namib independent issue 158

Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, on Namibia's stockpile of ivory and rhino horns.

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Issue 158 - Thurs, 23 July 2015 to Wed, 29 July 2015Like a newspaper, only better!

The Erongo region is on the rise in terms of economic activities and natural resources and could become the bread basket of the country.Namport's Chief Executive Officer, Bisey /Uirab, at the official launch of the Namport Erongo Expo.

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“ We will get a lot of money, and the proceeds will go to state coffers to alleviate poverty. ”

Continued on Page 3 Continued on Page 3

See Page 8 See Page 5

IN SEARCH OF JUSTICE See Page 4

Erongo Red beefs up their power supply

It is all hands on deck upgrading the Swakopmund electricity sub-station, here NamPower's Area Manager Wicus Meyer is seen on site with Bernard Doeseb (Nampower District Supervisor Coast). (Photo Donna Collins)

Donna Collins

The official start of the multi-million dollar upgrading exercise to increase the power supply to Swakopmund got into full swing last Sunday, when a power outage the entire day had residents chomping at the bit.

In an effort to beef up their service and bring more power to the people, Erongo Red and NamPower commenced with

the much needed upgrade project of their electrical infrastructure at the Swakopmund Substation.

The Swakopmund Substation is one of the two in feed supply points from the NamPower network to Erongo Red, and preparation work at the Substation officially got underway on Monday where it is all hands on deck for the weeks that lay ahead.

The sub-station has been shut down

for a six week period, whilst the improvement of the infrastructure, laying the foundations for installation of new 30MVA transformer and an upgrade of all related equipment is unfolding.

In addition to this upgrade project NamPower are also connecting the fibre optic cable from the newly

Campaign to remove Marine Denkmal from Swakopmund gains momentum

By Staff Reporter

Descendants of the survivors of the German war of genocide (1904-08) are demanding that the Marine Denkmal monument that stands on the grounds of State House in Swakopmund be removed and repatriated to Germany.

Well-known community activist, Laidlaw Peringanda, who also leads the DRC Concerned Group, has started a petition to galvanise support for the demand that the statue, which

commemorates the German soldiers killed during the period of German colonial rule in Namibia, be urgently taken down.

Peringanda says it is an affront to the people who were massacred in their thousands by colonial soldiers that Namibians should still suffer the indignity of having to look every day on the image that commemorates, not the victims of the 1904 genocide, but rather the perpetrators of that

Thursday, 23 July 20152 News

Tel (+264 64) 200 497 Email [email protected]

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KRAATZ marine workers show support for the elderly

Members of the Kraatz Workers Committee hand over the donation to the elderly of the Kuisebmond Old Age Home.

Sharon Brooks

The workers committee of Kraatz Marine – a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group – recently donated goods to the value of N$10,000 to the Kuisebmond Old

Age Home in Walvis Bay in attempt to relieve the burden of ever increasing food prices and keep the pensioners warm during the cold winter months.

The donation, which was paid for from the Workers Empowerment Fund,

included comforters and food hampers for the residents of the old age home. According to Roberto January, Senior Human Capital Practitioner at Kraatz Marine, the company contributes N$20 000 every year to the Workers Empowerment Fund. The workers committee manages the fund and “decides which campaigns they would support each year and the criteria of selection is based on our purpose ‘Creating a Future, Enhancing Life’.” He said.

January added that the fund has, in the past, responded to appeals by vulnerable communities suffering under severe drought conditions and a lack of nutritious food in some parts of Namibia.

The acting matron of the Kuisebmond Old Age Home Natalia Garoes was incredibly grateful to the workers of Kraatz Marine for the kind donation and said: “You have enhanced our lives today and put a smile on the faces of our elderly. Our senior citizens are grateful for the donation - THANK YOU very much.”

3 Thursday, 23 July 2015

Campaign to remove Marine Denkmal from Swakopmund gains momentum

Erongo Red beefs up their power supply

News

Continued from Page 1

Continued from Page 1

ENERGY SAVING TIPSAir Conditioner· Clean and inspect your air conditioner filters regularly.· Only cool or heat rooms that are occupied.

Let’s work together and use electricity sparingly.

constructed 220kV lines into Walmund Substation situated outside of town.

The Namib Independent caught up with NamPower Area Manager Wicus Meyer who was on site with his team, contractors and builders who were already laying the bricks for a large cubicle which is to house the new high tech transformer system.

"Due to the enormous population growth in Swakopmund over the years, it has come to a point that we need to upgrade the equipment to meet the electricity demand of this town," said Meyer, adding that this upgrade work is required to improve the overall capacity and reliability of the Swakopmund electricity network, as capacity constraints for this fast growing town is

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becoming a reality. During the following six weeks

ending on 30 August, the Swakopmund feed supply point will not be available for the town. During this period, the entire town will be supplied from the Tamarisk Substation. Erongo RED has made all necessary preparation work to ensure that the network will be stable to supply electricity to the entire town.

