By Confidente Reporter

OVER N$1 million has gone missing from the Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) coffers since 2012, Confidente can reveal.
According to documents seen by Confidente, the union could not account for N$302 193 in 2012, N$244 579 in 2013 and N$503 155 in 2014.
“There is no data base of affiliate members resulting in no accounting control being enforced by the union to determine the completeness and accuracy of affiliation fees income prior to processing in the accounting records,” part of the documents read.
The documents also revealed that the union management did not keep proper accounting records and proper internal control over the financial affairs of the union resulting in the amount unaccounted for.
Sources close to the union told Confidente that the amount is a result of a lack of accountability by the union’s management to its employees and members including mismanagement of funds, spending without proper approval and inadequate disclosure of financials.
The sources also said that the union, once renowned for its strongholds in the fishing industries around Walvis Bay and Luderitz, lost at least 1 000 members to rival unions in the last year. The members reportedly cited various reasons including discontent in the way the union deals with their labour related disputes.
“A lot of members that left the union to join other unions were not happy with how the union represented them in their labour matters. Management has no one else to blame but itself because of the way it conducts itself. They do not have the member’s interests at heart as should be the case,” a source said on condition of anonymity.
The sources partly blamed the organisation’s ‘worrisome state’ to new Acting Secretary General, Penda Jacob, whom they accuse of not doing what’s in the union’s best interest.
“We are of the opinion that Jacob will drag this union to the ground. Victimisation, intimidation and favouritism is the order of the day at the union. He runs the union’s affairs without consultation or advice from the national executive committee or the central committee,” the source further said.
The sources also pointed out that under Jacob’s leadership, employees are no longer sent for training courses to polish their skills and better represent members in labour disputes.
“Over the years, union management has been sending its employees for training to help improve their skills which they use daily in representing the union members. Employees were sent as far as South Africa but that does not happen anymore.
“Instead of doing what is right for the union, he is busy subjecting employees to victimisation, intimidation. He also warns employees not to approach the media with the union’s affairs. We have had enough and it’s about time the nation knows what is happening behind closed doors. Nafau is not what it used to be. It really breaks some our hearts to see a union that we started years ago through hard work losing its strength to people who only care about themselves.”
Jacob said that the matter was news to him when contacted for comment. “I have no comment,” he said before he hung up.

By Confidente Reporter

THE Namibian Government will not spend a single penny in the hosting of the KORA music awards which are currently marred by uncertainty on whether they will be held or not following reports that they had been cancelled last week, the Minister of Environment and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta has said.
Shifeta said Government has only agreed to endorse the awards but was not going to fund them at all.
“We only endorsed the KORA awards but the organisers have to look for their own money to fund the hosting of the event. If they manage to raise the money in the country through donations it’s fine with us. As Government I have made it clear – Government won’t spend a single cent on the KORA awards. Parastatals can donate their own money but definitely not government money,” Shifeta said.
Shifeta who has been under fire for allegedly ‘arm twisting’ (NTB) to enter into a partnership with the KORA awards organisers denied ever doing so.
“We don’t want to create an impression that this person is bad (Ernest Adjovi) until something happens. Evidence is there that the KORA awards have been held in Africa and created a platform to market host countries. It has benefits to market the country. The money NTB used was not for paying its (NTB) workers’ salaries it was specifically for that purpose to market Namibia. The KORA awards will be broadcast on 30 television stations and that will market the country.
“When the KORA awards organisers came to Namibia they went themselves to meet up with people from NTB. I am not the one who took them there and NTB felt it was an opportunity to market the country. I only told them that they should have a contract with the organisers and if any of their promotionals are not marketed they are entitled to a refund. I also made sure that the Attorney General also goes over the contract and it’s nothing like arm twisting. We don’t just judge personalities, we revert back to the contract. No one can just give money like that.”
Shifeta said also that Government was following with keen interest on the organisation of the awards.
He added that the KORA awards were a good platform to market Namibia as a very safe and suitable tourist destination hence every Namibian should embrace them.
“The KORA awards are a good tool to market ourselves as well as for our people to gain valuable knowledge through skills transfer as well as for our models and artists to get exposure.”
The Tourism Minister also added that if the organisers of the awards decide to postpone or cancel the holding of the awards they are obligated to return back all the money extended to them.
“If they decide to postpone the event they will be consequences which include returning money extended to them for marketing purposes. We can’t force someone to hold it (KORAs) if they decide otherwise,” he said.

By Confidente Reporter

IN what appears by all accounts as conflict of interest the Minister of Higher Education Training, Research and Innovation, Dr Itah Kandjii- Murangi and her family are set to run a private college, Namibia Impact College, Confidente has learnt.
Confidente is reliably informed that the Murangis are currently in the process of making their college an affiliate of Limkokwing University that is based in Malaysia and has other affiliates in Botswana and Swaziland.
The college was registered in 2010 under Registration number CC 2010/5265 with Kandjii- Murangi owning 50 percent shareholder ownership and her husband Mbeno Murangi owning the other 50 percent shares.
According to registration documents at the Ministry of Trade and Industry the couple started the college which is not yet fully operational with a combined capital of N$320 000 for the business. However Kandjii- Murangi contributed a bigger chunk of the capital – having contributed N$220 000.
“Is this not conflict of interest on Kandjii-Murangi’s part? She might argue that she ceased ownership of the college in 2014 to her 24 year-old son Hepu, the truth is she is still a part of that college, it’s a family business. Their aim is to turn their college into a private university and recently there was a serious meeting at the Ministry of Higher Education to establish Limkokwing University in the country and the university will be affiliated to Namibia Impact College,” a source told Confidente.
Sources queried whether the Minister had declared her interests to her principal.
“When it was Dr Namwandi (David) people were going on about how it was conflict of interest for him to be an owner of a college while he was Minister of Education yet now nothing is being said. Is it not hypocrisy or double standards of some sort? We are not saying the Minister should not have a business of her own choice but did she declare her interests to her superiors? Did she inform them that she was at some point a 50 percent shareholder of a college that her family owns and wants it affiliated to a Malaysian university?” the sources queried.
A look into the Namibia Qualification Authority (NQA) booklet released last month with a list of all accredited colleges and the courses they offer shows that Namibia Impact College is not yet accredited by NQA based on its absence from the list.
When contacted for comment Kandjii-Murangi initially denied ever owning any college before she later admitted that she had some interests a long time ago.
“I don’t have a college whatsoever that has been operational. I had an interest way back when I was at the University Of Namibia but it was never operational. There is nothing like that, I don’t own any college. It’s also not true that I have any links to Malaysian universities. The only vocational training colleges I am in contact with are the ones coming to assist us with innovation in the country,” she said.
However despite documents at the Ministry of Trade showing that she registered the company in 2010, Kandjii-Murangi told Confidente that she had registered it 15 years ago.

