Day: July 1, 2024

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Fatal accident victim laid to rest


Thousands of mourners from all walks of life came together on Sunday to bury a renowned First National Bank Manager of the Rundu branch, Reagan Mwalimu Limmy Kwala, who died in a car accident on 18 June 2024.

Kwala was buried at his home village Ishuvu in the Katima Rural Constituency in the Zambezi Region.

Kwala died in a fatal car accident that occurred on the Otavi-Otjiwarongo road, which claimed the lives of eight other people.

Speaker after speaker praised and spoke highly of Kwala, noting that his demise is not just a loss to his family but also to the region and the entire country. Kwala, who began his banking journey in 2007 with First National Bank at Katima Mulilo, climbed up the ladder with the assistance of qualifications from Stellenbosch University and passion for his profession.

One of the speakers was elder brother Dobson Kwala, who spoke highly of his younger brother.

‘This son of the soil was not just a banker but a professional, disciplined and passionate one. He was a smart young man.
We have lost as a family. For some of us, he taught us financial management and how to save at home,’ Kwala sobbed.

Other sympathisers like Namibian motivation and business coach Sam Shivute took to social media to express their condolences for the loss of Kwala, describing him as a great man, an amazing human being who was passionate about being of service to others.

‘Limmy created great memories for many people. He had a big vision for promoting domestic tourism in the country,’ said Shivute.

Kwala owned and ran a river boat cruise business on the Zambezi River banks.

He is survived by his mother, two children and two siblings.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

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Namibians must study critical subjects to benefit from mineral wealth: Mbumba


President Nangolo Mbumba has said that for Namibia to get a bigger share of its mineral wealth, its citizens must be properly trained and actively involved in mining operations.

During his visit to the Ministry of Mines and Energy here on Monday, Mbumba expressed the importance of encouraging young people to pursue critical courses that would enable them to participate in the mining sector.

‘Those of you close to those who are still attending universities, they must really study difficult things. It is not enough just to learn the easier things. To get minerals out of the ground, it is not a joke. To get petroleum out of the ground, which is under the sea, is not a joke. It demands the real people who think and are determined,’ he said during the meeting with the senior management of the ministry.

‘We are talking about wanting a bigger share of our resources. Yes the resources are yours but you only benefit once it is out of the ground. So unless you have enough people who are involved in these mining proj
ects – digging and processing – your share will definitely be small.’

Mbumba also reminded the executives of the Ministry of Mines and Energy that they have an important responsibility to oversee the national wealth.

‘You as officials, you are holding the value and the wealth of the nation. Your behaviour will determine whether our country will develop and will not develop,’ said the Head of State.

On his part, Mines and Energy Minister Tom Alweendo said mining continues to be one of the most important sectors of the economy.

The minister told the president that it is the ministry’s mandate to ensure the continued importance of the mining sector. ‘We are preoccupied with figuring out how we accelerate the finding of minerals, because if we don’t find minerals, we will never have mines,’ said the minister.

Alweendo also said that the ministry is actively promoting value-addition in the mineral sector. ‘I think you all recall last year when we decided not to allow the exportation of some of the critical mi
nerals to be exported in raw form but rather to be value added before they are exported. That is something we are critically looking at and making sure that mining still takes place, but we are also adding value to those minerals,’ he said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

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Schlettwein launches Rundu water treatment plant extension


The current water supply infrastructure in Rundu has surpassed its useful economic lifespan, making it increasingly difficult to meet the growing water demands of its population.

Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Calle Schlettwein made these remarks during the official launch of the Rundu Water Treatment Plant Extension here on Monday.

‘As we all know Rundu, by population, is the second largest local authority in Namibia of about 118 000 people. It is one of the fastest growing towns and thus the strain on its water supply has been notable over the years,’ Schlettwein said.

He said as the town expands and the population grows, the strain on its existing systems intensifies.

‘We must act decisively to address these issues. Our access to potable water supply currently in the country stands at 87 per cent, and we are committed to closing the gap and extending water supply to the remaining 13 per cent in the shortest possible time,’ he stated.

The minister explained that water for the town of Ru
ndu is abtracted from the Kavango River using two different abstraction installations and conveyance pipelines, which pump the water to two distribution points – Rundu and Nkarapamwe, respectively.

At present, both water treatment plants at Rundu and the Nkarapamwe schemes are direct filtration systems and the total capacity of these schemes is about 840 m3/h.

These two schemes are old and have reached their full supply capacity. Components of the schemes have reached the end of their economic useful life.

Schlettwein pointed out that the contract for the construction of this infrastructure was awarded to a capable contractor, and the project will cost N.dollars 665 million.

‘While here, I should acknowledge that the N.dollars 665 million is part of the African Development Bank loan facility of about N.dollars 1.8 billion meant to finance projects under the Namibia Water Sector Support Program such as this (Rundu’s new purification plant), the Ohangwena II Wellfield Water Supply Schemes (WSS) Project, the
Oshakati new purification plant, and many other related projects,’ he noted.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

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Vote for a balanced Parliament: Nandi-Ndaitwah


Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has said Namibians should be guided by the principle of a balanced Parliament in terms of men and women, as well as young and old, in the general elections slated for November 2024.

