|12/07/2019

The Kidney and Dialysis Specialist Centre, which has eased woes for patients with kidney failure in Zambezi Region, was officially opened by the Minister of Health and Social Services Dr Kalumbi Shangula yesterday. Previously, some patients from the north-eastern town travelled a round trip of about 2400km from Zambezi to Windhoek to access dialysis treatment. Others had moved to

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Windhoek and Ongwediva to be near to the services. In his remarks, Shangula pointed out that the centre will go a long way in improving the lives of people with kidney failure in the Zambezi. “I have full confidence that this unit will offer renal therapy equivalent to care that is offered in any part of the developed world. Furthermore this dialysis unit will work in close liaison with our hospital in ensuring that total care is brought to Namibians in this region,” he said. He also stated that the opening of the centre is another milestone development in Katima Mulilo, and it will serve as a great credit to health services. The centre is owned by Dr Glendah Kalunga, a specialist nephrologist, physician and clinician scientist with 18 years’ experience as a medical doctor. Speaking at the opening of the centre Kalunga stated that “it has been a long road but we are finally here.” She explained that the centre’s primary focus is prevention, early detection and slowing down the progression of chronic kidney disease. “We will provide screening services so that we can provide risk factor modification measures to those with risk factors for kidney disease… Kidney and Dialysis Centre will offer diagnostic services for kidney diseases in the form of kidney biopsies and therapeutic services in the form of dialysis treatment,” she elaborated. Currently the centre has two machines where patients undergo a four-treatment process, but it has the capacity to accommodate eight machines should the need arise. However, the current machines can accommodate 12 patients on a 12-working day, and 24 patients on a 24-hour cycle. So far seven patients are receiving treatment at the facility. As a way of ploughing back to the community, Kalunga announced at the event that the centre will offer free screenings to 5 000 patients in the next two years. Currently she is being assisted by three nurses and a cleaner.

2.11 Rundu’s Ndama location extensions 2 and 3 get electrified New Era/12/07/2019

Northern Regional Electricity Distributor (Nored) has commissioned Rundu’s Ndama Extensions 2 and 3 electrification project. The project was executed under the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) and will cost Nored N$1.8 million. “The electrification of these two extensions firmly sits under the ‘community pillar’ of our CSR strategy which aims for positive contributions to the communities within our area of operations through the provision of access to electricity and by supporting other worthy causes,” said Nored CEO Fillemon Nakashole during the commissioning event yesterday. Nored has executed and commissioned many electrification projects across its area of operation, the company said. Equally, they have also supported various causes aimed at social upliftment and economic empowerment of people. “Today’s ceremony marks another milestone and an addition to the many joy that we have observed at many other similar projects that the company has commissioned in Rundu town, and Kavango East Region at large,” Nakashole said. “Rundu town is one of the fastest growing towns with a high population in the region. Again, the statistics has shown the town is behind in terms of infrastructural developments,” he added. However, as far as other capital and electrification projects are concerned in Rundu town, Nored has invested in quite a number of them over the past three financial years. Nored has carried out the following major projects. The electricity distribution firm constructed and commissioned the Rundu Intake Station in 2016. An intake station was required to serve as a central distribution point for control and evacuation of power supply to different areas of the town. The intake was designed to cater for current and future growth demand of the town and the surrounding areas. “Similarly, in the last financial year, we have financed the upgrading of NamPower Rundu Substation to ensure security and reliability of supply to town. Nored has fully paid for this capital intensive project and waits for NamPower to commence with upgrading works. Nored spent N$16 million in this project,” Nakashole noted. In 2017, Nored as part of its CSR has electrified Kehemu townships, namely, Extensions 18, 19, 24 and 25 together with Sarusungu Border Post. “We have also electrified a community’s borehole at Omega for the San community. These projects were already officially handed over to the beneficiaries in the same year. Last year, Nored has also purchased and installed metering points at the cross border supply points in Kavango East Region to ensure energy management at all bulk supply points. This project has cost N$5 million. Furthermore, in November last year, Nored has also

18 officially inaugurated its newly constructed North East Regional Office in Rundu. The new state-of- the-art building was built at a cost of N$30. 7 million. This office was constructed with the principal objective to facilitate the transfer of decentralised functions and responsibilities such as finances and other administrative works from the head office to the regional level and in turn deliver efficiently and effectively services to the public. Still in Kavango East, last year, Nored installed streetlights at Ndiyona Police Road Block and at the same time electrified Rumwemwe village, situated in Ndonga Linena and the project was commissioned already in May this year.

2.12 Tunacor fishing goes solar The Namibian|15/07/2019

Tunacor Group joined the likes of Ohorongo Cement, B2Gold, NamPower and others in turning to solar technology to power their operations. The company held a groundbreaking ceremony at Walvis Bay on Friday for the construction of a 4 000 square metre horse mackerel value-addition factory, which will be fitted with solar panels to provide enough clean energy and eco-friendly electricity for onshore fish-processing activities. This will be the first fishing factory to operate on solar energy. About 250 jobs will be created at the new factory. This will increase the Tunacor Group's workforce to 2 500 people, making the company the biggest employer in the fisheries sector. Officiating at the event, fisheries minister Bernhard Esau congratulated the company for undertaking this initiative in a timely manner, “and finalise it without delay because we need the new jobs, and the value-addition which comes with it.”

VALUE-ADDITION

The minister called on all fishing right holders to shift their mindsets towards value-addition to unlock employment potential in this sector. “I was convinced that the time is now. Continuing to export our horse mackerel frozen on board freezer vessels meant that we would not unlock the employment potential in this sector – and this is unacceptable to me,” said the minister. Esau commended local companies which are already involved in value-addition in the sector, which has resulted in products such as horse mackerel, fillets, canned horse mackerel and other forms being successfully commercialised in various markets. The minister stressed that in terms of NDP5, by 2022, at least 250 000 metric tonnes, making about 70% of Namibia's total 350 000 metric tonnes horse mackerel total allowable catch, should be value added onshore. He advised rights holders to establish long-term business partnerships to start value-addition initiatives. This, he said, will work in their favour as they will be in compliance with the scorecard that is in the process of being gazetted. “It will indeed be difficult for rights holders who are not doing value-addition to meet the criteria on the 'number of jobs per metric tonne quota as outlined in our scorecard, which is still on course'. “I urge you to take advantage of this period as we finalise the gazetting of the scorecard, to ensure that you are compliant so that when the scorecard is fully implemented, you may have nothing to worry about. This is the time to prepare yourself, because value-addition is government policy; it is here to stay,” Esau said.

2.13 New office for Sanlam in Katutura New Era|15/07/2019

Sanlam officially opened its first service office in Katutura on Friday, after 100 years of operation as part of an inclusive client-centred strategic focus. Speaking at an occasion for the official launch held in the capital, Sanlam Chief Executive Officer, Tertius Stears, said that since the companys establishment, clients had to travel from Katutura to the main branch in the city centre for services, which was often either far for them or costly. Stears added that after some extensive research and numerous requests from its clients, as well as the development of a new strategic plan which prioritises client services, a decision was taken to open an office in Katutura. The new Sanlam

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Katutura office will provide all the services provided by all our major offices around the country so that clients no longer have to go to any other office for additional services, he added. Stears said through the establishment of the Katutura branch, as well as offices opened in Outapi in the Omusati Region and in Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region in June this year, the company created over 30 jobs for Namibians. Speaking at the same occasion, Senior Technical Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Finance, Penda Iithindi, said the opening of the branch resonates well with the national development agenda for inclusive and sustainable growth, which places people at the centre of development. It is a business vision which resonates well with the financial sector strategy objectives of broad-based financial inclusion and expanded access to financial products and services, he said.

2.14 1% of water saved in Windhoek during past week New Era|18/07/2019

Windhoek water consumers have saved one percent for the past week and if they continue at this rate, they can easily reach the 15 percent water-saving target, says City of Windhoek. The City increased demand management action by moving from category C, which is water scarcity, to a category D which is severe water scarcity (drought), in May. As result, new water restrictions came in effect on July 1 when the 15 percent water saving measures were put in place. The latest water watch bulletin from the City of Windhoek stated that the weekly target consumption remained at 465 000 cubic meters, but the actual consumption recorded was 459 783.04 cubic meters. “The one percent saving is a very commendable effort from our residents and if we continue with this rate, we can easily reach our saving target of 15 percent,” stated City of Windhoek spokesperson Lydia Amutenya. If consumers continue going in this direction, they will help the City achieve the set water targets, she said. According to weekly dam bulletin from NamWater, the combined water levels in the three dams is at 17.3 percent. Swakoppoort Dam stands at 11.2 percent, Von Bach Dam at 41.2 percent while Omatako Dam is empty. Last season, the three dams had a combined water level of 31.1 percent. The three dams supply water to Windhoek, Okahandja, Gobabis, Karibib and customers along the pipeline in Brakwater. During this time, carwashes will be strictly monitored and only certified commercial ones are allowed to operate. Apart from large water consumers, barbers and hairdressers are to save water, construction water, best practice to optimize semi-purified water usage and commercial water reuse is encouraged amongst others. Residential pools are to be covered and no filling with potable water. No fountains are allowed and water features shall not be operated.

2.15 City cuts Unam power over N$4 million bill New Era|18/07/2019

Electricity supply to the country’s largest tertiary institution, the University of Namibia (Unam) has been terminated due to an unpaid bill thought to be in the region of N$4 million. Unam spokesperson John Haufiku late yesterday confirmed the power cut, saying the City pulled the plug at around lunchtime. “Yes the power has been off today [Wednesday] since lunchtime. I don’t know whether this is an electrical fault or it is cut, I will confirm and get back to you,” said the university spokesperson when contacted for comment. An academic at the university said the power cut-off was “unprecedented” and it was not previously experienced at the institution for the decades she has been working there. Unam Radio, a station on campus that is sometimes used for practicals by media students, was also off air as a result. City of Windhoek public relations officer Lydia Amutenya, when contacted for comment yesterday, said she could comment since she had already knocked off. “We knock off at 16h30, so I can’t comment on that now because I need to get all that information from the relevant department tomorrow,” she said.