…As family owns tertiary college
…Soon to open its doors as an affiliate of Malaysian university

By Confidente Reporter 

IN what appears by all accounts as conflict of interest the Minister of Higher Education Training, Research and Innovation, Dr Itah Kandjii- Murangi and her family are set to run a private college, Namibia Impact College, Confidente has learnt.
Confidente is reliably informed that the Murangis are currently in the process of making their college an affiliate of Limkokwing University that is based in Malaysia and has other affiliates in Botswana and Swaziland.
The college was registered in 2010 under Registration number CC 2010/5265 with Kandjii- Murangi owning 50 percent shareholder ownership and her husband Mbeno Murangi owning the other 50 percent shares.
According to registration documents at the Ministry of Trade and Industry the couple started the college which is not yet fully operational with a combined capital of N$320 000 for the business. However Kandjii- Murangi contributed a bigger chunk of the capital – having contributed N$220 000.
“Is this not conflict of interest on Kandjii-Murangi’s part? She might argue that she ceased ownership of the college in 2014 to her 24 year-old son Hepu, the truth is she is still a part of that college, it’s a family business. Their aim is to turn their college into a private university and recently there was a serious meeting at the Ministry of Higher Education to establish Limkokwing University in the country and the university will be affiliated to Namibia Impact College,” a source told Confidente.
Sources queried whether the Minister had declared her interests to her principal.
“When it was Dr Namwandi (David) people were going on about how it was conflict of interest for him to be an owner of a college while he was Minister of Education yet now nothing is being said. Is it not hypocrisy or double standards of some sort? We are not saying the Minister should not have a business of her own choice but did she declare her interests to her superiors? Did she inform them that she was at some point a 50 percent shareholder of a college that her family owns and wants it affiliated to a Malaysian university?” the sources queried.
A look into the Namibia Qualification Authority (NQA) booklet released last month with a list of all accredited colleges and the courses they offer shows that Namibia Impact College is not yet accredited by NQA based on its absence from the list.
When contacted for comment Kandjii-Murangi initially denied ever owning any college before she later admitted that she had some interests a long time ago.
“I don’t have a college whatsoever that has been operational. I had an interest way back when I was at the University Of Namibia but it was never operational. There is nothing like that, I don’t own any college. It’s also not true that I have any links to Malaysian universities. The only vocational training colleges I am in contact with are the ones coming to assist us with innovation in the country,” she said.
However despite documents at the Ministry of Trade showing that she registered the company in 2010, Kandjii-Murangi told Confidente that she had registered it 15 years ago.

By Confidente Reporter

TENSIONS came to a head last week Saturday in Walvis Bay when President Hage Geingob called Swapo Secretary General Nangolo Mbumba to order for allegedly not doing much to take the party forward despite him receiving a ‘huge salary’ every month from Swapo; as well as not briefing him regularly on party affairs, Confidente has learnt.
Confidente is reliably informed that Mbumba responded by telling Swapo Regional Coordinators that had converged in the coastal town that “Geingob is not the president of Swapo” and it was him (Mbumba) that is in charge of the party’s affairs.
“It was a very explosive public spat in Walvis Bay something we have never witnessed in the party. The problem is Mbumba is not briefing the President on everything that is happening in the party. Mbumba wants to run the show alone and make decisions because he feels it’s part of his administrative duties,” party insiders told Confidente.
Meanwhile as the Swapo party intra-fighting continues unabated some disgruntled party members have come out guns blazing accusing Mbumba of allegedly destroying the party by adopting a divide and rule strategy.
Party insiders said the majority of leaders in Swapo have no political consciousness now and are only there for their stomachs and failing to push for the ruling party’s ideologies.
“Mbumba is destroying the party from within and no matter how much they will deny it the party is on the verge of disintegrating slowly but surely. There is a lot of bickering and mistrust. People are no longer allowed to air their views or grievances without being chastised or patronised,” the sources said.
The sources who spoke on condition of anonymity added that they are many alarmists in Swapo who have been creating non-existent speculation to alienate others from party acting president Hage Geingob.
They added that former Prime Minister Nahas Angula, Charles Namoloh the Minister of Safety and Security as well as Helmut Angula, Swapo Secretary for Information are the latest casualties.
“All what they want is to destroy these people’s names. They are creating stories so that Hage alienates himself from some people. Even those stories of people wanting Hage assassinated are some of their fabrications so that the President mistrusts others. They are people who are afraid of free speaking people in the party and they will do anything to silence them.
“Hage should be careful because all people close to him now have their own interests they are pushing for and some of these people want him to fail at all costs. This thing of agenda 2017 that some people don’t want Hage to contest for a second term is a mere fabrication to cause confusion engineered by Mbumba and his cohorts. Its clear Hage will win the elections but the truth is they are some people within Swapo who survive on confusion and anarchy. They are the ones who are causing all this mistrust among party members,” the sources said.
They further accused Mbumba of trying to gag other party members from speaking out their minds in a free and conducive environment.
“When members of Swapo are genuinely speaking their minds Mbumba doesn’t listen. Mbumba is not following the rules of the party. He is not being a unifying leader.”
Efforts to get comment from Mbumba proved futile. As soon as he answered his mobile phone and found out it was a Confidente reporter on the line he would claim he was busy and hang up. Mbumba had also not responded to a text message sent to him at the time of going to print.
In a related matter Namoloh has told Confidente that he has always supported the presidency of Geingob and had ferociously campaigned for him to be President hence it defies all logic that some people within the Swapo party were now claiming that he wants Geingob removed from power.
“I can’t be part of it when I campaigned for him (Geingob) to be President of this country. I fought for Geingob to be President so how can all of a sudden be against him? Some people have been doing this to us for a long time. First they called me a hibernator after that it was a Kwanyama tribalist. They always come up with such stories when we are going towards a congress or election. “Maybe they are scared of generals but we are very peaceful people and I don’t really know why they are doing this to me.”
Namoloh added that they were some people who go to President Geingob not to discuss issues but personalities and when things are bad they want to blame Geingob for the mess.
“For me these insults have become a seasonal thing. I have never contested for a higher position in Swapo. I am happy with where I am. They are people in the party who want to wage a war between Geingob and his supporters,” he said.