Similar planned outages of this magnitude are expected in August. The areas affected are Swakopmund town, Rooibank NamWater, Rossmund Telecom, Walvis Bay Airport, MTC and the Rooikop Army Base.

"This process is long overdue and we are doing all we can to make sure that the next few weeks run as smoothly as possible, because capacity constraints for Swakopmund has become a reality and now is the time to act." Meyer concluded.

historical crime, which led to the extermination of around 80% of the indigenous Herero and Nama people.

On 15 July this year the country marked 100 years since the end of German colonial rule in Namibia. There are moves afoot in the German Buntestag to compel the German government to recognise that it is historically responsible for the first genocide of the 20th century, committed in then German South West Africa.

There is a growing movement in German civil society whereby a number of prominent people are demanding that the German government acknowledge the crimes committed in its name, ask forgiveness and make recompense for the extermination of the Nama and Herero.

The infamous extermination order issued by General Lothar von Trotha in 1904 called for the extermination of every Herero and Nama, whether man, woman or child, who did not surrender.

The remains of thousands of indigenous people were thrown in unmarked

gravesites along the Swakop riverbed, just to the east of the German cemetery and these unmarked graves of great numbers of unidentified people are even visible from space via Google satellite images.

Most of the remains belong to people who were taken into concentration camps during the 1904-08 war of extermination and forced to build the Woermann railway line, the Mole and other key installations. The work spared no man, woman or child, and archival records show that the foremen on duty marked off daily the number of people who died in the course of constructing the Mole and railway line.

Records show that the old railway station, where the casino stands today, was used as a concentration camp, where women and children were dispatched, either to farmers, mining companies, or construction projects such as the Mole and jetty.

Peringanda, whose forebears were taken into slave labour and narrowly survived their ordeal under German colonial rule, is vehement that the Marine

Denkmal is an insult to the memory of their ancestors and that a statue commemorating the colonial soldiers, responsible for what are today widely regarded as war crimes and crimes against humanity, should not be celebrated in modern Namibia.

He said last week that it is a reminder of the painful and ugly past that we need to put behind us in order for healing and reconciliation to take place. Peringanda and a group of activists have managed to gather widespread support from the affected communities for their demand that the Marine Denkmal be taken down as soon as possible.

“If the German community is so fond of this memorial which celebrates the indiscriminate murder of our ancestors, then they should repatriate this memorial and take it back to Germany. We don’t want it here.”

He says that even in Germany they do not tolerate statues of Hitler, because it reminds them of their painful past. “The Berlin wall was also destroyed because it does not reflect the values of modern Germany. Why should we suffer this insult on a daily basis? Where are the statues and memorials to commemorate our ancestors, including the thousands of innocent people who were raped, murdered and worked to death?” he asked.

He says that even 110 years after the campaign of genocide there is no recognition of what happened and the inequalities that emerged as a result of the loss of their land and dignity still persists. “Why do black people still have to subsist at the bottom of the social hierarchy? If you look at income distribution and land ownership you will find that the descendants of the victims of the 1904 war are today among the poorest people in this country, while the descendants of the German colonists are the single wealthiest ethnic group in – not only Swakopmund – but in the country.

Black people are still forced to live on the margins of society, in places such as Mondesa and the DRC, where they often languish in poverty and misery. This can be directly attributed to the loss of land and the murder of our forefathers and foremothers, he argued. “The time for justice has come,” he said.

The affected Nama and Herero communities and their supporters are now mobilising for a day of action on 26 July, when they will hold a vigil to mourn the loss of their ancestors during the war of conquest and genocide conducted by Kaizer Wilhelm’s army in Namibia.


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Closing Date: 07 August 2015, 10:00Document Enquiries: Mrs. A WelgemoedDocument Fees: N$274 (Non - Refundable)Telephone: +264-(0)64 - 214 600Facsimile: +264-(0)64 - 214 601Technical Enquiries: Mr. B. GorasebTechnical Enquiries Email [email protected]

Documents in a sealed envelope clearly marked as described in Tender documents with:

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addressed to the Chairperson of the Tender Committee must be placed in the tender box at the Enquiries desk at: 91, Hage Geingob Str, Erongo RED Building, 1st Floor, Walvis Bay or be posted to the Chairperson of the Tender Committee, P.O. Box 2925, Walvis Bay, to reach him at the latest by:

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Please note that no faxed or e-mailed documents, nor documents received after the specified closing date and time will be considered for evaluation.