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2.16 NYS in the dark, again The Namibian|18/07/2019

The National Youth Service (NYS) training centre at Rietfontein was left without electricity yesterday morning after CenoRED pulled the plug on them. An employee at the centre alerted The Namibian of the situation and disclosed, on condition of anonymity, that the electricity was allegedly disconnected because of an outstanding debt of N$1.1 million. This was the figure communicated to the employees by the CenoRED technician who came to switch off the electricity, she said. She added that this was not the first time that this has happened. “Last month, we spent four days without electricity. Then, we owed N$800 000. Now it's N$1.1 million,” the source said indignantly. NYS public relations manager Johanna Kambala yesterday confirmed to The Namibian that the centre's electricity supplies had been disconnected, although she disputed the outstanding figure given. “We owe them over N$900 000, but it's definitely not over a million,” she stated. Kambala said that the budget cuts have been a huge contributor to NYS' financial woes and has adversely affected the institution's ability to function optimally. “If the budget is cut by 30 to 40%, you struggle,” she said. “It's a really rough moment and due to budget cuts, we are unable to meet our mandate.” The Rietfontein training centre also had its electricity cut for outstanding payments in 2018, with reports that the institution had an outstanding bill of N$660 000 in February that year. Kambala said the NYS is putting crisis management arrangements in place to ensure that the over 600 young people training at the centre were not negatively affected by the incident. “Obviously, it is a big crisis because our youth are affected in that regard. They are the main stakeholders affected negatively because of this”, she continued. In March this year, NYS board chairperson Mandela Kapere admitted to The Namibian that it has been a challenge to ensure the operations at the NYS continue as best as possible due to budgetary cuts. At the time, he was speaking in the context of the constant salary delays experienced by youth service employees. Kapere yesterday declined to comment. Meanwhile, the University of Namibia also went without power since lunchtime on Wednesday because of an alleged N$4 million debt to the City of Windhoek. Unam's spokesperson, John Haufiku, confirmed the power cut, but could not state whether it was due to outstanding payments or technical issues. The power at the institution was restored yesterday. City of Windhoek spokesperson Lydia Amutenya said she was not aware of the disconnection when asked for comment late Wednesday afternoon, but added that in general, if someone owed the city, they should expect cuts. Media reports show that various ministries, agencies of government and state-owned enterprises owed the city over N$600 million in 2018 for water, electricity and utilities.

2.17 Underdevelopment haunts Impalila Island The Namibian|19/07/2019

Twenty-nine years after Namibia gained its independence, residents of Impalila Island in the Zambezi region still lack essentials like clean water, electricity and access to proper healthcare. Situated in the far north-east of Namibia, Impalila has a population of around 2 000 people, and sits on the border with Zambia and Botswana alongside the Zambezi and Chobe rivers. The island has infrastructure like a police station, a school that goes up to Grade 9, and a clinic. Residents, however, have to risk their lives crossing the Chobe River with a small boat to buy necessities at Kasane, just a kilometre away in Botswana. For every trip to Botswana, they also have to go through the immigration processes at the border point, with many complaining that the process causes unnecessary delays during emergencies. The residents are calling on the government to come to their rescue and provide them with these basic services, and to also construct a bridge and road for easy access to Katima Mulilo, 130 kilometres away. “They come here during elections, asking us to vote for them. But still we have no electricity, no clean water, and no doctor at the clinic,” Mervellous Simobe told Nampa during a recent visit to the area. She said because there are no decent shops in the area, they do all their shopping in Kasane in Botswana, which is an expensive exercise because of the exchange rate, and factoring in transport. “We do all shopping in Botswana, which is expensive because N$100 is around

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65 pula only,” she said. Simobe added that with the lack of a doctor at the clinic, for emergencies they have to cross the river to Kasane by boat before being transported to Katima Mulilo by car. “We need a doctor here. The Botswana border closes at 16h00, and if there are medical emergencies at night, one has to wait until 07h45 when the border opens again,” she explained. Percy Kamwi, a nature conservation student at Unam, said he has been living at Impalila for eight years, and has not seen signs of development in the area. Kamwi, who operates a taxi boat on the Chobe River between Kasane and Impalila during the holidays, said a bridge is also sorely needed, in addition to electricity and clean water. “There is no electricity, and people cannot even buy a television set or fridge. Every day, people cross the river going to Kasane, risking their lives as they could be attacked by a crocodile or hippo for a simple item,” he added. Kamwi noted that the fare for crossing the river is also quite high, considering the distance travelled. “It is just 400 metres, and one has to pay N$10 for that,” he said. Another resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the government should provide a road for easier access to Katima Mulilo and a bridge which connects Impalila with Kasika, some 15 kilometres away, especially since Kasika is situated on higher ground, which could be helpful during floods. “We need a road straight to Katima Mulilo. The Botswana border closes at 16h00, and one cannot cross for an emergency at night,” he added. Approached for comment, Zambezi regional governor Lawrence Sampofu said plans for most of the developmental projects are already in the pipeline. He said the Roads Authority has carried out surveys at Impalila, but they are currently busy with the Namalubi-Luhonono road. About N$12 million has been set aside for the construction of a road from Nakabolelwa to Kasika, which will also mean easy access to Katima Mulilo from Impalila. Sampofu added that NamWater and NamPower have also surveyed Impalila, and the work is pending. “NamPower has already surveyed the area; they wanted to take electricity from Botswana or Zambia, but negotiations were unsuccessful, and now they will just pull it from the Izilizinzi grid,” he explained. The governor added that they are currently supplying Impalila with water purification tablets, and there are also plans for NamWater to set up a water treatment plant. With regards to calls for a bridge to be constructed, Sampofu said this would not happen any time soon. “A bridge between Kasika and Impalila would be a multimillion-dollar project. It will cover about five kilometres, and you need a lot of money for that,” he added. Sampofu said a road to Kasika can only be constructed once the Namalubi-Luhonono road is completed. “There was supposed to be a full-time doctor at the Impalila clinic, but doctors are not enough. A doctor is also supposed to visit the clinic twice a week, but due to transport issues, sometimes it does not happen as planned,” he observed. Sampofu said these problems are not only experienced at Impalila, but elsewhere in the region as well.

2.18 Slow development of infrastructure at Kai//Ganaxab New Era|24/07/2019

Efforts to transform Kai//Ganaxab youth skills training centre into a fully-fledged vocational training centre are progressing at a slow pace. A memorandum of understanding was signed in 2018 between the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation and the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service under which the centre falls. The centre is situated 12 kilometres west of Mariental and was established in 1994 to help out-of-school and unemployed youth who do not meet the basic requirements offered at vocational training centres. It currently offers training in bricklaying and plastering, carpentry and joinery, hospitality and catering as well as office administration, amongst others. During her state of the region address, the governor of Hardap Region, Esme Isaack, pointed out that a tender was advertised for potential bidders to start with Phase 2 of constructing seven new blocks including a hospitality and tourism front office, administration block, carpentry and joinery workshops as well as three new houses for staff members, adding that construction will commence in August/September this year. Eslon Kavari, an instructor at the centre, said the first phase of construction started in 2011 and finished around 2013. “This included a dining hall, four hostel blocks, two each for males and females, and a hospitality block. The tender process for Phase 2 closed on the 15th of July – we might see some progress but we cannot be sure they will start this

22 year,” said Kavari. He added that since 2016 the centre has not taken in any new intakes and will only do so after it gets a facelift. He however said that ‘struggle kids’ have so far been admitted to the centre for a three-month civic training in various fields. ‘Struggle kids’ have been attending classes in dilapidated fabricated workshops at the centre. “The fabricated workshops will be renovated and turned into a carpentry and joinery workshop and the roof will be lifted in order to be conducive for teaching, and there will be more blocks of houses added to the current ones,” said Kavari. He appealed to the government to speed up the process and get the centre to operate as a vocational centre as soon as possible. During a presidential town hall meeting held in Mariental, presidential advisor on constitutional affairs and private sector interface, Inge Zamwaani-Kamwi, confirmed that the centre will soon be rolled out as a fully-fledged vocational training centre.

2.19 Telecom launches at Impalila Island Confidente|25/07/2019

Residents of Impalila Island now have access to fixed and mobile telecommunications services, following the launch of Telecom Namibia services at the Island on Friday, 19 July 2019. Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Stanley Simataa officiating at the launch of the service thanked Telecom Namibia for heading the Government’s call in providing an enabling infrastructure and ensuring the provision of ICT products and services countrywide. “Namibia has made great advances in the delivery of Information Communication Technology with all towns now linked through an extensive network of modern technologies. These developments have incrementally been extended to smaller settlements to ensure all Namibians have access to the latest available ICT products and services,” the Minister said. Telecom Namibia has embarked on an extensive exercise to upgrade and install infrastructure to ensure the delivery of fixed and mobile services at Impalila Island. To ensure the delivery of these services, the following access technologies were deployed on the Island: 2G / 3G Mobile Equipment to provide mobile voice and data services, WiMAX FDD equipment to provide fixed wireless voice and data services, A Multi-Service Access Node (MSAN) with GPON capability to provide high speed data services to the Government Offices, Ministries and Agencies and selected lodges on the Island, A Universal Backhauling (UBH) access node to provide high Ethernet services to the Government Offices, Ministries and Agencies and selected lodges on the Island, As part of the services provided by Telecom Namibia on the island, Government Offices, Ministries and Agencies and selected lodges are connected to the MSAN by means of an overhead fibre optic cable. Minister Simataa explained that the residents of Impalila no longer have to travel long distances to access services such as banking. “These services and more are now available at the click of a button, often from a handheld device,” he said. “Through technology, we have been able to shrink the distance between towns and overcame challenges presented by vastly remote geographical locations. We have enabled Namibians to conduct business from anywhere in the country,” he said. Speaking at the same event, John Likando, Councillor of the Kabbe South Constituency said efforts to attract investors to the Zambezi region have yielded positive results, and this is due to a steady growth in service delivery and improvement in infrastructure. “Among the infrastructure provisions, we value the investments made by Telecom Namibia to offer high-speed fixed and mobile data services to the people of the region. The upgrades by Telecom Namibia allows the people of the region to have instant access to online services and connectivity to the rest of the world, the Councillor added. Telecom Namibia Acting CEO, Calvin Muniswaswa said the delivery of Telecom Namibia’s services are possible due to infrastructure upgrades and installations carried out over a couple of months, at significant cost. “Extensive infrastructure upgrades and installations were done to connect the Island to the mainland, and these infrastructures allowed us to provide fixed and mobile services to the people of Impalila Island,” Muniswaswa explained. “At Telecom Namibia we never stop investing in the development of our infrastructure,” he said. He said the company needs to remain abreast of trends in the industry to be able to optimally serve its customers. Muniswaswa said the infrastructure developments at Impalila are in line with Telecom Namibia’s commitment to expand telecommunication and network infrastructure at unconnected or underserved areas in

23 order to provide our service to all Namibians across the country. “The services which are now available at Impalila depend on the same technologies employed at urban centres across Namibia, and address pertinent communication needs on the island, while the infrastructure deployed is among the best in the world,” he said. To backhaul services from Impalila, Telecom Namibia installed two high capacity (200 Mbps) IP microwave links, one from Impalila to Lusese, and the other from Lusese to Ngoma.