By Hilary Mare

PERHAPS the best way to improve Namibia’s competitiveness is through a mixture of policies designed to help improve labour productivity, product market competitiveness and long term investment.
All of these measures will improve both price and non-price competitiveness. In addition, the macro-economy also needs to be stabilised to create the right environment for investment.
In essence, Namibia scored 3.99 points out of 7 on the 2015-2016 Global Competitiveness Report published by the World Economic Forum. Competitiveness Index in Namibia averaged 3.96 Points from 2007 until 2016, reaching an all-time high of 4.08 Points in 2011 and a record low of 3.84 Points in 2008.
With positive outlook, it is imperative that the growth trajectory of the economy in 2016 hinges on growing economic competitiveness as the nation tries to industrialise as well as reach goal posited in the
Fourth National Development Plan NDP4 and vision 2030.
To begin with and as Namibia continues to be part of In an increasingly open global economy, the ability of the nation to promote
domestic growth, increase the global competitiveness of firms and economic sectors, and provide new products and services both to locals and to global markets, depends on a variety of factors, and ICT provide no shortcuts or simple solutions. Nor does the promotion of ICT-enabled businesses suffice to address the fundamental challenges facing Namibia in adapting the structure of its domestic economy to a global market while promoting sustainable, broad-based growth at home.
The government therefore, needs to think about the challenges and opportunities of ICT-enabled growth and poverty reduction within the larger context of reforming the structure, and increasing the flexibility and diversity, of their economy.
Essentially for small firms to meet the significant and growing challenges of globalization, they need governmental and institutional back-up. A three-pronged approach can help build and strengthen competitiveness: closer business-government partnership; effective networking of national agencies involved in the value chain; and optimal use of new technologies.
Globalization has sharpened competition. The main challenge facing firms is how to take advantage of new resources and markets while dealing with intense and growing global competition. The challenge facing governments is how to design and implement supportive policies and strategies. Business and government both need to intensify their partnership to build and strengthen competitiveness.
With relatively little doubt, the global economy offers firms in developing countries access to new technologies, skills, markets and financial sources – hence, better outward-oriented growth prospects than ever before. At the same time, it exposes them to intensive competition from lower-cost imports and locally-based foreign firms. With falling trade barriers, there is no such thing as a domestic market alone. Any product or service that a developing country firm offers has increasingly to meet the price, quality and delivery standards of international markets.
There is a real prospect of winners and losers among firms in Namibia. The double-edged nature of globalization seems somewhat daunting to businesses and policy-makers alike. It has sparked widespread interest in business competitiveness, business-government partnerships and public policies in
Namibia over the last year.Also central to an effective strategy to improve competitiveness, is strategy inflation under control. This can be achieved through a combination of monetary and fiscal measures. However, higher interest rates can also deter investment, and could damage competitiveness in the long run. A stable exchange rate would also create less uncertainty, and would give firms more confidence to invest. Namibian Consumer Price Inflation moderated by 3.3 percent in November 2015 compared to 3.4 percent in October 2015. Despite pressure on food prices, transport inflation remain subdued setting off fast growth of transport costs but however remaining positive on the competitiveness agenda. Competition may be increased by investment grants and subsidies, and by tax incentives to encourage new product development. Keeping interest rates low is also a strategy that would encourage investment. In addition, keeping them as stable as possible would increase certainty and reduce risk. However, the danger with too low interest rates is that they could trigger an increase in household spending causing demand pull inflation, which would worsen, rather than improve, competitiveness. With a lot of work still needing to be done, it is imperative to note that one of its long standing competitiveness problems has been addressing or improving the ease of doing business rating that has continuously taken a dipover the last few years. Falling eight places to being ranked 88th out of 189 countries , the latest 2015ease of doing business report released by the World Bank Group reveals that Namibia only recorded an upward trend in its ranking in the dealing of construction permits and that of enforcing contracts which both made a two place improvement.However the country recorded significant declines in the rating of starting a business, getting electricity, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across boarders and resolving insolvency. In the SADC region Namibia was behind Mauritius (20), South Africa (41), Botswana (56), Seychelles (80) and Zambia (83). In the ranking on starting a business in 2014, Namibia was one of the worst being ranked worse than Chad, a country ranked number 181 out of 189 economies. In Chad, it takes 62 days to register a company requiring 9 procedures but in comparison with Namibia, it takes 66 days to register a company with a total of 10 procedures. In conclusion it must be noted that a coherent competitiveness strategy, tailor-made to national circumstances, has a major influence on the creation of business competitiveness. A close and active business-government partnership is the linchpin of a well-managed competitiveness strategy. Traditionally, business focuses on increasing profits, while government formulates and implements strategy. However, success in the new global context implies a change in this traditional division of labour. Accessing new resources and markets while mitigating the risks of intensive competition calls for a new kind of relationship between business and government. In this context, government plays a leading but not a dominant role in managing competitiveness strategy.

By Hilary Mare
OVER the years, Namibia has been applauded by the international community for its constitutional values and as such President Hage Geingob has called on the preservation the justice system’s fundamental concepts.
In elaboration of the key concept in the preservation of national constitutional values, Geingob highlighted three things of importance, namely processes, systems and institutions.
“In the context of preserving our Constitutional values that we are lauded for in the International Community, three things are of importance, namely processes, systems and institutions. While Namibia is leading in this regard, let me briefly elaborate on these fundamental concepts.
“Firstly, we need processes that are inclusive and transparent. We need processes that will instil confidence in our democracy, and that will minimize the risks of rumour mongering and conspiracy theories. For instance, our electoral processes must be transparent and above board so that those who lose elections admit that they have been defeated in a transparent way and do not complain and run to the courts. We want to achieve the same with regards to our tendering system. That is why we have cancelled tenders, due to processes and procedures that were questionable.
“Secondly, we need robust systems that will ensure that service delivery is not compromised. For instance, if there is a dispute regarding election results the system must remain intact and the public service should continue to deliver goods and services to the people.
“Thirdly, when all else fails, we need strong institutions that will have the final say. An example of this is the infamous 2000 United States election between Former President George W. Bush and then Vice President Al Gore when there was a dispute regarding the counting of ballot papers. Despite the furore, President Bill Clinton was still in office and there were no armoured vehicles in the streets. The process of recounting was transparent and televised for all to witness. When all else failed, the matter was taken to the courts, Al Gore, having received more popular votes admitted defeat to President George W. Bush as the latter had won using the Electoral College System which is unique to the USA. Similarly, when we quarrelled about election results following the 2009 elections, the systems continued to function smoothly while the challenge was taken to the court. That is what I am talking about when I say we need processes, systems and institutions to preserve our constitutional values,” he said.
Apart from this, geingob called on the spirit of Harambee inorder for the country to pull in one direction.
“As we are gathered here in Parliament -the ultimate symbol of our commitment to democratic rule – we must bear in mind that without a collective spirit, in which we look out for each other and the well being of each and every Namibian citizen, we can never achieve true democracy.
“Therefore, when I refer to the spirit of Harambee it is not a mere slogan but it is a call on the people of this Nation to adopt an ethos of unity, devoid of selfish ambition, and to pull in one direction for the sake of National prosperity.
“There is much for us to celebrate, 26 years after Independence. Our democracy has withstood several challenges and continues to be a beacon of hope and motivation, not only on the African continent but in the world as a whole.
“Our democracy provides a solid foundation on which we can build a Nation of peace, unity and prosperity. We are well aware that democracy alone is not the panacea to hunger and poverty. This is why I have said and continue to say that the people do not eat democracy. As elected representatives of the people, our responsibility is to ensure that we make use of our democratic platforms to actualize the aspirations of the
electorate.
The year 2015 can be described as a call to arms. It was the year in which as President, I endeavoured to rally the nation behind a shared Vision through themes such as, War on Poverty, War against corruption, No Namibian Must feel left out and Harambee. I am certain that by embracing these themes and applying them to our policy making decisions, one day we will be able to eradicate poverty. In 2016, it is time to turn words into reality, it is time to implement and therefore I refer to this year as the Year of Implementation. The eyes of the Nation are on us. I repeat, the eyes of the nation are on us,” he explained.