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In search of justiceOpinion Piece by Jade McClune

Through me you pass into the city of woe: through me you pass into eternal pain… All hope abandon, ye who enter here. - Dante Alighieri

The lines above are from Dante’s famous 14th century poem, Inferno, which describes his epic journey to the lowest reaches of hell. He depicted these words as posted above the gates of hell. This warning might very well hang over the entrance to our courts.

“Why?” you ask. Well, I’ve come to the conclusion that there cannot be any meaningful or substantive equality before the law when only the very rich can afford legal services

and advice (and even then the cost may often lead to their complete bankruptcy), so I must therefore wonder whether the very idea of ‘equality before the law’ is a fact or mere fiction.

I was not sure whether to laugh or cry when a senior magistrate in Swakopmund told me recently that “civil law is just not fair.” What then is the purpose of the law, if not to dispense justice in a fair and reasonable manner? It would appear that justice is only accessible to the rich.

The learned men and women of the legal profession no doubt feel entitled to charge as high fees as they can get away with on account of the

fact that they have specialised knowledge of the law and spent many years at university to learn the obscure technical details of the law and to read a dead language, Latin, in which the secrets of our legal code are still locked.

Mercenaries in courtDespite protestations from colleagues, who reported him to the Law Society for it, I suspect that the well-known attorney Richard Metcalfe was perfectly right when he said point-blank: “An attorney is like a mercenary. We work for money and not loyalty.”

Barriers to justiceLegal costs present a considerable barrier to justice for the ordinary person, in a country where the vast majority earn less than N$2000 a month, where one quarter of the children are chronically malnourished.

I have seen people go bankrupt trying to defend themselves and their loved ones before court. I’ve seen defendants submit to false allegations because they cannot afford a lawyer to bring the evidence that will prove them innocent before court.

To the man in the street the legal profession seems insulated and closed off from public scrutiny, a private circle where lawyers are allowed to set their own fees, without oversight.

When clients can no longer pay, not only will their case be discarded (despite the merits and prospects of success), but ‘your lawyer’ will also drag you before court for unpaid (in some cases unpayable) debts, and so trap their clients into the payment of debt plus interest, thus long-term debt slavery.

Legal code rooted in slaveryRoman-Dutch law arose out of the needs of slave-owning society no less. Many lawyers are commonly regarded, not as the defenders of the weak and the vulnerable, not as champions of justice, but as black-cloaked vultures profiting from the ignorance of the common man, ready to pick bare the bones of any fool that comes in search of help.

Have you ever wondered why key legal concepts have to be communicated in a dead language that very few people can understand? Even fairly educated people, proficient in English and logic, will struggle to decipher the meaning of our laws.

Roman-Dutch law is obscure, complex and convoluted; the procedures of the courts so highly technical that the common man can barely make sense of what to do when confronted with a summons.

There is a reason for this: it is so that you are obliged to seek out a lawyer (and pay) for legal help, but the sky-high legal fees present a considerable barrier to justice.

These cost factors render the legal system impenetrable and inaccessible to the average citizen and thus reinforce the unassailable position of the legal eagles.

As a result, most people rarely have recourse to justice and protection under the law (even when they have suffered damages and are entitled to it) because they simply cannot afford the service of a lawyer.

Pricing out the poorEven if a rich man brings a poor man before the civil courts and makes serious claims against him, demanding everything the defendant owns, including that he pay the costs of the lawsuit, that poor man, though he might be innocent of all the allegations against him, will find himself in a tight spot.

Unless he can immediately afford a lawyer to reply to the summons within a set time (usually 3 to 10 days), he will be at a loss, as the courts will issue a judgment in favour of the plaintiff, by default.

This suggests that although we have a functioning legal system, in essence we do not have a justice system. We have a legal system designed by default to benefit the wealthy few. Our legal system and its tariffs, with rare exceptions, serve to preserve power and wealth among the elites and effectively deny the common man protection.

This is done simply by pricing poorer people out of the market, in the same sense that you can exclude poorer people from a

residential area, or an upmarket restaurant by simply pricing the product beyond their reach. You might call it a form of ‘economic apartheid’, by which the poor are filtered out and excluded though prohibitive pricing mechanisms.

Defunct divorce lawsIn divorce cases, which often tend to be very traumatic for families, the caprice of the legal fraternity is most clearly on display, as they tend to financially drain the affected families to the point of penury, despite adverse impacts on the well-being of children, parents and the wider society. The social consequences of the legal fees are never brought into question.

The only reason I can see for dragging broken families before the High Court is to preserve the revenue stream of elite attorneys, who alone are familiar with the arcane language and mystifying procedures of the High Court. Family matters should be heard by a family court, where attorneys are not needed.