2.20 Forum hands over revamped graveyard at Rehoboth The Namibian|25/07/2019

The Rehoboth Cemetery Development Forum on Tuesday handed over the spruced-up Rehoboth cemetery to the town council after two years of renovations through donations by the community and the assistance of Nedbank Namibia. A committee formed in 2017 sought permission from the Rehoboth Town Council to clean and upgrade the cemetery, which according to chairperson Amanda Groenewaldt took a while to get buy-in from the council. “After numerous attempts, the forum got the go-ahead from the council, and it was agreed that a piece of land adjacent to the old cemetery would be used for the extension of the cemetery. Like we did with the old cemetery, we fenced off the new area to secure it from vandals who destroyed tombstones and stole decorations from the graves,” Groenewaldt said. She added that the aim was to assist the town council, and partner with them to upgrade the two cemeteries, as well as do the same with future cemeteries to make sure that loved ones are buried in a dignified place. “We mostly used donations from community members, including people outside our borders, to make this happen. A special thank you to Nedbank Namibia for their willingness to assist us,” she noted. She thus called on the Rehoboth community and visitors alike to take care of the cemetery, and to refrain from vandalising it. Speaking at the same occasion, Hardap governor Esme Isaack said the partnership between the town council and the Rehoboth Cemetery Development Forum is evidence of the collective and inclusive call of President Hage Geingob to bring about development and transformation in the greater interest of citizens.

2.21 CoW admits cash control deficiency in bus revenue New Era|25/07/2019

The City of Windhoek generates anywhere from N$40 000 to more than N$45 000 per day from its bus services which translates into monthly revenue of between N$886 400 to over N$1 million. This revenue is generated from 74 busses operated by the City of Windhoek where the average price of a bus ticket is N$7. However, upon enquiry, CoW Corporate Communication Officer Lydia Amutenya confirmed that despite regulations in place, it is often difficult to verify the amount of money collected on the buses. This sentiment was echoed by CoW insiders who have alleged serious irregularities regarding the collection of cash on city buses. “The City has revenue collection and control mechanisms such as ticketing systems in place but we also collect and/or accept cash payments on buses which makes it difficult to control where cash is involved,” said Amutenya. Based on figures from the 2018/19 financial year, the N$10.5 million revenue generated from the City’s bus service emanated from approximately 1.5 million passengers per year which were calculated from 126 100 per month or 5 732 daily passengers. However, figures also from the 2018/19 financial year indicate that the annual cost of maintaining the buses were approximately N$8.6 million, leaving less than N$2 million annually to service additional obligations such as drivers remuneration and fuel costs. “The City is guided by its internal financial policy on revenue handling, with an assistance of a wayfarer system to assist the duly authorised personnel to reconcile accurately what was collected,” Amutenya explained when asked what measures are utilised to correlate the number of passengers with revenue collected. About two years ago, the CoW introduced 14 new routes as part of its Move Windhoek bus service which also saw a commitment by the City to provide bus services throughout the day. When introducing the new routes, officials from the City’s Public Transport department

24 noted that, a number of buses have been installed with tracking systems to calculate and track the lengths of each bus route.

2.22 Rehoboth struggles with overflowing sewers The Namibian|30/07/2019

The Rehoboth Town Council says the town faces challenges with overflowing manholes, which is caused by insufficient water flow in the sewers due to blockages and vandalism. The council's public relations officer Desire Theunissen, said in a statement yesterday that the technical team is working around the clock to resolve the matter. “Overflowing sewers are a health hazard. Therefore, the town council is decontaminating the sewage spillages with lime and chloride. We appeal to community members to refrain from vandalising and blocking the sewers as this is not only a cost to the town council, but also a great health threat in the community, considering the prevailing hepatitis E outbreak,” Theunissen added. She said efforts by the town council to curb the disease will be in vain without the cooperation of the community, and appealed to all residents to help maintain a clean and healthy environment. Theunissen further stated that the council's health division is in the process of carrying out routine inspections at all butcheries in the town to ensure compliance with health regulations. The council warned that uninspected meat found at the outlets will be confiscated and destroyed in the presence of the owner of such meat products, and contravening regulations can also lead to prosecutions. “It is our mandate to ensure an enabling environment within the legal frameworks and health regulations. Therefore, we appeal to the public to adhere to regulations at all times,” Theunissen added. She said as per General Health Regulation 121 of 1969, as amended, Section 33 (1) (a), only meat and dressed poultry which has been slaughtered in an approved abattoir and marked or stamped with an approval stamp may be placed, kept, prepared, displayed or sold in a butchery. Meanwhile, business owners at Rehoboth have been informed that the town council will be conducting inspections and spot checks at all businesses in the local authority area. The council urged business owners to ensure that their business licences and registration papers are up to date, and warned that it reserves the right to close down and fine any business operating without a chance within the boundaries of Rehoboth.

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3 Livelihood and Urban economy

3.1 Hundreds court Swapo for jobs The Namibian|02/07/2019

Hundreds of desperate people flocked to the Swapo head office in Katutura as early as 05h00 on Monday, hoping to secure employment during the upgrading of the party's headquarters. The upgrading, which commenced a few weeks ago, is being done by Unik Construction Engineering. The head of operations at the site, who refused to give his name, said the company was not recruiting as it is busy doing groundwork for laying the foundation. He said they are mostly using earthmoving machinery which does not require a lot of people, and that they will only start recruiting people in two months' time. “Right now, we are only dealing with technical issues. As you can see, we are still digging using heavy machines; there is nothing for them now,” he added. Thomas Shingola from the One Nation informal settlement, who arrived at the site at 05h00, said he heard about the recruitment from friends. “I was told the Chinese will employ a lot of people today, and I came early, hoping to be the first in the queue. But I found a lot of people here already. I had thought I would be one of the lucky ones,” he added. Shindano Daniel from the Havana informal settlement said he only arrived at the site at 08h00 because he had to walk up to there. Daniel said he does not have any qualifications as he only went up to Grade 9, some 13 years ago. He has also not managed to secure a job since he came to Windhoek six years ago. Kashikola Mengela, who comes from Onamunama in northern Namibia, said he wants a job to support himself, and send something back home as there is nothing to be harvested from the fields due to the drought.

3.2 People‘s Primary School receives food donations The Namibian|02/07/2019

On last week Thursday, pupils at People's Primary School received a visit and donations from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (Tika), and the Turkish ambassador to Namibia. The donations were meant to provide a basic nutritional supply to pupils for six months and included Oshikandela packages and basic staple foods for the food programme which feeds the children during break. “Our technical coordinator came together with relevant Namibian authorities for this idea,” Turkish ambassador Berin Mukbule Tulun said. “We are always willing to support Namibian people, especially Namibian children.” The acting principal for the day, Jaqueline Tjihuro, thanked the Turkish organisations for the donations. “As a government school, we have a feeding programme. This is a supplement to our programme, which will benefit our pupils with what they have to eat during break time,” Tjihuro said. Part of the special occasion was the announcement of the school's library project. “The library had been long overdue. This is like manna from heaven,” said Tjihuro. She added that the library project is an initiative from Helvi Itenge-Wheeler, who was a former People's Primary School pupil. The library will be upgraded with digital hardware through the help of Itenge- Wheeler. The school prepared cultural troupe performances for the entertainment of the guests and the senior pupils of the school were present for the ceremony.

3.3 Namibia Dairies conclude successful Milk Month New Era|02/07/2019

In celebration of Milk Month that is commemorated annually during the month of June, Namibia Dairies a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group on Friday, 07 June 2019 handed over milk supply to the Dr. Abraham Iyambo Primary School and the Monte Christo Project Primary School in the Havana resettlement area. This annual gesture is part of Namibia Dairies’ contribution to the schools that have received significant support in growth and development from the O&L Group over the past years. Handing over the donation was the Managing Director of Namibia Dairies, Gunther Ling who stressed on the importance of supporting the country’s future generations, especially 26 children. Ling: “Children and education are key focus areas in the O&L Corporate Social Investment (CSI) agenda, hence our decision a few years ago to adopt these two project schools as part of the O&L support beneficiaries. We have over the years helped with the development of classrooms and proper learning environments, as well as contributed to maintaining the health of the children, amongst others. Namibia Dairies is once again proud to contribute to their health and development of their bodies and will continue to be a part of the growth of these precious Namibian children, for as long as we can.” The Dr. Abraham Iyambo Primary School received 376 cases of milk which totals 2256 litres of milk, while the Monte Christo Project Primary School received 144 cases of milk which amounts to 864 litres of milk.

3.4 All poultry eyes on Ondangwa as three-day course gets underway New Era|02/07/2019

A mammoth task awaits the Poultry Production Association to increase its production by 30 percent in just two years if it is to achieve the ultimate goal of Vision 2030 to become a totally self-sufficient industry that can produce more than 53 000 tonnes of broilers by 2020. This was revealed recently during a poultry and egg information day of the Poultry Production Association in Windhoek where international and local speakers informed attendants about the strategies of moving towards independence. In light of the urgency with which the local sector has to move, hordes of poultry farmers are expected to pitch up on July 2 to July 4 in Ondangwa for Agra’s three-day course, which will inform them about all aspects of this type of farming which is ideal for small-scale farmers. Agra says that poultry farming is becoming more important to create sustainable livelihoods for many farmers and other stakeholders who are looking for new, innovative ways to earn a good income and also to feed people as food insecurity is and will remain the biggest global issue. The three-day course will include housing and equipment for poultry, feeding plan, including how to supplement own feeds, handling of eggs, small chickens and fully-grown chickens, hatching of eggs using different methods, common feeds, biosecurity and safety, disease management and vaccination programmes, break-even analysis and the marketing of poultry. By upping the current production of 40 827 broilers per annum to some 53 100 per annum, Namibia will also have to increase its egg production from layers from the current 200 000 eggs per day to some 364 000 and reduce industry insecurity from the current 25 percent to below 12 percent. “We will have to create a diversified, open market economy in terms of quality and differentiation and become self-sufficient. The ultimate aim is to become an export country of a vast range of poultry products,” James Roux, a member of the Poultry Production Association and owner of Osona Eggs, observes. Chicken farming is a “low-hanging fruit” for Namibia to create employment in the short and medium term. “This is not the time to learn, this is the time to implement,” says Maria Lisa Immanuel, professional assistant in the Office of the Prime Minister. “In tough times like this, policymakers should focus and prioritise those ‘low-hanging fruit’ initiatives, which make economic sense and have great potential to create employment. One such initiative is to stimulate poultry production in the country. “Poultry farming comes with untapped business opportunities carrying great potential to create employment across the entire value chain and consequently drive rural industrialisation. The poultry industry forms an integral part of the agro- processing sector. “This sector offers significant potential to increase value addition, create jobs, income and export opportunities to enhance food security and reduce dependency on imports and hence, has been prioritised by the government through various policy initiatives,” she noted. Poultry production is in its infancy in Namibia. Until 2012, Namibia imported all its poultry products. The government under the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development decided to protect the industry through quantitative restriction measures using the Import and Export Act, No. 30 of 1994. The quantitative restriction gives room for new poultry production initiatives to set themselves up without major threats from imports. Roux says: “We have to revamp our way of thinking and start adding value to poultry products. Poultry products are not just meat, eggs and milk. We have to urgently look at diversifying and also pay attention to our packaging of products and marketing strategies.” Roux also notes that the growth and expansion of the SME sector within the poultry

27 industry need serious attention. “We need more entrepreneurs and we need to diversify. We need to create these initiatives by better education and development programmes in especially rural areas. It is vital that value is added to the poultry chain and for Namibia to take the existing produce to the next level of manufacturing. Investments should be made in layer chicken cage systems, broiler chicken cage systems, baby chick cage systems, breeding chicken cage systems, poultry eggs inkjet printers and poultry egg grading packing machines.” “We must also think about putting up manufacturing plants for mayonnaise and salad dressings as well as egg powder. Egg powder can be distributed to hostels at schools and by just adding water, students could enjoy scrumptious scrambled eggs in a jiffy,” he adds.