She said this on Monday in Windhoek while launching the third Nalafem Summit as its patron. The summit, a collective Pan-African platform for women politicians and activists, aims to foster, enable, and mobilise towards transformative feminist leadership.

Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised that the expectation is for Namibia to have a balanced Parliament in order to have a truly intergenerational National Assembly, to ensure that developmental programmes are focused at addressing the real needs of the Namibian people.

‘You must enrich one another. The young and old generations. As an older one you have the experience and for the young ones they are exploring and therefore if you put the two together you will be able to get the product that can serve in situations which you are at a particular point
in time,’ she said.

Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised that women’s participation in leadership has been developing, however, those taking up leadership positions received very limited support from the society.

She further noted that many countries are adopting gender-friendly laws in the contemporary global political setup but not completely, as women still have to increase their efforts to be recognised beyond their sex or gender.

‘We still have a long way to go in a sense that when looking at a woman, they don’t look at an individual, they look at her as a whole family, unlike when they are looking at a man. For a woman, when you do something which maybe society feels could not be done, they will not put it on Netumbo but they will rather say, you see now what women are doing,’ she said.

Nalafem was established on 01 July 2021 and its establishment is marked annually with a summit. This year’s summit is held under the theme ‘Women’s Right to Lead’.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

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Ondangwa United retains top spot as relegation threatens Omandengu United


The Oshikoto Regional Second Division Football League fight is heating up after the weekend’s round 16 and 17 matchups, which saw Ondangwa United pull four points ahead of second-placed Mama Love and leaving Omandengu United deep in the relegation zone.

The weekend featured 10 games, with 33 goals scored on Saturday and Sunday at the Andimba Toivo Stadium in Ondangwa and the King Nehale Stadium in Onayena.

On Saturday, Ondangwa United demonstrated their prowess by defeating Benfica United 3-2, before expanding their advantage at the top of the log standings on Sunday with a 2-1 victory against Nine Eleven, extending their winning streak to 11 games and putting them on top of the league with 38 points.

Despite an excellent performance on Saturday, defeating Newcastle United 4-3, Omandengu United failed to build on that performance with a goalless draw against Young Rangers, leaving them deep in the relegation zone with only two victories in 15 games. They occupy the 12th position with nine points.

Notable
Saturday games included Onathinge United’s 3-0 victory over Young United, Safile United’s 2-1 loss to Gerros Uri-Khob Academy, and Nine Eleven’s 3-0 win over Soweto Chiefs. Mama Love also kept their title and promotion hopes alive after defeating Young Rangers 3-0.

On Sunday, Soweto Chiefs came out guns blazing to redeem Saturday’s mishaps, defeating Young United 3-0, while Benfica got the last laugh by defeating title aspirants Mama Love in a three-goal thriller.

After 17 games, Ondangwa United leads the pack with 38 points, followed by Mama Love on 34 points. Newcastle United is in third place with 32 points, followed by Gerros Uri-Khob Academy with 31 points, Nine-Eleven in fifth place with 26 points, Safile United in sixth place with 21 points and Young Rangers is seventh with 19 points.

Onathinge United is ranked eighth with 18 points, followed by Benfica on 17 points. Young United (10), Soweto Chiefs (11) and Omandengu United (12) are all struggling for survival after achieving the fewest victories i
n their respective encounters.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

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COSAFA U-17 winning team petitions for reward


Eight years after winning the 2016 Under-17 (U-17) Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Cup, the players and management team have approached the sports ministry requesting compensation for their achievements.

Namibia’s U-17 national team became the second national team to be crowned COSAFA champions after defeating South Africa 3-1 on penalties to lift the COSAFA Under-17 Championships trophy following a 1-1 draw in the final in Mauritius.

This U-17 win came a year after the senior national football team won the 2015 COSAFA Cup for the first time. The Namibian government rewarded the Brave Warriors team with N.dollars 50 000 each for their historic victory.

In a petition handed over to the Acting Director of Sports, Ervin Ndjavera on Monday, the group expressed disappointment with how the sports ministry has been rewarding teams in the country.

‘We have noticed that certain teams have been rewarded or recognised with financial incentives, while others have not received any such reward
s. This discrepancy in treatment has left us feeling disheartened and appalled by our sport leaders,’ read the statement.

The petition also expresses disappointment in the lack of recognition for the U-17 team’s accomplishments.

‘The blatant disregard for our accomplishments sends a discouraging message not only to the young athletes who have put in countless hours of hard work to hone their skills, but also to other aspiring youth who dream of representing Namibia on the international stage,’ it added.

Addressing the former U-17 athletes and their officials at the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service headquarters, Ndjavera received the petition and informed them that he would hand their grievances to the Executive Director and Minister, who would then revert to them.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Nampa, goalkeeper of the U-17 COSAFA winning squad, Phillipus Josef said that the wait for their reward had forced many to quit football while others have resorted to crime.

‘When we participated in
the competition, some of us were busy with examinations. Despite this, we made time to answer the call to represent our national team. However, after winning, we were only welcomed by our parents at the airport. After that, we didn’t hear from anyone. Even those who came from out of town had trouble securing transport fare to return home,’ he said.

He stated that now is the time for the promise made to them to be fulfilled, just like how everyone is rewarded for their achievements.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency