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

Yours sincerely, With support from: Namibian Chamber of Environment

Development Workshop Namibia

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Table of Contents

1 URBAN PLANNING, LAND & HOUSING ...... 4 1.1 Stage is set for lower housing demand as residential market struggles continue ...... 4 1.2 Oshakati residents forced to 'marry' developers ...... 4 1.3 Hanse-Himarwa 'wanted housing list changed' ...... 5 1.4 Mbumba urged to help poor San ...... 6 1.5 Namibia’s long-standing land issue remains unresolved ...... 7 1.6 Property market no home run ...... 8 1.7 Developers exploit housing market – minister ...... 9 1.8 Advieskomitee vir behuising aangestel ...... 10 1.9 Duisende huise aan die kus ...... 10 1.10 Exporting Urbanisation to Rural Namibia ...... 10 1.11 Damaged houses still unrepaired ...... 11 1.12 TransNamib wants to evict workers from Windhoek houses ...... 12 1.13 Tweya appoints rent control board...... 13 1.14 Land Conference, Inequality and Future of Prosperity ...... 13 1.15 Unmasking the Public Service's Biggest Failing Again ...... 15 1.16 Home Solutions for the landless ...... 16 1.17 Katutura’s long walk to comfort...... 17 1.18 Kombat kwaad vir Katti ...... 18 1.19 Kombat residents against rent increase ...... 18 1.20 Staal van Otavi binnekort ’n werklikheid ...... 19 1.21 Shack fire victims mob Kuisebmond Police Station ...... 20 1.22 Land purchase budget cut in half ...... 21 1.23 MTC, Huawei set aside N$10m for low-cost housing ...... 21 1.24 Homelessness a humanitarian crisis ...... 22 1.25 Omashaka to be properly rezoned ...... 22 1.26 Land grabs soar at Ondangwa ...... 23

2 URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES ...... 24 2.1 Rundu begs for N$20m bailout ...... 24 2.2 Rundu mess calls for urgent remedy...... 24 2.3 Kalkrand is óók dors ...... 25 2.4 Motorists fed up with Rundu's streets ...... 26 2.5 Ohangwena unveils N$13 million oxidation ponds ...... 26 2.6 Airport upgrade to cost N$245m ...... 27 2.7 Lights out at three Windhoek schools ...... 28 2.8 Erongo Marine opens onshore processing plant ...... 28 2.9 Begroting briek bou van skole ...... 29 2.10 TransNamib cuts water, electricity at Bahnhof ...... 30 2.11 Residents owe Arandis N$40m ...... 30 2.12 Rundu water woes continue ...... 31 2.13 Water woes cripple Rundu ...... 32 2.14 French firm to secure potable water for Keetmanshoop ...... 33 2.15 PowerCom to begin construction of new tower at Kuisebmond ...... 33 2.16 1300 Windhoek informal houses to get electricity ...... 34 2.17 N$12 million shot in the arm for Keetmans water network ...... 35 2.18 Matongo Family fundraise tonight for Tura hall ...... 35 2

2.19 Japan to the rescue of Tobias Hainyeko learners ...... 36 2.20 Community demands services ...... 37 2.21 Skole op Rehoboth het weer water ...... 38 2.22 Chicco opens warehouses and office complex in Windhoek ...... 38 2.23 Okahandja overcharges residents for 10 years ...... 39 2.24 Container terminal planned at Gobabis ...... 39

3 LIVELIHOODS AND URBAN ECONOMY ...... 41 3.1 Centre gives hope to informal settlement ...... 41 3.2 Meeting in Gobabis to harmonise agric shows, trade fairs, expos ...... 41 3.3 2019 Namibia Tourism Expo is launched ...... 42 3.4 Food bank launched at Rundu ...... 43 3.5 Omaheke activates its youth for entrepreneurship ...... 44 3.6 SSC avails N$2 million for NUST to train Keetmanshoop youth ...... 44 3.7 Unregistered Keetmans residents flock to food bank ...... 45 3.8 OTIE exhibition days cut ...... 46 3.9 Informal economy poised for productivity ...... 46 3.10 “Own Your Zula” festival attracts Gobabis entrepreneurs ...... 47 3.11 Otavi plant to produce 100,000 tons of steel ...... 47 3.12 Oshikuku youth hosts inaugural expo ...... 48

4 ENVIRONMENT & HUMAN HEALTH ...... 49 4.1 Hande was help hepatitis E voorkom ...... 49 4.2 Pupils clean up Kaisosi...... 49 4.3 Learners resort to open defecation ...... 49 4.4 Uncollected Katima rubbish a health hazard ...... 50 4.5 Swimming in faeces ...... 51 4.6 Rundu: Verdrink in vullis of ly dors ...... 51 4.7 Hepatitis hits Havana hard ...... 52 4.8 Hepatitis E woed landswyd voort ...... 54 4.9 Red Cross, Chinese embassy host Hepatitis awareness ...... 55 4.10 Filth overwhelms Rundu ...... 55 4.11 Pensioner ankle-deep in sewage ...... 56 4.12 The Toxic Streets of Katutura ...... 57

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1 Urban Planning, Land & Housing

1.1 Stage is set for lower housing demand as residential market struggles continue The New Era|01/11/2018

In the latest housing index by FNB Namibia, Group Economist Namene Kalili concluded that the stage has been set for lower housing demand. “This can be based on economic growth stagnating, consumer confidence waning, increased affordable housing delivery, increased land delivery, rising interest rates, rising home ownership costs and the economy still shedding jobs.” “We remain particularly concerned about price developments in the luxury price segment, where properties are selling well below valuations, and we would even argue below replacement costs. With these price pressures trickling down to the upper price segment, property is no longer the standout investment asset class it used to be. Additionally, the negative wealth effects amongst high net worth individuals, will prolong the economic recovery as the top five percent income earners account for 36 percent of national consumption, and if they are not spending, the Namibian economy will not grow, and housing demand will remain weak.” Kalili added that FNB Namibia expected house prices to shed 5.8 percent of their value in 2018, and to start seeing some price resistance in 2019, as housing becomes increasingly affordable to a select few. “This will reduce the price contraction through 2019 to 1.2 percent, before turning positive in 2020, at which stage we believe property prices will have corrected and thus maintain inflation related price increases going forward.” When looking at the FNB housing index in detail, it becomes apparent that the residential property market continued to struggle, after July sales indicated that property prices contracted by 4.1 percent. This means that property prices have contracted in six of the first seven months of 2018, to bring the average property price to N$1.29 million in July. Price pressures were felt mostly at the top end of the market, after the luxury price segment was decimated by nine consecutive quarters of economic decline. “Prices for luxury properties contracted by 64.6 percent year-on-year in July, and with limited demand at N$10.229 million (down from N$18.298 million in Dec 2017), we believe there is still more pain to come. As the luxury segment re-prices, this downward price pressure has begun to trickle down to the upper price segment, where we are starting to see more and deeper month on month price contractions, as prices slumped to N$3.625 million in July.” On a more positive note, the index states that property prices in the middle to lower price segment drifted 3.1 percent and 5.3 percent higher on an annualised basis, supported by robust volume growth in the lower price segment, as government ramped up affordable housing delivery. Consequently, overall volumes have increased by 17.9 percent year-on-year, on the back of robust volume growth in the lower price segment, where volumes increased by 28.8 percent year-on-year.

1.2 Oshakati residents forced to 'marry' developers The Namibian|02/11/2018

Some Oshakati residents are claiming the town council gave their names to developers who are supposed to sell them houses. This came to light during an FNB Namibia home loans management meeting, which unpacked the current economic impact on property valuations in the country. The meeting, which took place last Thursday at Ondangwa in the Oshana region, was also attended by property developers and estate agents. Those in attendance disapprove the council's act of releasing the list. The municipality, through its spokesperson Katarina Kamari, admitted to The Namibian that council gave out the list, and allocated serviced plots to 36 developers to build houses for those on the waiting list. Most of the plots allocated are in Extension 16 and Ekuku.

Those on the housing list whom The Namibian spoke to in July were unhappy with the housing prices that developers offered them, saying they prefer to build for themselves at their own pace. That is an 4 option which is currently not on the table. This is because the town council does not offer a plot per applicant, but has instead given out the applicants' housing list to developers, who call individuals and offer them housing prices. If the applicant is unable to afford what is being offered to them, the developer sidelines them, and calls the next person on the list. Residents also feel the developers are acting as middlemen and they are profit-driven, rather than building affordable homes. The Oshakati Town Council has also been accused of corruption and sidelining some developers, while allegedly offering land to those who offer them kickbacks. Epafras Nangolo, a property developer, told The Namibian on Wednesday that the Oshakati Town Council allocates a lot of plots to those who can give them kickbacks, even if they are not equipped to build houses. “Plots are given to people who cannot develop, just because they can give kickbacks. The banks do not finance people who have not built up a clientele or are able to prove that they can put up structures, so these people sit on the land given to them,” Nangolo explained. He said he has been struggling to get land from the municipality, although he already has a list of applicants who have received their pre-approvals from banks. During last week's meeting, Mirjam Nuule, a principal agent for Esteem Properties, defended developers, and said residents were not being forced to build for prices they cannot afford, but had the option to choose the type of house they can afford. Nuule said due to several reasons, some applicants are unable to get funding from the banks because of their pay slips, and end up losing their spot on the list. “If they (applicants) are not pleased with the offers a developer has on the table, we are putting in someone else. The plots are not specified, so one cannot say the plot belongs to them. The plots are not assigned,” she emphasised. Nuule added: “If the client on the list cannot afford, and they wanted the plot only but not to be assigned to a developer, we advise them to write a letter to the town council. Council will know what to do with them”. In July, Oshakati chief executive officer Werner Iita also defended the council's decision, saying although people are complaining about the developers, some have failed to pay for their plots which council had paid to service. As a result, Iita said the council has been unable to service other areas without any income. He said individuals have also been unable to put up structures on the allocated plots. “Council also needed to come up with ways to make money to service other areas, and to pay off the DBN loan. That is why the council decided to give plots to developers who are willing to build for those people on the list,” he noted. Questioned on how council controls the developers from not inflating prices as residents feel they are being overcharged, Kamari said at the onset, developers are all requested to do presentations to council before they are awarded erven to construct houses. “During the presentation, they are requested to indicate their price range of housing depending on house plans, and based on that, council awards erven to the developers. They are then expected to build houses as per their presented price ranges and house plans. Developers also negotiate with the beneficiaries, depending on their affordability of houses and building plans,” she added. Kamari said developers consult estate agents to assess the applicant's credit- wothiness with financial institutions. “Developers are advised by council to negotiate on the price of the house. If there is someone who is not doing that, it should be reported to us,” she said. Kamari also denied that there were any kickbacks involved.

1.3 Hanse-Himarwa 'wanted housing list changed' The Namibian|02/11/2018

A list of people allocated houses built under the mass housing programme at Mariental near the end of 2014 was changed because the then governor of Hardap, Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, was unhappy over the alleged presence of opposition party supporters on the list, a state witness testified in the Windhoek High Court yesterday. Hanse-Himarwa made a remark about people who campaigned against Swapo in an election being allocated houses, while people who campaigned for the ruling party were left without housing, when she insisted on the removal of two names from a list of 19 Mariental housing beneficiaries, civil servant Merrow Thaniseb testified on the fourth day of Hanse-Himarwa's trial. Thaniseb, who is the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development's deputy director for housing, also told judge Christie Liebenberg that Hanse-Himarwa suggested the names of two other people that she

5 wanted to be put on the list of housing beneficia•ries, and that according to her they were in immediate need of housing and were physically challenged. Hanse-Himarwa, who has been Namibia's minister of education, arts and culture since March 2015, is being prosecuted on a charge that she corruptly used her former office as governor of the Hardap region to obtain gratification for herself or another person. She pleaded not guilty when her trial began on Monday. The charge is based on allegations that she in December 2014 interfered in the allocation of houses that the government built at Mariental, by having two people taken off the list of beneficiaries of the housing project and having them replaced by two of her relatives. Thaniseb – the sixth state witness to testify in the trial – told the court he led a team of officials from the ministry of Urban and Rural Development that travelled to Mariental before the scheduled handover of the first 19 houses completed at the town under the mass housing programme. Working from a waiting list of people who had applied for housing at the Mariental municipality, his team compiled a list of 19 people who were to be allocated the first available houses from the mass housing programme, Thaniseb recounted. After that list had been presented and explained to the local authority councillors of Mariental, the regional governor – Hanse-Himarwa – was also briefed, Thaniseb said. Her first reaction to the list was not favourable, he indicated. “The governor was not happy with the list,” Thaniseb said, adding that she was not satisfied that her office had not been informed about the criteria used to compile the list of beneficiaries. When he explained to her that the same criteria were used nationally and that a similar process had also been followed with the allocation of housing at Walvis Bay and Oshakati, Hanse-Himarwa said she was the appointed leader in Hardap, and that there things had to be done the way she saw it, Thaniseb said. At a second meeting with Hanse-Himarwa that day – 16 December 2014 – she indicated that the list of beneficiaries had to be changed, with two names that she wanted to be removed and replaced with the names of Christiana Hansen and Justine Gowases. Hanse is a sister-in-law of Hanse-Himarwa, while Gowases is a maternal relative of hers. “The decision [to change the list] was taken by the governor,” Thaniseb testified. He added that he was not happy with the change she wanted to be made, as he felt it would not be fair, but he also felt that, as governor, she was in a position where she could give an instruction for the list to be changed, and that instruction would then be carried out. He was not involved when the actual change was made to the list, but was told by the chief executive officer of the Mariental Municipality, Paul Nghiwilepo, that he [Nghiwilepo] had made the change, Thaniseb said. Nghiwilepo is listed as one of the prosecution witnesses who is expected to testify during the trial. Defence lawyer Sisa Namandje is due to continue cross-examining Thaniseb today. The state is being represented by prosecutors Salomon Kan•yemba and Constance Moyo.

1.4 Mbumba urged to help poor San The Namibian Sun|02/11/2018

The Okongo village council is set to engage with Vice-president Nangolo Mbumba's office, after a San community was allocated ancestral land inside the village boundaries, but cannot afford to pay for municipal services. Village council CEO Wodibo Haulofu told Namibian Sun they decided to allocate the San four plots registered in their names, because the community had been living on them when the village council was established in 2015. Haulofu said the community has already erected makeshift structures on their land and are expected to pay municipal ratesHe said Okongo is the ancestral land of the San, who used to hunt in the area, and they decided to give them a portion of their land inside the village boundaries. However, they are not exempt from paying for municipal services. “We allocated four plots for free to a community of San people that were found within the council boundary and we extended them services, including water. That has now gotten us into trouble, as they cannot afford to pay for the services, and we just do not know what we can do, as there are no free services,” Haulofu said.

“We have been advised to approach the vice-president's office to see how they can intervene. They were expected to be paying N$50 a month, but we do not get anything from them and we are quiet

6 for now, but later we may start to demand payment.” Haulofu said that they are going to engage the vice-president and see how best to resolve the issue. The director for the marginalised people in the vice-president's office, Gerson Kamatuka, said they are not aware of the situation, but they will engage the village council to see what can be done. “We are not aware of this, but we are going to engage them to see why they allocated land to people who cannot afford it. We are going to see what we are going to do together with the village council that allocated the land,” Kamatuka said.

1.5 Namibia’s long-standing land issue remains unresolved The New Era|02/11/2018

Thirty years of German settler colonialism in South West Africa – from 1884 to 1914 – paved the way for continued apartheid under South Africa. The resistance of the local communities against the invasion culminated in the first genocide of the 20th century among the Ovaherero, Nama and other groups. As main occupants of the eastern, central and southern regions of the country they were forced from their land into so-called native reserves. Forced land dispossession continued. Even independence brought little relief. The negotiated transition to independence in 1990 entrenched the structural discrepancies created during colonialism. In exchange for occupying the political commando heights of a sovereign state, the national liberation movement SWAPO, accepted the material inequalities it inherited without any major debate. Namibia’s Constitution was adopted as a precondition to independence. Its Chapter 3 on Fundamental Human Rights and Freedom cannot be changed. Next to civil and political rights, its Article 16 states that any expropriation of private property requires compensation that is just. Not surprisingly, the question of land has been hotly contested ever since independence. A National Land Reform Conference took place in 1991. Its recommendations included the redistribution of commercial farmland, a land tax and the reallocation of underused land.But meaningful restitution wasn’t implemented. In addition, the buying of farm land was slow and inefficient. Beneficiaries were often not able to use farms they’d got for resettlement purposes because they lacked capital and know-how. Finally, many beneficiaries were anything but still disadvantaged. Members of the political and bureaucratic elite received preferential treatment. Subsidised by taxpayers’ money, they became weekend or hobby farmers.

Second land conference

More recently there have been increased demands to address the failures of the past; these culminated in a second land conference in early October 2018. But local responses to the final document that was adopted were based on previous experiences – that is, in most cases not much happens after such conferences. As an editorial in a weekly paper remarked: Placing one or two plasters on the stump of an amputated leg, is not a cure. The government invited more than 800 participants to the conference and allocated N$ 15 million (one million USD$) for the five-day event. Given the overwhelming dominance of state authorities and other official institutions as well as indications that SWAPO tried from the get-go to hijack the agenda, civil society organisations threatened to boycott. At the end, most of them participated merely because it was a chance to voice their frustrations. The Ministry for Land Reform provided access to most of the documents submitted, including those of the first Land Conference. Compared with the 24 resolutions adopted but hardly implemented then, many matters in the now 40 resolutions were a modified follow up. One of the new resolutions on land related to Namibia’s urban areas, like the capital city Windhoek. A significant new addition was the issue of urban land and informal settlements. It recognised the demands of urban squatters to affordable housing, estimated at 900,000 people (40% of Namibia’s total population). Notably, the issues of communal and ancestral land also received more prominence and there appeared to be a greater willingness to consider interventions. These include the protection of tenure rights mainly in the interest of the poorest as victims of illegal land occupation and privatisation by members of the new elites.

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Reconciliation and justice

What complicates matters is that land is not merely an economic affair. More than any other issue, land is a matter of identity – for those who own it as much as for those who feel it should be theirs. Colonialism went along with violent land theft. The current distribution of land in Namibia is a constant reminder that colonialism has not ended despite independence. History cannot be fully reversed. The structural legacies created under apartheid and the long-term demographic impact of the genocide have left irreversible marks. However, what seems a feasible compromise is to offer the San communities access to and protection in the parts of Namibia which have remained, in their views, home. The forced removal from land on record since the early times of white settler encroachment would also be a widely accepted reference point. Some of the still festering wounds can be treated. The recent Land Conference stated on “ancestral land rights and claims” in resolution 38 that “measures to restore social justice and ensure economic empowerment of the affected communities” should be identified. And it proposes to “use the reparations from the former colonial powers for such purpose”. This might offer a way out of the current stagnation in the negotiations between the Namibian and German governments. As part of the long overdue compensation, Germany should fork out the necessary funds for a just compensation of commercial farmers, whose land was previously utilised by Namibia’s indigenous communities. It then also has to finance the necessary investments – both in terms of infrastructure as well as know-how – that will empower local communities to fully benefit from resettlement. This would be a wise investment by both governments into true reconciliation towards a peaceful future for all people who want to continue living in Namibia. But such brokerage requires honesty to obtain legitimacy and credibility. Ten days after the Land Conference disturbing news made the rounds. A Russian oligarch, who has been in possession of three farms since 2013, had added another four farms to his Namibian empire. This shady deal with the Land Reform Ministry was made a week before the Land Conference, whose resolution 21 stated “no land should be sold to foreign nationals”.

1.6 Property market no home run The Namibian sun|02/11/2018

Property is no longer the standout investment asset class it used to be. – Kalili Namene, Group Economist: FNB Namibia. Jo-Maré Duddy – Nine consecutive quarters of negative economic growth have “decimated” house prices in the luxury segment in Namibia. Prices for luxury properties in July were 64.6% lower than a year ago, says FNB Namibia group economist, Namene Kalili. Releasing the latest FNB Namibia Housing Index, Kalili said with limited demand at N$10.229 million – down from N$18.298 million in December last year – “more pain is still to come”. “We remain particularly concerned about price developments in the luxury price segment,” he said. These properties are selling well below valuations and arguable even below replacement costs, Kalili said. As the luxury segment re-prices, this downward price pressure has begun to trickle down to the upper price segment, he said. As such, more and deeper month-on-month price contractions are evident with prices slumping to N$3.625 million in July, according to Kalili. “With these price pressures trickling down to the upper price segment, property is no longer the standout investment asset class it used to be,” he said. Kalili warned that the negative wealth effects amongst high net worth individuals will prolong the economic recovery in the country. The top 5% of income earners account for 36% of national consumption, he said. “As long as they are not spending, the Namibian economy will not grow and housing demand will remain weak.”

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National picture

Kalili said property prices in Namibia have contracted in six of the seven first months of 2018. By the end of July, the average house price in the country was N$1.29 million. Central and coastal property prices contracted by 6.6% and 5.6% respectively, while prices in the North increased by 4.8%. In the South, negative growth of 6.2% was recorded. FNB Namibia expects house prices to shed 5.8% of their value this year. Next year will see “some price resistance” as “housing becomes increasingly affordable to a select few”. Kalili therefore anticipates the house price contraction to be smaller in 2019. Positive growth is forecast for 2020 as property prices are expected to have corrected. Inflation-related price increases are expected from then, he said.

Land delivery, prices

Kalili said cumulative land delivery for the first seven months of 2018 stood at 795 stands, higher than the 10-year average. Growth in land delivery is particularly evident in the northern and coastal property markets. They account for 85% of the new land delivery and all of the volume growth, he said. Despite the higher land delivery, land prices continue to increase. July’s prices were 31.5% higher than a year ago, Kalili said. This has pushed the average cost of land to N$780 per square metre, symptomatic of the pervasive housing shortage, he said. According to Kalili residential land is the most expensive in the central property market. Prices here averaged N$1 036/m², followed by N$863/m² in the North and N$774/m² at the coast. “In these markets, a 300m²-stand would cost anywhere between N$232 000 and N$310 000, hardly affordable for a country with an average household income of N$150 000,” he said.

Mortgages

The latest stats from the Bank of Namibia (BoN) show individuals’ total mortgage debt stood at about N$38.1 billion at the end of September. This figure grew by about N$2.79 billion or 7.9% compared to September 2017. Mortgage debt represented nearly 68.3% of consumers’ total debt of about N$55.8 billion at the end of September. A year ago, it was 67.7%. Total individual mortgage debt grew by 7.9% on an annual basis in September, compared to growth of 6.9% for overall credit extended to individuals. Average growth of 7.95% was recorded in individual mortgage debt from September 2017 to September 2018. The average figure for overall credit extended to individuals was 7.05%.