3.5 AMTA hubs in dire straits Namibian Sun|04/07/2019

Operations at the Agro-Marketing Trading Agency (AMTA) hubs at Ongwediva and Rundu are in dire straits despite the implementation of a cabinet resolution that called on all government offices, ministries and agencies (OMAs) to buy locally produced agricultural products and meat. This is after AMTA got rid of private trading agents at the two fresh-produce hubs, leaving employees with nothing to do. Rundu hub regional manager Iinekela Kambindji resigned last month, while Fysal Fresh Produce, which was last month given another three-month contract to operate from the Ongwediva fresh-produce hub, has vacated the premises. They finished packing up yesterday, after reporting they only had one customer every 30 minutes. However, AMTA spokesperson Meke Namindo said the hubs' operations are still ongoing. She further denied that any staff would be sent home or that Kambindji had resigned because of inactivity at the Rundu hub. “The hubs' operations are still ongoing and AMTA is supplying to some of the OMAs.” Namindo said producers are still supplying through the hubs. When asked what some of the challenges were, in terms of implementing the cabinet resolution, she said: “Not all OMAs are currently on board.” Sources said AMTA is also struggling to get support from the OMAs following the implementation of a cabinet decision that they should procure all agricultural products locally through the agency. They said the Ongwediva and Rundu hubs' operations have ceased because there are no agents operating at the facilities. “We are busy considering if we are going to switch off the hub or start doing business on our own. Since March, when the agents left, the place has been quiet and we are not sure if we will be getting customers or if we going to start doing business on our own,” a Rundu hub source said. In Ongwediva, sources said they will consider waiting until the OMAs come on board. “There is, however, no sign that the OMAs will come on board. They are not providing us with the information that we required from them.” Ismael David Fysal, from Fysal Fresh, said before their contract was extended for three months, they were ready to relocate their operations to Ondangwa. He said they decided to move to Ondangwa beforehand, because they do not know what is likely to happen after the three-month contract extension. On 26 February, Schlettwein wrote to all ministers, governors, town mayors, board chairpersons and executive directors, informing them that in terms of section 73 of the Public Procurement Act of 2015, all public entities are directed to include specific provisions in their tender specifications to ensure that entities wanting to bid for any catering contract for the provision of food shall source meat, fresh produce, cereal and flour from local producers. According to Sylvanus Naunyango, the chairperson of Olushandja Farmers Association - a group of private small-scale farmers at the Olushandja Dam that were also acting as agents at the Ongwediva fresh- produce hub - business was not good. This was because there was no specific market, especially for institutional commodities, apart from walk-in customers who mainly bought tomatoes and onions. Naunyango added they were happy and engaged the prime minister on their needs. “We were behind the creation of AMTA as an opportunity for our products to get access to the market. We even made sure that we got space inside to sell and market our products. It was a good idea, but it was still useless, because our products could still not get into the market because the OMAs' catering companies were not sourcing their produce through AMTA. “The majority of our customers were homeowners who only bought tomatoes and onions. Institutional commodities such as gem squash,

28 carrots, beetroot and many more had no customers, unless they were finished in the country,” Naunyango said. “The prime minister came and we had a meeting where we gave our sentiments that we would like the government to accord us an opportunity for our products to be consumed by OMAs within our localities. We were therefore informed to vacate AMTA and go back to our friends to go and produce, but until today we did not receive consumption demand for us to do our cropping programme, to enable us satisfy the market.” Naunyango added that as long as things are well- coordinated, they have capacity to meet the demand. AMTA gave Fysal Fresh another three-month contract last month to operate from the Ongwediva hub, but could not save a trial agreement with Namsov from falling apart. Fysal Fresh, which had signed a year-long deal prior to the extension, was ready to end its operations at the hub in June, while Namsov, which had signed a six-month to set up a fish-supplying point, left after its contract with AMTA was not renewed in time. In February last year, AMTA entered into a public-private-partnership agreement with Fysal Fresh to operate from its fresh-produce hubs nationwide, which joined four other agents that were already operating at the hubs. Fysal Fresh was the last remaining private agent to operate from AMTA's Ongwediva hub since February. Although Fysal Fresh was initially only given a one-year contract, the deal was heavily criticised in some circles. Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila visited the Ongwediva hub in September last year after receiving complaints that Fysal Fresh was sourcing produce from South Africa and trading it at the government hub. After her visit, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila held a meeting with fellow cabinet ministers to discuss a new procurement programme for government. She explained at the time that some small-scale farmers in Oshana and Omusati had complained about government's procurement system and programmes, especially about companies catering for hospitals and schools, correctional services, the defence force, the Food Bank and drought relief, not being supportive of small-scale farmers. “Similar complaints have been raised by small-scale farmers in Kavango West and Kavango East and the Zambezi Region, as well as some other small local business entities,” Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said at the time. Her meeting with her cabinet colleagues took place shortly after the country second national land conference, which had also raised the issue of government procurement from small-scale farmers. On 25 March, agriculture minister Alpheus !Naruseb informed all OMAs about the implementation of the cabinet decision related to local procurement. He said cabinet had directed that all OMAs should include a qualification requirement in their food supply tender specifications, which stipulates that food supplied to government institutions should be sourced from local producers and suppliers, particularly from the national fresh-produce business hubs. Agriculture ministry spokesperson Margaret Kalo could not provide any detail on Tuesday regarding the implementation of the cabinet decision. Youth ministry spokesperson Aina Shikesho was asked what they were doing to implement the cabinet decision on procuring of local livestock and horticultural and agronomic products through AMTA. One question also referred to the fact that ministries were requested to provide information on the annual quantity agronomic and livestock products consumed by institutions that fall under them. Shikesho acknowledged receipt of the questions. Basic education ministry spokesperson Johanna Absalom was also probed on the implementation of the cabinet directive. “We will revert back to you during the course of the week or next week once we finalise the response,” Absalom said. Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Kaunapawa Shikwambi referred all questions to the safety and security executive director Trephine Panduleni Kamati, when asked about the cabinet decision, saying she would respond on behalf of the ministry. “This is news to me. However, since you are rightfully saying it's a cabinet decision, I suggest that you engage the office of the executive director to respond on behalf of the ministry,” Shikwambi said. Questions were also sent to Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner Eveline January on the implementation of the cabinet decision.

3.6 Sanitary pads through kapana initiative a ‘success’ New Era|04/07/2019

With the provision of menstrual hygiene being an issue in the country, Kapana in Town (local kapana business) decided to help less privileged girls by offering kapana to people in exchange for sanitary

29 pads. Supporters of Kapana in Town purchased kapana by using sanitary towels as ‘money’, as long as the value of the kapana was below N$30. The initiative, which took place last week, was the first of its kind and they received sanitary towels worth N$1 275.19. Founder of Kapana in Town, Ephraim Shivute, said they started the initiative to give back to the community with the little they could afford, which is meat. According to Shivute, the initiative was “successful because people came to support the girl child”, even though they expected more people. “The initiative is really important to young girls that cannot afford sanitary pads. Creation is something we can’t change but move with it. These girls skip school and we all know education is a right,” Shivute explained. He said quite a number of charity organisations have reached out to them and they are currently working together to identify beneficiaries of the sanitary towels. As nothing comes easy in life, Kapana in Town crew faced the challenge of getting meat as they needed it in large quantities and having to choose the beneficiaries is also not easy as a lot of girls face the same issue. Shivute says one does not necessarily need to have millions to help the poor and it’s not always about giving money, so people can offer whatever they have to less privileged people, as long as it is helpful. “We must really hold hands as a nation to help our fellow citizens. That is what basically makes us a better nation and a safer place for a girl child,” Shivute advised. According to a member and brand ambassador of Kapana in Town, Isdor Aluteni, they did not receive more sanitary towels than they expected because he believes a lot of people are ashamed of buying or carrying around sanitary pads. He said: “There is no shame in menstruation; this is a real issue and that is our future that we are trying to help. Menstruation is a natural thing.” Aluteni said a lot of people were initially excited about the initiative and they received much support on social media, but when the day arrived to practically support, only a few people showed up. Kapana in Town is planning on having the same initiative again and the team has already started looking for sponsors. They promise all their supporters and customers that the next programme is going to be bigger and better.

3.7 Women makes baskets from old newspapers The Namibian|05/07/2019

A young woman at Walvis Bay has decided to turn her basket making skills to her advantage this year after realising that it was a challenge to obtain employment. Leena Naftal (26), who was born in the Oshikoto region, studied natural resources management (nature conservation) at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust), and graduated in 2017. Naftal says she has been applying for positions in her field, but could not get any job since her graduation. She soon realised that life was not going to get any easier if she sat at home doing nothing. To pass time, she started making baskets earlier this year out of old newspapers, a skill that she learned from making traditional baskets out of palm tree leaves while growing up in the north. The baskets were so beautiful that her friends started ordering them for decoration purposes in their houses. Naftal discovered that she can earn a living through this craft, and has since make more baskets to sell. “I could not take it anymore. My unemployed parents have been supporting me from birth until after graduation, so I felt it was time I started fending for myself and support the family with the little that I got, and not just wait for the government to provide a job,” she reasoned. She uses old newspapers and glue to craft the baskets, which take two to three hours to get dry. A few people took note of her beautiful baskets, which they order from time to time. Naftal also travels to Swakopmund every now and then to sell her baskets at the Green Market there, which is hosted every last Sunday of the month. “I make them alone from home, with the help of my aunt when she is off. I cannot employ anyone yet because I am not certain if people will really be interested in buying them, so I cannot pay anyone yet,” she said.,” She is also urging other young people to start thinking of skills that can take them out of poverty. “What I would like to tell people, especially the youth, is that we should stop giving excuses to say the government is not giving jobs, or we are in a financial crisis. Even if we were not, the money will not just show up at your doorstep. Try that business idea that you have – it might just work out for you,” she added Naftal is appealing to those with old newspapers to donate them, as she runs out of paper quickly. The customers who bought Naftal's baskets for decoration are

30 impressed with her craft. “I feel impressed by this young nature conservationist who is sacrificing her time and efforts to reuse old newspapers. This is a sign of intelligence, creativity and innovation that is proven by this unemployed young lady” said Dionisius Egumbo. Another customer, Miya Kabajani, added that Naftal's baskets are neatly done, sturdy and serve a wide range of purposes from organizing office desks, storing fruits or other small items. “The best part is that they are made of recycled newspapers, and are affordable,” she said.