A question of oversightWho sets the legal tariffs? The Law Society of Namibia, a self-governing body composed of lawyers and attorneys. OK, in which other profession are people allowed to set their own salaries? “Politicians”, you say, but even in parliament there is some democratic oversight. But who oversees the lawyers, or are they a law unto themselves?

I’m still waiting for a response from the Law Society to the questions I put to them.

Until recently, British law required that barristers and judges must declare whether they are freemasons or belong to secret associations, whereby they may be sworn to protect members of their organisation.

The law intended to reduce the possibility of collusion before the courts.

Predictably, the lawyers fought back and in 2010 the UK government scrapped the requirement that officers of the court declare freemason allegiances. That question has never even been raised in our legal debates.

In conclusionMy contention is this: that given the unwieldy and extortionate fee structure, which acts as a high barbed wire fence by preventing people from accessing the courts, and due to complexity of the legal code the contemporary administration of civil law has little or no resemblance to justice.

The legal set-up appears to have everything to do with milking the common man and women and draining their financial resources to the point of bankruptcy for the benefit of the legal eagles and black-cloaked vultures circling the courts.

5 Thursday, 23 July 2015 News

Annual Namport Erongo Business Expo launched

Absalom Shigwedha

The Namport Erongo Expo will be held at Walvis Bay's Civic Centre from the 28-31 October 2015 and Erongo Governor Cleophas Mutjavikua says he wants to see new products at this year's Namport Erongo Business Expo, so that the event can attract more people to the region. He made these remarks at the official launch of the 9th annual Namport Erongo Business Expo held in Walvis Bay last Friday.

“People must look forward to seeing new things. We must move away from the traditional ways of doing things. The Namport Erongo Business Expo must be characterized by growth. We want to see what has been innovatively produced in Okombahe, Omatjette and Uis,” said Mutjavikua.

Mutjavikua went on to say that other countries are moving very fast in terms of manufacturing and Namibians need to put a bigger focus on producing its own goods and help strengthen the country's economy.

He proposed that it would be a good thing if Municipalities use part of their annual budgets to send 20 people from each region to countries such as Thailand or China, to learn about how to produce products – as these countries have the technologies and skills.

“We must always have targeted efforts. The world is moving very fast especially the Asian Tigers. We can produce the same things. Knowledge-based economy is the

way to go,” said Mutjavikua. Namport's Chief Executive

Officer, Bisey /Uirab, said Namport was happy to be part of the initiative. He said the Erongo region is on the rise in terms of economic activities and natural resources and could become the bread basket of the country. “That is where Namport comes in. The region is endowed with a number of commodities which can drive the economy of the country,” he said.

He said apart from Walvis Bay being the gateway to the SADC region, tourism is also doing well in the Erongo region while there are also a number of mining activities. He called on the organisers of the Namport Erongo Business Expo to make sure that young entrepreneurs are brought in to show their products, share experiences and learn from one another.

“No-one should feel left out,” he said. He went on to say that he would like to see the Namport Erongo Business Expo grow, so that it can challenge the Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair and the Windhoek Trade and Agricultural Show.

The Acting Chief Executive Officer of Erongo Red, Freddie Vries, said local businesses provide much needed employment and they should be provided with the opportunity to showcase their products. In addition, he said that Erongo Red will be providing the Expo with electricity as part of its social corporate contribution to the event.

Namport Chief Executive Officer, Bisey /Uirab, Erongo Governor Cleophas Mutjavikua and Erongo Red Acting Chief Executive Officer, Freddie Vries, at the launching of the 9th Namport Erongo Business Expo at

Walvis Bay last Friday. Photo: Absalom Shigwedha


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We offer an above average remuneration package, which includes pension, free medical aid, group life and disability benefits, study benefits and generous leave benefits in a very pleasant yet professional atmosphere. Applications must include a CV in English. Faxed CV’s are not accepted, no original documentation should be included as we do not return documentation. Many of our clients are German speaking and accordingly the ability to converse in German would be an added advantage. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted within 2 weeks after the closing date. Please forward your applications on or before 7 August 2015 to the HR Manager at our Walvis Bay office, 128 6th street, P.O. Box 4440 Walvis Bay.

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Matriculation with University Exemption or higher; Must be eligible for registration at university level for a B.Compt degree or similar; Must be registered or comply with entrance requirements to register as Trainee or Article Clerk with either NIPA, ICAN or similar Institute. Namibian citizen or permanent resident with permission to work in Namibia; Code B driver’s license.

Assist on client yearend preparations; Assist on client data processing; perform filing duties; general office duties and deliveries; Ad Hoc assignments.

Bookkeeper: SWAKOPMUND

Matric; Existing Pastel & MS Office knowledge will be an advantage; Namibian citizen or permanent resident with permission to work in Namibia; Code B driver’s license.