1.7 Developers exploit housing market – minister The Namibian|08/11/2018

Urban and rural development minister Peya Mushelenga says houses in Namibia are very expensive because there is no competition among property developers, who then exploit the market. The minister said at the introduction of members of the National Housing Advisory Committee (NHAC) yesterday that the provision of low-cost housing tops the government's list of priorities “because most of our people belong to the low and ultra-low-income groups, and therefore, a large number of them cannot afford houses that are currently on the market.” Mushelenga added that housing provision has become one of the key national development priorities and an important vehicle for addressing poverty and inequality, as well as bringing about social harmony, economic advancement and political stability. “This is why as a nation, we have made the provision of and access to decent housing, especially to the ultra-low and low- income groups one of the key development priorities as encapsulated in our Vision 2030, National Development Plans and the Harambee Prosperity Plan,” he said. He emphasised that the NHAC has the mammoth task of advising him on all aspects related to housing in the country. “As we are all aware, the National Housing Development Act 28 of 2000 makes provision and empowers the minister of urban and rural development to appoint the National Housing

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Advisory Committee members,” said the minister. The task of the housing committee is to monitor and evaluate programmes implemented by regional councils, local authorities and the National Housing Enterprise in terms of housing delivery; and to come up with solutions and advise him on how to resolve the slow provision of housing and urban land-related matters. The committee members are Ben Kathindi, Edith Mbanga, Cacious Siboleka, Adriaan Grobler and Erickson Mwanyekange. They will serve for three years, starting from 14 September 2018 to 14 September 2021.

1.8 Advieskomitee vir behuising aangestel Republikein|09/11/2018

Die minister van landelike en stedelike ontwikkeling, mnr. Peya Mushelenga, het ‘n beroep op die nuutaangestelde Nasionale Advieskomitee vir Behuising gedoen om streekrade, plaaslike owerhede en die Nasionale Behuisingsonderneming (NHE) te monitor en te evalueer. Dié komitee het vandeesweek vir die eerste keer vergader. “Kom met oplossings vorendag en gee vir my raad oor hoe om die stadige voorsiening van behuising en ander stedelike grondkwessies op te los,” het Mushelenga gesê. Die komitee bestaan uit mnr. Ben Kathindi, me. Edith Mbanga en mnre. Cacious Siboleka, Adriaan Grobler en Erickson Mwanyekange. Hul termyn strek oor drie jaar

1.9 Duisende huise aan die kus Republikein|09/11/2018

‘n Loodsprogram wat poog om behoorlike behuising aan lae-inkomstegroepe te verskaf, gaan op Walvisbaai van stapel gestuur word. Volgens die dorp se burgemeester, mnr. Immanuel Wilfred, word die fynere besonderhede van dié vennootskap tussen die private sektor en die regering (PPI) tans deur die ministerie van finansies deurtrap. Sowat 2 000 erwe gaan in ses uitbreidings van die dorp ontwikkel word, insluitende Kuisebmond en Narraville. Green Valley, ‘n ander projek op Plaas 37 naby Duin 7, maak vir 3 000 behuisingseenhede voorsiening. Sodra die nodige goedkeuring verkry is, sal die eerste fase van dié projek begin, aldus Wilfred.

1.10 Exporting Urbanisation to Rural Namibia The Namibian|09/11/2018

Urbanisation, in some ways, might appear to be one of the attractive indicators of economic development for any country, but making rural areas more urban is not necessarily an appealing formula for development. In our context, what's greatly concerning here is the approach that we have taken. That is, the rural developmental approach of establishing new urban towns/centres in rural Namibia. The process to turn rural Namibia into urban settings consecutively takes the form of a growth point-settlement-village council-town council model. In the local governance parlance, a growth point simply means that an area has potential to grow and become a viable settlement. Political and geographical considerations play a deciding role in facilitating that a settlement area establishes a village council. The same also applies for a village council to transform into a full-blown town council. A village council has political authority, which gives it the power to set up water and electricity systems, sewerage and sanitation systems, and declare streets and public places, charge fees for the services provided, and buy immovable property. It thus sets the formation of a new town, which potentially can have its own municipal authority, in motion. Consequently, many regions have earmarked and identified potential growth points and areas with settlement status from which village councils have been or would be established. You may call it urbanisation in reverse. But expect more of this process in the years ahead, as the urban and rural governance ministry sets its eyes on decentralising urbanisation to rural areas. Equally, expect more as the regions are vying to import urbanisation in the name of rural development. By urbanisation, I am referring to the process by which rural areas grow 10 to become towns or urban centres, and, by extension turning rural dwellers into urbanites. In a normal trend, urbanisation causes population shifts, which see rural people move to towns in search of a better life. But it's not the case with our decentralisation model of urbanisation. Instead, we are seeing the exportation of urbanisation (through the growth point-settlement-village council-town council model) by the urban and rural development ministry (by extension government) to rural areas. I guess from the perspective of the decentralisation model of governance, developing new towns in rural areas is a way of empowering the neglected rural people by linking them to the needed resources and infrastructure; giving them a sense of autonomy and ownership to make their own decisions, and be in charge of their own developmental agenda. Doing so allows the rural dwellers an opportunity to make better use of their local resources, and gain knowledge, skills and experience in implementing their own rural ideas/initiatives. The new towns would also become hubs of trade and culture as more people start moving in to gain access to some of these social and economic benefits these urban towns and centres will offer. The existing urban areas likewise benefit from this process. Decentralising urbanisation would help relieve the existing urban towns from the pressure of population increases due to rural-urban migrations, therefore freezing them up to spend more time on other pressing urban development issues. When all is said and done, however, there are negatives to urbanisation if not done right. Therefore, it can be a double-edged sword process of development. When done incorrectly, urbanisation also means crime, poverty, squatter camps and overcrowding. As more people move to urban areas, they begin to experience overcrowding. It is at this point that the promised urban opportunities and benefits begin to dwindle, making urban settings become worse than the rural areas from which people moved. Consequently, the negative rear-end of urbanisation – such as unemployment, crime, alcohol abuse, gender-based violence, poverty, children living on the streets, unaffordable housing and homelessness, strained social and education services – would start to kick in. Against this background, urbanisation is not the best answer to rural development. Economic development can take place in rural areas without urban towns or centres. Reliable water and electrification infrastructure; better roads infrastructure; sanitation and sewerage systems; education and social service systems; refrigerated transportation/facilities, and better storage facilities are what we need to catalyse and revitalise rural areas. In addition, policies which enhance rural people's access to inputs and foster the adoption of environmentally sustainable approaches and new technologies or new innovation in order to transform agriculture into a sector of wealth-creation; promote access to financial markets; and strengthen land tenure rights, must be introduced. You don't need a town to have all these in place. All it requires is just a bit of creative and innovative thinking here and there.

1.11 Damaged houses still unrepaired The Namibian Sun|13/11/2018

It is still unclear who will take responsibility for the houses built under the government's mass housing programme in Rundu's Kaisosi area, which were severely damaged in December 2017 by a heavy rainstorm, and are yet to be repaired. A total of 34 houses were damaged on 18 December 2017, with some having their roofs blown off, leaving residents homeless. At the time, no one came forward to say they would fix the houses, because it had not been established whether the damage was simply the result of a natural disaster or because of shoddy work. Namibian Sun has been reliably informed that some homeowners have opted to do repairs at their own cost. When contacted for comment, National Housing Enterprise (NHE) spokesperson Mutonga Matali said because the project was taken away from them and placed under the care of the urban and rural development ministry, he cannot comment. Green Circle Investment, which had constructed 318 houses at Kaisosi to the tune of N$89 million, referred all questions to the NHE. Green Circle managing partner Ndeuli Hamutumwa said: “I cannot comment on the matter. Contact NHE because they contracted us. We signed a completion agreement.” Namibian Sun then contacted ministry permanent secretary Nghidinua Daniel. He said it would be best if the ministry's director of housing, planning and technical services coordination, Big- Don Kondunda, was contacted to provide answers. Kondunda requested last Tuesday that questions

11 be emailed to him. However, minutes later Daniel was quoted by Nampa as saying they would investigate the matter. “We will hold whoever is responsible for that work accountable, if it is determined that it is the contractor who is responsible,” Nghidinwa told Nampa. Kondunda only responded to confirm receipt of Namibian Sun's email. On Thursday, he was again emailed, to no avail. On Friday he was contacted telephonically and he referred Namibian Sun to senior ministry official Evans Maswahu. When contacted for comment, Maswahu said the response was ready, but needed Daniel's approval. The nationwide mass housing project was launched in 2013 by former president Hifikepunye Pohamba, and was to have built 185 000 houses by 2030. However, in 2015 the cabinet took a decision to remove the project from the NHE and place it in the hands of the urban and rural development ministry, amid allegations of corruption. It was also said that contractors had inflated prices. President Hage Geingob has reportedly called for an audit into the project.

1.12 TransNamib wants to evict workers from Windhoek houses The Namibian|16/11/2018

TransNamib is threatening to evict 10 families living in two company houses in Eros, Windhoek, by the end of this month if they don't pay the outstanding water and electricity bills. The families who have been staying at the houses since 2012 owe TransNamib close to N$210 000. Some of the families spoke to The Namibian on condition of anonymity, explaining that when they moved into the houses, they were told that the rentals included electricity and water. The families also said TransNamib started asking them to pay for water and electricity in 2017, and that the bills are too high. “We enquired with them about this, and the company said the water and electricity bills are this high because the houses are in a business district,” they added. Another tenant, who denied falling behind with payments, said TransNamib deducts the rentals from their salaries every month. The tenant also said they used to have prepaid electricity, but TransNamib installed metered electricity units in March 2017. She went on to say that it was after this that the residents started receiving the eviction notices because the company claimed that if they can't pay the bills, then they must move out. “The thing with these big bills is that we don't know where the extensive usage of the water and electricity comes from. We asked TransNamib, but they also couldn't give us a straight answer,” she added. Another tenant said if TransNamib evicts them, it will devastate her family because her daughters walk to a school nearby. She observed that TransNamib wants them to move out of the house, but that the company doesn't pay them a sufficient salary to be able to afford accommodation elsewhere.She further said TransNamib accommodated train drivers and their assistants in the houses close to the station, for convenience. “My husband is a train driver. He rarely has time off. They are told to come in at random times, and it puts a strain on them,” she stressed. According to the tenants, TransNamib claimed that some neighbours complained about them making noise, and that that was part of the reason the company wants them out of the houses. “TransNamib's executive of properties, Alynsia Platt, told us that our Chinese neighbours and the kindergarten opposite our home were complaining about us being a nuisance in the street,” one neighbour said. The Namibian visited these places to confirm the accusations against the TransNamib tenants. Platt refused to comment on the issue, saying: “They are accusing me in my capacity as an employee of TransNamib, and not in my personal capacity, so please direct all your questions to the public relations department.” Last week, The Namibian visited Bahnhof just outside Rehoboth, where TransNamib had also disconnected water and electricity supplies because some of its workers had not been paying. Bahnhof tenants likewise claimed that TransNamib was overcharging them.

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1.13 Tweya appoints rent control board The Namibian|16/11/2018

Trade minister Tjekero Tweya has appointed a rent control board “aimed at regulating the rental market, with a view to prevent the current exploitation of tenants by landlords”. The minister announced the members of the rent control board during a media conference in Windhoek on Wednesday. The establishment of the rent control board is in accordance with section 2 (2) and 3 (1) of the Rent Ordinance of 1977. Twenty five members were appointed to serve on rent control boards in the towns of Oshakati, Oshana region; Rundu in Kavango East region; Walvis Bay and Swakopmund in Erongo; and Windhoek, in Khomas region. Each town has five board members – the chairperson (a magistrate), vice chairperson and three members – who will serve for three years, or “until the new act is on board that will then replace this current ordinance”. The Windhoek board will be chaired by magistrate Ingrid Lerato Unengu, who will be deputised by Fillemon Hambuda. The other members are Brown Mutrifa, Otillie Nalulu and Dimbulukeni Nauyoma. The appointment of the rent control board is effective from 12 November 2018. The minister said the appointment of the rent control board should be gazetted in the Government Gazette for it to be fully functional, and the process is already underway, and “only waits for my signature”. The board members were nominated by local authorities, the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia, the Magistrates' Commission (judiciary), the National Youth Council, and the Affirmative Repositioning movement. Tweya added that the appointments are a result of an agreement between President Hage Geingob and the Affirmative Repositioning movement on the implementation of the rent control board during a meeting held on 14 April 2016. This came after AR leader Job Amupanda dragged the minister to court, accusing him and the government of dragging their feet in the establishment of a rent control board as agreed in 2016. Amupanda yesterday said in a statement that they wanted to be assured whether the board was created in terms of the law and or whether the minister only made a move to avoid court orders. He added that they would wait for the official notice in the Government Gazette and the issuance of appointment letters “for us to believe that this is not another gimmick as usual”. “Our concern is that we want to see whether the board was appointed in line with the existing law. It has been four years of fighting for the masses of renting youth and people of Namibia whose dignity has vanished through the exploitation by the ever-thirsty and greedy landlords,” Amupanda said. He further said they would announce the programme of action and awareness once the rent control boards are officially confirmed.

1.14 Land Conference, Inequality and Future of Prosperity The Namibian|16/11/2018

A month has passed since President Hage G Geingob closed the inclusive second national land conference. In calling for the conference, and its successful conclusion, president Geingob and the government he leads opened a vital sequence on the key platforms on which the Presidency is based: ending poverty, reducing inequality and bringing about prosperity for Namibians. With prosperity, ending poverty and fighting inequality part of the core agendas of the Geingob Presidency, the second national land conference completes a major act and promise of the president in the current term, coming to a close next year. Policy cannot proceed without consultation. Consultation is at the heart of functioning systems, processes and institutions. Moreover, consulting stakeholders and intended beneficiaries is a moral and cardinal act demonstrating respect for citizens. With that logic in mind, teamwork, dialogue and inclusivity will endure as defining features of the leadership style of Geingob. Few can doubt that the positive experience of Namibians holding hands last month, and seeking solutions to the vexing land question, shall be ingrained in the collective memory of current and future generations. Following the closure of the second national land conference, the president didn't waste time, giving clear directives to the executive, demonstrating urgency and renewed commitment to champion land reform as a means to an end, and not an end in itself. Land is not a panacea, but a means to address injustices in our country. It must be engineered to transform Namibia, and not 13 weaken by making our nation less competitive in a highly globalised world. Declaring informal settlements in peri-urban and urban settings a humanitarian crisis is a case through which the president directs energy and focus of the administration to adequate housing, an unquestionable platform to fighting inequality, and creating economic opportunity. For the president, adequate housing will not only enhance our competitiveness and economic proposition – it is a question of empathy and human dignity. In his book, 'An Idea of Justice', celebrated Indian philosopher and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen argues for a radical departure from the notion of a rational economic man, motivated by self-interest. Sen argues: ¨What moves us, reasonably enough, is not the realisation that the world falls short of being completely just – which few of us expect – but that there are remediable injustices around us which we want to eliminate¨. It is within this context that Namibians should view the 2016 Harambee Prosperity Plan, the bold agenda of development and justice president Geingob has been championing since assuming office in 2015. Unquestionably, decades of structured injustices perpetuated against Namibians by German occupation and the Apartheid siege will not be solved in five years, or ten years. To unravel the structures of inequality inherited at independence in 1990 will take time. Yes, the challenges facing Namibia today, occasioned by the bust of the commodity cycle in 2013, are daunting. They have been in front of us. However, it is comforting that the president is acutely aware about them, and has initiated deep budget cuts across the government system, including the Presidency. The president is working hard to change the status quo, mitigating the worst excesses resulting from lower economic growth. Partisan politics aside, it is necessary to accept that doubling the old-age pension has been a signature decision with consequential multiplier impacts on poverty eradication, with 165 375 pensioners on the grant. The Ministry of Poverty Eradication, and the food bank, now rolled out to several regions of the country, reaching more than 15 000 households, remain transitional initiatives that are aligned to the deep sense of justice on the part of the president. Consider this, since 2015, there has been a year-on-year increase in grants paid out to children, with the figure doubling to N$925 million in 2018. Under the prevailing disorienting economic climate, it is uplifting for Namibians to know that in its recent Commitment to Reduce Inequality Index 2018, Oxfam lauds the efforts of president Geingob to reduce the gap between rich and poor, rating Namibia at number two in Africa and 5th among middle-income countries. This rating demonstrates that social spending and tax policies of the Namibian government are aligned to sustainable development goal 1, focusing on eliminating poverty, which president Geingob committed to before the adoption of the SDGs by the United Nations. It is true that with reduced income for the government, it is even harder to maintain adequate funding for social programmes. Still, the president will continue to invest all his efforts in building a just and better country that protects vulnerable sectors of the population, the youth, the elderly and people living with disabilities. President Geingob repeatedly states that unemployment is unacceptably high, particularly among the youth. At every summit, meeting, exchange at home and abroad, the president continues to defend the national interest, encouraging investors to come to Namibia. We know that without foreign direct investment, the Namibian economy will not grow, and the requisite employment opportunities for our young people will not be created. For that to happen, in addition to sound policies and an outward-looking approach, the president emphasises infrastructure for an economically competitive country. Without quality ports, roads at the right price, public safety, a well-trained or trainable workforce, socio-economic injustice will persist, and the collective efforts to end poverty will remain stillborn. The president will reorient our country to seize opportunities in the blue economy, the fourth Industrial Revolution, and renewable energy. President Geingob has over the past months been in probing policy conversations, at home and abroad, to take actionable initiatives that would ensure transition into these new areas. To fully exploit these new opportunities would require public-private partnerships, which the president has continued to highlight in his interactions with domestic and global investors. The burden of agency to ensure a future of justice and prosperity rests with all of us. A problem-solver, the president will without doubt continue to do the heavy lifting, and will carry the larger burden in line with the overwhelming mandate from the Namibian people. But he knows that it will require a resilient Namibia, citizens holding hands, changing their vocabulary, their ways and methods of working, and inventing a future of possibilities.

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1.15 Unmasking the Public Service's Biggest Failing Again The Namibian|16/11/2018

The reader poll this week on The Namibian's website asks whether bureaucracy is the “biggest stumbling block in public service delivery”, and the responses so far have been resoundingly affirmative and overwhelmingly negative. Since the start of the survey, over 90% of those who participated have responded emphatically with “yes, definitely” to the question. Here is the thing though, yes, burdensome bureaucracy is a big problem in public service delivery, but it is certainly not the whole problem. We can cut and strip away all the red tape, but that still would not resolve most of the issues plaguing the public service, despite what the prime minister and some other politicians would have us believe. Arguably the biggest problem in the public service, once we have stripped away the unnecessary bureaucratic entanglements, is the absence of a real culture of public service. This goes up and down the structures of state – from the very highest to the very lowest. And we see, hear and read about this conspicuous absence on a daily basis, for it has become so staggeringly obvious of late. The truth is this, if you pick any state service delivery sector right now, you would have to conclude that at best the state is pervasively falling short and at worst it's wholesomely dysfunctional.

The government at this juncture is so challenged that it hardly adds any sort of meaningful value to the collective Namibian life. In parliament on 7 November, prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa- Amadhila repeated the oft proclaimed line that the government had prioritised “effective governance and service delivery as a first pillar under the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP)”, and she went on to blame onerous bureaucracy for Namibia's steadily declining economic competitiveness, which was concerningly spotlighted again last week. Once again, this argument can only hold so far, as the equally large problem is that we generally have a public service which does not care to serve this society, but is rather engineered to buttress the ruling party, provide jobs for cadres, create economic opportunities for politically connected interests and prop up patronage.

PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY BE DAMNED

But of course, none of this is new, as these sentiments, served with heaps of evidence, have been expressed numerously by myself and others through various media over the years. Why it is necessary to regurgitate these arguments now is because political leaders continue to paint a false narrative of this situation, instead of being honest about the malaise. We are continuously hearing how Namibia's economic woes are the consequences of damaging global market and currency fluctuations and have little or nothing to do with the performance of Namibian political and state actors or self-inflicted poor governance. This is of course a bald-faced lie. A culture of misprioritising, mismanaging and misallocation, with a hefty dollop of self-enrichment on top, over the last two decades have greatly contributed to us being on our collective knees right now. And there's no avoiding that truth now. What makes this situation really bizarre is the claim by those, like Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, who have brought us to this dismal point that they are the ones who will get us out of this hole, in what one can only assume would be a uniquely miraculous self-correction. But that's just talk, isn't it. The ruling political class, just judging by their actions, do not convince with their message of wanting to engineer and engender change and improvement. Not in the least. There's absolutely no evidence of a governance culture sea change in government (for that's what it would take), despite all the lofty plans and pronouncements. What there more is of is the rhetoric of survival – political leaders saying what they need to say to remain appealing and relevant – on all sides (ruling party and opposition). And as ordinary Namibians we are being called upon to join these politicians and their state acolytes in an echo chamber of delusion.

The truth is the politicians are lying, and they are not even lying well, in a bad political and economic climate in which their bad characteristics are increasingly ascendent. Unfortunately, many among us have succumbed to their bad arguments and justifications and have become religious about our 15 political affiliations, whatever they may be. And so we have become tribal again, while our social fabric continues to crumble under the weight of divisions brought about by the very people who claim to want to unite us. The only way out of this mess is for each and every Namibian to take ownership of it and to demand more and better all the time. And if those who claim to be in power are unable to meet the expectations of a truly participatory and multi-stakeholder democracy, then they're not fit for purpose. A truly transparent and accountable government, inasmuch as it is largely an ideal, is what we all demand for and of ourselves. The political moment demands of us individually to show character, for there's certainly none to be found among those calling themselves leaders.

1.16 Home Solutions for the landless The Namibian Sun|20/11/2018

It is not an uncommon problem in Namibia: you are farming on land that you do not own and need accommodation on site. Why would you invest in something you can’t take with you? The simple answer is that you don’t. Stefan Tietz of Grootfontein is one such farmer who has found a smart housing solution that he can take with him no matter where he goes. There are many reasons why the container-home trend has swept the globe, but for Namibian farmers like Tietz, it’s more than a convenient and eco-conscious option; it’s an incredibly versatile, cost-effective and almost immediate solution that’s surprisingly mobile. Cowboy’s Trading & Rental Solutions’ innovative off-grid container- home conversions, manufactured from shipping containers no longer in use, are fast becoming known across the nation as one of the most effective turnkey solutions for anything from cow sheds and emergency shelters to fully functional and rather stylish accommodation. One of the most attractive attributes of Cowboy’s container homes is the simplicity of it all. No building plans, site inspections, or foundations are required. Container homes are also perfect for remote locations, and can be ready within relatively short turnaround times. In Tietz’s case, his basic need for accommodation was not only complicated by the uncertainty of his land leasing agreement, but also by challenges like a lack of electricity. “A modular container conversion very quickly proves itself as the ultimate solution for an entire range of challenging situations,’ says Ulla Gossow-Büttner of Cowboy’s Trading & Rental Solutions. The Cowboy’s team came up with a 650-square-metre design that includes a 44-square- metre living area and even a veranda. The team also designed a 370-square-metre workshop with three general-purpose containers for secure storage. When Tietz’s stylishly furnished and fully decorated container home was delivered to him, it was set up within three days, complete with a solar system to power his new dishwasher, microwave, and a much-needed air-conditioner. The team had thought of everything; they even organised his TV licence for him.

As a client of Cowboy’s Trading & Rental Solutions, Tietz was very impressed with the container. “I am so happy with my luxurious home,” he says. “I never thought that you could live in such comfort in a shipping container. I have everything I need, it’s cool and secure and so practical.” “It is incredible how quickly this was erected. The Cowboy’s team was so well prepared and organised, and they left no trace behind but this amazing home. And I can move it anytime I want. This really is the best concept,” Tietz says. And while Tietz’s family had their doubts at first, they too found themselves astonished by the container-home concept in action. Not only can it be relocated with ease, it can also be added to just as easily. At any time, Tietz could add more storage to his workshop, add more bedrooms to his home, even create a double storey if he wanted to. It’s no surprise that the demand for container modifications is rapidly increasing in Namibia, especially with Cowboy’s at the manufacturing helm. The team’s attention to detail, their high standards of quality, and the way they go out of their way to get things done – and get them done right – are already legendary. Gossow-Büttner agrees that the container-home trend is here to stay. Not only because Namibia presents so many unique challenges such as remote locations and a lack of basic services, but also because of the versatility, durability, and availability of the shipping containers themselves.

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1.17 Katutura’s long walk to comfort The Namibian Sun|21/11/2018

Basic needs basket- While inflation is a good indicator, it does not truly reflect the cost of living for many poverty stricken households - Dr Michael Akuupa, Director, LaRRI. The latest basic needs basket study by a research institute has revealed a combined average household income of N$4 649.00 per month in Namibia’s low income urban household. Also, noticeable income disparities among the households and locations were observed. In his presentation titled “The Cost of Basic Needs in Namibia’s Low Income Urban Households: Katutura Central, Okahandja Park and Shandumbala- Windhoek” and presented at the African Statistics Day and Statistics Symposium in the capital on Monday, Dr Michael Akuupa of Labuor Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI) said household expenditure in these areas averaged N$2 784.17 per month. This is seemingly below the average household income. Most of this spending money goes to water and electricity with 29.2% and 26.2%, respectively, of the total expenditure budget. Other funds go to transport (18.5%) as well as food and hygiene items. Despite the low available funds to spend by Katutura homes, Namibia’s minimum basket of goods proposed had an estimate of N$10 661.91 based on an average size of 6.9 peoples in a household. This includes food, hygiene and housing, transport and utilities with an amount of N$3 094.44, N$444.59 and N$7 122.88 respectively. “Government still has a lot to do to address the yawning inequalities and plight of the poor both in rural and urban areas,” Akuupa commented. Long way Since attaining independence in 1990, the government has prioritised strategies and initiative aimed at poverty reduction and inequality, Akuupa said. He said a number of strategies, programmes and policies have been implemented as part of the efforts in the fight against poverty, which resulted in the decrease in the incidence of poverty. However, by using the conventional measures of poverty, Namibia’s poverty levels have declined, but the average statistics masks the true nature of poverty in terms of ability of households to afford basic necessities such as nutritional food, decent shelter and other basic amenities that people need to lead a decent and dignified life, he said. “The basic needs basket not only looks at expenditure, but rather establishes what an average household, in a given socio-economic circumstance ought to consume to both in terms of quantity and quality,” he said. He said the basic needs basket (BNB) also goes beyond food and considers other important non-food essentials which people should ordinarily not be without, including access to clean water and energy, secure and reliable transport, toiletries, and basic household cleaning materials. “The BNB therefore does not only quantify and analyses what people are consuming, but goes further to recommend what people ideally should be consuming if all things such as access to decent jobs and incomes were equal.” This approach, he said, distinguishes the BNB from other welfare poverty approaches that makes it more suitable to developing countries where many households struggle to meet their basic needs. “The fact that the BNB monitors the actual price of food and non -food items consumed by the households makes it more relevant because it reflects the actual cost of such goods and affordability levels of the households,” said Akuupa. Way forward Studies on poverty incorporate the BNB methods, particularly in areas with high levels of poverty as the information collected will enable the government to develop appropriate strategies to address poverty, he said. In order to have up-to-date information on the cost of living in areas with high levels of poverty, there is a need for the government (through the NSA) to work with civil society in undertaking and monitoring poverty data using the BNB tool, said Akuupa. The researcher said that although growing food might be a challenge due to poor rainfalls in the country, there is a need for Namibia to encourage people to grow their own food, especially vegetables. This, he said, would not only reduce the cost of the basket, but would also enhance the ability of low income household’s access to nutritional food. “The ministry of poverty alleviation can, through its food bank project work with low income households, once identified, on such a project. To date, unions have used inflation in negotiating for wages. “While inflation is a good indicator, it does not truly reflect the cost of living for many poverty stricken households,” he said, adding that Namibian unions must adopt the BNB approach to minimum wage negotiations. This, he said, is because it captures the prices of goods and services, which a person needs to live a decent standard of life. The LaRRI study recommends that housing be included in the household basket as it remains a significant 17 factor in poverty assessments. “Decent and affordable housing is a key indicator of poverty as it measures the adequacy of shelter,” he said.

1.18 Kombat kwaad vir Katti Republikein|23/11/2018

Byna 300 inwoners van Kombat het Woensdag teen aansienlike verhogings in huur op die sluimerende myndorp betoog. Huur is vanaf 1 November van N$350 tot N$1 250 per maand verhoog. Mense in groter huise moet nou N$5 500 betaal. Mnr. Knowledge Katti het die dorpsgebied van sowat 280 hektaar in April 2013 gekoop. Van die inwoners is werkloos, terwyl ander die myn in stand hou of op plase werk. Hulle eis dat huur dieselfde bly of met 'n redelike bedrag verhoog. Inwoners eis ingryping deur die regering. Katti se dorpsbestuur is as 'n ander soort kolonialisme bestempel. Die dorpsbestuurder, mnr. Charlie Dawid, het 'n gemeenskapsvergadering oor die kwessie voorgestel. Die huur betaal volgens hom vir water, elektrisiteit en riooldienste. Die kliniek, laerskool en polisiestasie op die dorp se huur beloop elkeen tussen N$40 000 en N$50 000 per maand

1.19 Kombat residents against rent increase The Namibian|23/11/2018

Kombat, owned by businessman Knowledge Katti, saw residents erupting in anger after they received notices of rental increases. They warned Katti against evicting them. NEARLY 300 residents of Kombat staged a peaceful demonstration on Wednesday against an increase in rent. The houses were formerly used by Kombat mineworkers, and the residents are now unhappy that the monthly rent was increased from N$350 to N$1 250, and up to N$5 500 for some bigger houses, as from 1 November. The mine has been dormant since 2007 when it was flooded. The residential area, covering about 280 hectares, was sold to businessman Knowledge Katti in April 2013. It is also where the government clinic, primary school and police station are situated, with the directorate under which each falls paying between N$40 000 and N$50 000 per month in rent. The residents, most of them unemployed and some working as mine caretakers and farmworkers, marched to a house where Katti's employees reside. They read out a petition, and handed over a signed copy of the petition to a member of the Kombat town's management, Lucas Mupupa, who said he would forward it to the relevant office. Residents demand that the rent be kept at N$350, or if an increase was to be effected, it should be “fair and more affordable”. They also appealed to President Hage Geingob to intervene on their behalf, saying they had voted him into power. “We demand our government's intervention; they should make Kombat a village council,” states the petition.

The residents threatened to take the law into their own hands if Katti and his town management officers evict people because of non-payment of the higher rent, saying the businessman's administration is “another form of colonialism they have to take down”. They also called his team that manages Kombat to leave the town. Katti is said to be out of the country, and his town manager at Kombat, Charlie Dawid, proposed a meeting with the residents instead of demonstrations. He told Nampa in an interview that the money collected from the tenants is used to pay the town's water bills, sewerage and electricity supply.

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1.20 Staal van Otavi binnekort ’n werklikheid Republikein|26/11/2018

Die lank verwagte staalaanleg op Otavi het vandeesmaand ’n stap nader aan die werklikheid gekom toe Nedbank onderneem het om die N$2,7 miljard-projek te finansier. Die bank het op 15 November aangekondig sy beleggingsafdeling het die vorige dag ’n ooreenkoms met Noric Otavi Steel Processing aangegaan. Die stap het gekom nadat die Otavi- dorpsraad in April 2013 ’n openbare-private- vennootskap met nywerheidskenners en private besighede vir die projek aangegaan het. Teen September 2015 is die eerste lewensvatbaarheidstudie voltooi vir ’n fabriek wat 150 000 ton staal per jaar sou lewer. In November 2016 is ’n ooreenkoms met MK International (Suid-Korea) onderteken vir ’n 380 000 ton per jaar-aanleg, maar is dit in September 2017 beëindig. Die plan vir die aanleg is in November 2017 omskep en in Januarie 2018 is ’n nuwe ooreenkoms met die Europese belegger aangegaan. Die aandeelhouersooreenkoms is in Mei gefinaliseer en in Junie is Noric Otavi gevestig.

Nedbank se uitvoerende hoof van korporatiewe en beleggingsdienste, mnr. Karl Stefan Altmann, het by die ondertekeningsgeleentheid gesê: “Dit is noemenswaardig dat die vrugte van hierdie projek meer as net die 4 000 inwoners van Otavi gaan bereik. Die voordele daarvan strek veel wyer, selfs oor ons grense, na buurlande soos Angola, Zambië, Zimbabwe en Botswana.” Noric Otavi bestaan uit die Namibiese maatskappy Otavi Rebar Manufacturing (49%) en die Switserse maatskappy NORIC Swiss GmbH (51%). Die buitelanders is verantwoordelik vir die ingenieurswerk, verkryging en bou van die aanleg, asook die bestuur daarvan. Hulle is ook verantwoordelikheid vir die beplanning, ontwerp, verskaffing van tegnologie, asook bouwerk en werksaamhede by die aanleg. “Namibiese subkontrakteurs sal aangestel word vir al die bouwerk wat plaaslik gedoen word,” sê die projekkonsultant, mnr. Adriaan Grobler, direkteur van Lithon Project Consultants. Hy is ook ’n direkteur van Noric Otavi. Die projek behels die ontwikkeling van ’n mini-staalmeule wat tot 300 000 ton staal per jaar uit herwinde skroot as hoofbestanddeel vir die boubedryf kan vervaardig. Dit behels die ontvang en sortering van skroot, die smelt daarvan in ’n elektriese boogoond en die voer daarvan 19 na ’n walser wat die verskillende staalprodukte sal produseer. Die interne opbrengskoers (IRR) word teen 55 % geskat terwyl die netto huidige waarde (NPV) op N$9,49 miljard bereken word, met ’n terugbetalingstydperk van agt jaar. Aanvanklike kapitaalbesteding is N$2,725 miljard. Teen die tweede jaar sal bedryfsuitgawes sowat N$2,6 miljard wees. Finansiering vir die projek sal na verwagting teen Maart 2019 gereed wees, met die sooispitseremonie wat vir April beplan word. Die bouwerk behoort 24 maande te duur en alle werke sal waarskynlik teen 2020 voltooi wees. Die aanleg sal na verwagting tot 70MW elektriese krag van NamPower trek, met sonkrag wat daarby gevoeg sal word. Studies dui aan daar is genoeg ondergrondse water op die eiendom beskikbaar, terwyl die vervoer van die staalprodukte deur ’n nuwe spoorlyn en ’n nuwe toegangspad na die B1 voorsien sal word. Volgens Otavi se burgemeester, me. Martha Shipanga, sal die ontwikkeling ’n groot impak op inwoners maak. Sy sê 350 voltydse werksgeleenthede sal na verwagting geskep word, en die uiteindelike verwagte inkomste van N$2 miljard per jaar sal ontwikkeling en ekonomiese aktiwiteite op die dorp aanmoedig.

Volgens haar het die dorpsraad reeds 77 hektaar grond vir die projek beskikbaar gestel. Na verwagting sal Otavi se inwonersgetal oor die volgende twee jaar verdubbel en teen die tyd dat konstruksie voltooi is, sal bykomende industriële erwe vir ondersteunende nywerhede langs die aanleg beskikbaar wees. Die dorp beplan ook 1 500 nuwe woonerwe.

1.21 Shack fire victims mob Kuisebmond Police Station The Namibian|27/11/2018

Chaos erupted at the Kuisebmond Police Station yesterday as angry residents gathered in front of the building to see a man suspected to have caused recent fires in the community. According to the residents, they have been losing shacks to fires which just started mysteriously. Some of the community members who were affected by fires at different times said they saw a man throwing lit papers at shacks, which resulted in fires spreading to other shacks and houses. The angry residents say they were informed by the police that a suspect was being held at the police station. “They told us that the man is here, and we are here to see him. We need to find out why he has been burning our ghettos. We also just want to see him so that we can know who we should look out for. We lost too many belongings. Where do I start from now? I just got back from hospital, and now this”, said an angry Nangula Hipundjua, who is one of the victims of shack fires. “We want to know what they are going to do to that man. We are here for justice. They must bring out the man, because we want to see who this evil person is. I have three children, and now I don't have shelter for them because of someone who runs around setting people's ghettos on fire,” said Hilaria Shooya.

Despite attempts from the police to calm down the crowd, they still continued to demand that the suspect be brought out, until police moved them from the entrance as other community members also wanted to use the station. The head of community policing in the Erongo region, Sergeant Ileni Shapumba attempted to calm down the residents, asking them to let the police do their job. “We should be peaceful. The police are on your side, and feel your grievances. We are in the process of investigating. Please leave it to us to handle matters. It will be better if you let us do our job without interfering so that we can render you good service, and notify you afterwards,” he said. Shapumba further asked those with concrete evidence to help the police by sharing information on the matter. According to the deputy fire chief at the Walvis Bay fire brigade, Tutaleni Affraim Kathindi, 21 shacks and one house burned down at Kuisebmond between last Thursday and yesterday. Fifteen shacks and one house in the same street were burnt in separate incidents last Thursday, just 100 metres from each other. The other three shacks burned on Saturday, while three more were burnt last night. “There has been another attempt on two shacks this morning, and it is feared the same suspect was responsible. We found very strong fuel smell and splashes of fuel. He then tried to set it alight,” he stated.

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1.22 Land purchase budget cut in half Republikein|27/11/2018

Nearly 52% less money is available in 2018/19 to buy farms as part of government’s land reform process. The mid-year budget review tabled by finance minister Calle Schlettwein last month shows that money available for land purchase in the current fiscal year was cut by nearly N$96.5 million to about N$103.6 million. The budget review followed on the heels of the Second National Land Conference in the first week of October. Not only was the overall development budget of land reform slashed by nearly N$151.8 million, but the ministry’s total operational expenses were also curtailed by N$1.9 million. The N$200 million originally allocated for land purchases in the main development budget tabled in March was supposed to buy 75 000 hectares to enable the resettlement of 45 beneficiaries.

The budget for the ongoing resettlement sub-programme was cut by about 60%, with just over N$3 million remaining for 2018/19. This budget provides for the procurement of seeds, diesel and fertilisers, as well the repair of crop field fences. Also included in this budget are: the construction of pit latrine and water networks in Ohangwena, de-bushing to increase the ploughing area at Neu Sommerau near Kombat, as well as training.

Unscathed

In contrast, the budgets for the construction of ministerial regional offices in Katima Mulilo, Outapi and Rundu were left untouched. A total of N$22 million is earmarked for these buildings this year. The budget for the improvement of offices and houses of assigned officers in the regions also escaped unscathed and N$1 million in total will be spent in this regard. In his mid-year budget review speech, Schlettwein said key budgetary priorities for 2019/20 to 2021/22 include “providing resources to give effect to the implementation of the land reform programme and meeting priority resolutions and urgent needs identified” at the land conference. According to mid-year review budget documents, the development budget for land reform in 2019/20 will be nearly N$287.1 million – the same as stipulated in the main budget earlier this year. The budget for 2020/21 also shows no increase.

1.23 MTC, Huawei set aside N$10m for low-cost housing The Namibian|28/11/2018

Through a strategic partnership, MTC Namibia and Huawei donated N$10 million to the Namibia Shack Dwellers Federation through the Buy-A-Brick initiative for the construction of 250 low-cost houses countrywide. The announcement was made at a gala dinner held in honour of MTC and Huawei's 10 years of partnership on Monday. The donation is in line with the desire to restore people's dignity through providing them with decent and affordable shelter. The Buy-A-Brick initiative is a Standard Bank project which has to date managed to raise over N$7,1 million for the provision of decent housing to more than 200 low-to-no income families. Speaking at the dinner, Standard Bank Namibia's chief executive Vetumbuavi Mungunda said the joint N$10 million sponsorship by MTC and Huawei is evidence that big corporates have taken note of the government's call to assist in providing decent shelter to hundreds of thousands of Namibians who have been stripped of their dignity. “In order to invite more formal participation from the corporate sector, we will soon take the Buy-A-Brick initiative national by establishing a Buy-A-Brick steering committee comprising other like-minded national corporate organisations that would cooperate in mobilising funding, as well as collaborate in the search for solutions with respect to policy reviews as well as alternative building methods,” he stated. Mungunda added that as part of this process, the bank is working on making the Buy-A-Brick brand independent of Standard Bank, so that it creates its own national character. MTC chief human capital and corporate affairs officer Tim Ekandjo said: “It is earnestly disheartening that after so many years 21 of independence, we are still denying our people access to a basic fundamental human right by inflating and charging unreasonably exorbitant prices for houses. A house is not a privilege, but a societal necessity, among others, for ensuring the safety and security of the people, and its provision thereof does not have to continue being a challenge. “

He added that it is estimated that there are currently close to 300 000 Namibians living in shacks in informal settlements throughout the country, and this has become a growing challenge as the drive for rural-urban migration increases on a daily basis, resulting in the mushrooming of more illegal shacks. “What is core in the pursuit and realisation of proper, quality, decent and affordable housing is to embrace cooperation among us, and to be smart in our approach as we strive to complement the government's efforts to achieving socio-economic objectives. The housing problem in Namibia is not just for the government to wrestle against, but needs full backing from the corporate world,” he said. He noted that preceding the N$10 million donation, N$700 000 was donated to the Shack Dwellers Federation in March, in addition to the proceeds from the '081Every1Fest' that were also handed over to the federation. Huawei Namibia's managing director, Kian Chen, said the company has been proactively fulfilling its corporate social responsibility for long-term and sustainable value-creation efforts with its partners. “We are grateful to be in this journey with MTC in facilitating the development of local communities, and resulting in win-win situations by enhancing information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure with customers, nurturing an ecosystem with industrial and academic partners, and bridging the digital divide by cultivating ICT talent to contribute to the goal of shared prosperity,” Chen noted.

1.24 Homelessness a humanitarian crisis The Namibian Sun|28/11/2018

In partnership with Huawei, MTC has donated N$10 million for low-cost housing to the Shack Dwellers Federation. President Hage Geingob believes that the situation in informal settlements is a humanitarian crisis and said that there is no other way of looking at it. He said this on Monday evening when MTC and Huawei announced a N$10-million donation to the Namibia Shack Dwellers Federation for building 250 low-cost houses throughout the country. The president said the government cannot give up on the fight until every Namibian has a home where they can feel safe. “With so many challenges and dangers confronting shack dwellers, life is difficult and undignified. Shack fires, unstable family lives and lack of electricity are just some of the challenges they face on a daily basis. “These are Namibians with real problems and who lack the basic necessities. These are our brothers and sisters. We cannot stand by idly while they suffer. “We can no longer be part of a society which turns a blind eye to the agony of others. If we witness social injustice and choose to do nothing about it, we are part of the problem and not the solution,” said the president. The donation was announced by MTC executive Tim Ekandjo at gala dinner celebrating ten years of partnership between MTC and Chinese electronics manufacturer Huawei on Monday evening. “It is earnestly disheartening that after so many years of independence, we are still denying our people access to basic fundamental human rights by inflating and charging unreasonable exorbitant prices for houses,” Ekandjo said. He added that a house is not a privilege but a societal necessity for ensuring people's safety. According got him the proceeds of MTC's 081Every1Fest promotion were also handed over to the Shack Dwellers Federation.

1.25 Omashaka to be properly rezoned The New Era|28/11/2018

The Ondangwa Town Council has proposed to rezone the Omashaka informal settlement to enable it to segregate residential erven from business plots. Currently, there is no distinct between the two, as the area earmarked for residential is dominated by shebeens. The rezoning will thus pave way for the

22 town council to identify and to establish a formal business area. The status quo at Omashaka disadvantages home owners particularly school going learners, as the area is highly polluted with noise, leaving them with no place to study. The proposal to rezone Omashaka was done at a recent council meeting. Councillors thus proposed that a survey be done to establish the number of shebeens that are currently at Omashaka. Giving an insight of the situation at Omashaka, the Manager of Infrastructure, Planning and Technical Service Petrus Shipanga said the number of shebeens at the moment outweighs the housing units. To add salt to the wound, Shipanga said some people have come to put shebeens at Omashaka, yet are not residents there or the town itself. “The majority of the people there are not in need of housing, and that is causing those who are really in need of housing at the town to be left behind,” said Shipanga. Although the councillors had initially suggested that the council halts allocating business plots at the area, the mayor at the town Paavo Amwele said it was important for council to allow its residents to uplift themselves out of poverty. He said the council should also be cognisant there are upcoming entrepreneurs who cannot afford the business plots already availed elsewhere in town. “We can get them business plots far from the houses. However, we should not deny our people an opportunity to create an income for themselves,” said Amwele.