By Faith Haushona- Kavamba
CONTRARY to popular belief, the entertainment industry has come a long way in the past 26 years since Namibia fortified its independence.
Similar to a recent university graduate who has secured their first job and can now afford to live off more than two minute noodles, the industry and all its branches (performing/ visual arts, music, fashion and film/theatre) have made good headway in terms of growth.
The growth has not been as exponential as many would have hoped; however recent years have seen Namibian entertainers receive international recognition for their work.
It is no doubt the future legends such as Jackson Kaujeua, Stanley van Wyk, N!xau ≠Toma, Willie Mbuende and John Muafangejo, to name a few, had in mind as they worked tirelessly to pave the way for the new generation.
The film/theatre branch of the industry has been so fruitful that Namibia has exported a few actors who have graced international screens after appearing on South African soap operas.
Actress Hazel Hinda became a household name when she appeared in SA Afrikaans soap opera 7 de Laan. Although stint on the soapie was short lived, Hinda proved that she hadn’t lost her fire as she returned home and cemented herself in the hearts of many as Lammie Beukes and a stand-up comedian worth her weight in gold.
Stefan Ludik and Dalton Ashikoto too managed to carve out a piece of the international fame pie for themselves, with the former starring in Egoli and the latter starring in Rhythm City.
Film directors Perivi Katjavivi and Florian Schott also recently received their moment in the spotlight when they were each invited to showcase their films (Unseen and Katutura respectively) at the Los Angeles’ Pan African Film Festival (PAFF).
The theatre front, veterans like Sandy Rudd have re-invented theatre with her works like the critically acclaimed Meme Mia. However there are also face that gone a long way in making theatre appealing for young audinces, Jacques Mushaandja, Hafeni Muzanima, Brumelda English, Zindri Swarts, Lara- Lyn Ahrens and Blessing Mbonambi too have made their fair contributions.
The First Rain Dance Theatre (FRDT) spearheaded by Tuli Shituwete and Haymih Olivier proved that they were innovative and in a league of their own by producing Anima, Namibia’s first full length ballet.
Visual artists such as Alpheus Mvula, and Joseph Madisia, who are best known for their sculpting work, carried on the late Muafangejo’s woodcut print legacy and by so doing have inspired the young generations of aspiring visual artists to take it one.
There are also the likes of Papa Shikongeni who embody visual and performance art, a rare quality and thus making him beloved in the industry.
Another success on the visual arts front is the Tulipamwe International Artists Workshop which has seen over 300 hundred international and local artist come together for a seminar in which they create various works.
Traditionally not considered a viable career choice, a lot more young Namibians are venturing into the world of visual arts as their careers, with the likes of Tafadzwa Mitchel Gatsi and Nambowa Malua carrying the baton and gaining popularity amongst the youth.
Poetry and comedy have also come to the forefront with monthly shows such as Spoken Word and Free Your Mind popularizing them.
The fashion front too has made good headway, although most designers think it is too slow. For the first time in Namibian fashion history, a fashion council was formed, although they are still ironing out some kinks, it will offer much needed help for the industry.
Young designers have become more confident in their target markets and that they will actually purchase their work so many have launched their own fashion lines. At least one or two fashion shows take place in any given month, something which would never have been possible for young black designers before independence.
A little over two years ago the industry saw one of its biggest fashion shows, which allowed the crème-de-la-crème of the local fashion world to share the runway with renowned fashion designer, David Tlale.
Nikola Conradie has become a popular name on the fashion scene, most especially after she won the 2013 Swakara Namibian Young Designer Awards, which saw complete a fellowship at Kopenhagen International Centre for Kreativity (KiCK).
Namibia has also been able to export its models, which aids in making Namibia a tad more visible on the map. Mi c h e l l e McLean, Anna Nashandi and Behati Prinsloo are among the most internationally recognizable faces in the modelling industry.
Arguably, the music industry has made the most transformation over the years, with the likes of Gazza, The Dogg, Stefan Ludik,Nianell, Kaujeua, the Ndilimani Cultural Troop and Ras Sheehama being well renowned across the southern hemisphere of the continent.
The Dogg became the first and only Namibia to win the coveted the Kora Awards, however Gal Level were also previously nominated for the awards. The two former, including Gazza and Ees have also been nominated and occasionally bagged Channel O music awards.
While the likes of Sheehama, Kaujeua and N d i l i m a n i were mostly singing songs of the liberation struggle to motivate to weary fighters, there afore mentioned (The Dogg/Gazza/Gal Level/Ees) are among the few who have proved that the music industry is a gold mine and all one need to do is dig a little deeper.
The Namibia Annual Music Awards (NAMAs) also serves as a measuring tool which shows all the talent that the country has to offer and honours them. In the same vein, the Windhoek Jazz Festival, previously known as the Old Mutual Jazz Encounters, also provides a platform for lesser popular genres such as jazz with an event where they can be celebrated.
In the past few years internationally acclaimed musicians such as UB40, Westlife, P-Square and Trey Songz have also made an appearance on the Namibian stage, much to the glee of music lovers’ country wide.
When one looks at isolated events in the entertainment industry, it may look like the industry has stagnated, however the bigger picture reveals it has come a long ways since before independence.
Artistes of all manner and kinds have the platform to indulge in their artistic pursuits without reprehension or censorship. There are more opportunities for people from all walks of life to nurture their talents and they are provided with the platforms to share those talents, something which cannot wholeheartedly be said about pre-independence Namibia.

DR Hage Gottfried Geingob (born 3 August 1941[2]) is the third and the current President of Namibia, in office since 21 March 2015. Geingob was the first Prime Minister of Namibia from 21 March 1990 until 28 August 2002, he served as Prime Minister again from 4 December 2012 to 21 March 2015. Since 2007, he has been Vice-President of the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), Namibia’s ruling party, and he was Minister of Trade and Industry from 2008 to 2012.
As the Presidency in Namibia is restricted to two terms, President Hifikepunye Pohamba was due to step down in 2015, and Geingob, as SWAPO Vice-President, took his place as SWAPO’s presidential candidate. In November 2014, Geingob was elected as President of Namibia by an overwhelming margin.
Geingob was born in Otjiwarongo, South-West Africa (present-day Namibia), in 1941. He received his early education at Otavi in South- West Africa under the Bantu Education System. He joined the Augustineum, where most of today’s prominent political leaders of Namibia were educated, in 1958. In 1960, he was expelled from Augustineum for having participated in a march to protest the poor quality of education. He was, however, re-admitted and was able to finish the teacher-training course in 1961. Subsequently, he took up a teaching position at the Tsumeb Primary School in Central Namibia but soon discovered that his thirst for knowledge was unlikely to be quenched in Namibia. As a teacher, he also hated being an unwilling instrument in perpetuating the Bantu Education System.
Therefore, at the end of the school year, he left his job to seek knowledge and instruction that could help him change the system. He, with three of his colleagues, walked and hitch-hiked to Botswana to escape the system. From Botswana, he was scheduled to go to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on a plane chartered by the African National Congress (ANC). However, this plane was blown up by the South Africans when it was still on the ground because the time bomb went off prematurely. Subsequently, the apartheid regime also tightened up the “underground railway”. As a result, Hage Geingob stayed on in Botswana where he served as Assistant South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) Representative in Botswana (1963–64).
In 1964, Hage Geingob left for the United States to study at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was granted a scholarship. Subsequently, he obtained a BA degree from Fordham University in New York in 1970 and an MA degree in International Relations from the Graduate Faculty of The New School, New York in 1974.
In 1964, he was appointed SWAPO Representative at the United Nations and to the Americas. He served in this position until 1971. He travelled extensively, criss-crossing the United States, talking with people, addressing gatherings. He and his colleagues were not always successful, but they did find some converts who helped them keep the Namibian issue alive at the United Nations until the United Nations General Assembly’s recognition of SWAPO as the sole and authentic representative of the people of Namibia. Namibians’ struggle at the international fora, and their armed struggle launched in 1966 eventually led to the independence of Namibia in 1990.
In 1972, Hage Geingob was appointed to the United Nations Secretariat as Political Affairs Officer, a position he held until 1975 when he was appointed Director of the United Nations Institute for Namibia. He, with his team, was responsible for starting this training and research Institute whose primary function was to train cadres who could take over the civil service of Namibia on independence. An important component of the Institute was also to carry out sectoral research to develop policy framework for the government of independent Namibia. Over the years, the Institute grew in stature and institutional relations were established with various institutions of higher learning in Europe, e.g., University of Warwick, University of East Anglia, and University of Sussex. These and other institutions recognized the Institute’s diploma and readily admitted its graduates for further studies.
Hage Geingob held the position of the Director of the Institute until 1989. At the same time, he continued to be a member of both the Central Committee and the Politburo of SWAPO.
In 1989, he was elected by the Politburo of SWAPO to spearhead SWAPO’s election campaign in Namibia. To carry out this assignment, he returned to Namibia with many of his colleagues on 18 June 1989, after 27 years’ absence from the country. As SWAPO’s Director of Elections, Hage Geingob along with other members of his directorate established SWAPO election centres throughout the country and spearheaded an election campaign which brought SWAPO to power in Namibia.
On 21 November 1989 subsequent to the elections, he was elected Chairman of the Constituent Assembly which was responsible for formulating the Namibian Constitution. However, before a constitution could be formulated, he had to ensure that the Constituent Assembly went through a process of confidence building between the people who were known for their hatred of each other. Seeds of national reconciliation were thus sown at this Constituent Assembly. Subsequently, national reconciliation was to become government policy. Under his chairmanship, the Constituent Assembly unanimously adopted the Namibian Constitution on 9 February 1990. This Constitution is considered to be one of the most liberal and democratic in Africa if not the world.
On 21 March 1990, Hage Geingob was sworn in as the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Namibia, and on 21 March 1995, he was again sworn in as the Prime Minister of Namibia for the second term. He served in this capacity for twelve years. Hage Geingob, as Prime Minister introduced modern management approaches to the running of the government.
Hage Geingob was also committed to nature conservation coupled with tourism, and in the early 1990s opened the Ongava Lodge, just south of Etosha National Park.
In a cabinet reshuffle on August 27, 2002, Geingob was replaced as Prime Minister by Theo-Ben Gurirab and was instead appointed Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing.Geingob declined to accept this lesser position, however. He had placed ninth, with 368 votes, in the election to the Central Committee of SWAPO at the party’s August 2002 congress but on September 15, he failed to be re-elected to the SWAPO Politburo; he received 33 votes from the 83-member Central Committee, while the lowest scoring successful candidate received 35 votes.
In 2003, Hage Geingob was invited to be the Executive Secretary of the Global Coalition for Africa based in Washington, D.C. The Global Coalition for Africa is an innovative intergovernmental forum that brings together top African policymakers and their partners in the international community to build consensus on Africa’s priority development issues. It is based on the premise that Africa can grow only from within, but to do so it needs outside support. His focus was to work with African continental and regional organizations and Africa’s development partners towards conflict resolution in Africa, promotion of good governance in African states, and integration of African economies in the global economy.
In the nomination of SWAPO parliamentary candidates by party delegates on October 2, 2004, Geingob, who was at the time still in Washington working for the Global Coalition for Africa, placed 28th out of 60. He then left the Global Coalition for Africa and returned to Namibia to participate in the November 2004 parliamentary election, in which he won a seat.
Geingob became the Party Chief Whip of SWAPO in the National Assembly on April 18, 2007. He was brought back into the SWAPO Politburo in mid-2007, filling one of two vacancies. In November 2007, a few weeks before a party congress, the Politburo named Geingob as its sole candidate for the position of Vice-President of SWAPO. At the congress, he was accordingly elected without opposition on November 29, 2007 and subsequently appointed as Minister of Trade and Industry on April 8, 2008.
At SWAPO’s 2012 party congress, Geingob was re-elected as Vice-President of SWAPO on 2 December 2012, a result that was considered likely to make him the successor of Hifikepunye Pohamba as President of Namibia in 2015. Geingob received 312 votes from the delegates, while Jerry Ekandjo received 220 votes and Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana received 64 votes. Following the congress, President Pohamba appointed Geingob as Prime Minister on 4 December 2012.
As the SWAPO candidate, Geingob was elected as President of Namibia by an overwhelming margin on 28 November 2014, receiving 87% of the vote. He was sworn in as President on 21 March 2015; and the ceremony was attended by fifteen regional Heads of State and Government.