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Matriculation with University Exemption or higher; Must be eligible for registration at university level for a B.Compt degree or similar; Must be registered or comply with entrance requirements to register as Trainee or Article Clerk with Public Accountants and Auditors Board (PAAB) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants Namibia (ICAN).Namibian citizen or permanent resident with permission to work in Namibia; Code B driver’s license.

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B. Compt (or similar degree) or higher; 5 years relevant work experience in similar position; Completed period of traineeship/articles with accounting or audit practice; Must be registered or comply with entrance requirements to register as Practising Member with either NIPA, ICAN or similar institute.

Assessing and identifying client needs; Adding value to client business; Assist in FCS decision-making process; Identify and report on training needs in office; Manage entire branch in absence of Executive Principal; Assist on WIP Control and periodic invoicing at branch level; Coordinate activities at branch with subordinate staff; Ad Hoc assessments.

Human Resources Officer Assistant: WALVIS BAY

Diploma in HR / or 2 years relevant experience; Effective Communication skills; Namibian citizen or permanent resident with permission to work in Namibia; Code B driver’s license.

Maintain confidential payroll and HR records & accurate filing systems; Unisa student administration; Leave register updates; Administration of all social security, workmen’s compensation, medical aid and Pension fund reports and queries; In-house training program administration; Any other Ad Hoc assignment relating to the position.

Trio arrested in Arandis for theft

Sharon Brooks

Three suspects, believed to be from Windhoek, have appeared in court in connection with the theft of over N$10 000 from a parked car in Usakos last week. Upon further investigation, it emerged that the suspects were in possession of a further N$70 000 in cash and a number of cellphones.

Valombaleni Ipinge, Minaar Dumelo and Steven Katalani are accused of having stolen N$10 700 from a car parked in front of Jumbo store at Usakos. After being pursued by Usakos police, the trio were eventually arrested in Arandis with the help of Arandis based First Response Security Company.

According to Deputy Commissioner Kashuupulwa, it is believed that the men realised that the victim was holding a large amount of cash after monitoring her movements. When the woman, who had just

purchased a large piece of furniture, placed her handbag on the front seat of her car to assist with the loading of the furniture, the suspects reportedly used the opportunity to snatch her handbag before climbing into a blue car and fleeing the scene.

Kashuupulwa went on to say that the police were immediately notified and began a pursuit of the blue sedan. The chase ended in Arandis where the suspects were arrested, upon searching the vehicle, police found several cell phones and cash to the value of N$70 000. Although the men maintain that the money is their own, Nampol is reportedly attempting to verify the source of the money.

The suspects made their first court appearance on Friday on charges for theft out of a motor vehicle and the case has been remanded to 17 August to allow for further investigations and all three suspects were granted N$5 000 bail each.

Increase in pension grant to be implemented next month

Sharon Brooks

The nation rejoiced earlier this year as the announcement was made that effective from 1 April 2015 Government social grants

paid to old age persons and people living with disabilities would be increased to N$1 000 per month. The new grant amount will be paid as from August 2015, and beneficiaries

will receive back pay for the period from April to July.

The increase, which sees payouts raise from N$600 a month to N$1 000, will be instituted from August and beneficiaries will receive a payment of N$2 600 in the first month which will include an amount of N$ 1 600 which serves as back pay (N$400 per month) for the four months since the announcement was made but the increase was not implemented, as well as the usual N$1 000 monthly grant.

Thereafter, all beneficiaries will receive an amount of N$1 000 monthly.


Food banks still being debated: Boois

ON A MISSION: Deputy Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, Priscilla Boois (middle), with Walvis Bay Mayor Uilika Nambahu (left) and Walvis Bay Deputy Mayor, Benson Uakumbua (back) when she arrived at the at the Walvis Bay Municipality offices on Tuesday this week.

Photo: Absalom Shigwedha

Absalom Shigwedha

The Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, Priscilla Boois, said the Ministry's idea of setting up food banks in the country to address poverty is still being debated.

Boois made these remarks when she paid a courtesy visit to the Municipality of Walvis Bay on Tuesday this week. The purpose of her visit was to gather information on the living conditions of people in the coastal town.

Boois said the Ministry will still need directives from the Office of the Prime

Minister as to how food banks will be set up. She said food banks will have to be placed at an appropriate place and added that some town councils have already availed land for the construction of food banks. “We will have a national dialogue. These must be facilities where food will be collected and distributed,” she said.

Responding to a question as to whether such facilities will create a dependency syndrome, Boois said the initiative will also include training to teach people how to produce food for themselves. “They cannot just receive. We will start with educating them and giving them skills,” she added. Boois is on the mission this week to familiarize herself with the conditions in which people live in the Erongo region. Having already undertaken a fact finding mission in Swakopmund, she next plans to visit Henties Bay, Arandis, Omaruru and Omatjette.