1.26 Land grabs soar at Ondangwa The Namibian Sun|29/11/2018

The Ondangwa town council has urged residents to refrain from grabbing land and to follow the available procedures. Council spokesperson Petrina Shitalangaho said a number of illegal structures were being put up around the town, almost on a daily basis. Shitalangaho said residents can get plots by applying directly at the council or through established organisations such as the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN). “Land grabbing is not really a main concern to us, but we are always observing a number of illegal structures being erected almost on a daily basis. We are therefore warning residents to refrain from occupying land illegally or erecting unauthorised structures,” Shitalangaho said.

“We will make sure that all the residents comply with the town council's rules and regulations. Such illegal structures have to be removed.” Shitalangaho said the town council always notifies residents about unauthorised activities as soon as they are detected. This is done in order for residents not to waste their resources on constructing unauthorised structures that have to be removed or demolished. She added that some comply, while others defy the council orders and either carry on building illegally or continue to occupy land that is not theirs. “We are urging town residents to always cooperate with the town council's regulations. If they are notified to remove or stop constructing their illegal structures, they must do so as soon as possible. It will not be a good thing if the council is forced to use its own power to remove such structures or demolish them,” she said. The SDFN has 2 479 members in Ondangwa and has built 128 houses. Outgoing Oshana governor Clemens Kashuupulwa has called on local authorities to support the SDFN by giving them land in order to avoid land grabbing. He said the federation was trying to provide decent houses for the poor. “I applaud the Ondangwa town council for creating a public-private partnership (PPP) with the SDFN to build houses for the poor and needy. This initiative is highly recommended for all local authorities in Namibia, to make sure that they provide affordable houses for their people,” Kashuupulwa added.

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2 Urban Infrastructure and Services

2.1 Rundu begs for N$20m bailout The Namibian|01/11/2018

The struggling Rundu Town Council has asked the urban and rural development• ministry for N$20 million to pay for their water and operational expenses. This was confirmed by Rundu mayor Verna Sinimbo yesterday. She told The Namibian that the council wrote two letters this week to the ministry, urging urban and rural development minister Peya Mushelenga to bail them out of the difficult situation they are in right now. “This money will be spent on water and other operational issues,” Sinimbo said. She could not explain the 'other operational issues', and referred The Namibian to Rundu's acting chief executive officer, Sikongo Haihambo, for further questions. The Namibian reported yesterday that several Rundu business people and residents flocked to the Kavango River to fetch water using containers after the council failed to buy more units. Haihambo told The Namibian earlier this week that the town owes NamWater more than N$60 million, and there has not been any water supply at the town since Saturday. “We do not have an adequate amount of money to buy a sizeable amount of water to see us through over a long period of time,” he said, adding that the only solution is to collect money from the residents. The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development's permanent secretary Nghidinua Daniel was unable to comment on this issue although various attempts were made to get in touch with him. During a press conference in Windhoek yesterday, Affirmative Repositioning movement coordinator in the Kavango region Chris Sindendere said they were disturbed by the manner in which the town council was handling the water predicament since residents have been complaining about this matter for the past few months. “We have not flushed our toilets since Saturday, 27 October 2018,” Sindendere, who is a resident of Rundu, lamented. He added that the town council is well aware of the problems, but “they keep shifting the blame on consumers failing to pay, while the same audit report of 2013 shows that 36,8% of water bought from the source was lost”.

2.2 Rundu mess calls for urgent remedy The New Era|02/11/2018

This week New Era broke the news and published a front-page scoop on the water crisis at Rundu. Rundu has a debt of N$60 million with the national utility, NamWater, and residents of the town unfairly endure painful water rationing every other week that lasts for several hours a day. The Rundu Intermediate Hospital, which serves thousands of people at the town, is affected and boarding schools as well as several secondary and primary schools have not been spared. About 86 000 residents of Tutungeni, Queenspark, Milleniumpark, Rainbow Village, Safari, Nkarapamwe, Donkerhoek, Old NHE, Ndama, Kaisosi, Sauyemwa, Kasote, Sikanduko and Tuhingireni are affected. Equally hit is the Rundu Unam Campus, the Rundu Police Charge Office, the Rundu Vocational Training Centre, shopping malls, 25 government schools, 11 private schools with a student population of 29 610 learners and five clinics while many businesses are also in limbo. The situation is compounded by unflushed toilets that have increasingly become a health hazard. The provision of water is a human right and there is no compromise when it comes to this commodity that each and every person needs for hydration and hygiene. In fact, experts recommend that each person needs 50 litres daily for drinking, cooking and bathing. Rundu’s escalating water crisis is quickly becoming a potential health risk that could hasten the spread of bacterial and other diseases that thrive under such unhygienic conditions. Hospital patients are at a great risk of contracting deadly secondary infections. The multitudes of people flocking to the river to swim and to wash dishes puts them at risk of drowning or being caught by crocodiles lurking under its surface. This distasteful status quo started sometime last year. The mess that Rundu is entangled in is indeed a serious problem calling for capable leadership and a timely intervention. Rundu, like other towns facing a similar predicament, is simply a microcosm of a bigger 24 issue. It shows the extent of the rot at town council level where ineptitude and incompetence has become the norm and unfortunately it is just business as usual. The deadwood responsible for causing such mess are not held to account and they continue riding the gravy train drawing fat salaries. A lot of officials mask their incompetence by hiding behind a challenging and volatile global economy. We know there is a core of hardworking officials who know what they are doing. But Rundu should come up with a proper debt management plan instead of begging for a multi-million-dollar bailout from government through the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development. Town administrators should be innovative. They should formulate workable strategies to mitigate water and other crises. The practice of allowing officials to run to government to ask for bailouts should be discouraged because it seems like it has become the easiest way out for incompetence. The nation is tired of so-called ‘turnaround strategies’ – it needs efficiency, service delivery, simple and klaar. We need innovative administrators with medium and long-term visions and who have proven problem-solving skills. It seems ‘turnaround strategy’ has become synonymous with failure.

2.3 Kalkrand is óók dors Republikein|05/11/2018

Kalkrand het vir 'n hele week vanaf 25 Oktober nie water gehad nie aangesien NamWater se hooftoevoerlyn tussen die reservoirs en waterpompe glo stukkend was. Teen Vrydag is watertoevoer stelselmatig herstel. Kalkrand se waarnemende uitvoerende hoof, mnr. Ruben Sitanga, het aan Republikein gesê indien NamWater weer in die situasie beland waar dit nie water kan voorsien nie, daar saam met streeksowerhede gewerk sal word om plekke soos die skole, koshuise en kliniek op Kalkrand van water in watertenks te voorsien. By navraag oor wat die rede is vir die wateronderbrekings wat volgens inwoners gereeld op die dorpie voorkom, het hy gesê die dorpsraad het 'n projek gedoen waartydens ou asbespype met nuwes vervang is, wat tot wateronderbrekings gelei het. “Voorts behoort ons beter watertoevoer te hê. Ons vra inwoners om geduldig te wees terwyl NamWater nog besig is met die nodige herstelwerk,” het hy gesê.

DOMINEE MOET WATER GEE

Intussen het die NG Kerk se ds. Roelf de Wet Donderdag aan Republikein gesê inwoners van die dorp kom klop by hom vir water aan, maar hy is beperk in hoeveel mense hy kan help. De Wet het gesê daar is 'n boorgat by die pastorie waaruit hy water in 'n watertenk pomp. “Die probleem is die boorgat•water is nie gesuiwer nie en ek het nie genoeg om vir almal te gee nie. Terselfdertyd kan ek ook nie net hande gevou staan nie,” het hy gesê. Hy sê in die ses jaar wat hy op Kalkrand woon, het wateronderbrekings menigmaal voorgekom en duur dit dikwels vir 'n week of langer. Ander inwoners het die raad se bestuur van die nedersetting as “­teleurstellend” beskryf, met water­onderbrekings wat gereeld voorkom. 'n Leser wat anoniem wil bly, het in 'n brief aan Republikein gekla dat alhoewel hulle al meer as 'n jaar die voorgeskrewe prosedure volg en probeer om die waterkwessie onder leiers se aandag te bring, hulle nie daarin slaag nie. Die inwoner beskryf die situasie as onuithoudbaar, terwyl leiers glo afwesig is – wat dié inwoner glo is 'n aanduiding van hoeveel hulle vir mense op Kalkrand omgee. “Die gemeenskap op Kalkrand is dors! Hier is twee skole en 'n koshuis sonder water - hulle kan nie kos maak nie!” het die inwoner geskryf.

RUNDU SE WATERSITUASIE

Intussen het mnr. Percy Misika, permanente sekretaris van water, landbou en bosbou, verlede week 'n mediaverklaring uitgereik om te sê Rundu sal vir die volgende drie maande water hê. Dit volg nadat die dorp ook onlangs sonder water was en die dorpsraad aan die media erken het dit het nie genoeg kontant om watereenhede te koop nie. “Die kwessie geniet die aandag van die regering en NamWater, asook relevante belangegroepe. Die ministerie van landelike en stedelike ontwikkeling sal alle

25 regeringsinstansies wat geld aan die dorpsraad skuld, kennis gee om hul rekeninge onmiddellik af te betaal.” Volgens die verklaring gebruik Rundu sowat N$2 miljoen se water per maand. “Die eerste N$2 miljoen sal deur die ministerie van landelike en stedelike ontwikkeling direk aan NamWater betaal word,” het Misika in die verklaring geskryf. “Rundu se dorpsraad word ­aangemoedig om hul veldtogte te verskerp om geld van waterverbruikers in te samel, sodat die raad hul NamWater-•rekening betyds kan vereffen. Die dorpsraad moet maat•reëls instel sodat geld wat watergebruikers betaal, slegs gebruik word om hul waterrekening by NamWater te vereffen.” Volgens hom sal sy ministerie die situasie voortaan monitor. Misika het watergebruikers versoek om hul rekeninge getrou te betaal.

2.4 Motorists fed up with Rundu's streets The Namibian Sun|06/11/2018

Motorists are frustrated with the Rundu town council's failure to maintain the town's streets, saying that potholes cause a lot of damage to their cars. At the weekend Namibian Sun spoke to some Rundu residents who complained about the state of the town's streets. Large potholes force drivers to either stop in the middle of the street to use the opposite lane to proceed, or swerve onto the road shoulder. “We are tired of driving into these potholes. Our tyres are wearing out and I often have to go to the garage to check that no screws or other parts of my vehicle had fallen off because of the bad roads. It is not that the town council is unaware of it; they also drive on these roads,” one motorist said on condition of anonymity. “They know about these issues, they just don't care.” Another motorist with the rainy season fast approaching the situation will get worse if not addressed urgently. “It's already started raining and the roads are not yet fixed. Once we receive heavy rains a lot of motorists will feel the pinch. It is not as if there is a road for council officials and another for the residents. They too are affected and I don't understand why they are not acting,” the source said. When contacted for comment, Rundu's acting CEO, Sikongo Haihambo, denied that the council was unwilling to fix the roads and said the situation was caused by financial constraints. Haihambo said the council's monthly revenue was about N$7 million, of which N$4 million is used to pay the NamWater bill and the remainder is used to pay salaries and other expenses. “We have revenue of N$7 to N$8 million per month and N$4 million goes to water and N$3 million goes to payroll. What are you left with? Nothing. With that nothing we still have to do refuse removal and maintain the road reserves,” Haihambo said. Despite the limited funds, Haihambo said the council would consider all possible ways of addressing the issue of bad roads and other challenges that face the town. “We are going to do whatever is possible within our limited means to patch up the potholes, whether it's going to be on a temporary basis or permanent basis,” Haihambo said. He further said if the council's monthly revenue could go up to N$12 million it would make a big difference, but it would mean that other revenue streams must be improved.

2.5 Ohangwena unveils N$13 million oxidation ponds The New Era|07/11/2018

Minister of Urban and Rural Development Peya Mushelenga exhorted the Ohangwena regional leadership to closely monitor the implementation of developmental projects in the region. Mushelenga said the leadership should bring to book those responsible for slow to non- implementation of developmental projects. Mushelenga made the remarks on Monday at the handing over of an oxidation pond at Ongenga to Ohangwena Regional Council. The N$13 million oxidation pond was constructed through a trust fund and funds sourced by the Ohangwena Regional Council. The minister said he has noted with grave concern that some communities do not receive the services intended for them because council is either slow or is not implementing the budgeted developmental projects. While the delay is in most cases blamed on the supposed lengthy procurement process, the minister reckons that much of the delay is fueled by internal factors such as poor development

26 planning and other internal capacity constraints. “The unfortunate consequence of non or delayed implementation of capital projects is that monies that have been budgeted for is not utilised and get taken away or relocated from our vote to other needs in other sectors. This is not good and must be avoided,” he said. The minister said the oxidation pond at Ongenga is essential to ensure the sanitation intervention at Ongenga is complete and that the sewer water is safely disposed and does not flow into the open flood plains. Equally, the minister said the oxidation pond is part of the government’s plan to roll out sanitation facilities as part of its key priorities in the various development plans. Although Namibia has made good strides in expanding sanitation services in formal urban areas, access to improved sanitation and hygiene remains a challenge in rural areas. According to the minister, a large population in the informal settlement do not have access to basic sanitation facilities and often practice open defecation or use other unhygienic practices.

2.6 Airport upgrade to cost N$245m The New Era|08/11/2018

The government will fork out N$245 million to upgrade the Hosea Kutako International Airport before the end of 2019. This was revealed by the Namibia Airports Company's (NAC) board chairperson, Leake Hangala, at a media briefing yesterday. At the event, he acknowledged that the airport has reached its capacity, and therefore requires “urgent expansion and upgrading to meet the demands of increasing aircraft and passenger numbers”, as well as international security and safety requirements. Hangala said the urgent upgrading projects would include the revamp and modernising of the check-in and departure halls, security screening point, arrivals hall, and the luggage handling areas. The Namibian reported last month that the estimates given for the upgrade was N$95 million. The N$95 million was to be used, among others, for renovating the check-in area, baggage feeder conveyor and reclaim belts, additional counters and furniture, passenger screening equipment and special airport systems. Hangala did not explain yesterday what had caused the escalation in the estimates to N$245 million. According to him, the NAC will contribute N$95 million from its resources, and the balance will be provided by the shareholder (the government). “We accept that the current state of affairs is making it difficult for the country's largest airport to comply with all standards and recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Outside the airport terminal, long queues often form when two or three large aircraft land at the same time, while the baggage collection section currently only has two carousels. “The immigration access at the airport is also limited as there are only two security checkpoints, which resulted in congestion and long queues at times. These will all be improved in the envisaged project that we are presently working on,” he said. Hangala added that the installation of a closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance and intrusion detection system at the airport has commenced. The company has already appointed a local architectural firm – Kerry McNamara Architects – to work on the design of the project. The company, he said, will work with “an international aviation company based in South Africa as their partner”. The design of the project is expected to be completed by the end of December, the actual work will start by March, and the project will be expected to be completed by November 2019. Although Hangala did not reveal how much the government will pay for consulting fees and the design of the project, he promised that the money will be used for its intended purposes. “I would like to assure the nation that such funds will be managed in the most accountable and transparent manner. It must be used for that purpose only. Time has come for Namibia to make sure that we use our resources properly and accountably,” he said. Plans to upgrade the airport come at a time when the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, defence and security released a report revealing serious security shortcomings at Namibia's biggest airport. The Namibian reported last month about concerns that the Hosea Kutako International Airport could be downgraded at the upcoming ICAO inspection this month. Hangala, however, said the NAC and other stakeholders have “managed to close various security gaps, and will continue addressing evolving issues”, even after the ICAO audit. He further stated that the proposed upgrades will have minimal

27 effect on the current airport operations, “which will continue as usual”. NAC acting chief executive officer Lot Haifidi yesterday said they were ready for the ICAO inspection.

2.7 Lights out at three Windhoek schools The New Era|08/11/2018

At least three Windhoek schools are facing water and power cuts as a result of hefty unpaid municipal debts. The education ministry has criticised the move as bad timing on the part of the municipality, given the year-end examinations. Khomas regional education director Gerard Norman Vries yesterday confirmed that the education ministry owed the City of Windhoek “a substantial amount” but said the suspension notices came “at an inopportune time”. He said grade 8, 9 and 11 learners are writing exams, while the grade 7 exams start next week. Vries declined to confirm the exact amount outstanding. He said the amount due to the municipality would be disclosed to the media once it was formally agreed on. He added that the ministry had received a tranche payment “to defray some of the accumulated arrears”, and had requested the municipality to put any impending cuts on hold. He said an electronic fund transfer to the City's bank account was being processed and would be concluded by Friday. Reliable sources confirmed to Namibian Sun's sister publication Republikein on Monday that the education ministry had offered to make a down payment of N$15 million to stave off suspension of services. So far Windhoek High School, Academia Secondary School and Concordia College have been served with suspension notices. Vries said the reason for the high arrears had to do with the release of payment tranches by the finance ministry, via the education ministry, to the regional council, depending on the availability of funds. He said the regional council typically paid creditors within five days from the date of receipt of payment tranches from the finance ministry via the education ministry. The ministry's total budget for utilities in the current financial year is about N$27.1 million. This budget was not increased in the recent mid-year budget review. Budget documents show that the total amount the ministry spends on utilities tends to be less than what is budgeted for. In 2016/17, N$22.5 million was budgeted for utilities and about N$17.2 million, or 76%, was spent. For 2017/18, N$19.01 million was budgeted for the ministry's utilities. Actual expenditure amounted to N$15.6 million, or 82% of the budget.

2.8 Erongo Marine opens onshore processing plant The Namibian|09/11/2018

Erongo Marine Enterprises inaugurated its onshore processing plant at the Walvis Bay harbour on Wednesday. Speaking during the inauguration, Erongo Marine Enterprises' managing director Martha Uumati said the onshore processing plant repackages 30kg cartons of horse mackerel into 10kg cartons. Many vendors and small business owners buy horse mackerel in bulk to sell it on a smaller scale. “There is a need on the market for the 10kg carton of horse mackerel as it would be much more affordable for someone who may not be able to afford the 30kg carton, which was the only one available to consumers before,” she explained. Uumati said another challenge with the 30kg carton was that it was hard for someone without transport to carry it. “However, with the 10kg carton, that issue is now taken care of.” So far, N$1,5 million has been invested in the operation, which started in September, in labour and machinery. The investment is expected to increase to at least N$2,9 million by the end of 2018. To date, the onshore processing plant has processed a little over 974 metric tonnes (mt) out of the 3 407 mt required for the year 2018. Uumati said job-creation was also one of the main reasons for the establishment of the plant. They started with 16 workers per shift, but this number was recently increased to 18 workers per shift for the two daily shifts to increase the daily output.

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2.9 Begroting briek bou van skole Republikein|09/11/2018

Meer onderwysers, minder klaskamers. Jo-Maré Duddy - Die Mix- informele nedersetting is een van 10 gemeenskappe landswyd waar die regering se laerskoolprojekte in 2018-’19 met baie minder geld moet klaarkom ná N$1,79 miljard in die halfjaar-hersieningsbegroting van totale ontwikkelingsbesteding na verhoogde bedryfsuitgawes verskuif is. In totaal is die ontwikkelingsbegroting van die ministerie van onderwys, kuns en kultuur nou sowat N$142,9 miljoen armer en word 27 projekte geraak. Die ministerie se totale hersiene ontwikkelingsbegroting vir 2018-’19 beloop bykans N$516,9 miljoen. Die minister van finansies, mnr. Calle Schlettwein, het in sy toespraak tydens die indiening van die halfjaar-begrotingshersiening verlede maand gesê bykans N$236,9 miljoen meer word aan onderwys toegeken om meer onderwysers aan te stel en die nuwe kurrikulum te implementeer. Die hersiene begroting toon die ministerie se totale salarisrol word nou op sowat N$11,1 miljard geraam – N$379 miljoen meer as in die hoofbegroting.

Laerskole

Sowat N$89,5 miljoen in totaal is in die hoofbegroting in Maart aan laerskoolprojekte toegeken. Schlettwein het dié bedrag in totaal met ongeveer N$67,8 miljoen of 24% gesny. Nie alle projekte in die ontwikkelingsbegroting word in die fynste besonderhede beskryf nie, maar volgens beskikbare inligting gaan sewe van dié beplande laerskole ‘n heenkome aan minstens 5 000 kinders bied. ‘n Begrote N$10 miljoen was aanvanklik vir ‘n laerskool met 23 klaskamers vir 800 kinders op Sauyemwa naby Rundu beskikbaar. Luidens die ontwikkelingsbegroting in Maart is klaskamers in dié streek oorvol en maak hulle van ‘n peletonstelsel gebruik – kinders gaan in die oggend en middag skool om almal in ‘n beperkte aantal klaskamers te huisves. Die oprigting van die nuwe skool sal verligting bring, staan in die begroting. Bouwerk moes vanjaar begin, maar daar is nou net N$2 miljoen in die begroting oor. In Windhoek is die begroting vir die laerskool in Havana, waar konstruksie vir vanjaar beplan is, met sowat 48% verminder. Dít ondanks die begroting wat lui dié informele nedersetting “groei van dag tot dag”. Ander laerskoolprojekte in die gedrang is op Otavi, Bravel in Kavango-Wes, Opuwo, die Hardapskema, Oshakati, Otjiwarongo (Tsaraxa-aibes) en Ehangano in Oshikoto. Volgens die begroting behoort bouwerk aan al dié skole in 2021 en 2022 afgehandel te wees.