3.8 Maltas 2019 Team, Alumni Dinapama Host Soup Kitchen in Okahandja Park The Namibian|09/07/2019

The prestigious Maltas Club Namibia and Dinapama Manufacturing and Supplies held a soup kitchen for Mandume Kindergarten's 40 children in Okahandja Park recently. Since the inception of the club nine years ago, students from various universities in Namibia have carried out numerous charitable projects across the country and even abroad. Since 2017, Maltas Club and Dinapama launched this unique project where they give food, bags and learning materials to the Mandume Kindergarten in Okahandja Park. The purpose of this initiative is threefold: To give love and care to the children, to create a sense of community and, lastly, to ensure that a contribution is made to the Namibia child, be it psychological or emotional. This adds to the core vision and mission of Maltas, which is all about uplifting and touching the lives of Namibians across all corners; even if it is very small. As a final-year student studying towards a postgraduate diploma in higher education, the founder of Maltas, Wilfred Isak April, narrated that “education is not only about reading books and studying; it is about passion, dedication and the drive one puts in when you wish to impact lives without expecting anything in return”. For Hafeni Peter, the current project manager of Maltas, helping the Mandume Kindergarten has been an absolutely pleasure and he will never forget the smiles on their faces. Peter said that although he is a student at the University of Namibia in political science, he will continue to be part of charitable causes after his tenure in Maltas. The next few months will be very busy for Maltas members, as they will host a motivational workshop in collaboration with FNB in Tsumkwe at the end of July, followed by an inspirational school painting and sanitary towel campaign in the O regions of Namibia, a leadership week in Stellenbosch, study weekend at Etosha and, finally, their annual working holiday in the USA and Barbados in early 2020.

3.9 Grootfontein train station is new logistics hub for DRC and Zambia New Era|11/07/2019

Grootfontein's transnamib train station was on Wednesday promoted to a logistics hub for Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from the Walvis Bay harbour. A logistics forum held at Grootfontein on Wednesday and attended by executives from TransNamib, the Walvis Bay Corridor Group, the Namibia Ports Authority, fuel transporters and courier services, also unanimously agreed with the decision to load and offload goods from Namibia or the DRC and Zambia at Grootfontein, and to distribute them to different destinations. At the event, TransNamib's chief executive officer, Johny Smith, said the idea to convert the Grootfontein train station to a logistics hub was first discussed with some key business stakeholders from the DRC and Zambia, where it was endorsed as an ideal model. Smith said the business model has many advantages since it largely cuts the transport distance from Lubumbashi in the DRC and Lusaka, Zambia, where volumes of copper products are loaded onto trucks via the B8, B1 and B2 trunk roads to Walvis Bay, and then shipped for export to Western markets. Smith said at the moment, trucks from the DRC, Zambia or Namibia travel about 2 500 kilometres from the Walvis Bay harbour to Lubumbashi. Therefore, with the introduction of the Grootfontein hub, these trucks will now travel a distance of about 1 400 kilometres. He added that the goods from the Walvis Bay harbour to Zambia or the DRC will be transported by trains from the harbour to Grootfontein, where they will be off-loaded, and immediately loaded onto trucks to the destined areas in the DRC or Zambia. Smith said one cargo

31 train from the Walvis Bay harbour will be able to load fuel commodities and goods of 30 trucks at once. TransNamib is prepared to dedicate four trains a week for this business idea.

3.10 Amta closes fresh produce hubs The Namibian|15/07/2019

The financially troubled Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (Amta) has closed its fresh produce distribution hubs until further notice after Fysal Fresh Produce, one of its biggest marketing agents, deserted the agency. Amta was set up to support and guarantee a market for fresh produce farmers. The institution's Ongwediva hub, which is the largest in the country, closed its doors on 3 July. There are presently ano agents at any of the agency's hubs. There are fears that the hubs might turn into white elephants as agents hesitate to go back, claiming bullying from Amta. The fresh produce centres were meant to promote the marketing and trading of locally produced agricultural produce and have cost government millions of dollars to build. Amta is part of former president Hifikepunye Pohamba's most ambitious and cherished agricultural project. It was established as part of Vision 2030's commitment to ensuring food security. Pohamba inaugurated the Ongwediva centre on 4 March 2013. The agency's spokesperson, Meke Namindo, confirmed the halt in the hub's operations to The Namibian last Wednesday. “Currently, there are no agents at any of the hubs. Amta needs six agents at each of its hubs (Ongwediva and Rundu) as per the available floor space. The Windhoek distribution centre can only accommodate one agent,” she said. Namindo added that Amta has engaged the agents on returning. Most of them have given a positive indication to continue. “(However) due to the processes of setting up again, it is not a fast process to reorganise and continue at the hubs immediately, but this is work in progress,” she said. Meanwhile, some of the agents The Namibian spoke to expressed mixed feelings over returning to the distribution centres. Terence Harty, who operated the Stampriet Farmers Market as a wholesale agent, said they moved out of the hub early this year as they had been given three months to vacate the Ongwediva hub. “They said they will start buying from farmers themselves. The order came from the ministry of agriculture. I am no longer their agent,” Harty said. He explained that after the eviction, he moved his operations and his people to Windhoek, where he found a new place. “They contacted me to return. It is logistically impossible to go back. What must I do with my people? Must I move them back?” he asked. Another agent, who spoke to The Namibian last week and refused to be named, indicated that they had to lay off workers. “They gave us three months' notice to leave. We are business people, and do not want to be pushed around. We expected them to have discussions with us before making the decision, but instead they invited us for an emergency meeting, which most of us could not attend. They called us back for two months. But what will happen after two months; must we leave again? Let them deal with their empty buildings. Let the minister intervene,” the agent charged. Amta was mandated to procure fresh produce, facilitate agricultural marketing and trade in Namibia, and manage fresh produce business hubs around the country. However, they adopted a model of using market agents (commission and wholesalers) who buy fresh produce from the farmers, and utilise the hubs for storage, if not selling directly to the market.

HOW AMTA'S TROUBLES DEEPENED

In February last year, Amta ceded control of its hubs at Ongwediva, Rundu in the Kavango East region and Windhoek in the Khomas region to South African company Fysal Fresh Produce, operating one of the biggest fresh produce retail chains in Namibia. The deal was heavily criticised in that Fysal was sourcing produce from South Africa, and trading it at the government distribution centres. The agreement signed by Ongwediva Amta regional manager Jacob Hamutenya on behalf of the agency, and Fysal Brenner, the private company's executive chairman, stipulated that Fysal must have produce on their floors at all times to meet monthly targets, as well as procure sufficient produce to keep the hubs busy. Hamutenya refused to comment, referring The Namibian to Namindo. The agreement further stated that Fysal should provide a N$150 000 bank guarantee, or pay cash to

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Amta's trust account, in addition to paying a monthly rent of N$3 500 for floor space and the cold room, as well as for utilities such as forklifts, bins, crates and pallets at Ongwediva. Prime minister Saara Kuugongwela-Amadhila visited the Ongwediva hub last year, and urged the agency to ensure that Namibia does not become a dumpsite for foreign produce by striving to develop capacity to withstand competition from foreign firms.

SHUTTING DOWN

The closure of the hubs comes after Amta terminated its contract with the South African company, which was meant to “save” the agency. Fysal was the last remaining private agent to operate from Amta's Ongwediva hub. The Namibian understands that Fysal was given an extended contract of three months to allow Amta ample time to come up with a plan, but the company refused. Fysal Fresh Produce chairperson Tomas Iindji said Fysal had moved their operations to Ondangwa. The agriculture ministry's executive director, Percy Misika, told The Namibian that the halt in operations was partly due to the directive to remove Fysal from leasing the national hubs because “there was a public outcry over a foreign company leasing national hubs, so they were told not to do that”. Misika said Amta misunderstood the directive and informed all other agents to leave, although Amta has no funds to buy produce from the farmers directly. He said the ministry clarified their directive two weeks ago, and told Amta to bring back the local agents, and that it was not the government's intention to cause the interruption.

BLAME GAME

Namindo said although finance minister Calle Schlettwein directed that preference should be given to local products, none of the directives compelled traders or government agents to specifically source local produce through Amta. “As such, Amta cannot guarantee farmers a market without cooperation from government institutions. Only the defence ministry, through August 26 Logistics, had given Amta contracts to supply the army bases in Kavango East and Kavango West. Discussions are also underway to expand the agreements to other regions once the existing contracts are resolved with the current suppliers,” she added. Namindo said the safety and security ministry has likewise occasionally sourced fresh produce from Amta.

3.11 Vendors in despair Namibian Sun|18/07/2019

Mahangu flour vendors operating at various open markets in Rundu are struggling to pay back loans they took to purchase unprocessed grain from farmers, because their customers have turned to supermarkets that sell at lower prices. The vendors say they are heavily in debt and sales are taking place at a snail's pace. The vendors are severely affected by the current drought, which has also affected thousands of subsistence farmers around the country. They vendors said a 50-kilogram bag of mahangu grain used to cost them N$350 last year, but this year it is being sold by farmers for N$500. Kavango East is described by many as a potential food basket for Namibia, while at the same time it also one of the poorest regions, where the majority of inhabitants are subjected to abject poverty. Kavango East governor Samuel Mbambo revealed recently during his State of the Region Address (Sora) that 60% of the youth in the region are unemployed. Namibian Sun interviewed 12 women vendors this week, who shared how their mahangu flour businesses are affected by the fact that they have to compete against well-established supermarkets. “We are unable to pay back the money we borrowed in order to buy stock and the little we get we have to use it and pay for necessities for our children at boarding schools and tertiary institutions, and also for food at home,” the group of women at the Rundu open market said. For some, this has been their means of survival for the past 20 years. The women, who preferred anonymity, explained they charge N$250 for a 10- kilogram bag of mahangu flour, while in certain supermarkets the same product costs around N$160.

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This was confirmed during visits to supermarkets at the town. “Business is not going well. We hardly sell anything here. Look at the time, its 12:00, and that lady who just bought mahangu was the first one to buy from us for the day. Things are not well, because people are buying from the shops, where it is cheaper,” one of the vendors explained. The vendors said retailers have entered into agreements with farmers in the area, who supply them directly. The farmers who sell the mahangu flour to the shops are the same ones selling grain to the vendors, who then have it pounded and sell the end-product. They vendors said buying 50kg bag of mahangu grain for N$500 this year is “unacceptable”, but they do not have a choice. “The demand for mahangu grain has increased and it is affecting our business, the only thing we could do was to also increase our prices, in order to make a profit,” they said. Some young vendors, who are selling on behalf of others, said they are paid based on what they sell, and because of the poor mahangu sales they are not guaranteed a salary at the end of the month. There is now scramble for every potential customer who enters the market. There are many mahangu vendors at the Rundu open market, as well as the Sauyemwa and Tandaveka markets. “If you do not sell anything for the month or just a mere N$300, your boss will give you nothing at the end of the day. That is why we have to try by all means to convince customers to buy from us,” the vendors said.