…Towards consolidation of set foundations 
By Hilary Mare
AT the first meeting of the President’s advisory council on March 8, President Hage Geingob spoke of the need to exemplify the new Africa giving birth to a new era in the history of Namibia in which past presidents share a deliberation platform with current President.
In his opening address in the presence of Founding Father Dr Sam Nuyoma and Former president Hifikepunye Pohamba, reiterated that respecting former Presidents has become the norm in Africa, and Namibia is an example par excellence of the new Africa.
“In the New Africa, coup d’états are no more. In the New Africa, our leaders are democratically elected, serve their terms and stay in their countries after their terms of office. In the New Africa, our retired leaders are respected as Fathers of their Nations. That is what we are doing here, by bestowing you in the annals of history as the Fathers of this Republic of Namibia.
“Respecting our former Presidents has become the norm in Africa, and Namibia is an example par excellence of the New Africa. It is because of this that we are here today, as first, second and third Presidents in the same room. In Namibia, your legacy continues; the legacy of, Peace, Stability and Prosperity,” he said.
He further spoke on the “trinity” notion in Namibia where association with former Presidents was pivotal in building Namibia.
“In the context of leadership, the “trinity” refers to us, the Namibian Presidents. You two, Comrade Nujoma and Comrade Pohamba, will forever be hailed for having brought peace, reconciliation, security and entrenching stability in our Republic. Now, Yours Truly has been tasked with the daunting assignment of bringing prosperity to Namibia. I vow to leave no stone unturned to ensuring that we all deliver on the Prosperity mandate.
“This meeting is further important, because as incumbent President, I am proud to be associated with, you, my predecessors. Like you, I have dedicated my life to the struggle for Namibia’s political independence.
“I am committed to be at the forefront of the second phase of our struggle, which is for Namibia’s full economic emancipation. I am humbled to have learnt from the best, or to say it in the words of Apostle Paul from the Holy Bible, to have sat at the feet of Gamaliel. It has prepared me very well for the difficult task of bringing Prosperity to Namibians. I am optimistic about the future, because I stand on the shoulders of the Giants,” he added.
The president re-affirmed his committed to building on the past legacy and dedicated himself to the delivering on the Prosperity promise.
“Since my inauguration as Third President, I have been hard at work reigniting the spirit of “one Namibia, one Nation” that the two of you personify. I was also deeply preoccupied with canvasing a shared Vision of a Namibian House, in which the spirit of Harambee will lead us towards prosperity and economic transformation.
“I have consulted extensively, through the political structures of the SWAPO Party, Cabinet and the ultimate sovereigns, the people of the Republic of Namibia, via nationwide town hall meetings. During the last year, my team and I were hard at work developing an action plan for prosperity in Namibia. This plan is called the Harambee Prosperity Plan. I am confident that it will usher in, the Epoch of Prosperity in Namibia. Today, I would like to present to you the broad parameters of the Harambee Prosperity Plan. I want the plan to benefit from your wise counsel, before it is finalised and released early next month at the State of the Nation Address.
“To deliver on the prosperity promise, I thought it wise to address income inequality by declaring an all-out war on the scourge of poverty. In order to win the war on poverty and deliver on the prosperity promise, a strong unified Namibian House, wherein all are pulling in the same direction and no one feels left out is of paramount importance.
“I would also like to make it clear upfront that the Harambee Prosperity Plan will complement our National Development Plans and Vision 2030. It therefore, recognizes and builds on your successes and achievements. It is designed to have high impact and take us closer to the attainment of Vision 2030.
“As I have mentioned, the Plan will be called the Harambee Prosperity Plan. Prosperity was the key election promise of the SWAPO Party during the 2014 National and Presidential Elections. We can only propel towards Prosperity, if we pull together as a united team in the same direction; therefore “Harambee”.
“When referring to our key promise of prosperity, we are referring to food, clothing, decent shelter, water, infrastructure development and education, to name but a few. We want to ensure that every Namibian has access to the basic necessities of survival.
“The Harambee Prosperity Plan will be an acceleration or impact plan aimed at significantly reducing poverty levels, reducing inequalities and uplifting the living standards of all Namibians. It will not, as I noted before, replace NDP4.
“Having a targeted, high action plan, alongside existing National Development Plans is not unusual or unique to Namibia. To ensure flexibility and to remain agile, countries around the world have deemed it necessary to, from time to time; have an additional push in the form of a complementary plan.
“You may recall that under the leadership of Comrade Pohamba, the Targeted Intervention Programme for Employment and Economic Growth [TIPEEG], and the Mass Housing Initiative were initiated to accelerate implementation,” he explained.

HIFIKEPUNYE Lucas Pohamba (born 18 August 1935) is a Namibian politician who served as the second President of Namibia from 21 March 2005 to 21 March 2015. He won the 2004 election overwhelmingly as the candidate of SWAPO, the ruling party, and he was re-elected in the 2009 election. Pohamba was the President of SWAPO from 2007 until his retirement in 2015. Pohamba is a recipient of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership.
Prior to his Presidency, Pohamba served in various ministerial positions, beginning at Namibia’s independence in 1990: he was Minister of Home Affairs from 1990 to 1995, Minister of Fisheries from 1995 to 1997, Minister without Portfolio from 1997 to 2000, and Minister of Lands from 2001 to 2005. He was also Secretary- General of SWAPO from 1997 to 2002 and Vice-President of SWAPO from 2002 to 2007.
Life and career
As a child, he compeleted his primary education in the Anglican Holy Cross Mission school in Onamunhama. At the age of 25, Pohamba was a founding member of SWAPO in 1960. He was arrested for his political activity but moved to Southern Rhodesia, when he was deported soon afterwards. He then spent four months in prison in South West Africa before spending two years in Ovamboland under house arrest. In 1964, he went to Lusaka to set up SWAPO’s Zambian office,and on his return, met the man who was later to become President, Sam Nujoma.[citation needed] Until the achievement of Namibian independence, Pohamba represented SWAPO across Africa, although he studied politics in the Soviet Union for a time in the early 1980s. He headed SWAPO’s 1989 election campaign and was a SWAPO member of the Constituent Assembly, which was in place from November 1989 to March 1990, before becoming a member of the National Assembly at independence in March 1990. He was Minister of Home Affairs from March 1990 to 1995, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources from 1995 to 1997, and Minister without Portfolio from 1997 to March 2000. He was elected as Secretary-General of SWAPO in 1997 and as its Vice-President in 2002. On 26 January 2001, he was appointed Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation, In which position he remained until becoming President in 2005. Under Pohamba as Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation, Namibia initiated a policy of partial land expropriation from landed white farmers to landless black ones. This policy was introduced to supplement the existing one of “willing buyer-willing seller” to try speed up the process. After becoming President, Pohamba also took over the chancellorship of the University of Namibia from Nujoma in November 2011. He was active in the Ovamboland People’s Organization, a national liberation movement that in 1960 transformed into SWAPO. Pohamba was a founding member of the organisation’s new incarnation and left his job in the mine to work as a full-time organiser for the group. Pohamba returned several times to South West Africa to work on behalf of SWAPO, and he was again charged with agitating against South African rule.
Presidency
Pohamba was selected as SWAPO’s candidate for the 2004 presidential election at an extraordinary party congress held in May 2004. He received 213 votes out of 526 in the first round of voting; in the second round, held on 30 May, he won with 341 votes against 167 for Hidipo Hamutenya, having received the support of nearly all of those who had backed third place candidate Nahas Angula in the first round. In the presidential election, held on 15/16 November 2004, Pohamba won with 76.44% of the vote, in what has been described as a “landslide”, but also denounced as flawed by the opposition. He was backed by Nujoma, who was then serving his third five-year term; Pohamba has been described as Nujoma’s hand-picked successor.Pohamba took office as president on 21 March 2005 and has since distinguished himself by careful but decisive moves against corruption.
Although there was speculation that Nujoma would seek re-election as SWAPO President in 2007 and then run for President of Namibia again in 2009, he denied these rumours in early October 2007, saying that he intended to step down as party leader in favour of Pohamba. On 29 November 2007, Pohamba was elected as SWAPO President at a party congress; he was the only candidate to be nominated and no voting was deemed necessary. Nujoma said that he was “passing the torch and mantle of leadership to comrade Pohamba”. The congress also chose Pohamba as the party’s only candidate for the 2009 presidential election. Pohamba won a second term in the November 2009 presidential election, receiving 611,241 total votes (76.42%). The second place candidate, Hidipo Hamutenya (who had left SWAPO and gone into opposition), received 88,640 (11.08%). Pohamba was unable to stand for re-election in 2014 due to constitutional term limits. The election was again won overwhelmingly by SWAPO, and Pohamba was succeeded by Hage Geingob on 21 March 2015. Less than a month later, on 19 April 2015, he retired as President of SWAPO. He ended his term with high approval ratings, being hailed for pushing for gender equality and increased spending on housing and education.

 …The case of Andimba Herman Toivo ya Toivo
By Hilary Mare

WORLD renowned human rights advocate, George Bizos could be regarded as one of the instrumental men in the struggles faced by Andimba Herman Toivo ya Toivo and other Namibians in their Pretoria trial. In his memoirs titled the Odyssey to Freedom, Bizos shares the struggle of ya Toivo and his work towards averting the death penalty for ya Toivo coupled with the release of other SWAPO members who were being charged with terrorism between 1961 and 1971.
The memoirs reveal that the chairman of the internal wing of SWAPO, Emmanuel Gottlieb Nathaniel Maxuilili and the two teachers who were on the executive could not understand why they were being charged with terrorism.
Jason, the maths teacher, and most articulate and intelligent among the accused, quietly spoke to us about Herman Toivo ya Toivo, then SWAPOs Ovamboland leader. He feared that Herman had been permanently affected by the physical and mental torture he had undergone in detention.
“We told him that others had been cured of similar affliction slowly but surely by the companionship of their co-accused, by interaction with their lawyers and by visits from their families. Of cause in the case of our clients no such visits were allowed. We advised against calling in a psychiatrist as there was a danger that Herman would be sent to a mental hospital. There he would be again isolated and under police control. Happily within a couple of weeks his condition improved,” he writes.
“One of the founders of the SWAPO, Herman was well versed in the country’s political history. Most of the accused with the assistance of ya Toivo and the schoolteachers had written lengthy statements concerning the unspeakable torture they had suffered. Our team was divided on whether to cross examine the policemen on the treatment of the accused.
“Eventually the state closed its case and we announced that we not be leading any evidence. We argued that there was insufficient evidence to convict some of the more elderly, whose degree of participation was minimal. In one instance nothing more than giving some dry spinach to the insurgents.
“The judge took time to write his judgement. He acquitted a couple more than we had asked for but found it necessary to not only convict ya Toivo but to attempt to discredit him as a political leader. He also found it necessary to praise the security police, saying that they had acted in a responsible manner and that the security of the state was in safe hands.
“In the light of the judges announcement we decided that ya Toivo would follow the example of Nelson Mandela and read a statement from the dock, speaking not only for himself but also for his co-accused and the Namibian people. He insisted in answering the judge’s criticisms of him in strong terms, even though we warned that his sentence was likely to be increased. He didn’t care; he was going to have his say. After he had read the first two paragraphs about being tried in a foreign country, the judge interrupted him saying that it was his duty to judge them. Ya Toivo ignored this and continued
“We are far away from our homes. Not a single member of our families has come to visit us, never mind to be present at our trial. The Pretoria jail, the police headquarters where we were interrogated and where statements were extracted from us, and this court, is all we have seen of Pretoria. We have been cut off from our people and the world. The state has not only wanted to convict us but also to justify the policy of the South African government. We will not even try to present the other side of the picture because we know that a court that has not suffered in the same way as have cannot understand this. This is perhaps why it is said that one should be tried by one’s equals – we here are being tried by our masters. Had we been tried by our equals it would not have been necessary to have any discussions about our grievances, these would have been known by those said to judge us”, he said.
He could not be persuaded to leave out the paragraph in which he took the judge to task for having called him a coward.
“In the last war I joined an army to fight for this country while this judge was a traitor and belonged to the pro-Nazi underground organisation which committed sabotage as I stood guard at military installations facing the bullets of his colleagues. Now I am called a coward and he is the judge, “he further remarked.
Ya Toivo was sentence to 20 years in prison and his statement eventually led to the amendment of the Criminal Procedure Act which deprived an accused of the right to speak from the dock.