Hoërskole

Bouwerk was ook veronderstel om vanjaar aan die hoërskool in Havana te begin, maar dié begroting is met N$13 miljoen gesny. In 2018-’19 sal die projek met N$5 miljoen moet klaarkom. Die begroting gee 2012 as die begindatum vir die hoërskoolprojek in Havana aan. Altesaam 32 klaskamers word onder meer beplan en die skool sal 1 120 leerlinge kan huisves. Die skool is veronderstel om teen 2022 voltooi te wees. In totaal het die begrotings van vyf hoërskoolprojekte landswyd in die slag gebly. Die hele begroting van N$6 miljoen vir die bou van die Vision Sekondêre Skool op Epembe in Ohangwena is geskrap. Tenders moes vanjaar toegeken word en bouwerk moes begin. Dié skool maak voorsiening vir 1 300 leerlinge en 30 klaskamers. Bouwerk aan die tweede fase van die Rukonga Vision School naby Mukwe in Kavango-Oos sou vanjaar begin. Van die oorspronklike begroting van N$5 miljoen vir 2018-’19 is egter net N$1 miljoen oor. Altesaam N$8 miljoen sou aanvanklik aan die opknapping van die Mureti Sekondêre Skool op Opuwo bestee word – onder meer aan ‘n koshuis en ’n rioolstelsel. Slegs N$2,8 miljoen is nou beskikbaar. Die Oshikunde Sekondêre Skool op Omundaungilo in Ohangwena het N$10 miljoen vir opgradering en uitbreidings gehad. Dít sluit die tweede fase van twee koshuisblokke in. Dié begroting is nou meer as N$7 miljoen minder en staan op sowat N$3 miljoen. Die begrotings van twee gekombineerde skole is ook gesnoei – op Ongwediva en Katima Mulilo. Op Katima Mulilo moes tenders toegeken word en bouwerk aan 30 klaskamers vir dié skool vir 1 200 leerlinge moes begin. Uit die N$6 miljoen wat aanvanklik hiervoor begroot is, het net N$1,5 miljoen oorgebly. Die Dagbreek Spesiale Skool in Windhoek se begroting is met die helfte tot N$1 miljoen verminder. 29

2.10 TransNamib cuts water, electricity at Bahnhof The Namibian|09/11/2018

Transnamib cut off water and electricity to 17 homes at Bahnhof settlement near Rehoboth on Monday. Most of the people who stay at Bahnhof work for TransNamib. One of the residents, Klara Sakereus, whose husband has been working for TransNamib for 17 years, said their water and electricity were cut on 5 November. Sakereus said they now use candles and buy water from Rehoboth. She added that they cook outside. Some homes, Sakereus said, are smelling because the people cannot flush their toilets. Sakereus also said that she received unusually high water bills in the last three months, some of which went up to N$4 500. “This is absurd because my family doesn't even use that amount of water and electricity because we are at work most of the time. “When we come back home at night, we only spend around two to four hours on electricity and water. How is it possible that they can charge us that much?” she asked. Maria Philander, who has been renting one of the houses from a TransNamib worker for the past three months, said she had to send her two daughters to go and fetch water from neighbours. “I currently have one container left. It's tough for me to get a ride from a neighbour to go buy water at Rehoboth,” Philander added.

She said her water and electricity bill for September is N$1 600, an amount which is too much for the amount of water and electricity her family uses. Another resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she has been living at one of the houses for the past two months, and it was the first time some TransNamib workers had received bills in about 20 years. “And now all of a sudden for them to charge us so much out of the blue makes me think that there is some serious corruption happening behind the scenes,” she said. The resident also said that she received a N$10 000 bill for July until September and can't understand how the bill is so high. “The truth of the matter is that we don't mind paying, but we want to know why it is so high. We enquired about the fees, and they couldn't give us a straight answer,” she said. Ralph Hammerslaght, who owns a food store at Bahnhof, said the fact that the lights are off is worrisome. “It's a terrible situation for children to be in with all these child-abductions happening now in our country,” Hammerslag said. He also said that many TransNamib workers are afraid to stand up to the company bosses because they are afraid of losing their jobs. “I have five flats in Windhoek, and the water and electricity bills are not even as high as those at Bahnhof,” Hammerslaght added. TransNamib Spokesperson Ailly Hangula-Paulino said she was not aware of the issue. “I have to enquire with the relevant people, and then I will contact you as soon as I know all the details behind this issue,” Hangula-Paulino told The Namibian after the paper enquired about the subject.

2.11 Residents owe Arandis N$40m The Namibian|15/11/2018

The Arandis community owes the town N$40 million for services. The debt to the council was accrued over the years, according to Irene Jacobs, the Arandis town council's communications officer. Jacobs could not, however, say since when the debt started to accrue, except that a year ago, it was around N$28 million. “Prudent measures were taken by the successive councils to recover these debts, and it is ongoing. Council is cognisant of the dire economic situation the country is in. Thus, we exercise caution in our approach. However, there might come a time when we shall have to make unpopular decisions to this effect, such as debt recovery,” she explained. The ripple effect is being felt by the whole town, as the administration does not have money to purchase materials, or maintain or continue providing services. It is understood that water is cut if residents fail to respond to settling their debts.

“The customers need to pay for service delivery, as we need to fund our operations. The council is planning to address the situation prudently without causing harm to the Arandis Town Council and the customers. Therefore, we are encouraging the customers whose services are terminated to pay their 30 outstanding bills for us to continue providing services. They are also encouraged to come forth and make arrangements to settle their accounts,” Jacobs urged. Claims made on social media reached The Namibian yesterday, in which the town's mayor, Risto Kapenda; the chairman of the council's management committee, Errikki Kapiye; and the town's acting CEO Jan Strauss; are being blamed for the town's financial woes through the alleged mismanagement and abuse of funds. Jacobs, who said she got a collective response from them, said the three called the claims “meritless ghost stories”, arguing that the councillors are not individually responsible for the administration of the Arandis Town Council, which is run by a collective management team. The allegations are that the financial situation at the council has reached such a critical state that council employees are getting their salaries late, or in portions. Jacobs said a “technical problem” was experienced last month which caused delays for a day or two when it came to paying out salaries. “However, we managed to pay all salaries by month- end. We are prone to experience a setback just like any other institution, if our debtors continue to not pay for the services delivered to them,” she said. Asked where the allegations come from, she responded that some individuals were not happy with the shortlisting of candidates for the CEO position after long-serving Veronica Husselman stepped down from the post earlier this year.

Jacobs said the recruitment of the CEO was done through a directive from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development. The councillors and the relevant union observed the shortlisting for the position. The shortlisting committee consisted of HR managers of the municipalities in the region, and chaired by a deputy director from the Erongo Regional Council. The interview panel constituted by a directive from the ministry consisted of the CEOs of municipalities in the region. “The recruitment of the CEO is a fair, transparent and credible process,” she added, although she could not reveal the candidates' names because it is confidential. “The appointment and date of the CEO will be announced when it is concluded. We are awaiting the outcome of the interview in due course, as per procedures.” Strauss, who is the corporate services manager and appointed as acting CEO by the council, did not apply for the position. Kapenda told The Namibian that he could not respond to “ghosts, as it will not be prudent”, while Kapiye said he would not respond to rumours. Strauss told this newspaper that Jacobs' response was adequate, and also received the approval of the councillors. Therefore, he did not need to comment any further.

2.12 Rundu water woes continue The Namibian Sun|15/11/2018

Despite a government/NamWater deal to supply uninterrupted water to about 90 000 residents at Rundu for the next three months, some areas are still experiencing problems. Several residents expressed their concern to Namibian Sun regarding water taps either operating at a low pressure or without water for several hours a day. Rundu's water problems made headlines recently after the town could not pay its NamWater arrears. The town was without water four days, forcing a stampede to the Okavango River, where residents obtained water. The Rundu town council owes NamWater about N$60 million. However, about two weeks ago government intervened and N$2 million was paid to NamWater by the urban and rural development ministry. Apart from the bailout, it was also agreed that NamWater would supply water to Rundu for over three months, without the council paying. The agreement also entailed that council would be expected to ring-fence its water bill to ensure that the monies paid are strictly used to pay NamWater, and not for operational costs, as was the case before. It is therefore puzzling that some residents are complaining about water trickling from taps or that the supply is not forthcoming for hours a day. A Millennium Park resident, who opted to speak on condition of anonymity, expressed her disappointment, saying the water situation has not changed much. “We have water early in the mornings but in the afternoon around 12:00 and 13:00 and late at night there is no water. This cannot be the case because we don't receive warnings that water might not be running during some periods of the day,” she said. Another resident told Namibian Sun he expected the situation to be better for the next three months. “We are back to the days when you approach a

31 tap hoping that water is going to run. I just hope that NamWater and the Rundu town council look into the matter and rectify it,” he said. Town council acting CEO Sikongo Haihambo said the water should be running all day long, without any interruptions. “In as far as we are concerned all areas should have water 24/7. We paid NamWater,” Haihambo said. “What we know is that we paid NamWater and we have been put on the post-paid (system). All areas are expected to get water, but if there is low pressure; maybe it can be looked at and established what exactly the problem is, and see if we can address it on our side or on the side of NamWater. I think it requires a bit of monitoring.”

2.13 Water woes cripple Rundu The Namibian Sun|16/11/2018

The Rundu town council has decided to prioritise its water debt while other services are being sacrificed. The streets and pavements of Rundu have been transformed into unsightly and foul- smelling dumpsites because the town council has had to cut back on essential services while it is paying back its crippling N$60 million debt to NamWater. Residents say refuse removal has all but ground to a halt, while heaps of rubbish are piling up along the streets, in riverbeds and in front of government offices, business premises and homes. Lodge owners claim that tour operators have decided to bypass Rundu because of the increasing stench at the town, robbing the town of valuable tourism income. The acting CEO of the town council, Sikongo Haihambo, acknowledges that the rubbish is “an eyesore”, and blames the situation on the town's financial position. The town is currently paying about N$4 million per month to NamWater, 30% of which is to service its water debt and 70% for new water consumption. Haihambo says the council has made the town's continued water provision its priority, and other essential services have had to be downscaled because there is simply not enough money for much else. “We had to ask ourselves, how much money can we use for other services and how much money can we take for water; water is our first priority,” Haihambo says. He acknowledges that residents are still paying for refuse removal, but this money has to be used to pay the water bill. The town council has two trucks collecting refuse piled up along the streets, but Haimhambo says although the trucks are running non-stop this is not sufficient. “We cannot do [refuse removal] adequately at the moment,” Haihambo admits. “The Rundu town council is down at the moment; we should not repeat mistakes.” Rundu's water woes started about ten years ago because of sluggish payments of its NamWater bill, which Haihambo ascribes to insufficient planning and implementation. However, he says the council's services are also stretched to the limit because of rapid population growth. Rundu has a population growth rate of 5.4%, which is higher than the national average growth rate of 4.2% and only second only to Windhoek. It population has increased from 63 000 in 2011 to 85 700 in 2017 and by the end of this year it is projected to reach 90 000. “Service provision does not match up. Maybe we could have planned better, cried for more resources, or generated more money,” says Haihambo, who took over as acting CEO on 1 September. Only 14 400 residents have municipal accounts, and 28% of those are defaulting on their payments. The rest of the residents live in shacks in informal settlements and do not pay municipal rates and tariffs. Road maintenance has also fallen by the wayside and even the main thoroughfares have fallen into disrepair, with gaping potholes growing bigger by the day.

Things 'on the up'

Haihambo says despite this bleak picture, things are “on the up” at the council and staff morale has improved since they were paid in September and October. He says the council is considering ways to make do without money, for example by asking volunteers to help with clean-ups and temporary road repairs. The local business community will be asked to sponsor skips and provide trucks to remove refuse. “We have to do whatever we can do and we have started to do whatever we can do,” Haihambo says.

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2.14 French firm to secure potable water for Keetmanshoop The Namibian|20/11/2018

A project aimed at securing drinking water for Keetmanshoop residents will be officially launched today at the town, although work on it started in September. French environmental engineering consultancy Altereo will spearhead the project, with funding from the French government. The entire project will involve the use of diagnostic analysis and the preparation of the master plan for the distribution network in the Keetmanshoop municipality, and will cost N$12 million. Altereo expressed hope that this project, which requires it to work with NamWater and the Keetmanshoop municipality simultaneously, is expected to address the old system of supply and distribution at Keetmanshoop, and ensure the sustained, optimal performance of the water supply grid. “Capacity-building will be the major component of the project,” the company's statement added. The French firm said the project's official launch consists of the arrival of the firm's resident engineer, as well as the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Altereo and NamWater, and Altereo and the French government. The initiative stems from a two-week-long mission its delegation conducted during early 2017 and 2018 to confirm the town's water needs as identified by NamWater. The missions were carried out following the first exchanges between stakeholders in the Namibian water sector and Altereo during President Hage Geingob's official visit to France in November 2016, as well as a meeting the firm's delegation had with former agriculture minister John Mutorwa. Altereo further stated that a meeting with Keetmanshoop municipality CEO Desmond Basson also highlighted the difficulties encountered in the distribution of drinking water within the municipality, especially unexplained losses estimated at over 30%. “As a result of these discussions, the distribution network of the municipality was also added to the project scheme,” the statement read.

2.15 PowerCom to begin construction of new tower at Kuisebmond The New Era|20/11/2018

PowerCom Pty Ltd is currently in the process of constructing a new 30m Lattice tower at Kuisebmond which will be fully commissioned by January 2019 as part of its commitment to infrastructure investment. Demand for tower space has continued to grow in Kuisebmond, as well as across Namibia. The tower infrastructure company is responding to these demands and beginning their 2019 construction schedule in Kuisebmond.

The company’s CEO, Alisa Amupolo, states that spearheading the company’s 2019 construction in the Erongo Region is a direct result of responding to market demands and listening to clients’ frequent requests for improved connectivity. She continues: “The construction of new towers improve coverage in areas and alleviates congestion on other towers which are emitting weaker signals due to congestion. This offers expansion opportunities not only for current clients but also for potential clients seeking tower space in the Erongo region, while the improved connectivity in various forms offered by the new tower will benefit communities and businesses.” The new tower at Kuisebmond will be a 30m freestanding Lattice tower made of steel and will incorporate an existing 42sqm equipment room. The tower will contain seven sections, including the cat ladders and resting platforms. Single LED optic aircraft warning lights and other safety measures will be deployed that protect against lightning with a robust Earthing Systems Installation. All coastal towers constructed by PowerCom are protected from corrosion by the application of an anti-corrosive pure acrylic paint for steel and galvanised surfaces. Amupolo adds: “The Kuisebmond tower will join the PowerCom portfolio of four towers in Walvis Bay and 22 in the wider Erongo Region. It is projected to cost around N$ 500 000 and construction is anticipated to last approximately two to three months. The tower is designed to accommodate four or more clients. Occupants ranging from mobile network providers, internet service providers, television broadcasters, radio stations as well as companies requiring the towers for self-use (e.g. aircraft monitoring, rail and security monitoring) are expected.” Local companies will be greatly involved with 33 construction of the tower now that the tender has been just awarded. Stock will be partially sourced via PowerCom’s warehouses, while accessories will be sourced by contractors. The project specifications include 861kg of Supply Reinforcing Steel, concrete foundation of around 12 cubic meters, and earth rods manufactured from steel core with copper covering amongst others. “Communities will derive benefits from construction of the tower through improved infrastructure and increased connectivity. It therefore marks another significant step for the Erongo Region’s infrastructure capacity,” concludes Amupolo.

2.16 1300 Windhoek informal houses to get electricity The New Era|20/11/2018

A total of 1300 households in two Windhoek informal settlements are expected to be electrified by end of this year. The City of Windhoek yesterday commissioned the new Lafrenz electrical load centre, which is expected to supply electricity to the northern suburbs of the City in the Tobias Hainyeko and Moses //Garoeb constituencies. The areas expected to be electrified are Lafrenz area and its extensions as well as Okuryangava and its extensions (Okahandja Park, Ongulumbashe, Kilimanjaro, Babylon and One Nation A&B). During a tour to Okahandja Park and Havana informal settlements yesterday with City officials and Urban and Rural Development Minister Peya Mushelenga, workers were busy installing poles where individual cables to the houses will be drawn. The poles will also be used as streetlights. City’s Strategic Executive for Electricity Obrien Hekandjo said in Havana informal settlement, 900 households are expected to be electrified while 400 in Okahandja Park informal settlement will also get power. “By December, the electricity will be on,” said Hekandjo. “We will repeat this every year and it depends on the availability of funds. The poles are being set up. Once the cables are on the poles then we will start pulling individual cables in the houses.” The contract value of the project was N$45 million and the project was funded through the City capital budgets during 2016 to 2019 financial years. The project started in May 2016. Chairperson of the Electricity Council Committee and Engineering Services of the City of Windhoek Ian Subasubani said the addition of this load centre to the network will enable the City to deliver reliable electricity services to many in the informal communities and strengthen the distributing network thereby increasing the security of electricity supply to these communities. Subasubani stated that the electricity demand growth is between one percent and three percent and have seen accelerated electricity demand growth within Windhoek’s informal residential areas and the northern industrial areas. He said the accelerated growth resulted in the CoW having to upgrade its electrical infrastructure north of Windhoek such as the Lafrenz load centre. Subasubani added the new Lafrenz load centre has the state of the art primary and secondary equipment enabling the City to monitor and control equipment in the substation remotely from the City’s control centre. Mushelenga added that darkness in areas of Okahandja Park, Ongulumbashe, Kilimanjaro, Babylon and One Nation will be the thing of the past. “We cannot afford to neglect these communities from the provision of electricity infrastructure. They too need to be brought on par with other residents of the City to ensure that our service delivery is not discriminatory against any member of the society. Mushelenga added that at times, power failures or load shedding disrupts businesses operation. “This negatively impacts on the overall economic activities of the City. The addition of this electrical load centre in the network will address congestion in the City’s distribution grid network. It will allow the City to deliver electricity services to many communities and strengthen the distribution network, thereby increasing the reliability in electricity supply in the City of Windhoek,” said Mushelenga.

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2.17 N$12 million shot in the arm for Keetmans water network The New Era|22/11/2018

The Keetmanshoop municipality is working towards upgrading its ageing water network system with the help of a N$12 million grant from the local French embassy. Speaking during a ceremony on Tuesday, where details of the deal were revealed, Keetmanshoop Mayor Gaudentia Kröhne said that with the help of the FASEP grant, the N$12 million will be used to address the obsolete state of the supply and distribution water network at the town and to rehabilitate the Naute dam-Keetmanshoop pipeline. She said the municipality’s challenges with the water network are well documented with the frequent pipe bursts, causing not only water wastage but a significant loss of income for the municipality, and this she said is why the project is important to ensure sustainable and optimal performance of the system and an end to water wastage. “We are sitting with pipes that are 40-50 years old, and the frequent pipe bursts and subsequent water losses have had a very negative impact on the financial situation of the municipality,” she noted. She stressed that if such water losses are avoided, money lost due to pipe bursts can then be used to improve service delivery to residents, such as servicing of land and provision of affordable housing to the people, and therefore the project is very important and a light at the end of a tunnel for the municipality. Keetmanshoop CEO Desmond Basson put the municipality’s losses into perspective, saying that the municipality keeps making losses of over a million per month, which is recorded as unaccounted for due to pipe bursts, as residents cannot pay for water that they have not used, noting that it is thus imperative that the water network be upgraded. “With our N$5 million water bill per month, 25 percent of that is lost and unaccounted for due to water pipe bursts, so if we fix this we will be able to collect what we should collect as payments,” he said.

French ambassador to Namibia, Claire Bodonyi in her brief remarks said France remains a friend to Namibia and that the agreement with the municipality and NamWater was made possible due to the two countries’ good relationships and that the project will see French specialists share their skills and knowledge on water management, but she was quick to note that all will be done on Namibia’s terms. “Water is key for everyone and we are here to carry on the friendship of the two countries and to transfer the highest skills we can, but we are not here to impose on what you do not want,” she said. The 18-month project is to be carried out by French firm Altereo.

2.18 Matongo Family fundraise tonight for Tura hall The New Era|23/11/2018

Renowned music group, Matongo Family, is aiming at raising N$400 000 tonight in the Katutura Community Hall to renovate a hall building that has been standing for the past 54 years. Strauss Lunyangwe, group member, says the building has played a significant role within the Katutura community, and among others, used to host political meetings, examinations space for school children, wedding functions and served as a recreational facility for the youth. “We take it upon ourselves to start being responsible citizens and make a change for our people. We can only do this with the help of people because it’s time we show people how residents from Katutura can come together and portray a good image, because the connotation is always bad when it comes to us,” says Lunyangwe. He adds the Katutura narrative should change into a success story to can make history together. “Even if people are not able to come they can pledge their tickets. Corporate company can also buy tickets for their staff members to show support. We further request stakeholders to come on board because this is the very community that supports most of their businesses,” adds Lunyangwe. The Matongo Family brand stood solely from the support of their fans, which Lunyangwe states is remarkable, thus he commends patriotic Namibians who support local products and projects. “Basically we came up with the idea of giving back to the much said community that has supported Matongo Family for the past 20 years,” he notes. The Matongo Family musical journey has been quite exciting. “We took a long break to concentrate on our solo and personal careers,” Lunyangwe testifies encouraging fellow 35

Namibians to take all opportunities life throws at them and utilise experience learnt from mistakes. “What motivates me is to try and make a change whether big or small. That is why we even came up with the #savekatuturahall initiative,” he empasises. He is optimistic people will come on board, unite and stand together for a god cause. “We are dedicated to meet the City of Windhoek halfway with service provision. At the same time, we look forward have a well-attended show with no crime and just positive atmosphere,” says Lunyangwe. The show kicks off at 18:00 with heavy security presence provided by the City Police, Namibian Police, Security Services, Emergency Services and Car Guards. Tickets are available from CompuTickets outlets s for N$100, golden circle, and N$200 VIP access.

2.19 Japan to the rescue of Tobias Hainyeko learners The New Era|26/11/2018

The Tobias Hainyeko Primary School last Thursday received a new school block consisting of four permanent classrooms and one storeroom from the government of Japan. The new structures will help the Katutura School to phase out the double session system, also called the platoon system, which sees some learners having to attend afternoon classes because of space constraints. The new school block was funded by the government of Japan, through its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) and was constructed to the tune of N$942 418. The beneficiaries of this new block are 160 Grade 1 learners. At the inauguration ceremony, Deputy Minister of Education, Arts and Culture Anna Nghipondoka in her keynote address commended the Embassy of Japan, that she referred to as dedicated friends of education, for making a huge difference in creating a conducive teaching and learning environment for the less privileged groups of society. “I must pause therefore and compliment the embassy for a job well done and for this generous gesture,” said Nghipondoka. She said that the government is well-vested with significant collaborative and collective efforts in the development of education, hence a call to the private and business sectors to support the cause of education in the country. “The support from one country to another is commendable in that the Japanese government and its people have demonstrated commitment to contribute to the development of Namibia’s most precious commodity, its people,” said Nghipondoka. Nghipondoka further noted that countries are interdependent, adding that education produces a suitably qualified workforce required by the private and public sectors across the world. “It is only through a well- educated workforce that we will be able to eradicate poverty, hunger, disease and gender inequality,” she added. She urged the school management, staff and the entire school community to guard against any form of vandalism to the donated infrastructure, telling them to foster a culture of ownership. “The least we can do as Namibians as a token of appreciation towards the Japanese government is to protect these properties for many generations to come,” she encouraged. At the same event, Hideaki Harada, Ambassador of Japan to Namibia, motivated learners to contact the embassy for full scholarship opportunities for university education. “Please study hard, and hopefully one day you’ll get a chance to visit, or study in, Japan,” said Harada. Tobias Hainyeko Primary School is the 34th school that has benefitted from Japan’s GGP since its inception in Namibia in 1997. Since the opening of the embassy in Windhoek, 54 projects have benefited from the GGP, to the tune of N$37.5 million. Of these 38 are in education, with 11 schools getting a combined 41 constructed classrooms. Eight of these schools are in Khomas Region. Tobias Hainyeko Primary School, located in Tobias Hainyeko Constituency, is situated in one of the most disadvantaged settlements in Windhoek where the population is rapidly growing. The school was established in 1996 and currently accommodates about 1 615 learners from pre-primary to Grade 7, with close to 50 teachers.

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2.20 Community demands services The New Era|28/11/2018

The residents of Rundu continue to express their disappointment and frustration towards council, which is accused of failing to provide basic services. Rundu is one of the larger towns in Namibia in terms of its population, currently at about 90 000, however, the residents are forced to endure many challenges which keep piling up. Ewi lyaNooli has observed how the town has turned into a dumping site as heaps of filth are scattered all around. Apart from the filth, Rundu is known for its water problems where the residents are used to being without water for days. However, government recently inked a deal with NamWater to allow for residents to have uninterrupted supply for the next couple of months. The situation has also led to residents resorting to collecting water from the Okavango River at times to survive while hoping the situation will be rectified. Rundu town council owes NamWater about N$60 million. The residents have also expressed their frustration towards council, which is accused of not availing serviced land. This, the residents say, has led to the thousands of people living in various, and growing, informal settlements. Ewi lyaNooli this month witnessed how residents petitioned the Kavango governor, Samuel Mbambo, regarding the situation in Rundu. The norm is that residents normally petition the local authority but this time around they demanded that the president's appointee look into the matter and assist them in getting their issues addressed. The issues highlighted in the petition pertain to poor water supply, refuse removal, poor road infrastructure, a lack of street lights and slow development. “The lack of adequate water supply has also affected the overall hygiene of residents, and businesses have made great losses while children missed school time. The state of the affected hostels is simply inhumane, cruel and unusual,” the petition to Mbambo read. “The Rundu town council has violated our very dignity.” On the issue of refuse removal, the residents of Rundu say they are fed up with paying every month for a service which council does not provide. They further expressed their dissatisfaction towards council regarding the bad road infrastructure saying that vehicle owners spend a lot of money on repairs which arere caused by the humongous potholes. Regarding the street lights, the residents say it is a matter which has been ongoing for a long time. Some streets have been without lights for years which they believe puts their lives at risk especially at night. “Another long-standing issue is that some streets have no lights. The majority of lights that do exist are not working for years. This jeopardises our safety as residents and promotes criminal activities,” the petition read. The residents also used the opportunity to bemoan council's slow pace of developing the town saying that large parts of the town is not surveyed. The concerned residents also blasted council for not having its own offices as they continue to rent buildings from the works and transport ministry.

The demands

In the petition to Mbambo, the residents indicated that they want his office to engage central government to bail out Rundu town council from its N$60 million water debt with NamWater. They further demand that NamWater to be entrusted with the distribution of water to the residents and not council. “It has become abundantly clear that only is NamWater reliable for the distribution of water, it was also discovered that their rates are much more affordable and acceptable to the people of our town,” the residents demanded. “As such we move that this mandate be removed from town council and offered to NamWater as part of the solution to our long-standing issue of water supply,” The group that protested said they were left with no choice but to approach the governor's office. The deadline set for feedback is 31 January 2019. Mbambo, upon receiving the petition, assured the town's residents that he will relay the letter to the relevant offices.

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2.21 Skole op Rehoboth het weer water Republikein|28/11/2018

Die watertoevoer na skole op Rehoboth is Maandag herstel nadat dit dieselfde dag weens wanbetaling afgesny is. Ouers is Maandag laat weet geen water is by skole beskikbaar nie. Opdrag is deur verskeie skole aan ouers gegee dat graad 0- tot 3-leerlinge eerder tuis moet bly en net Vrydag hul rapporte by die onderskeie skole moet gaan afhaal. Regeringskole sluit Vrydag vir die Desem•bervakansie. Graad 4- tot 7-leerlinge wat nog eksamen skryf, kon teen 09:00 ná afloop van die eksamen huis toe gaan. Volgens 'n omsendbrief van die Primêre Skool St. Joseph was die reëlings nodig omdat hul water afgesny is, terwyl die Primêre Skool Ruimte ouers laat weet het “die watermeters is by alle skole in Rehoboth uitgehaal en geen water- en toiletgeriewe is by die skool beskikbaar nie”. Me. Nathalia /Goagoses, die ministerie van stedelike en landelike ontwikkeling se verteenwoordiger op Rehoboth, het gister bevestig die watertoevoer is Maandag reeds na die skole herstel. Dit het gevolg nadat die ministerie van onderwys, kuns en kultuur onderneem het om 'n gedeelte van hul skuld te vereffen. Volgens haar beloop die skuld N$5 miljoen en is onderneem om N$1,5 miljoen daarvan te betaal. /Goagoses het in November 'n beroep op inwoners gedoen om reëlings vir die afbetaling van hul agterstallige rekenings te tref voordat sy hulle “in die leeu se mond gooi”. Sy het ook gemaan sy is genadeloos in dié verband en besighede wat nie reëlings vir betaling tref nie, se dienste sál opgeskort word. Goagoses het vroeër vandeesmaand gesê die dorp se agterstallige skuld aan NamPower beloop N$84 miljoen, terwyl NamPower toe gewag het vir N$29 miljoen wat aan hom verskuldig is. Intussen het inwoners op sosiale media hul misnoeë met die waterlose skole te kenne gegee. “Water kan mos regtig nie afgesit word by 'n skool ten koste van ons kinders nie. Onderwys skuld die water by die dorpsraad, hoekom moet 'n onskuldige kind daaronder ly?” het een gevra. 'n Ander het uitgevaar teen /Goagoses en gesê die sny van water en krag op die dorp “verneder” inwoners. Nog 'n inwoner het laat weet die dorp se strate is “vol laerskoolkinders en ook graad 9- en 11-leerlinge” wat as die “grootste grap van die jaar” beskryf is. “Kinders kan nie skool toe gaan nie, want skole het nie water of krag nie. Wat sê dit van onderwys? Dit het nog nooit in die verlede gebeur nie.”

2.22 Chicco opens warehouses and office complex in Windhoek The New Era|28/11/2018

The Minister of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development, Tjekero Tweya, last week officially opened the Dr Shapumba Warehouses and Office Complex in Windhoek’s Northern Industrial Area. Tweya, who was the keynote speaker at the opening, said he was happy that despite the economic challenges in the country, Dr Erastus Shapumba, affectionately known as “Chicco”, is still able to invest millions of dollars to create jobs while others are retrenching. This investment, said Tweya, would eventually result in increased consumer spending which would impact growth in businesses and long- term economic stability. Commenting on the expansion of his business empire, Shapumba attributed his success to the dedication customer satisfaction which he said in the process breeds customer loyalty. The new development in Windhoek’s industrial area will serve Shapumba’s expanding interests which currently include 24 stores in building supplies, 12 long haul trucks and three farms. At the opening, Shapumba underscored the trust and respect he has for his employees in carrying out their business-related duties as the greatest contributing factor to his business success. He added that he will continue to take property development in Namibia to another level through the Chicco Group of Companies. Recently completed investments by the group includes the Ongwediva Corner Shop, which is a massive centre of over 11 000 square metres that is expected to employ more than 300 people. Upcoming developments by the Group includes the Dr Shapumba Towers in Windhoek’s Independence Avenue and Oshakati Open Market Mall.

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2.23 Okahandja overcharges residents for 10 years The Namibian|29/11/2018

The urban development ministry has advised the Okahandja Town Council that had been overcharging some residents for about 10 years to restart the property valuation process after it emerged that the system used was faulty. Some residents are so angry that they have threatened not to pay for services until the council has resolved the errors caused by the faulty system. One resident told The Namibian that he had to whip out his gun and threaten to shoot a council official who had come to disconnect water and electricity supplies at his house. The Okahandja municipality's executive for finance, information technology and asset management, Pesella Nunda, confirmed to The Namibian last week that they were aware of the residents' concerns. Although Nunda could neither confirm nor deny the overcharging, he admitted that the urban development ministry had advised them to restart the valuation process. Nunda added that the municipality still uses a 2008 valuation roll because the one provided in 2013 by a service provider was “riddled with many errors and omissions”. He said in the absence of a valuation roll, the council is relying on the Local Authorities Act on how the residents will be charged. Nunda stated that they will also rely on the act when it comes to refunding the residents. The act provides that council would refund the rates overcharged where a valuation has been decreased. “We fully understand that the issue is long overdue. However, we appeal to our residents to bear with us as we try to deal with the issue of the valuation of all rateable municipal properties the correct way as prescribed by law,” he continued. Nunda then advised the affected residents to pay their outstanding debts, and to register their claims with chief executive officer Martha Mutilifa. Okahandja resident Carlo Lukas told The Namibian last week that he threatened municipal workers with violence to prevent them from entering his premises to disconnect his water supply. He owes the municipality around N$8 000, which includes rates and taxes. Lukas is one of the many residents in the Smarties Extension Eight location who are asking the municipality to set off their municipal debts against what the council allegedly owes them in overcharged taxes. Lukas said they learned of the overcharging in the middle of this year, and questioned the municipality over the matter. The residents claim that while the municipality first agreed to pay them back the overcharged amount, the council allegedly made a U-turn, and told the residents that they would only be paid back for three years, if at all. Another resident, who declined to be named, said she had her water supply disconnected because she owed the municipality, despite her pleading with the municipality to set off her debt against the overcharged amount. “I have a sick, elderly aunt at home, and they came to cut off my water while they know they owe us money,” the mother of five and the provider of an eight-member household said. “I don't understand how they have the nerve to come and cut off my water because I owe them, but they expect me to understand that there are complications around paying back my money,” the woman charged. She urged the urban development minister to address the matter as she feels the municipality is busy with theft “from those who already don't have”. Mutilifa said she was not prepared to comment on the matter via telephone.

2.24 Container terminal planned at Gobabis Republikein|30/11/2018

TransNamib Holdings and Botswana Railways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see a container terminal developed at Gobabis. The agreement was signed by the chief executive officer of TransNamib, Johny Smith, and the chief executive officer of Botswana Railways, Leonard Musa, in Gaborone on Monday. “The MoU signals the beginning of a beneficial relationship to develop and enhance trade between the two countries,” TransNamib spokesperson Ailly Hangula-Paulino said in a statement. Hangula-Paulino said the cooperation will help open up import and export opportunities. This will help unlock the value of the Trans-Kalahari route, even though the two countries have not yet been linked by rail. “This MoU will serve as the short- to medium-term partnership to connect the two rail companies via rail-road intermodal service,” she said. She explained 39 that the intermodal linkage from Walvis Bay to Gobabis will replace the road transportation return trip which is about 1 200 kilometres. “This agreement serves as impetus and should bring back life into rail again. We hope this serves as a starting point to assist the two governments to develop the Trans- Kalahari railway project,” Hangula-Paulino said. The MoU will also help the two parties to collaborate in train plan automatisation, signalling systems, level crossings, siding connectivity, human capital- related learnings and growth, she said

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3 Livelihoods and Urban Economy

3.1 Centre gives hope to informal settlement The New Era|08/11/2018

In the dusty informal settlement of Goreangab is the Hope for the Hopeless centre which cares for children of that community of urban poor. The centre, located near the sports field in the informal settlement, has been operating since June. The primary aim of the day care facility is to keep children busy while their parents go out to make a living. Immanuel Sheefeni, a HIV activist, is its founder. He said in an interview with New Era recently that he saw the need to assemble the children of Goreangab informal settlement in the makeshift structure because they previously spent most of their time playing on the streets with no education or recreation. “I live here. I see what is happening here and so I decided to create a suitable environment for these children. If it was not for the centre, the children would just be here in the surroundings, going from bar to bar,” he told New Era while the children played joyously in the background. “Tate Immanuel, I am hungry,” one child interrupted our interview. “They will finish cooking now,” he replied. The initiative has won him favour with local businesses that occasionally support the centre with donations ranging from food to toys and books. During the week, the children mostly eat instant porridge and on weekends when the sponsors buy food, they get to eat rice, vegetables, snacks and other delicacies, explained Sheefeni. Sheefeni has one full-time volunteer who takes care of the children. “She cooks for the children and also keeps them busy with educational material donated to the centre. We don’t have a curriculum because it’s not really a school. We just keep the children here to take them off the streets. The children have become friendlier with each other and they interact well together. They like to come here because they know we will feed them and look after them,” said Sheefeni. All of this is at no cost and the centre depends on support to buy food for the children. Out of the 86 children kept at the centre during the day, the youngest is two years old while the oldest is eight years old. “We can feel the impact of having the centre here because our children no longer just play anywhere in the area. They play here at the centre which makes them safer and they are also fed here because not all of them always have decent meals at home,” said Katrina Petrus, a resident of Goreangab informal settlement. Simon Andjamba, the executive director of Oluzizi World of Commerce, one of the sponsors, stressed the importance of corporate social responsibility. “We have seen the need to invest in these children and we know that Sheefeni comes up with brilliant ideas that benefit the community he lives in. These children are the future leaders, we need to invest in them as they are the ones who will work for our companies one day,” said Andjamba who sponsored the children with food and goodies. The centre is open Monday to Saturday. On Sundays there are fewer children.

3.2 Meeting in Gobabis to harmonise agric shows, trade fairs, expos The New Era|13/11/2018

A meeting of stakeholders in trade fairs and expos, horseracing and communal agricultural shows is being scheduled in Gobabis soon to harmonise these three events that lately have started to clash and/or compete against one another rather than complimenting one another in one way or another. Farmers have lately particularly been complaining about the erosion of the traditional agricultural shows, which have been taking place in the various communal areas with a sharp focus on livestock. However, these lately seems to be undermined by trade fairs and expos which has been mushrooming in the main centres or rural settlements or village councils, and even towns like Okakarara and cities like Windhoek, especially the Katutura Trade Expo. Foremost, among the complaints from the farmers who have been participating in these fairs and expos is the treatment that have been meted to them, including the random organisation, of such fairs and expos, and also by their sheer numbers that farmers have been presenting farmers showcasing their animals at such fairs and expos with a catch 41

22 situation which one to attend given their cramped scheduling allowing little space. Not only this but it also means should any farmer become indiscriminate and injudicious targeting each and every trade fair and/or expo, this would leave little if no time at all for farmers to attend to their farming. Not to mention the fact that complement and synergy in this regard is compromised. To add insult to injury, the expos and fairs have also started to compete with horse races that have now become a regular features at such expos and fairs and that have not only been pulling away crowds, but has even been undercutting the final laps of the livestock sections with organisers hurrying this part, which usually entails judging and prize-giving, to attend horseracing. Albert Tjihero, a longstanding farmer and one of the champions of livestock shows at the communal level, says the tradition has been for any Saturday to be the highlight of the livestock section of any fair or expo when most part-time farmers may be able to attend. But this days things are hurried for horseracing, meaning these days livestock do not get the necessary time and attention. Unless this situation is addressed for the better, the chairperson of the Ongombe Farmers Association (OFA), Tjihero, who has for years now been spearheading the annual show of the association, with two editions thereof at the Windhoek Showgrounds, envisages the crossing of the Rubicon where farmers would have to contemplate separating livestock showcasing from trade fairs and/or expos, as well as horseracing. Unless all role players address this matter well in advance before next year when the season of expos and fair starts again.

Coming shortly from the experience of the Katutura expo, which this year only attracted 24 sheep, Katjinduu Tjahuha, one of the organisers of the livestock section at the show, cannot agree more with Tjihero about the need to go back to the drawing board. Nor does he mince his words that this year the livestock section at the Katutura Trade Fair was a step backward. He partly attributes this to the shifting of the dates of the show to November, away from the country’s main industrial and agricultural showpiece, the Windhoek Show, which is end September, beginning October. Echoing Tjihero, Tjahuha says all fairs and expos should thus be organised close to the Windhoek Show at the last chapter. For any farmer, says Tjiherero, it would have been an extra burden to return livestock to the Katutura Trade Fair a month later after bringing them to the Windhoek Show, which cannot be cost effective, especially given the fact that farmers have to dig deep in their pockets in this regard. But the return in showcasing livestock may necessarily not be commensurate with the effort. Tjahuha further motivates the need for a serious relook at trade fairs/expos vis-à-vis livestock show in view of the fact that inherently fairs and expos have not been created with livestock showcasing as a primary focus but rather to boost the businesses of towns and cities. In this regard, he cites the example of fairs such as Ongwediva with no livestock showcasing but which have been proving a success.

3.3 2019 Namibia Tourism Expo is launched The Namibian Sun|15/11/2018

The 2019 Namibia Tourism Expo will take place from 5 to 8 June 2019 in Windhoek at the Windhoek showgrounds. The dates were announced at the official launch in Windhoek yesterday. The Expo, which continues to be the biggest tourism event in Namibia, brings together tourism stakeholders from Namibia and neighbouring countries. The Expo, which is turning 21 years next year, will also be celebrating its last sub-theme of the five years of ecotourism and will focus on recycling. “Namibia needs to emphasise on the approach of improving practices and standards at waste disposal sites, as well as improving overall waste management so that Namibia maintains being a sought-after tourism destination in Africa,” said Albe Botha, CEO of Namibia Media Holdings.

For 21 years, the Namibia Tourism Expo has received full support from the Namibian government through the environment ministry, the Namibia Tourism Board and the City of Windhoek. FirstRand Namibia Group chief marketing officer Tracy Eagles reiterated FNB and WesBank's continued support to the Namibia Tourism Expo. “The NTE is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate Namibia, its majestic

42 natural skylines, its infinite wildlife detail, and the collaborative diversity of our people. How we rally together in the small things, provides impetus for improved economic results in the industry and in its supporting sectors, for reviving countrywide goodwill, and for encouraging local and international investment. We are looking forward to meeting new visitors and old friends, with both WesBank and FNB ready to make the 2019 NTE and Motor Show the best ever.” Maureen Posthuma, head of marketing of the Namibia Tourism Board said: “The Namibia Tourism Expo is an exciting multi-channel platform for the Namibian tourism industry to showcase their product offering to the Namibian travellers. The Namibia Tourism Board therefore welcomes the initiative by the NMH management to dedicate an entire hall towards the promotion of domestic tourism. Domestic tourism in Namibia has a lot of growth potential and can become a major revenue earner if more Namibians travel around their own country. Tourism indeed begins at home.” “Old Mutual's commitment as co-sponsor of the Namibia Tourism Expo the past four years is driven by our passion to advance an inclusive positive future as a responsible business not only to the environment but in everything we do,” said Kosmas Egumbo, CEO of Old Mutual Namibia. The Namibia Tourism Expo has seen a sustained growth in the number of exhibitors and visitors since its inception. As organisers, its success is measured by the quality of the exhibitors and consequently the number of visitors that enters the showground gates each year. We are excited to have been part of the Namibia Tourism Expo for the past 21 years and we are fortunate to have been part of the growth of tourism in Namibia through the Expo, said Maggy Mbako, public relations executive at Namibia Media Holdings. The Namibia Tourism Expo is supported by Namibia Media Holdings, First National Bank as well as Old Mutual.

3.4 Food bank launched at Rundu The New Era|19/11/2018

Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, Zephania Kameeta, launched food bank here at Sauyemwa. Sauyemwa is a recently formalised settlement where poverty is also widespread just like most of Rundu’s recently formalised localities like Ndama to name a few. Out of the 949 beneficiaries that were submitted by the committee, only 811 from Rundu have been approved and will benefit from the programme. However, the beneficiary registration is still ongoing. “Today marks yet another milestone in the quest to ensure that no Namibian goes to bed hungry or dies from hunger; with the launch of food distribution, as part of one of government’s programmes aimed at addressing poverty hunger,” Kameeta said. Kameeta noted that household food insecurity is one of the major underlying causes of malnutrition, a situation that has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to consider household food and nutrition security as a basic human right. “Addressing poverty hunger in Namibia, therefore speaks to the basic building blocks of a caring nation. Hunger is the lowest level of poverty, it is only logical that His Excellency the President, in the Harambee Prosperity Plan, tasked the Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare together with other key government Offices/Agencies/Ministries (OMAs) to address hunger poverty,” he said. Kameeta noted that the establishment of food banks, is one such way of addressing hunger, especially in the urban and peri- urban areas. Other programmes include improving agricultural productivity, school feeding programmes and the provision of food during natural disasters such as droughts and floods. The first ever food bank programme in Namibia was launched by Dr Hage Geingob on June 30, 2016 in Windhoek. This was followed by the distribution of dry food items in seven constituencies of the Khomas Region as part of a pilot programme. The pilot phase of the food bank programme was concluded and the ministry conducted an assessment in collaboration with the University of Namibia; to mainly evaluate the impact of food bank on household food security and to guide future operations of the food bank programme in Namibia. “By the conclusion of the pilot phase of the Khomas Region food programme, about 15,519 households, representing a total of 67,987 individuals were benefiting from the food bank in the seven constituencies of Khomas,” Kameeta informed. “However, after internal revision of the list of beneficiaries, especially in line with the preliminary figures of the National

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Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2015/16 and the findings from the Unam evaluation report, the number of households was reduced by more than 5, 000 households,” he said.