3.12 Oshakati abattoir to reopen soon Namibian Sun|18/07/2019

KIAT Investment Holdings, which has been awarded a tender to manage the Oshakati abattoir, says the plant will soon resume operations. This will be a relief to farmers in the northern communal areas (NCAs) who have been without a market for their livestock amid a devastating drought. In an interview with Namibian Sun this week, KIAT executive director Sikunawa Tshiponga Negumbo said renovations were complete and they would start buying livestock in three weeks' time. Negumbo said engineers from the agriculture and works ministries inspected the abattoir on Monday. “On Monday we were inspecting the whole building and today (Tuesday) we were inspecting the slaughtering process and facilities. We were told that everything is as we were promised it would be after renovation. We are thankful for what the government has done,” said Negumbo. “We are now waiting for the contractor to hand the facility back to the ministry of works, which will hand it to the ministry of agriculture, which will hand it to us. This process will take about three weeks from today. From there we will start buying livestock from farmers.” The Oshakati and Katima Mulilo abattoirs were closed in 2016 after Meatco had incurred large losses for several years. Negumbo said the Oshakati abattoir is export certified and all livestock must be quarantined before slaughtering. KIAT has started hiring staff, giving preference to former Meatco employees who were retrenched in 2016. Since the closure, northern communal farmers have had to rely on a mobile slaughter unit and they are desperate to reduce their herds in the face of drought. “At first we will take up 70% of the employees who were retrenched. Others have to wait because we first have to see the reaction of the farmers before maximising the employment,” Negumbo said. “The abattoir has a capacity to slaughter 200 cattle per day. We are appealing to farmers to come on board and start selling their livestock. We will be going out to buy cattle ... and farmers are also welcome to bring their cattle, of which the price will be determined by carcass weight,” Negumbo said.

3.13 Topnaars wallow in poverty despite lucrative concessions, quota New Era|22/07/2019

The acting tribal head of the Topaaar community, Chief Stoffel Anamab, must be summoned to explain why his community is mired in abject poverty despite the Topnaars raking in millions annually through three tourism concessions and a lucrative fishing quota. This advice was given by the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, on Thursday to President Hage Geingob after the traditional councillor of the Topnaars, Rudolf Dausab, raised the issue of the sorry state in which the Topnaars are living. Anamab has been serving for decades as councillor. He served

34 alongside the late Topnaar chief Seth Kooitjie, who died in January after serving as a chief since 1980. Dausab, also a Topnaar, appealed to Geingob to look into the plight of his people as some currently find themselves without water as they cannot afford to pay their water bills from NamWater. Overall, Dausab said, the Topnaar despite being a small community are struggling to make ends meet with no income or community development initiatives. He added that unlike other communities the Topnaars cannot claim customary land rights due to the fact that they are living in two parks. “We are not even more than 2 500 people. They say we are the smallest community but the poorest. Our people are really suffering,” Dausab said during the town hall meeting with President that took place on Thursday. However, Shifeta pointed out that the Topnaars have three tourism concessions of which one brings in not less than N$70 000 per month, as well as a fishing quota that rakes in a hefty sum of money. “These altogether are worth millions. The problem is … the money coming from the concessions does not go to the community. I think it is better for the acting chief to come and tell us where that money goes,” Shifeta said. He added that the issue was also discussed before the passing of Topnaar chief Seth Kooitjie due to complaints from the community. “Only one concession is enough to improve the living conditions of the community as they get clean dividends. The problem is that only certain people benefit from it,” Shifeta added. Shifeta said that his ministry tried to reconcile the community after sitting down with them after Kooitjie’s funeral in an effort to create or invest in community uplifting projects. “They can even buy a bus to transport their children to school or buy goats for each household. There are so many things that they can do as the money they are getting is a lot. So, let the acting chief come and tell the house where the money goes,” Shifeta briefed the president. Governor of the Erongo Region Cleophas Mutjavikua said that the Topnaar Traditional Authority is the only one in the country that gets such a large monthly income. Apart from that, the governor said, they are entitled to 10 oryx and 20 springboks. “Yet they are the poorest people, but where is the money?” he said.

3.14 Oshikango’s businesss prospects worsening The Namibian|24/07/2019

A decline in cross-border trade between Angola and Namibia continues to affect business prospects at Oshikango. The border town that was once a lucrative business destination, has now turned into a struggling ground for businesses, with many hardly managing to break even. The decline of business activities at the town has also cast a dim light on the future of hundreds of people employed there, who stand to lose their jobs. The discontinuation of the use of the US dollar in of the Angolan economy has been highlighted as one of the main contributors to the decline of economic activities at Oshikango. Thomas Koneka Indji, the chairperson of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI)'s northern branch, said cross-border trade at Oshikango had declined due to a number of constraints which are hampering the ability of business people to export goods to Angola, which was the mainstay of the town's economy. “Business at Oshikango is going down every day. It doesn't matter what kind of business you are involved in, business is very bad, and people are obviously losing their jobs because if you cannot sell, you obviously have to let go of your employees, according to our assessment,” he added. Indji said the NCCI has since 2013 organised a number of business indabas in an effort to revive the economy of the northern border town, but such efforts yielded no results. “It's also an indication that with the adverse business conditions during the past three years, more investors are losing faith and getting ready to pull out, but we need investors to grow our economy,” he observed. The introduction of the Angolan kwanza as a means to revive the economy at the border town also failed to resolve the ongoing crisis, and it was discontinued in its infancy. Anna Stephanus, a local fruit vendor on the streets of Oshikango, said life is getting harder by the day as business activities at the town keep declining. “There is no business here. People are not buying because many of them do not have money. Even Angolan nationals who come here are struggling; they don't have money to support us as they used to back in the days. If the government does not act fast, things might really turn for the worse,” she stressed. Oshikango was once a thriving northern border town which attracted foreigners like Chinese, Indian, South African, Portuguese, 35

Pakistani and Iranian traders, amongst others, who set up shops at the border town with ventures that primarily targeted the Angolan market. “If you come to Oshikango today, you will find many, many trucks queuing up at the border. Based on that, one would think that Oshikango is very busy, but these trucks are in transit with goods not from Oshikango, but from South Africa,” Indji noted. According to an assessment carried out by the NCCI northern region, which is the business voice in the north, Chinese nationals who once dominated trade at the border town are now also abandoning Oshikango to establish shops in villages inside Angola. “The Angolan economy is recovering following years of civil war, and many businesses have relocated across the border. Abandoned buildings testify to the decline of business at Oshikango,” Indji stated.

3.15 Rundu fresh produce hub still operational: Thikusho New Era|25/07/2019

The Rundu fresh produce distribution hub is currently in the process of registering local farmers with the Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (AMTA) for the purpose of supplying to government agencies. The acting regional manager Gervasius Thikusho on Tuesday in an interview with Nampa encouraged small scale farmers as well as youth groups to register before stating that the fresh produce hub has not closed and is operational. It was reported last week Monday that AMTA had closed all its fresh produce distribution hubs as all agents were given notice to leave. Thikusho explained that AMTA will assist producers to develop a cropping calendar in line with the government agencies, offices and ministries. This program of inviting farmers he added has been running since early June. The acting regional manager said it supplies produce to some of the government agencies such as the military bases in the Kavango East, West, and the Zambezi region through August 26 Logistics. The hubs are open so farmers that already have produce can start communicating to us. For those that we do not have information on can come through, Thikusho said. Production at the hub declined for various reasons the acting regional manager stressed such as climatic issues thus the hub is trying to boost up production again. In 2014/15 the hub had a throughput of 863 metric tons (MT), 751 MT in 2015/2016, 1545 MT in 2016/17, 1153 MT in 2017/18 and 708 MT in 2018/19. Farmers can only produce if there is a secured market. Other than that it is a little difficult because the risk is too high, he stressed. Currently the hub he noted sources from different producers in the region such as Tengu Farm in Kavango West, Sikondo Irrigation small scale farmers, Salem, and Mashare Irrigation. Thikusho said the hub is busy negotiating with most of the government agencies, ministries and offices for AMTA to start supplying to them. These are the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ministry of Safety and Security, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Education. The hub he confirmed faced out all six agents as many could not meet their targets of 120 MT per month. The hubs are directly trading now, Thikusho said.

3.16 Unemployed youth thrive selling kapana New Era|25/07/2019

Sitting idle at home after dropping out of school never crossed the minds of two youths who decided to set up a mobile kapana business at the ever-expanding town of Nkurenkuru. When 24-year-old Mashel Ashipala, a native of Nkurenkuru, failed Grade 10 in 2013, he called it quits with education but he travelled out of his region to what is better known in the native language of his home town Rukwangali as ‘kousimba’, as far as Windhoek and Karasburg in pursuit of a job with the hope that life would be much easier for him. This was an overnight decision and he acted upon this but all that his level of education could land him was poor-paying jobs. Ashipala said his earnings were insufficient for survival. Something he was unhappy about and so he was again faced with a tough decision to make about his future. He then took the bull by the horns, quit his job and came back home. Because life was going to get even harder without a job, he joined the informal trading business in 2015 by selling sausages, chicken feet, necks and eggs. Last year, he ventured into a new

36 business that he still runs to date which is selling roasted meat cut into small pieces, locally known as kapana that he sells for N$1 apiece. He called Simon Ndumba, 26, who was also unemployed to partner with him. “At times when I was away there would be no one to run the business, so I saw that it’s better to be with someone who will run it even when I am not around,” he reminisces. The two sell their meat on two-wheeled mobile kapana stands they call ‘Land Cruisers’ because these mobile contraptions can pass through heavy sand. When driving through town, one can easily spot the two pulling the mobile kapana stands as they search for customers for their mouth-watering pieces of roasted meat. When asked how business doing is and if Nkurenkuru as young as it is, is good for kapana business, Ashipala said: “This business we call mobile kapana does well especially on pay days but after that you struggle, with customers here and there; perhaps it’s because the population is still low, but it’s better, people do buy.” Life is better than before for the two as they are now able to buy their own personal basic needs, put food on the table for their families and pay their water bills. Ashipala urged his fellow unemployed youths to do away with the dependency syndrome. “Let us not depend on parents or families because they also have their own personal commitments and once they are no more, you will suffer. If you try on your own, at least you will be able to provide for yourself,” he stressed. On their future plans, the two said they want to secure a place to operate from so that customers easily reach them.

3.17 Outapi reaps bumper harvest from garden New Era|26/07/2019

The Outapi Town Council is using the nutrient-rich waste water from a storage pond to irrigate an agricultural area by drip irrigation to produce crops for human consumption. The project is being jointly run by the town council and German industry partner Bilfinger Water Technologies and is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The garden is under the care of the community and produces a variety of crops. It started in 2015 and this year produced a bumper harvest According to the senior manager of environmental health and safety at the council, Herman Neumbo, it is the garden’s first exceptionally large harvest. The crops are sold to the community at a reasonable price. The chief executive officer of the town council, Ananias Nashilongo, said the water from the treatment plant is hygienically safe for reuse in agriculture. He said the garden produces tomatoes, green peppers, maize, watermelons, pumpkins and onions. “Waste water is generated daily throughout the year in almost equal quantities,” he said. Describing the complex mechanics of pre-treating the wastewater, Nashilongo assured the nation that the water is purified and disinfected and thus safe for use in the garden. Stabilised sludge is dried in the sun and can be used as manure.

3.18 Reusable pads for 400 schoolgirls Namibian Sun|29/07/2019

More than 400 girls from various schools in Kavango West will no longer be absent from school when they menstruate, after receiving free sanitary pads from Good Samaritans. Girls, especially those from poor backgrounds, cannot afford sanitary pads and miss approximately four days of school each month, which has a negative effect on their education. Apart from missing out on school, they also resort to harmful practices when they menstruate, which could compromise their health. This includes using mattresses, pillow stuffing, dried leaves and cotton cloths when they menstruate, simply because they cannot afford sanitary pads. The Esba Pendukeni Foundation, the Pinnacle Metropolitan Empowerment Trust, Gondwana Trust and Ann Pads visited Kavango West recently and donated hundreds of washable sanitary pads to the schoolgirls from the Kanuni Haruwodi, Nkurenkuru, Ncagcu and Ncamagoro combined schools. The washable pads have a lifespan of up to four years and is ideal for those who cannot afford disposable products. Speaking at the handover ceremony that took place at Ncagcu Combined School, Kavango West Region education director Teopolina Hamutumwa thanked the donors. “We recognise and appreciate the efforts of the different stakeholders and the private sector, who have indicated their willingness to embark on

37 availing different sanitary products, which is a great assistance to our schoolgirls,” Hamutumwa said. Hamutumwa also used the opportunity to speak on the importance of developing policies to address the issue of the stigmatisation of girls and women when they menstruate, including myths and traditional beliefs that have no scientific backing. She also called on parents to show support when it comes to menstruation, by providing girls with sanitary pads. “We need to develop policies and guidelines that will do away with stigma and encourage school communities and the public at large not to shy away from menstruation, but rather approach it and handle it in a respectful manner,” she said. “We further request our dear parents to continue ensuring the continuous provision of sufficient sanitary pads to the girls.” Hamutumwa also advised boys and men to understand and respect the dignity of women. “To our young boys and men at large, menstruation is a normal process in a woman's life, which requires respect and privacy. It helps our young girls to thrive and grow into productive women, and into the future mothers of the nation. It therefore requires us to embrace it with dignity and respect. Stop shaming them for undergoing this normal life process,” she said. Ann Pads founder Hermine Bertolini spoke about the importance of sanitary pads and how they should be used.

3.19 Otjiwarongo boasts new business complex Namibian Sun|29/07/2019

A multimillion dollar modern business complex at Otjiwarongo was on Friday officially opened by vice president Nangolo Mbumba. The Etemba Plaza situated in the central business district of Otjiwarongo belongs to retail businessman, Theo Borstlap, who owns Theo’s Superspar at the town. Borstlap told the gathering that the new complex will host a restaurant, several retail businesses, mini-shops and a Standard Bank branch among others. He said the bigger part of the complex was newly constructed and other parts renovated at a cost of N$45 million. Bortslap said he employs a total of 350 people at the new complex and his existing supermarkets around town. “We are really very happy to see business activity already happening at Etemba Plaza, and a variety of other shops are expected to open very soon,” he said. Mbumba on his part praised Borstlap for the large investment in the local economy through the construction of the new complex, which has changed the face of Otjiwarongo. Mbumba noted that an investment of this magnitude indeed means support of government’s agenda of job creation and poverty alleviation. “I call upon other local business people to invest more in the country, as the prospects of doing business start to look bright and in the process we address the socio-economic challenges the nation is faced with,” he said. Otjiwarongo mayor Bennes Haimbodi also called on other businesspeople to come and invest in the town so that employment and economic opportunities can happen. Haimbodi said Otjiwarongo is a strategically-located major town between the northern parts of the country and, therefore, is a suitable place for a variety of business activities.

3.20 Army, police rescue Amta Namibian Sun|30/07/2019

Despite a cabinet resolution that calls on all government offices, ministries and agencies (OMAs) to buy locally produced agricultural products and meat through Amta, only the defence and safety ministries have come on board. The rest of the OMAs have not yet shown an interest in procuring their fresh produce through the troubled parastatal. Yesterday, Olushandja farmers decided to supply stock to the Amta's Ongwediva fresh produce hub, so it can become operational again. Agriculture ministry executive director Percy Misika told Namibian Sun that before rolling out the food bank programme, it approached Amta to supply it with food products. In 2014 cabinet had directed that all OMAs should include a qualification requirement in their food supply tender specifications, which stipulates that food supplied to government institutions must be sourced from local producers and suppliers, particularly from Amta's national hubs. “To date, Amta confirmed that 38 the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) came on board to source fruit and vegetables for military bases. The ministry of safety and security and the Namibian police have been procuring fruit and vegetables from Amta, but the cooperation is yet to be formalised,” said Misika. “Amta is still engaging other OMAs to establish their horticultural, meat, meat by product and agronomic needs, as directed by cabinet.” Through a cabinet resolution, originally taken in 2014, the OMAs were requested to make sure that all their institutions consume products from the regions where they are situated. On 26 February this year, finance minister Calle Schlettwein wrote to all ministers, governors, town mayors, board chairpersons and executive directors, informing them that in terms of section 73 of the Public Procurement Act of 2015, all public entities are directed to include specific provisions in their tender specifications to ensure that entities wanting to bid for any food catering contract, shall source meat, fresh produce, cereal and flour from local producers. However, Amta continues to struggle to get support from the OMAs. On 25 March, agriculture minister Alpheus !Naruseb informed all the OMAs about the implementation of the cabinet decision related to local procurement through Amta. The defence ministry confirmed during an earlier interview that through August 26 Logistics (A26L), which supplies food to all the country's army bases, it was set to start procuring its food items through Amta. Ministry spokesperson Petrus Shilumbu said their catering company, A26L, submitted an action plan to the executive director of the ministry on 11 February, which was crafted and prepared in collaboration with Amta and the agriculture ministry. According to Sylvanus Naunyango, the chairperson of Olushandja Farmers Association, the fresh produce hubs were created for them, and therefore whether there are customers or not, they will supply them with produce and see what happens from there. “We are the good producers of fresh vegetables here in the north and the idea of coming up with the Ongwediva fresh produce hub was to assist us. The idea was to assist us to penetrate into the formal market, because at the moment our products are only for the informal market. We were not happy to hear that the hub was closing its operations due to lack of market,” Naunyango said. “Since we have produce in our fields, we decided to stock up the hub and then they see what they will use the produce for.” Amta Ongwediva fresh produce hub regional manager Jacob Hamutenya confirmed they received a variety of produce from the Olushandja farmers' yesterday morning. “We will see what we will do with the produce, because we have to get them a market. First we will make contact with the Rundu and Windhoek hubs to find out what we have and do not have, so we can supply them. The rest, we will squeeze them into the existing market and we are positive that the informal traders will take up many of our products,” Hamutenya said. “It is obvious that after receiving produce from the farmers, they are also giving us invoices, which we have to process and do payment.”

3.21 Much anticipated Agra Ondangwa to bring products, services to the masses New Era|30/07/2019

The much anticipated Ondangwa Agra branch will be opening its doors to the northern community on August 30. The branch will be located at Shop 8, Erf 1300, main road, B1 Ondangwa next to Woermann & Brock. It will aim to reach out to all communities, by providing nationwide services and comprehensive product ranges, including but not limited to agricultural solutions, building materials, hardware, water equipment, fertilisers, household, and consumer goods. Agra Limited is a Namibian company, rooted in agriculture which strives to understand the needs of the evolving industry and to provide cost-effective product solutions, personal service and specialised training to clients, enabling them to prosper and grow. Andries van der Merwe, the Regional Manager for Retail and Wholesale clarified that the reason Agra is opening up a branch in Ondangwa is to bring products and services closer to the masses. “Agra has recognised the need of farmers within this area with regards to the availability of a wide range of agricultural inputs at affordable prices, including sound and professional advice. There is a large farming community that does not have access to the inputs required to farm successfully or efficiently and often the large distances travelled to acquire these products hinders producers from farming efficiently, therefore opening a branch in Ondangwa

39 creates the opportunity to improve quality of life, which is what we stand for,” said Van der Merwe. Ndapewa Neshila, the company spokesperson pointed out that Agra Limited is committed to live by its values of “rooted in our people” and “we serve all”, as with the new branch, Agra will increase its footprint in the northern communal areas and creating jobs for the local community. “We believe that Agra plays a key role in the value chain of the farmer as we are an important pillar in the agriculture community. One of Agra’s values is “rooted in our people” and therefore it was important to increase our footprint and extend our products and services in order to enhance and assist in the development of agriculture in the area where many opportunities still lie for the community to enlarge and improve farming practices,” explained Neshila. “We are urging the public to join us on Friday, the 30th of August, for a fun-filled day with awesome specials and fun activities. The public is welcome to enjoy convenient shopping in our new retail space,” added Neshila. The Ondangwa branch trading hours will be from Monday-Friday 08H00 – 17H00, Saturday 08H00 – 13H00, Sundays and public holiday-closed.