PRESIDENT Hage Geingob descends into a year of governance since assuming office on March 21 last year and whilst he has explicitly laid down the marker on which direction he intends his administration to go, it appears he is also ready to scale up the fight on poverty, corruption, transparency and strengthening institution governing the wellbeing of the state.
Indeed the year 2015 can be described as a calling to arms in which Geingob endeavoured to rally the nation behind a shared vision and developing policies aimed at eradicating poverty and bringing about prosperity through themes such as, war on poverty, war against corruption, no Namibian must feel left out and Harambee. Essentially this year the President has, at the opening of Parliament declared that it is time to turn words into reality, it is time to implement and therefore referring to this year as the year of implementation. Within this implementation roadmap the emerging concepts and philosophies have been
coined around ensuring that processes are inclusive and transparent. This also pertains to processes that will instil confidence in national demo c r a c y, and that will minimize the risks of rumour mo n g e r i n g and conspiracy theories.
With bodies such as the Electoral Commission having ensured transparent  processes during recent elections, transparency takes centre stage with the tendering system that needs to fall inline this year with positive signs having already been showcased by Geingob in the way in which he cancelled tenders last year due to processes and procedures that were questionable.

This stems from the understanding that democratically elected governments are accountable to voters and their processes are open to public scrutiny and at same time privatization shuts the public out of decision-making that deeply affects the public interest.

In this same year of implementation and arguably leading the pack of policy changes on the cards are ten bills that will be debated in Parliament imminently. These are the Appropriation Bill, the Agronomic Industry Bill, the Business and Intellectual Property Bill, the Child Justice Bill, the Estate Agents and Property Developer Bill, the Land Bill, the Marital Property Bill, the Namibia Industrial Development Agency, the Property Valuers Profession Amendment Bill and the Whistle-blowers Protection Bill.

In relation to these bills, Geingob has reiterated that these bills are crucial in efforts to combat a number of burning issues that are currently being faced namely poverty, violence against women and children, inability of local entrepreneurs to participate in the business market, rising cost of housing, unavailability of land and crime amongst others.

As policymakers and researchers focus increasing attention on the importance of government transparency for accountability and good governance more generally, the demand for greater conceptual clarity and authoritative measures of government transparency increases. The Geingob administration has shown that it advocates maintaining greater access to government information as the sine qua non of greater accountability and better quality of government in the long term.

…Reliving the years that led to independence

By Hilary Mare 

IN 1966, South-West Africa People’s Organisation’s (SWAPO) military wing, the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) began guerrilla attacks on South African forces, infiltrating the territory from bases in Zambia. The first attack of this kind was the battle at Omugulugwombashe on 26 August. After Angola became independent in 1975, SWAPO established bases in the southern part of the country. Hostilities intensified over the years, especially in the then Ovamboland.
As the war to Namibia’s liberation raged on, Angola demanded in 1988 that as a condition for a withdrawal of Cuban troops, the independence of Namibia was to be made real. South Africa hesitated at first but South Africans were tired of war and so they agreed to negotiate with Angola and Cuba and the USA as a mediator. The Soviet Union, that supported SWAPO, acted as background mediator.
After many negotiations, the parties resolved that the United Nations’ resolution No. 435 should become effective on November 1st 1988. Angola, Cuba and South Africa signed a ceasefire and South Africa withdrew its troops from Angola. One week after the elections in November 1989, the withdrawal of the South African army from Namibia was completed. An UN-appointed military commission (UNTAG) supervised the withdrawal.
Thanks to an amnesty, 42 000 exiles and refugees could come back to Namibia in June 1989, among them Founding Father of the Namibian Nation, Sam Nujoma.
In the elections of 1989, which proceeded calmly, SWAPO got an absolute majority. Nujoma was nominated for President. Late in 1989, the elected parties introduced a blueprint for a constitution. In January 1990, March 21st of the same year was pronounced Independence Day; Nujoma was elected first President of Namibia. A democratic constitution was passed in February 1990.
On midnight of March 20th 1990, Namibia became independent and thousands of Namibians watched Nujoma solemnly swear the oath of office to UN Secretary General Perez de Cuellar at the then Windhoek Athletic Stadium.
It was on this day that Nujoma affirmed Namibia’s independence with the following inaugural speech.
“For the Namibian p e o p l e and for me, this day, the 21st of March, 1990, is the most memorable and indeed the most emotional moment in the annals of our history.
“This solemn hour is the moment which our people have been waiting for more than a century. This is the day for which tens of thousands of Namibian patriots laid down their lives, shed their precious blood, suffered imprisonment and a difficult life in exile. Today, our hearts are filled with great joy and jubilation because our deepest and longest yearning has been realised.
“For the past 43 years or so, this land of our forebears has been a bone of contention between the Namibian people and the international community on one hand, and South Africa on the other. The Namibian problem has been at the centre of bitter international dispute over the last four decades. The United Nations and other international bodies produced huge volumes of resolutions in an attempt to resolve this intractable problem.
“However, it pleases me to state that we are gathered here today, not to pass yet another resolution, but to celebrate the dawn of a new era in this land and to proclaim to the world that a new star has risen on the African continent. Africa’s last colony is, from this hour, liberated.
“It is, therefore, profoundly momentous and highly joyous for the Namibian people and myself, that the highest representative of the international community, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, together with the State President of South Africa, and the Namibian nation, which I am honoured to lead, are able to announce, here, today, to the world that a definitive and final solution to the protracted Namibian problem has, indeed, been unanimously reached by these three parties.
“For the Namibian people, the realisation of our most cherished goal, namely, the independence of our country and freedom of our people is a fitting tribute to the heroism and tenacity with which our people fought for this long-awaited day. We have been sustained in our difficult struggle by the powerful force of conviction in the righteousness and justness of our cause. Today history has absolved us; our vision of a democratic state of Namibia has been translated into a reality.
“With regard to the international community, the achievement of Namibia’s independence today is, we believe, a welcome and laudable culmination of many years of consistent support for our cause. The world’s demand for our country to be allowed to exercise its inalienable right to self-determination and independence has been achieved. We express our most sincere gratitude to the international community for its steadfast support.
“As for the government of South Africa, it can be said that the decision to accept the implementation of Resolution 435 has been the first demonstration of political will to find a negotiated solution to the problems of our region. Furthermore, President de Klerk’s proclamation here today that South Africa has reached a final and irreversible decision to relinquish control over Namibia, is an act of statesmanship and realism. This, we hope, will continue to unfold in South Africa itself.
“I seize this opportunity to point out that the protracted process of negotiating an agreement on Resolution 435 and struggling for its implementation has been difficult and, at times, acrimonious. It was only perseverance, forbearance and commitment which helped us to see the process through to its logical conclusion, namely, the birth of the Namibian nation which we are here to witness.
“Against this background, it is heartening for the Namibian people and I, to know that our independence has been achieved under conditions of national consensus and international
presence here today of so many world leaders and other dignitaries is a clear testimony to the fact that Namibia’s achievement of independence is an event of great world importance. For us, this is yet another reason for celebration.
“With respect to the important question of national consensus, I am glad to announce that, following the independence election last November, the various Namibian political parties have been able to work together in the Constituent Assembly, where we formulated and adopted a Constitution acceptable to the broad majority of our people.
“Against this background, I am indebted to the Namibian electorate for giving SWAPO an absolute majority, thereby enabling it to form the first government of the Republic of Namibia.
“In the same vein, I am grateful to the members of Namibia’s Constituent Assembly for the confidence they have placed in me in electing me as the first President of the Republic of Namibia. I pledge to do my utmost to uphold the Constitution of the Republic and to honour the trust which the Namibian people have bestowed upon me to lead this new nation at this critical juncture.
“To the Namibian people, I would like to state, on this solemn and historic occasion, that our nation has blazed the trail to freedom. It has risen to its feet. As from today, we are the masters of this vast land of our ancestors. The destiny of this country is now fully in our own hands. We should, therefore, look forward to the future with confidence and hope.
“Taking the destiny of this country in our own hands means, among other things, making a great effort to forge national identity and unity. Our collective security and prosperity depend on our unity of purpose and action. Unity is a precondition for peace and d e v e l o p m e n t . Without peace, it is not possible for the best and talented citizens of our country to realise their potential. Our achievement of independence imposes upon us a heavy responsibility, not only to defend our hard-won liberty, but also to set for ourselves higher standards of equality, justice and opportunity for all, without regard to race, creed or colour. These are the standards from which all who seek to emulate us shall draw inspiration.
“In accepting the sacred responsibility which the Namibian people have placed on me, as the first President of the Republic of Namibia, I would like to bow and pay homage to our fallen heroes and heroines, whose names Namibia’s present and future generations will sing in songs of praise and whose martyrdom they will intone. “In conclusion, I move, in the name of our people, to declare that Namibia is forever free, sovereign and independent!”