3.5 Omaheke activates its youth for entrepreneurship The New Era|19/11/2018

A regional youth seminar on the 121 Rural Youth Enterprises initiative was held last week in Gobabis. This is in line with the Cabinet directive that each of the 121 constituencies in the country registers a youth enterprise in accordance with the ‘Economic Advancement”, a pillar under the Harambee prosperity emphasising poverty eradication and creation of employment opportunities. This is through the establishment of enterprises thus leading to self-sustainability within the youth population. The seminar was well attended by youth representatives for all the seven constituencies of the Omaheke Region. Karukirue Tjijenda, Director of Planning and Development in the regional council, advised the youth to establish enterprises that are profit driven which will in turn respond to unemployment through job creation. The advantage of such enterprises according to Veronia Mokaleng-Kuzeeko, is the opportunity they will create for joint partnerships between government, private sector, civil society and citizens in the development of sustainable youth projects. Although some young people had mixed feelings about this new concept, Njandee Kenaruzo, a participant from the Aminuis Constituency, said the enterprises would encourage young people to remain in rural areas thereby reducing the high influx into towns and cities. This would in turn bring development as well as better livelihoods. She thus urged the government to assist with funding businesses at the grassroots level. All this is in the quest of correcting the past which led to Namibia being rated the third-worst country in Sub-Sahara in youth entrepreneurship, with just 33 percent of young people in the country starting their own businesses, and with only 44 percent young entrepreneurs who for that matter do not employ anybody else in their ventures other than themselves, said Mokaleng-Kuzeeko.

3.6 SSC avails N$2 million for NUST to train Keetmanshoop youth The New Era|22/11/2018

A service level agreement signed this week between the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and the Social Security Commission (SSC) will facilitate skills training in gemology, jewellery design and entrepreneurship for the country’s unemployed youth. The agreement, for which N$2 million has been reserved by SSC, was signed on Tuesday by Dr Tjama Tjivikua, NUST vice-chancellor (pro tem), and SSC chief executive officer, Milka Mungunda. The training under the agreement will target 30 unemployed youth from marginalised communities in Keetmanshoop and will be conducted in the southern town for a duration of one year. The aim of this training programme is to empower unemployed youth with the necessary skills to either start their own businesses or seek employment in the gemstone sector. “The importance of skills provisioning for the youth and value addition to our mineral resources is critical in the total picture of economic development. That’s why NUST recognises the vital role that this kind of engagement plays in Namibia’s industrialisation agenda and economic development. This engagement adds value to the diversification and growth of the economy in order to contribute to structural transformation and employment creation, and to be a player in the global economy,” said Tjivikua at the signing ceremony. Tjivikua noted that NUST already has a track record of similar engagements as about four years ago it partnered with the Overseas Development Cooperation (ODC) and its international partners in Finland and in Sweden to train 30 youths in gemology, jewellery-making and entrepreneurship in Keetmanshoop. To date some of these youths are employed in the gemstone sector while two of them are now engaged in a full-fledged business of producing jewellery with financial support from ODC and business development support from CED. Commenting on the partnership between the two institutions, SSC’s Mungunda said it is no longer news that the country is facing severe challenges of poverty and unemployment as is evident by the

44 high unemployment rate of 34 percent. “Our government has been striving tirelessly to attain the NDP (National Development Plan) goals of inclusive, equitable and sustainable economic growth. They surely cannot succeed in this endeavour without the collective support of the SOE sector. It is against this backdrop, premised on mutual understanding, that this SSC and NUST collaboration bears testimony of our joint efforts, henceforth, to address the challenges of unemployment in Namibia,” said Mungunda. She noted that the agreement signed this week results from an application by NUST as a training provider of the commission’s Register of Registered Training Providers, which was approved under the SSC Fund Regulations (2010). Mungunda confirmed that under this agreement, NUST will be responsible for the implementation of the training scheme, focussing on skills training in gemology and jewellery design and entrepreneurship for unemployed youth in Keetmanshoop. “I’m pleased to announce that an amount of N$2 million has been reserved for this project. This amount will be administered by NUST, solely and exclusively as per stipulations of this agreement … I’m sure you will agree with me that the town of Keetmanshoop is about to experience a true measure of radical social change as the lives of 30 unemployed residents in Keetmanshoop are about to be changed irrevocably,” Mungunda concluded.

3.7 Unregistered Keetmans residents flock to food bank The New Era|27/11/2018

Despite not having been registered to benefit from the government’s food bank programme, many Keetmanshoop residents yesterday flocked to the bank with the hope of getting their hands on some of the food items. The street committee members were hard at work distributing food for November and December, with each beneficiary receiving two bags of maize meal and a parcel containing basic food items such as cooking oil, sugar, canned fish and flour. But while many were pleased to have received some food, some were equally disappointed, saying it is unfair that they did not receive food while they too are unemployed and poverty-stricken like those who have been registered as beneficiaries. Daniel Topnaar, 45, told New Era that he heard that people were getting food and rushed to the WAD centre so that he can also collect food for his family, as they had nothing to eat at home, adding that life has been hard for his family since he stopped working three months ago. Topnaar narrated that he is the sole bread winner and have to take care of his wife and four children, who stay with him at Keetmanshoop’s informal reception area, but he said putting bread on the table has been tough since he no longer works and it is unfortunate that his family was never registered to benefit from the food bank programme. “I am unemployed for three months now, I had worked on a contract basis which finished and I am now just seated at home, I do not understand why I should not get these food, I am also poor like these people, so I do not understand why they did not register my wife despite them visiting our shack, this is not fair, we must all get food we are all poor,” he said. Another resident, Clanks Haman (30), also expressed his frustration that he could not get food because he was not registered, saying he does not understand what requirements are followed, pointing out that as a young person who has been unemployed for two years now, it is hard to make ends meet. He also questioned fairness of the registration process. “How do I not qualify? I have been unemployed for too long, it is difficult to get something to eat, let those registering treat us the same and not have favouritism towards certain people,” he stated. A government representative Wilma Dirk who was at the site told New Era that it is a common thing that unregistered people turn up and ask for food, but that it is unfortunate that they are turned away as only those registered are catered for, and those not registered will only be able to be registered next year. “Some unregistered people also come when we handing out the food parcels, but we can unfortunately only give to those registered,” she indicated. About 229 registered beneficiaries received their food.

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3.8 OTIE exhibition days cut The Namibian Sun|28/11/2018

The Ondangwa town council has reduced the numbers of days for the annual Ondangwa Trade and Industrial Exhibition (OTIE) from nine to seven. According to the town council's spokesperson Petrina Shitalangaho, this was necessitated by complaints from exhibitors and in consultation with stakeholders. “We have received numerous complaints from various exhibitors that the number of exhibition days were too many. After various consultations with our stakeholders, we decided to reduce the number of days from nine to seven,” said Shitalangaho. “This will also ease the burden of paying high overtime and S&T to participating companies or government agencies, especially given the current country economic climate.” For next year, the trade and industrial exhibition is expected to take place from 29 April to 4 May. Shitalangaho said that the OTIE has grown and evolved over the past eight years. She said that over the years, organisers as well as exhibitors, have hailed the trade exhibition show a success. “We decided to listen to the complaints because of the number of people who showed support towards the OTIE. We needed that response on time,” she said. There are various manufacturing, industry and value activities happening at Ondangwa and most of these businesses are owned by Namibians. Shitalangaho said that the rate at which the town is developing into an economically vibrant urban area, offers diverse opportunities to its inhabitants, visitors and prospective investors alike. She therefore urged business people to see the Ondangwa Trade and Industrial Exhibition as a platform to showcase their products and services to the potential customers. “This is evidence that the town is suitable and has positioned itself to attract more investors. I urge our local business community, especially those venturing into manufacturing and value addition, to exhibit their products and services during our trade show. “This is the only way we can grow our business and economy from the primary sector of extracting raw resources and start processing our resources into finished goods for our own consumption and export too,” she said.

3.9 Informal economy poised for productivity The Namibian|28/11/2018

Once start-ups in the informal economy find ways of upscaling their existing businesses and finding alternative sources of income, they would be able to improve that sector, while putting informal settlements on the map as economically productive areas. This will in turn contribute to the growth of the national economy. These were part of the resolutions made at the Gobabis micro-business start- up festival which took place last Friday. The festival was a collaborative effort between the Gobabis municipality and the Financial Literacy Initiative. Over 500 members of informal settlements attended the festival, which was themed 'Own Your Zula'. Many of the informal settlement dwellers are involved in some form of income-generating activity. Hence, supporting them is essential to improve the local economy of the settlement, and address unemployment through job-creation. Speaking at the event, presidential adviser on youth matters and enterprise development Daisry Mathias highlighted the importance of hosting events of this nature in informal settlements to encourage the youth to take a more proactive approach in creating a better future for themselves. The festival offered an in-depth programme with parallel workshops and panel discussions on topics such as 'Own your Zula', dealing with failure as an entrepreneur, managing your business and personal finances, and creativity in business. The festival ended with a pitching competition, where nine residents from the settlement pitched their business ideas on the big stage. The first prize winner walked away with N$6 000 and a Pebble computer, followed by the second and third prize winners, who also received Pebble computers and cash prizes. Each of the participating pitchers also won N$ 1 000. Apart from the innovativeness of the pitches, one of the main pitching criteria was the impact the business idea would have on the Gobabis community. The festival was sponsored by the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German economic and development ministry.

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3.10 “Own Your Zula” festival attracts Gobabis entrepreneurs The New Era|28/11/2018

After the tremendous success of the 2018 Start-Up Festival in Windhoek, the Gobabis Municipality in cooperation with the Financial Literacy Initiative hosted a Micro Business Start-up Festival in Gobabis this past weekend (24 November 2018) in the Freedom Square Informal Settlement. This year’s festival was hosted under the theme “Own Your Zula”. The festival was sponsored by the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The event, which was attended by over 500 members of the informal settlement, served as a platform for participants to learn about upscaling their existing businesses and new ways to create alternative sources of income to improve the local informal economy and put informal settlements on the map as economically productive areas contributing to the local as well as national economy. Many of the informal settlement dwellers in the area are involved in some form of income generating activity. Supporting them is essential to improve the local economy of the settlement and address unemployment through business creation. Speaking at the event, the Presidential Advisor on youth matters and enterprise development, Diasry Mathias, highlighted the importance of hosting events of this nature in informal settlements to encourage the youth to take a more proactive approach in creating a better future for themselves. The festival offered a spectacular programme with parallel workshops and panel discussions on topics such as “Own your Zula”, dealing with failure as an entrepreneur, managing your business and personal finances and creativity in business. The festival concluded with a pitching competition where nine residents from the settlement pitched their business ideas on the big stage. The first prize winner walked away with N$6000 and a Pebble computer, followed by the second and third prize winners who also received Pebble computers and cash prices. Each of the participating pitchers also walked away with N$1000. Apart from the innovativeness of the pitches, one of the main pitching criteria was the impact the business idea would have on the Gobabis community.

3.11 Otavi plant to produce 100,000 tons of steel Windhoek Observer|23-29/11/2018

A planned steel manufacturing plant at Otavi is expected to produce 100,000 tons of steel, officials have revealed. The Noric Otavi plant is owned by Namibian company, Otavi Rebar Manufacturing (Pty) and the Swiss-based Noric Swiss GmbH Noric. Nedbank Namibia Executive for Corporate Investment Banking and Treasury, Karl- Stefan Altmann, said during a signing ceremony held last week that the lender was appointed as lead arranger for the new steel manufacturing plant which is expected to generate about N$2 billion in income on an annual basis. According to the agreement, Nedbank will assist with the financial structuring of the project and facilitate the raising of both quasi-equity and debt capital for the N$ 2.7 billion project which entails the development of a 300,000 ton per annum long product mini mill steel manufacturing plant, where scrap steel is used as primary input and basic steel products are produced for the construction industry. Otavi Town Mayor, Martha Shipanga, said the project will create 350 permanent jobs and that the population of Otavi is expected to double over the next two years when construction is completed and operations begin. The Otavi Town Council has already made provision for additional industrial plots for supporting industries, as well as 1,500 new residential and other plots next to the new industrial area. It also provided 77 hectares of land, through a Public Private Partnership, for the project in which it is also a shareholder. The steel plant will substantially increase council’s revenue stream from the dividends, contributing to the town’s development. Altmann said the development of a steel manufacturing plant, will not only benefit the town of Otavi, but also neighbouring countries such as Angola, Zambia, imbabwe and Botswana. In the last 24 months, some of the deals financed by Nedbank have included the Am Weinberg Estate development, the Dunes Mall development in the town of Walvis Bay as well as the recently launched Ongos Valley development which is set to positively impact the housing situation in Windhoek. 47

3.12 Oshikuku youth hosts inaugural expo The New Era|30/11/2018

With high youth unemployment and a subsequent lack of income, the Oshikuku Youth Forum created temporary jobs for upcoming youth entrepreneurs at the ongoing youth expo in Oshikuku. The expo for the youth by the youth started on Wednesday and is expected to conclude on Sunday. It is being organized with the assistance of the Oshikuku Constituency Office. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the expo, the Deputy Minister of the Public Enterprises Veikko Nekundi said the expo is vital in stimulating entrepreneurial and commercial innovative abilities amongst the youth. He said the expo was equally important in enhancing local and economic development, employment creation amongst other factors. “These are critical enablers for poverty eradication and wealth creation as we endeavour towards a prosperous nation,” said Nekundi. The Chairperson of the Omusati Regional Council Modestus Amutse read Nekundi’s speech on his behalf. Amutse doubles as the Constituency Councillor for Oshikuku Constituency. Nekundi said that he has confidence the youth have the entrepreneurial abilities to utilise local resources to generate goods and services for the Oshikuku market. Nekundi expects the youth to have the ability to supply institutions such as schools and hospitals with basic needs. Chairperson of the Omusati Regional Youth Forum and Secretary of the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) in Omusati, Immanuel Shikongo said the expo creates an opportunity for the youth to advance themselves economically. Shikongo said the youth constantly have to be kept busy in order to curb them from the social –ills that have infested the country. “If such opportunities are constantly availed to the youth, the youth will not even have time to look to government to provide them with jobs. We need jobs but at the same time we need resources and opportunities to advance our lives,” Shikongo said.

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4 Environment & Human Health

4.1 Hande was help hepatitis E voorkom Republikein|05/11/2018

Om jou hande te was, is 'n belangrike en laekoste-ingryping in die stryd teen hepatitis E. Hoewel daar 'n behoefte aan die voorsiening van sanitasiegeriewe en waterpype bestaan, kan eenvoudige ingrypings soos die bou en gebruik van 'n Tippy Tap 'n onmiddellike en laekoste-oplossing bied aan gebiede waar toegang tot water beperk is. In die lig hiervan het die Ameri•kaanse ambassade hande gevat met die ministerie van gesondheid en maatskaplike dienste (MoHSS) om bewustheid te skep vir die •eenvoudige gewoonte om jou hande gereeld te was. Die ministerie en ambassade het onlangs 'n besoek aan die Oshana- en Omusatistreek gebring waar 10 gemeenskapsgebaseerde antiretrovirale (ARV)-klinieke geopen het. Tydens die besoeke het die minis•ter, dr. Bernard Haufiku, en die •permanente sekretaris, mnr. Ben Nangombe, saam met die Amerikaanse ambassadeur in Namibië, me. Lisa Johnson, gewys hoe maklik dit is om die Tippy Tap te gebruik. “Die Amerikaanse ambassade in Namibië bly deur die Sentrum vir Siektebeheer en -voorkoming (CDC) se kantoor in Namibië toegewy aan die MoHSS en sy vennote om die huidige hepatitis E-uitbreking te pak. Ons moedig die voortgesette pogings aan om die verspreiding van die virus hok te slaan. 'n Onmiddellike en •praktiese reaksie wat ons hoop elkeen in sy daaglikse lewe kan help, is om goeie handewaspraktyke toe te pas,” het Johnson gesê. Wêreldhandewasdag word jaarliks op 15 Oktober gevier en word gewy aan bewusmaking en begrip van die belangrikheid daarvan om jou hande met seep te was as 'n doeltreffende en bekostigbare manier om lewens te red en siektes te voorkom. Die dag is 'n geleentheid om maniere te skep en toets om mense aan te moedige om hul hande gereeld te was.

4.2 Pupils clean up Kaisosi The New Era|06/11/2018

Friday was a good day in the streets of the recently formalised Kaisosi location as PSI Praktische Solidaritat International (PSI) Kaisosi branch collaborated with learners from Kaisosi Combined School, Sarusungu Combined and Wazungu High School in a clean-up campaign. The theme of the clean-up was “Be clean, be healthy and be happy.” “We are a non-governmental project founded in Germany in Bremen in the year 1985, and we have an office here in Kaisosi which works with people in this area by supporting them in many ways, like sending some learners to school and so on,” said Simon Frai on behalf of PSI. PSI has an office in Kaisosi where it supports and sends several children to school, empowers women through its rural projects as well as to increase crop yields, to name but a few. The organisation has also built a kindergarten in Kaisosi. The one-day clean-up campaign inspires hygiene and a clean environment for people to live happily.

4.3 Learners resort to open defecation The New Era|06/11/2018

T.H.F !Gaeb Primary School pupils in Khorixas have for the past three years been using the riverbed to relieve themselves that is also a haven for dagga smokers, because their school does not have toilets. The riverbed these learners use borders their school and Welwitschia Junior Secondary School and is infamous for its frequent visits by cannabis smokers who use it to smoke the prohibited weed. The primary school is home to 476 pupils who are relieving themselves in the nearby riverbed when nature calls, however teachers use the two toilets reserved for them situated nearby the principal’s office. According to acting principal Elizabeth Geises who also doubles as Khorixas mayor, the school has dysfunctional toilets that remain blocked. “The toilets were fixed on numerous occasions but nothing 49 changed. We strongly believe that trees’ roots have penetrated the sewerage system,” Geises told New Era last Friday. The acting principal also said she is concerned about the safety of pupils as snakes and insects might bite pupils, and added: “It’s unsafe as the pupils’ lives might be endangered as one does not know who might be lurking behind the trees or the riverbed,” in reference to dagga smokers. In a letter dated 28th September 2018, seen by New Era and addressed to Kunene regional council chairperson Julius Kaujova and Khorixas constituency councilor Elias /Aro Xoagub, Geises wrote: “With reference to the verbal communication we had during the visit to the honorable Minister of Education (Katrina Hanse-Himarwa) in August 2018 in Windhoek. In my capacity as the acting principal and as the mayor of Khorixas town, I am humbly requesting for financial or in kind assistance to renovate our school toilets urgently. These conditions were previously brought to attention of the department of works several times via the office of the Director of Education”. Geises revealed the main problem could be the blocked main sewerage system of the school that must be replaced. “As we are a small school we cannot afford to buy necessary material to renovate our learner’s toilets,” Geises noted, and requested the Kunene Regional Council to assist as a matter of urgency. “We are relieving in the riverbed and although it’s scary, it’s the only place for us. What must we do as our toilets are closed for years now?” said a female pupil. This reporter also saw several pupils trekking to the riverbed to relieve themselves when nature called. Deputy director of education, Alwina Sofia !Aibes, said: “It’s unlikely we will attend to it this year but we have written to our partners to assist us.” The deputy director also said the issue of ablution facilities is experienced throughout the whole region and that some schools that were built do not even have ablution facilities. !Aibes said she will send some officials on Monday (yesterday) to visit the T.H.F !Gaeb Primary School to assess the situation.

4.4 Uncollected Katima rubbish a health hazard The New Era|06/11/2018

Uncollected piles of rubbish continues to pose a health hazard in Katima Mulilo after the town council nullified the refuse collection tender early last month, after it was ordered to re-advertise the rubbish tender by the Procurement Review Panel. New Era reported last month three bidders who were unsuccessful applied for a review, after the Katima Mulilo Town Council disqualified them for reasons ranging from failure to own a truck, bidding outside the line of business and poor performance in previous bids. The review panel said the town council violated the procurement act, and it thus ordered the council to re-advertise the tender. This order has however left a negative effect on the residents and public institutions in Katima Mulilo, who rely on council to collect their rubbish. Piles of an assortment of rubbish has also remained uncollected for a month at the main market in Katima, posing a health hazard to government and other clients who frequent food stalls. Speaking to New Era, the manager of the open market Gloria Siluka said the market does not have any other alternative as they sorely depend on the council to collect the garbage. “We don’t have a vehicle to collect the garbage,” she said. Siluka added the uncollected garbage is a health threat to both the vendors and the customers. “I am appealing to the town council to put their house in order, because at the moment it is a mess. If this situation continues, no one will be entering the market because where the rubbish is being dumped, that is where the entrance to the market is,” said Siluka. The situation has been worsened by the onset of the rainy season that started at the town over the past few days and as the result, the uncollected garbage has started to rot and the smell attracted swarms of flies that have the potential to spread disease. Contacted for comment, the spokesperson of the Katima Mulilo Town Council, Muyoba Muyoba stated that council is working tirelessly to find an amicable and workable solution. “Given that the procurement process take long, we have appointed emergency companies who have already started collecting the garbage as of last week,” said Muyoba. He said in the interim, a company was appointed on a short-term basis adding that it will take some time before it collects all the refuse because there are too many houses and businesses. Some residents have in the meantime resorted to illegal dumping as a way of punishing council. Muyoba however pleaded with the residents to refrain from such actions. “Illegal dumping is not a solution, it will only worsen the situation we are in. Because

50 if an outbreak of cholera or any other disease arises, it will not be selective, everyone will be affected, therefore residents should just be patient while we resolve the situation,” pleaded Muyoba.

4.5 Swimming in faeces The Namibian Sun|08/11/2018

The Gemengde community in Katutura is living amid the stench of raw faeces and claim the City of Windhoek has failed to deal with the issue for nearly two months. City spokesperson Lydia Amutenya also failed to respond to questions sent by Namibian Sun on Tuesday, despite promising to “revert back”. One of the residents, Jessica Mothlapi, said the situation is getting worse every day, as overflowing sewerage drains wreak havoc in the community. “It is so bad that we cannot even cook because of the smell. The children are playing in that septic and dirty water every day and it is dangerous, especially now with the hepatitis E outbreak,” she said. Another resident Immanuel Swartbooi said they have given up on the City because officials simply came, looked around, took pictures, left and never returned. “It has been like this for about two months now. We must just get used to it, I think,” he said. Namibia is grappling with a hepatitis E outbreak and is failing to contain the spread of the disease, which has already caused a number of deaths. Hepatitis E is a liver infection spread either by direct contact with an infected person's faeces or by the indirect faecal contamination of food or water. Infection is more severe among pregnant women, as they are at greater risk of acute liver failure, foetal loss and death. The outbreak is fuelled mainly by a lack of clean water, poor sanitation and poor personal hygiene.The first case was reported in Windhoek in October 2017, but the disease has since spread to other towns including Swakopmund and Oshakati. The disease continues to spread unabated, with a total number of 3 859 cases and 31 deaths reported last month. A World Health Organisation (WHO) report said in January that Namibia has limited capacity when it comes to hepatitis E laboratory diagnosis. It highlighted that the majority of hepatitis E cases have been reported in informal settlements within Windhoek, where living conditions are poor. “The WHO recommends the improvement of access to safe water and proper sanitation through different methods, including home water purification techniques. “The water quality should be regularly monitored in the affected areas. The number of latrines in different settlements should be increased to address the issue of open defecation. In addition, the waste management and overall hygiene practices should be improved,” the WHO report said.

4.6 Rundu: Verdrink in vullis of ly dors Republikein|15/11/2018

Rundu se strate en sypaadjies het in onooglike, stinkende vullishope ontaard omdat die dorpsraad noodsaaklike dienste afskeep. Dít om sy skuld van N$60 miljoen aan NamWater te kan betaal. Inwoners van die dorp het gesê vullisverwyderingsdienste het tot stilstand gekom, terwyl gemors langs paaie, in die riverbedding, voor regeringskantore, besighede en huise ophoop. Eienaars van lodges sê toeroperateurs het intussen ook besluit om by Rundu as ‘n noordelike toeristebestemming verby te hou weens die toenemende stank van die dorp, wat Rundu van waardevolle inkomste beroof. Mnr. Sikongo Haihambo, die dorpsraad se waarnemende uitvoerende hoof, het Vrydag (9 Nov) erken die vullishope is ‘n steen des aanstoots, maar het gesê dié omstandighede is te wyte aan die dorp se “inkomstesiklus”. Die dorp betaal NamWater tans sowat N$4 miljoen per maand. Sowat 30% daarvan word gebruik om sy waterskuld te delg en 70% om nog water aan te koop. Haihambo sê die dorpsraad het besluit om voorkeur te gee aan die volgehoue verskaffing van water aan die dorp, terwyl ander dienste afgeskaal word. Hy sê daar is eenvoudig net nie genoeg geld vir enigiets anders nie. “Ons moes onsself afvra hoeveel geld ons vir ander dienste kan aanwend en hoeveel ons vir water moet aanwend. Water is ons eerste prioriteit,” sê hy. Haihambo erken inwoners met munisipale rekeninge betaal steeds vir die verwydering van vullis, maar sê hierdie geld moet eenvoudig gebruik word om die

51 waterrekening te betaal. Die dorpsraad het tans twee lorries wat vullis bymekaarmaak en verwyder, maar Haihambo sê dit is onvoldoende. “Rundu se dorpsraad is tans op moedverloor se vlakte. Ons moenie foute herhaal nie,” het hy gesê. Rundu se water-ellendes het sowat agt tot tien jaar gelede weens die swak betaling van sy NamWater-rekening begin. Haihambo het dít aan swak beplanning en implementering toegeskryf. Hy sê die dorpsraad moet die gordel styf intrek wat voorraad betref, omdat die dorp se bevolking so vinnig groei. Rundu se bevolkingsgroeikoers is tans 5,4% – effens laer as Windhoek s’n en heelwat hoër as die gemiddelde nasionale groeikoers van 4,2%. Die bevolking het van 63 000 mense in 2011 na 85 700 in 2017 toegeneem en sal na verwagting teen die einde van hierdie jaar 90 000 bereik. “Ons kan nie met diensverskaffing voorbly nie. Dalk moes ons beter beplan het, vir meer hulpbronne gesmeek het of meer geld gemaak het,” het Haihambo gesê, wat sedert 1 September vanjaar die pos van waarnemende uitvoerende hoof beklee. Slegs 14 400 inwoners het munisipale rekeninge, waarvan 28% aan wanbetaling skuldig is. Die res van die inwoners woon in huisies in die informele nedersettings en betaal nie munisipale heffings of tariewe nie. Die instandhouding van paaie het ook agterweë gebly en selfs die paaie by die dorpsingang is beskadig, met gate wat daagliks groter raak.

Verbetering

Haihambo sê ten spyte van dié donker prentjie is dinge besig om te verbeter, en die dorpsraad het meer moed sedert hulle in September en Oktober betaal is. Hy het gesê die dorpsraad oorweeg om op vrywilligers staat te maak om die dorp skoon te maak, en paaie tydelik te herstel. Hy sê hy maak op die sakegemeenskap staat om lorries te verskaf om vullis te verwyder en vullishouers te skenk. “Ons moet doen wat ons ookal kan, en ons het reeds daarmee begin,” het Haihambo gesê.

4.7 Hepatitis hits Havana hard The Namibian|16/11/2018

For months it had been a subject of whisper and spoken about in hushed tones. Hepatitis E was other people's reality, and Alfeaus Sheefeni never thought the deadly virus would touch him or his family. This was until he looked into his wife's eyes and asked her “why are your eyes so yellow?” “Hepatitis E nearly killed my whole family,” Sheefeni told The Namibian last week. His wife, Johanna Imbondi Sheefeni, was six months pregnant when she was diagnosed with the virus on 1 February at Katutura Intermediate Hospital. “They immediately induced me into labour and the baby was born on 2 February and put into an incubator. I was kept away from her… the only person who could see her was her father. We were later transferred to Windhoek State Hospital,” she said. The baby girl, however, died in March. “It was not a good feeling. I felt I was not a good mother at all,” Imbondi (30) said. The couple has two surviving children, a three-year-old and a one-year-old. Sheefeni (35) and his family are among the estimated 9 519 people living in Brendan Simbwaye location in one of Windhoek most impoverished informal settlements, Havana, named after the capital city of Cuba. As you approach Havana, you are met by thousands of corrugated zinc shacks. The laughter of mostly women and children fill the air; some women are doing each other's hair, others are doing laundry. When The Namibian arrived at Sheefeni's shack, Wilson Phillips' hit song 'Release Me' was playing on a small radio inside. Imbondi was preparing a meal for the family on an open fireplace outside. After welcoming the team, Sheefeni recalled how his family's lives had changed overnight. “We were so sick that when one was released from the hospital, the other went in,” he recounted. He added that at one point, they thought it was a result of witchcraft. Life was good until the virus struck down all five members of his family, he said. “We lost five neighbours. A few houses from ours, an elderly couple died; just down the road, two young women and a child died. These are just people close to my house. But when you walk down the road every day, you hear of a death caused by the virus,” he said. This scares him. He also feels not enough is being done by authorities to deal with the situation. “Especially in our area. If you come here most of the kambashus (shacks) are locked, not because people are at work, but

52 because they died of this virus. You don't see toilets or clean water points here,” he added. Hepatitis E thrives in filth. Sheefeni and his wife are unemployed and cannot afford items like soap to wash hands regularly. “But as a mother, I try my best to make sure they drink clean water, and I get those chemicals at the clinic to put in the water for drinking,” Imbondi said.

DEADLY

The government declared hepatitis E a national problem in September last year. As of last month, there were around 3 835 suspected cases countrywide and at least 508 laboratory cases were confirmed, the health ministry said in a statement yesterday. The majority – 2 657 – were reported in the Khomas region, followed by Erongo with 861 cases, Omusati with 127 and Oshana with 77. The ministry said 33 deaths had been reported since 2017 of which 14 (45%) occurred among pregnant women. Councillor Fanuel Shivute of the Samora Machel constituency – which includes Havana – said three areas in his constituency had been profoundly affected – the Branden Simbwaye, Peter Nanyemba and Kaxumba Kandola locations. “Things are not getting better,” the councillor said. He warned that serious intervention is needed. City of Windhoek spokesperson Lydia Amutenya said despite interventions, new cases were still being reported in these areas. “There is a trend of cases reported fluctuating on a weekly basis (i.e. one case today and the next day they start picking up). Vandalism of municipal infrastructure put in place to respond to the outbreak continues,” she said.

BACK TO HAVANA

On the other side of Kaxumba Kandola location, Sophia Sefanya is at home looking for pieces of leftover candles to light up their home, which is just across from her sister's shack. For months there has been no movement from the shack. Her sister Asteria Sefanya died of hepatitis E after falling ill in February. She was a mother of two. “She visited relatives in the north for about two weeks and when she returned, she was not feeling well. She was vomiting and had stomach pains. She went to the hospital and was diagnosed with hepatitis E, but she died after two weeks,” Sefanya said. She added that her sister was the one who told them about the virus after hearing about it on the radio. “So sad, she was the one who told us about the virus, and she died from it. It is very sad about losing someone who was such a hard worker. We came to Windhoek from the north for a better and new life; instead we are living in fear of this hepatitis E,” she said. “Most of us in this location know it can afflict anyone, anytime. We do not have clean water or toilets in this area,” Sefanya said. Since her sister's death, they pay more attention to any news about the virus. Some Havana residents appear to have all but given up hope that someday they will be free from the virus. When they hear that someone had died in the neighbourhood, they ask “Hepati?”, short for hepatitis E. One such person is Anna Veiyo (29). She said in their area they were trying to do things differently but not everyone is cooperating. “Most have given up hope, but we have to keep the faith for our children and teach them the right things,” she said. “We do what we can in our current situation, like washing hands with soap. We make sure the water we drink is clean and boiled, but it is difficult if there are no toilets, clean water, etc,” Veiyo said. “It is challenging. I have survived the virus, and I don't want to go back there again.”

BREAKING IT DOWN

A health ministry report states that this year, 39 toilets had been completed and 39 water tanks installed in the Havana and Goreangab areas by the City of Windhoek. “Water tankers are used to fill the water tanks in the Havana and Goreangab Dam informal settlements, but the City of Windhoek has not adequately maintained this trend. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) will support the monitoring of the quality of water, in collaboration with the City of Windhoek and the ministry of health,” the report notes. It adds that there are more challenges regarding the accountability of the health ministry wash team as they are not available to support the City of Windhoek and partners.

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The report concludes that the outbreak is protracted and far from being contained with most cases still being detected in areas where water and toilet facilities are limited. Amutenya added that the Khomas Regional Council had donated four toilets that were installed at Havana four-way stop. Another 16 flush toilets will be handed over to the community soon. The city had planned erecting 200 additional toilets in the 2018/19 financial year but because of budget limitations will only provide 40 for now. Besides, 20 toilets were donated by the Chinese government through the Office of the Governor and the Khomas Regional Council. The USA embassy also assisted residents of Havana. In the meantime, heartache and trepidation about the deadly virus continue to haunt residents of Havana and other areas.

4.8 Hepatitis E woed landswyd voort Republikein|16/11/2018

Kort duskant ‘n jaar ná ‘n uitbreking van hepatitis E amptelik in Desember 2017 in Windhoek verklaar is, is byna 4 000 gevalle van dié siekte einde Oktober landswyd aangeteken. Altesaam 33 mense het aan die siekte gesterf, waarvan 45% sterftes onder swanger of nageboortelike vroue was. Die Khomasstreek, waar die uitbreking die sterkste woed, het van September 2017 af tot verlede maand 2 657 gevalle uit die totaal van 3 835 aangeteken – 69% van die totale getal gevalle. Die streek het ook die hoogste aantal sterftes gehad met 25, waarvan 10 swanger of nageboortelike vroue was. Op Omaruru, Swakopmund, Usakos en Walvisbaai is ‘n totaal van 861 gevalle en drie sterftes teen die einde van Oktober vir dieselfde tydperk aangeteken. Die Erongostreek het ook die tweede hoogste persentasie vir die voorkoms van hepatitis E aangemeld, wat 22% behels. Van 22 tot 28 Oktober is ‘n totaal van 90 gevalle van dié siekte in vyf streke van die land aangemeld. Die oorblywende 10 streke verteenwoordig 8% van die totale aantal aangemelde gevalle teen die einde van Oktober vanjaar. Tot dusver kon die ministerie van gesondheid en maatskaplike dienste (MoHSS) en verwante vennote ten spyte van verskeie inisiatiewe en pogings ook nie daarin slaag om die siekte hok te slaan nie. Die ministerie erken in ‘n verklaring die teendeel is waar en “die siekte het na ander informele nedersettings en streke versprei”. Struikelblokke sluit in gemeenskappe se gebrek aan die neem van verantwoordelikheid vir opgerigte watervoorsienings- en sanitasiegeriewe. Ook is daar onvoldoende krane, toilette en chloortablette in informele nedersettings, ‘n vertraging in die aanmeld van moontlike gevalle, sowel as ‘n “ernstige tekort” aan epidemioloë. Hoewel die aantal gevalle volgens MoHSS in onlangse weke afgeneem het, “kan gevalle styg weens die twee tot tien weke inkubasietydperk en moontlike vertraging om dit aan te meld”. Die meeste aangemelde gevalle het by vroue (61%) voorgekom, teenoor 39% by mans. Die ouderdomme van inwoners wat die meeste met die siekte gediagnoseer is, was in die kategorie 20 tot 29 jaar (1 544), gevolg deur inwoners tussen die ouderdomme van 30 tot 39 jaar (1 355). ‘n Uitbreking van hepatitis E is op 14 Desember verlede jaar verklaar en het teen April van Windhoek af na ander streke soos Erongo, Kavango, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana en Oshikoto versprei. Die gevalle het meestal in informele nedersettings soos Havana en Goreangab by Windhoek, DRC by Swakopmund en soortgelyke gebiede in ander streke voorgekom, waar toegang tot veilige water, sanitasie en higiëne beperk is. Die meeste gevalle uit gebiede wat minder geraak is, behels inwoners wat na die bogenoemde nedersettings in Windhoek of Swakopmund gereis het. Die ministerie sê dit is van "uiterste belang dat aggressiewe optrede nodig is, veral met betrekking tot maatskaplike mobilisering om te verseker die gemeenskap is nou betrokke by kwessies wat hul gesondheid raak".

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4.9 Red Cross, Chinese embassy host Hepatitis awareness The New Era|20/11/2018

The Namibia Red Cross Society (NRCS) in partnership with the Chinese embassy in Namibia held an information awareness fair focusing on Hepatitis E. The event, which was held at the Havana Primary school on Friday, was themed “Advocating for improved health and hygiene behavioural change”. The awareness event was prompted by the increase in Hepatitis E cases that are now at 3835. The affected regions are Omusati, Erongo, the two Kavango regions and Khomas. Those who exhibited at the fair include hygiene specialists, who educated the Havana community on Hepatitis E prevention strategies, as well as general good hygiene practices. Bernadette Bock, the NRCS’ secretary-general said that community-led total sanitation “is the answer to all the sanitation challenges that the country faces”. Community-led total sanitation is a methodology for mobilising communities to completely eliminate open defecation. Communities are facilitated to conduct their own appraisal and analysis of open defecation, and to take their own action to become open defecation free. At the heart of the community-led total sanitation lies the recognition that merely providing toilets does not guarantee their use, nor results in improved sanitation and hygiene. “The time has come for all of us to join hands with the government, private sector and non-governmental organisations in tackling issues that threaten our existence and development. Let us all assist in ensuring that the communities – be it in peri-urban or rural areas, have basic sanitation facilities that dignify them”, said Bock. It was unexpected that nearly a year since Hepatitis E was first detected in Windhoek, there would be challenges in eradicating it, or at least brining it under control, remarked Bock. “We want to extend our call to the Namibian nation to ensure that we all work together in fighting Hepatitis E and other diseases resulting from poor hygiene practices,” said Bock. The NRCS has about 70 trained volunteers in Hepatitis E prevention, as well as Hygiene Promotion. “These men and women are on a daily basis going from door to door educating communities on how they can protect themselves from contracting the disease, as well as other communicable diseases”, commented Bock. She further stressed the importance of upholding good hygiene practices at all times. “We all know that the source of this emergency is the unhygienic lifestyles observed throughout the country, especially in the informal settlements. The Namibia Red Cross Society believes that this situation will only improve through the change of the mindset of our people observing good and acceptable hygiene practices”, remarked Bock. She also cautioned that “The rainy season is approaching, and this situation can easily get out of hand if we are not taking proper precautionary measures.”

4.10 Filth overwhelms Rundu The Namibian Sun|20/11/2018

Lack of waste management and littering is causing Rundu economic harm. The Kavango East Regional Youth Forum says Rundu's filthiness has led to a decline in tourists, while calling for serious intervention. No one, including the Rundu town council, will dispute the fact that the town is indeed filthy, as every open space has been turned into a dumping site. Apart from the hundreds of heaps of filth around the town, the council is also failing miserably to collect waste from business premises as well as private houses, despite monthly waste removal payments. Namibian Sun has also observed how children as young as two are playing in filth at the town, at a time when government is running campaigns to fight the spread of diseases such as hepatitis, which stem from filthy environments. The situation at Rundu has led to various organisations attempting to clean up the town, but to no avail. Earlier this year, President Hage Geingob launched a national clean-up campaign. However, Rundu was not positively affected, and the town is getting dirtier by the day. At the weekend, the Kavango East Regional Youth Forum embarked on a clean-up campaign in Rundu, after they realised it was hopeless to wait for other stakeholders to intervene. Youth forum chairperson Anselm Marungu said it is an undeniable fact that Rundu is very filthy. Marungu said with the rapid growth of the town's population, the piles of filth will continue to grow and urgent intervention is needed. “Rundu is home to 90 000 55 people and it is an undeniable fact that our home is very dirty. The demand for waste collection services at our town has reached urgent levels and will continue to escalate if no crucial and radical intervention is provided. The demand will continue to be driven by population growth, privatisation and business creation,” Marungu said. He explained the accumulation of refuse creates a fertile breeding ground for rodents and flies that are disease vectors, while the filth also affects the aesthetics of the environment. Marungu said the economic problems that come with a dirty town should be addressed, while making reference to the decline in the number of tourists visiting Rundu. The town, which is the capital of the Kavango East Region, was known to attract tourists because of its close proximity to the Okavango River, which tourists enjoy, especially at sunset. Marungu said this is no longer the case. “This is a big threat to our investors and will ultimately affect our local economy. There is a decline in the number of tourists who are visiting Rundu because of its condition,” he said. Marungu said that while many only see the negative side of the filth currently bedevilling in Rundu, people should also look at the positive side, such as employment opportunities that can derived if recycling companies establish themselves within the riverside town. “While this rubbish is a health hazard, we want to make use of it to create employment for the youth. We are calling on investors that have the capacity to venture into a waste recycling businesses to partner with us and create employment for our people,” Marungu said. Acting Rundu CEO Sikongo Haihambo told Namibian Sun recently that the financial position of the council is not good, as much of its income is spent on paying off its N$60 million NamWater debt.

4.11 Pensioner ankle-deep in sewage The Namibian Sun|26/11/2018

A 91-year-old kindergarten owner in Katutura's so-called Wambo-lokasie has endured streams of sewage running through her house and yard for months, while City of Windhoek staff failed to offer a solution. Elisabeth Joseph, who started her kindergarten shortly after independence, says she sits in the corner of the yard the entire day to watch the children, making sure they do not play in the sewage. When Namibian Sun arrived at the house on Friday morning the stench was so unbearable that we had to move to the far corner of the yard to have a conversation. Almost every corner in the yard had a puddle of dirty water filled with rubbish and faeces. Joseph said they cannot live normal lives because of the stench, which gets even worse on hot days. “We cannot even cook because of the smell; it runs right past the window. At some point the water spilled over the toilet pot and ran through the house. Some days the water pushes up in the kitchen,” she said. Joseph said the City of Windhoek was informed of the problem three months ago and was told repeatedly that the drain is overflowing, but nothing has been done. “They told us that apparently there is a stone in the drain, but of all the many times that they were here they never came with a machine. They only come here with pieces of wire and poke around in the drain and then they leave,” she said. Joseph is convinced that the problem is at the main drain in the residential area, but city staff allegedly ignored her suggestions that they must investigate there. “Every time we call them they ask for our erf number and say they will call back, but nothing happens,” she added. City spokesperson Lydia Amutenya said she could only respond after the weekend. “If you call me tomorrow then I can find out from our waterworks people to hear if it was indeed reported. Now it is a Sunday,” she said.

Track record

Joseph's plight is not an isolated incident, as sewage is found flowing through the streets of various parts of the city on a daily basis. Namibian Sun reported a fortnight ago about the Gemengde community in Katutura living amid the stench of sewage. They claimed that the City had failed to deal with the issue for nearly two months. Residents of Gemengde community accused the municipal workers of simply “looking around, taking pictures,” and then leaving and never returning to fix the problem.

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Catastrophe

These reports come at a time when Namibia is grappling with a hepatitis E outbreak and is failing to contain the spread of the disease, which has already caused a number of deaths. Hepatitis E is a liver infection spread either by direct contact with an infected person's faeces or by the indirect faecal contamination of food or water. The outbreak is fuelled mainly by a lack of clean water, poor sanitation and poor personal hygiene. The first case was reported in Windhoek in October 2017, but the disease has since spread to other towns including Swakopmund and Oshakati. The disease continues to spread unabated, with a total number of 3 859 cases and 31 deaths reported last month. A World Health Organisation (WHO) report said in January that Namibia had limited capacity for hepatitis E laboratory diagnosis. It said the majority of hepatitis E cases had been reported in Windhoek's informal settlements, where living conditions are poor. “The WHO recommends the improvement of access to safe water and proper sanitation through different methods, including home water purification techniques. “The water quality should be regularly monitored in the affected areas. The number of latrines in different settlements should be increased to address the issue of open defecation. In addition, the waste management and overall hygiene practices should be improved,” the WHO report said.

4.12 The Toxic Streets of Katutura The Namibian|30/11/2018

My open letter is directed at the mayor of Windhoek, Muesee Kazapua, city councillors, City of Windhoek management and the health inspectorate. Have you ever seen the dirt or breathed in the air in Katutura, especially along Clemence Kapuuo and Mungunda streets around the Council of Churches in Namibia offices? The condition and smell are unbearable because of the permanent toxic substances flowing in the street due to lack of upgrades to the old drainage and sewer systems. The issue of the sewer system is not a matter for debate because our health is at stake. These days one cannot have a snack outside because it is not healthy at all. You take in all toxins into your system. Recently we had the outbreak of hepatitis E in Windhoek, yet we are paying for street cleaning, refuse removal and sewerage maintenance. City of Windhoek is the biggest municipality in the country and must make sure that we have equitable living conditions in all areas of the city. Let us keep our city beautiful and clean by providing a healthy environment. Parts of the sewer system are more than 50 years old therefore they easily get blocked because of an overload. The population has drastically increased bringing more pressure to those facilities and leading to burst pipes and blockages.My request is that the municipality must fix the blockages and burst pipes. I am sure your plumbers, experts and engineers can find a solution to the sewerage problems. Secondly, the community needs to be educated on hygiene. I look forward to seeing an improvement regarding these issues.

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