3.22 Orangemund to curb dependency on diamonds The Namibian|31/07/2019

Orangemund has plans to diversify its economy and move away from its dependency on diamond mining. This will be done through the Oranjemund 2030 (OMD 2030) agenda where the private and public sector together with the community aim to drive a few initiatives. The diversification plan was presented by the newly created Omdis director, Retha van der Schyf, at the Westair commercial flight inauguration last week. Omdis is a private agency which was hired by the town as an economic development accelerator. The town has been dependent on the diamond mining industry over the years; however it aims to move towards developing other sectors as the inland diamond industry move to marine diamond mining. The town will focus on tourism, agriculture, agro-processing and renewable energy. The agenda (OMD 2030) was launched in 2016 and has been active since 2018 after the town's transformation plan was enacted in 2014. The town chose the year 2030 as it aligns with the life of the mine as well as the timeline to transform the town, which will take approximately 10 to 15 years. She explained that the plan is needed to be in place to transform the town and will have three phases. Van der Schyf continued that the transformation programme will focus on turning employees of the mining town into ordinary citizens irrespective of their affiliation with the mine. She said the first three years will be focused on transferring municipal services, residential and commercial property. “That is where you take your municipal services, your property that was predominantly in the hands of the mine and you hand it over in a functioning and sustainable way to a local authority,” she explained. The second aspect is the socio-economic activity, which looks at providing long-term water strategy for the town, as well as educational and healthcare facilities. Van der Schyf said although a highly efficient hospital was well established in the town, it will be costly to run as the mine was footing the bill. “Can you privatise it and keep it profitable and/ or do you make it a government hospital? How do you structure that healthcare?” she asked. The third and last aspect looks at how the town will deliberately create economic activities to ensure that the livelihood of the town is not affected adversely in the event that the mine shuts down or significantly decreases in size. She emphasised that the process is not an easy one, and that in such a process, a local authority must be viable. “People need to pay for the services so that the council can pay for what they provide, and that has never happened here,” she said. She went on to say that getting approval from ministries and finding investors are also some foreseen challenges along the way. In terms of renewable energy, Van der Schyf added that although it is a great initiative and might bring income, it does not create the needed job opportunities, in comparison to industries such as manufacturing. Speaking at the same event, OMD 2030 operational manager Sue Cooper said that it is important to encourage the citizens to participate in the process of transformation and 40 community-building. She added that different projects are rolled out around the town to give the community an active role in the transformation of their town. “Every project that we take on board has to fit the criteria: We want to be a voice for the community, we want to develop the sense of community within the town, we want to support Omdis and the Oranjemund Town Council,” she said. Envisaged projects stem from hospitality, tourism and the cultural sector, where the town is looking to establish a tourism information centre and e-bikes. Other projects include training and education activities, communication, community engagement as well as recycling projects.

41

4 Environment & Human Health

4.1 Outrage over purified waste discharge into lagoon New Era|01/07/2019

The Walvis Bay Municipality has been accused of discharging sewage into the lagoon, an international Ramsar site that is home to water birds from all over the world. Residents aired their discontent over the activity via social networks last week, citing the dumping as a health risk. Residents said it is a disgrace the municipality uses the internationally renowned and tourist attraction area to dump “raw sewage”. Learners of Walvis Bay Private School also started an online petition in a bid to stop the municipality from discarding the “sewage” into the lagoon. Concerns are the lagoon that is also used for practice and to host international water sport competitions would become unfit and could spread diseases such as hepatitis E and other viral and bacterial infections. However, the municipality on Friday denied polluting the area, stating that only semi-purified effluent/waste (locally known as PE) is discharged and not raw sewage as alleged by concerned residents. According to the statement issued by the municipality the semi-purified waste water is the same water used by residents to water their gardens, while it is also used to water public parks around Walvis Bay. This, says the municipality, has been an established practice for many decades. In addition, the municipality claims that coastal cities around the world discharge their main streams of treated effluent into the oceans, while Walvis Bay only discharges it into special treatment ponds. “PE goes through a treatment process at our sewage treatment plant at the liquid waste section to meet the effluent quality standards set by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry. The municipality strictly adheres to the conditions of the permit issued by the ministry,” the statement further read. The statement explained that the release of purified effluent into the lagoon is only necessitated when draining the network for repairs or flushing the system from time to time. This maintenance occurs very rarely, and only limited quantities of PE are released into the lagoon. The municipality said it takes pride in the lagoon as an international tourist attraction and a Ramsar Birding Site and its safety is a priority. “Residents are therefore advised not to be alarmed by allegations to the contrary. We would also like to inform the public that the current upgrades to the water works will ensure better quality PE in future,” stated the municipality.

4.2 State health patients left to die Windhoek Observer|05/07/2019

State sponsored heart patients have been left to the mercy of God after the Windhoek Central Hospital Cardiac Unit stopped performing lifesaving procedures in February due to a lack of funding and the absence of a cardiologist. Sources told the Windhoek Observer this week that state patients at the unit, which was commissioned in 2010, have been getting a raw deal from the state after it failed to renew Dr Simon Beshir’s contract. Dr Beshir is said to be the only cardiologist in the country working for the state. The cardiologist, who also works at the Roman Catholic Heart Centre in Windhoek, has since been offering free services to only 10 patients every Thursday. It is feared that should he withdraw his free services; this could spell doom for many of the patients who cannot afford to visit private hospitals for the same services. “So far patients on chronic medication have been renewing prescriptions without being seen by doctor,” a patient told the Windhoek Observer this week. Dr Beshir declined to talk when contacted for comment. He referred the Windhoek Observer to the Ministry of Health and Social Services Public Relations Officer Manga Libita who did not respond to questions sent to her email. Another source who spoke to the Windhoek Observer on condition of anonymity said government does not have the money to pay Dr Beshir his normal fees because of the current austerity measures introduced across all ministries and departments. “The problem is that this financial crisis is affecting every single department of the government - the problem is global. The country's economy was based mostly on government spending. Now spending is close to zero and the economy has tanked. The cardiac unit is just one of many services affected,” 42 the source said. There are reports that some patients at the unit have died after they failed to access the critical healthcare services they needed. “Of course there are some casualties. Right now the situation is critical,” a source familiar with the work of the cardiac unit said. “The department is trying to find a solution, but it is difficult since all of its operations and other competing operations at the hospital are being financed through government.” He said there is a proposal on the table to have state patients who suffer a heart attack be transferred to private hospitals where they can be operated from and thereafter transferred back to state hospitals. Another solution is to get private funding from people willing to donate money to state hospitals or to engage private hospitals and doctors so that they can help state patients for free. “Everyone has to give their time to state patients, but most don’t. Senior doctors should be forced to work for the state on a part time basis. Everyone has to play their part especially private hospitals. They have to sacrifice some of their profits,” the source said adding that the unit is not allowed to hire more people to fill in critical positions such as nurses and doctors or paying nurses for overtime. “It is not easy for people running the hospitals because everyone is shouting that they need money. We can’t really blame management because they are trying their best under difficult circumstances.” The Windhoek Observer also understands that there is only one cardiac technologist working at the cardiac unit. A radiologist at the unit, a Dr Phyn, is also said to be offering his services free of charge. Information provided by the cardiac unit in April showed that the Windhoek Central Hospital has successfully attended to 104 patients requiring open heart surgery, 318 open-heart and related procedures were conducted at the unit. Over 6,000 adults and children were served at the outpatient department of the cardiac clinic between April 2018 and March 2019. Prime Minister Saara Kuungongelwa-Amadhila assured staff members of government’s continued support during a tour of the unit in April. “Where you require us, we are not prepared to say that we cannot do it,” she said.

4.3 Marble miners' harsh working conditions The Namibian|12/07/2019

Health and safety hazards, wages below minimum, harsh working conditions and working without employment contracts are some of the issues that marble miners in the Erongo region continue to endure. Despite various interventions by different government departments, the situation has persisted over the years, with employees at some quarries, mainly those run by non-English speaking Chinese, still working under difficult circumstances. The workers, some of whom came from as far as the northern regions of Namibia to seek employment in the many marble quarries in the Erongo mountains, say they are forced to work seven days a week by drilling, cutting and loading marble for a paltry N$1 600 basic salary a month, with no additional benefits. A labour study conducted in 2018 indicated that a person earning this amount per month would not be able to cater for their basic needs, and would be living in poverty. One of the quarries is the Ekungungu mine, located about 20 kilometres from Omatjete in the Daures constituency. The 20 workers at this mine, who spoke to Nampa on condition of anonymity due to fear of victimisation, revealed that they work for close to 12 hours a day. They further risk their health, as they are required to use one dust mask and a pair of gloves for at least three months. This instruction is relayed to them by their Chinese supervisors through the use of sign language as a means of communication. “At times, three months would pass without us receiving any new masks or gloves, and they would tell us to just wash the old ones and reuse them, which is unsafe as the gloves are not durable, and dust masks are disposable,” narrated one of the workers. All the workers share three prefabricated living quarters, and until recently, they have had to sleep on crude makeshift beds of pallets and planks. “They recently welded these beds together after the [Mineworkers Union of Namibia's] visit last month. One toilet was constructed last week,” the workers pointed out. They added that the company has no transport available on site for emergency cases, and often when the need to travel arises, they have to wait for hours before a hired pickup truck arrives. “When somebody gets sick, we are forced to walk 10 kilometres to the main road to find transport to the nearest town. When we need to buy food and other necessities on pay weekends, they drop us off at Omaruru, and expect us back on site by Sunday, while finding

43 transport into these mountains is not easy.” The employees, although very dissatisfied with their salaries, have given up complaining about the matter as they have been told “to just leave if they have any issues”. “The work we do is too much for what we are earning, but we have no choice as we have nowhere to go, and have families to feed back home.” At a neighboring quarry, Ongeama Mine, the seven workers there work in torn gumboots, and use pieces of cloth to cover their mouths and noses as they are not provided dust masks. The workers made their own living structures from marble cut-offs, which although steady, are not durable, especially during the rainy season. “The tiny rooms always get flooded when it rains, leaving our belongings ruined,” they said. One of the workers confided in this reporter that he was requested to drive and operate one of the heavy vehicles, even though he does not have a driver's licence. Contacted for comment, Ekungungu managing director, Lukas Sasamba denied the allegations, saying employees are given masks and gloves every week. “I have a trusted community member whom I have tasked to go and inspect the workers' conditions every now and then, and unless he is not telling me the truth, he says everything is going well at the site,” Sasamba said. Sasamba, who revealed that his last visit to the site was about four months ago, added that although he has given them the freedom to contact him, none of the employees have ever called him or spoken to the supervisor on site about any grievances. He was thus shocked to hear about the claims the workers made through Nampa. He refused to discuss their wages, only telling this agency that the company is “busy making adjustments to make the employees' living conditions better at the site”, and that they are also busy with wage negotiations with the MUN. MUN western regional coordinator George Ampweya condemned the working and living conditions of the workers at the quarries. He told Nampa that there has been numerous correspondence with the companies, but very minimal changes have taken place. “The union intends to engage relevant stakeholders to look into possibly determining a minimum wage in the marble and granite-cutting industries as these employees are exposed to extremely low wages, and little to no benefits,” Ampweya said. Additionally, he noted that the union is faced with significant challenges of the blatant disregard and non-compliance with Namibian labour laws by these mostly Chinese- owned companies. “We equally urge labour inspectors to partner with us in our efforts to ascertain that the minimum employment conditions are met and adhered to.” Director of labour services in the ministry, Aune Mudjanima said the labour ministry advises bargaining unions representing employees to take up such issues with the line ministries, and that the necessary investigations will be done. “The unions are our stakeholders, and they know where and what exactly to do when it comes to issues like these. If it is an issue of conditions of service such as salaries, benefits, then we deal with them,” said Mudjanima.

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