She explained that the familiarization visits started in Windhoek with the Oshandumbala area in Katutura saying that she is required by her ministry to go to the people at a grassroots level to see what conditions Namibians are living in. “This Ministry is really for the people. No one must be excluded,” said Boois.

Donna Collins

As the day draws closer for the completion of the eagerly awaited Strand Hotel, excitement is in the air, with promises of a new awakening for the once popular Mole. People's livelihood's are depending on the area becoming a vibrant tourist attraction, which brings a ray of hope for the struggling market vendors nearby.

The colourful open air 'Kavita Park' craft market situated behind the newly built Stand Hotel, is a buzz with talk of how the hotel is going to draw more tourists to the Mole in the future, and how this will improve sales at the craft market.

For the dozens of craft hawkers selling their wood carvings, art works, batiks, beads and other knick-knack's, the prospects of a greater tourist spin off, will be a welcome day.

"Business is slow at the moment, and we welcome the day that the hotel opens its doors, because this will bring more people to our market before they go into town and spend," they said.

Many of these people are foreigners mingled with Namibians whose crafts specialities have been handed down through generations, and skills learnt by their forefathers, which for them is the only livelihood they have known since young a age.

Kavita Park is situated in the designated craft courtyard in the popular Mole area, and is right behind the hotel where a walk way will link the two. This wonderful facility which was created by the Municipality some two years ago and is the go to place to be, if you are looking for a piece of African art to blend in with your decor at home.

The craft market offers 65 stalls, each one neatly

displaying row upon row of a wide selection of hand-made art and crafts. In addition, each vendor is supplied with their own locker to pack their goods in at closing time, avoiding the hassle of fitting their goods into a taxi at the end of each day or scrambling to use a communal container.

The previous informal craft market was spread out in the large parking area below Cafe Anton, but when council needed to create an interlocked parking space for tour busses and vehicles with the growing developments in the area. They created Kavitia Park with the vision of it being an attraction for visitors to the hotel, which is poised to turn the Mole into a bustling beach front hub.

Though the four star hotel will largely offer first class accommodation to tourists and visiting business people, there will be enough enjoyment to keep the locals and visitors on the beachfront lingering long after sunset.

A new look and feel awaits Swakopmund once the Strand Hotel is completed, which will not only change the skyline of Swakopmund, but the lives of many.

Commenting on the craft market, Swakopmund Municipality PRO Ailie Gerbhardt said, that this was a great initiative from council, who saw the need to provide a proper facility for the crafters to work from.

"Each of the vendors is registered and pays a nominal monthly to secure their spot as well as their locker, and treat it as an income generating a business," she concluded saying. "The local folk should also support the market because they are integral part of Swakopmund's tourist appeal."

Strand Hotel brings hope to struggling craft vendors

Zimbabwean Shelton Chimatshu, with Richard Nyambe a Caprivian craftsman who are vendors at the Kavita Park open air Swakopmund craft market, situated behind the Strand Hotel. (Photos Donna Collins)

The Strand Hotel is in its final phase and is scheduled to open in October, which once complete will turn the Mole beachfront into a hub


To provide ongoing costing and production information, cost and variance analysis, costing justification of projects, margin analysis and tracing costs to underlying activities. The position will construct and monitor cost-effective budgets and actual reporting systems needed to provide an appropriate level of management (cost and performance) information for the Processing department, and to support these budget holders on financial and costing disciplines.

Key Performance Areas:• Management Reporting: Ensures adequatemanagement reporting;

assists to compile key business metrics and reporting thereof inmonthly management reports; reports on productivity measures;assists in the preparation of capital justification calculations forongoing Capex; prepares cost center reports; identify and analyseexpendituretrendsandperformanceagainstbudget;managebudgetsthroughmonthlycostmeetingswithbudgetholders.Indepthanalysisand reporting of cost metrics i.e. cost per pound, cost per tonnemilledetc.

• Governance,InternalControl,ReportingandSupport:Appliesinternalfinancial control policies and procedures to costing process; assistswithcorrectcostingofpurchaserequisitions;preparesmanagementandKPIreports,providinghighqualityinformationtobudgetholdersand management; assists in implementing controls for physicalsafeguardingofassets.

• Budgeting and Regular Forecasts: Assists with coordination of theannual budget process for the Engineering disciplines in terms oftiming,guidelines,communicationandfacilitation;drivescostsavingsthrough the budget process; prepares all documentation requiredfor budget purposes; co-ordinates quarterly budget revisions andforecasts; assists in the preparation of financial justifications forinvestmentsandnewon-goingCAPEXforapproval.

• Support Relationships: Establishes andmaintains relationshipswithmanagement,budgetholders,supplychainandfinancialmanagementto provide assistance with problems that may arise, ensuring costeffectiveandqualityservice.

• Professional/personaldevelopmentandgrowth.• Co-workereffectiveness.• Safety,Health,Environmental,RadiationandQualityeffectiveness.

Requirements and experience:• B.ComdegreeinFinancialAccounting/ManagementAccounting• NQAlevel6• CodeBdriver’slicense• 4 years cost accounting experience, including 3 years cost and

management accounting experience, preferably gained in eithermining,constructionormanufacturingenvironment.

• WorkingknowledgeofMSOfficeandSAPFICO.

Email: [email protected] Date: 7 August 2015

One of the world’s foremost emerging uranium companies, Swakop Uranium, is focused on developing and operating the world's third-largest known primary uranium deposit near the town of Swakopmund in Namibia. We need energetic, self-motivated and confident people to apply for our roles and we regard you as our “Employee of Choice”.

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Cost ACCountAnt - ProCessing Cost ACCountAnt - engineeringLocation:HusabMine,Swakopmund

ReportstotheManagementAccountantLocation:HusabMine,Swakopmund

ReportstotheManagementAccountantTo provide ongoing costing and production information, analysis of cost variances, justification of costing projects, margin analysis and tracing costs back to underlying activities. The position will also construct and monitor cost-effective budget and actual reporting systems needed to provide an appropriate level of management (cost and performance) information, and support budget holders on financial and costing disciplines.

Key Performance Areas:• Management Reporting: Ensures adequatemanagement reporting;

assiststocompilekeybusinessmetricsandreporttheminmonthlymanagement reports; reports on productivity measures; Preparescapital justification calculations for ongoing Capex; prepares costcentrereportsandlocatesoverheadsmonthly;identifiesandanalysesexpendituretrendsandperformanceagainstbudget;managesbudgetthroughmonthlycostmeetingswithbudgetholders.

• Governance, Internal Control, Reporting and Support: Appliesinternalfinancialcontrolpoliciesandprocedurestocostingprocessand inventory;Assistswithcorrectcostingofpurchaserequisitions;prepares management and KPI reports, providing high qualityinformation to budget holders and management; accuratelyprocessesjobcostingformaintenancemanagement;assistsphysicalsafeguardingofassets.

• Budgeting and Regular Forecasts: Assists to coordinate andmanage the annual budget process in terms of timing, guidelines,communication and facilitation; drives cost savings through thebudget process; prepares all documentation required for budgetpurposes; co-ordinates quarterly budget revisions and forecasts;prepares financial justifications for investments and new on-goingCAPEXforapproval.

• Support Relationships: Establishes andmaintains relationshipswithmanagement,budgetholders,supplychainandfinancemanagementto provide assistance with problems that may arise, ensuring costeffectiveandqualityservice.

• Professional/Personaldevelopmentandgrowth.• Co-workereffectiveness.• Safety,Health,Environmental,RadiationandQualityeffectiveness.

Requirements and experience:• B.CommDegreeinFinancialAccounting/ManagementAccountingor

equivalentqualification.• ProfessionalAccountingMembership/CIMA• 4 Years cost accounting experience including 3 years cost and

management experience preferably gained in either a mining,construction of manufacturing environment with a preference tosomeonewhohasbeeninvolvedinamineunderconstruction.

• WorkingknowledgeofMSOfficeandSAPFICO.• CodeBDriver’sLicense.

Email: [email protected] Date: 7 August 2015

Throughitscommitmenttoitspeople,thecompanyoffersacompetitiveremunerationpackageandtheopportunitytoworkalongsidesomeofthemostexperiencedanddedicatedpeopleintheindustry.InterestedpersonsshouldsubmittheirCVandrelevantsupportingdocumentstheaboveemailaddressesORviaourfaxnumber064-4109001.PreviouslydisadvantagedNamibiansmeetingtheabovecriteriaareencouragedtoapply.Clearly indicate thepositionyouareapplying foraswell asyournameandsurname in the subject lineofyourapplicationemail.Applicationsreceivedthatdonotmeetthiscriteriawillnotbeconsidered.Onlyshortlistedcandidateswillbecontactedwithintwoweeksoftheclosingdateofthisadvertisementandnodocumentswillbereturned.Short-listedcandidatesmustbewillingtoundergopre-employment

selectionassessments.Formoreinformationonthecompany,pleasevisitwww.swakopuranium.com

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We are looking for a vibrant and diligent nurse to join our team.