By Hileni Nembwaya

THE Affirmative Repositioning movement (AR) together with the youths of Oshana region have united to fight for economic freedom through a consortium.

Consortium 101 is a company owned by about 200 young entrepreneurs from the northern region whereby they are all shareholders, with each one of them owning about 0.5 percent shares.

The company was founded late last year.

Speaking during the official inauguration, Dimbulukeni Nauyoma who is one of the co-founders of the AR and Consortium 101, told the gathering that the company has no political affiliations, but was formed to transform the lives of young entrepreneurs through skills development.

“It is our collective benefit as young people of this country to make sure that by the year 2030 we did not only speak but have made tangible results. The Consortium 101 will solely benefit the members of Oshana and there will be a chain of benefits and money going into this young fearless youths’ bank account,” said Nauyoma.

He said that the company will comprise of different entities such as trading within themselves through collective efforts.

“We want to make sure that we see a collective capacity and we also need to complement one another,” said Nauyoma.

AR co-founder Job Amupanda said that the consortium would emancipate the youths from revolution mentality and bring about economic freedom.

“It is not going to be easy, but we must revolutionalise. You also need to be innovative and driven,” he said.

Consortium 101 is said to be the first initiative in the country led by the youth with more than 5 000 people expected to benefit.

It will be governed by 11 board members that were selected amongst the 200 youth shareholders.

Currently it is being spearheaded by the AR Oshana coordinators and it also expected to roll out to all the 14 regions across the country.

All the current 200 members have resolved to make a contribution of N$500 towards the capital contribution.

The Consortium for Oshana region is expected to become fully operational as from April 2.

GIANT retail group Woermann Brock Saturday gave away a brand new tractor to Windhoek resident David Kambinda as part of its 121th birthday anniversary. The Win a Tractor competition drew a large crowd at the Khomasdal Grove Mall where nine finalists had to start the tractor with one lucky key. Early this year the retail group also gave away N$1 million cash to another lucky shopper Nazeema Brenner in one of their competition dubbed as a historical event in Namibia.  In the picture, Kambinda’s representative beams with joy as he inspects the tractor.

By Hileni Nembwaya

THE Affirmative Repositioning movement (AR) is considering establishing its chapters in some of the country’s institutions of higher learning after numerous requests from the students.

The said chapters will apparently be dealing with student accommodation and housing challenges at universities and colleges.

Speaking during a press conference held at Ongwediva recently, Job Amupanda one of the co-founders of AR said that it their duty to lobby government and institutes of higher learning to build more and cheaper student accommodation.

“It is also their task to establish rapid consciousness, amongst the student population, on matters of land, housing and human dignity. This process is going well despite orchestrated plans by representatives of the elite,” said Amupanda.

He said that the AR UNAM Hifikepunye Pohamba campus chapter has so far been established and registered, while plans are under to be established at institutions such as International University of Management and University of Namibia main campus and Namibia University of Science and Technology.

“The chapters, should the elites continue blocking student registration, we will operate in corridors and operate as an underground student organisation mobilising students for popular student actions. Our lawyers are also waiting for internal processes failure to which chapters will approach the courts,” declared Amupanda.

He furthermore said that the state of massive urban land servicing programme is at an advanced stage with discussions on the developments.  AR says it also has held meetings with the City of Windhoek on the matter of tenants of commonage farms and land availability.

By Eliaser Ndeyanale

AGRICULTURE Minister John Mutorwa has said that government plans to construct a desalination plant in order to address the country’s central part’s perennial water shortages.

He said that although the desalination plant will cost millions of dollars it is the only viable option to address the water crisis being experienced in the central and coastal parts of the country.

“Desalination of sea water is the only solution to address the water scarcity in the central and coastal parts of Namibia,” he said, adding that there are also plans to draw water from the Kavango River but this can only be done in consultation with the Angolan and Botswana governments because the river is shared by these three countries.

In addition, the minister stated that plans to buy the Areva desalination plant were at an advanced stage, but he could however, not reveal how much it will cost government.

“The final report on negotiations between government and Areva was submitted to Cabinet three weeks ago, it will be premature for me to discuss about the cost at this moment,” Mutorwa said.

Areva constructed the desalination plant, situated at Wlotzkabaken about 30 km north of Swakopmund, to supply water to mines in Erongo and to alleviate water shortages in the region that has no perennial rivers. Desalination involves the removal of salt from seawater so that it can be safe, especially for human consumption.

According research made by Confidente, large-scale desalination plants are increasingly being used worldwide. Thousands of them are in operation, the greatest number being in the Middle East, from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait to Oman and Qatar. Most of Israel’s water already comes from such plants. The USA is home to about 300 of them and California, a state in the grip of the worst drought in history, is investing billions in the technology.

Several South African municipalities are considering desalination as part of their future water supply plans and government has suggested that in 15 years’ time as much as 10 percent of the country’s total urban water supply might be provided in this way.

Mutorwa also urged the public to report water leaks. He added that approval would soon be sought from Cabinet to introduce 10 percent to 15 percent compulsory water saving mechanism presumably by means of rationing.

He said people were still under the impression that the authorities were bluffing about the water crisis, while the level of the Omatako Dam was at 6.7 percent, the Von Bach Dam at 22.7 percent and the Swakoppoort Dam at 13.9 percent.

Mutorwa said he did not want people to panic, but the consequences of Windhoek running dry would be too ghastly to contemplate.

“Undoubtedly the central areas must be seen as the most important area of Namibia because it includes the nation’s capital and accommodates the seat of the Namibian state’s three organs, the executive, legislature and judiciary,” the minister said.

He pointed out that for the past five years there have been no significant inflow into the three supply dams. “That is frightening and worrying.”