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Interested candidates meeting the above criteria are encouraged to apply. Please forward CV to: [email protected] hand deliver at: Swakopmund Family Practice ProPark Building,Cottage Avenue

Namibia will not destroy ivory stockpile

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SWAKOPMUNDEggers Eck, Center of town

Sharon Brooks

Despite global trends, Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta has said that Namibia will not consider destroying its stockpile of ivory and rhino horns, saying “burning of ivory and rhino horn is against our policy.”

A number of countries worldwide, including the US, Kenya, Ethiopia and China, have publically destroyed part of their stockpiles of confiscated ivory in an effort to send a message that ivory and rhino products are off limits and to demonstrate their determination to eradicate all forms of illegal trade in the products.

The Minister, however, said in a recent interview that “our policy derives from our constitution, Article 95 that clearly stipulates how Namibians should benefit from their natural resources as long as they do so sustainably. Burning or disposing of those horns or ivory is contrary to our policy.”

In reference to the destruction of ivory in other countries, Shifeta reportedly said, “We are trying to search for the logic behind burning as a demonstration, protest or deterrent. Countries that are doing it maybe see the logic. But I do not see the reason why we should to that as Namibians. I always ask people, why don’t we

do the same with diamonds when we confiscate them from thieves? Do we destroy them, throw them away or burn them?”

Although the exact figures are unknown, the stockpile which has been accumulated through confiscation from poachers, natural death, culling and de-horning, is rumoured to be worth billions of US dollars. Shifeta also claimed that selling of stockpiles would lessen the burden on the state to store the ivory and rhino horns in a secure location.

If the CITES-enforced ban on international ivory trade is lifted, Namibia could experience a massive windfall by selling the stockpiled ivory. “We will get a lot of money, and the proceeds will go to state coffers to alleviate poverty. That is why we are against the total burning of ivory and rhino horns – we have a policy to do it sustainably. Also, we feel it’s not an effective deterrent in fighting poaching” Shifeta said.

In 1999 and again in 2008, CITES allowed Namibia to sell their ivory stockpiles, critics, however, felt that these sales created a grey area which confused consumers about the legality of purchasing ivory, increased demand and created a mechanism for the laundering of poached ivory by creating a cover for illegal ivory trade.

It is thought that South Africa is likely to table a proposal at the next CITES conference of the parties (CoP17), scheduled to be held in Johannesburg next year, to legalise the trade in rhino horn, and many expect Namibia along with Zimbabwe to support the motion as these countries stand to benefit immensely from the selling off of their stockpiles.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pulverized nearly six tons of elephant ivory stored at the National Wildlife Property Repository in Colorado. Photo: Julie

Larsen Maher; Copyright Wildlife Conservation Society


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EPZ Management Company clarifies !Nara Namib Industrial Area Sharon Brooks

Following a business focus published in last week’s Namib Independent, it came to light that the area referred to in the article as “!Nara Namib Industrial Estate” is in fact the 1st Industrial area, otherwise known as Walvis Bay Extension 12. In order to clarify the issue, the Walvis Bay Export Processing Zone Management Company provided information about the ongoing development of the area.

Prominent signage displaying the !Nara Namib Industrial Estate name and logo

was the cause of the confusion. However, according to Jan Kruger, General Manager of the Walvis Bay Export Processing Zone Management Company, the new industrial development situated to the east of the harbour town actually consists of three different parts, namely:

• 1st Industrial or Walvis Bay extension 12, which is comprised of 77 erven. 30% of these properties have already been developed, with a further 20% currently under construction.

• 2nd Industrial or Walvis Bay extension 14, which will also consist of

77 erven, is currently being serviced and is expected to be ready for development toward the 3rd quarter of this year.

• !Nara Namib Industrial Estate consists of two properties and is located between 1st and 2nd industrial. This land belongs to the government through the Namibia Development Corporation and currently the only building in this area is a logistics centre which was completed in 2014.

Once developed, the !Nara Namib Industrial Estate will house a total of 8 buildings, consisting of production facilities, a business centre, an estate centre, a support services centre and an SME centre. In addition, a container yard with the capacity to hold 1350 containers will also form part of the !Nara Namib Estate.

Tour guide murder suspects charged

Julia Hango

Swakopmund tour guide and business man, Christian Andre "Andy" Maier was stabbed to death last week 10 July while camping in the Zambezi region. Three of the four suspects appeared in court last week on charges of murder, kidnapping, robbery and indecent assault, while one suspect remains at large. It has come to light that one of these suspects, Walter Lupalezwi, was in fact out on bail after having been accused of rape last year.

The three suspects, Lupalezwi, Ndozi

Ndozi, 21 and Harris Sijiwa, 29, appeared

in the Katima Mulilo District Court on

Tuesday, 14 July, on charges of killing

Maier, 42, kidnapping, robbery and

indecent assault on his Swiss partner in an

attempt to rape her. Bail was denied to all

three men and the matter was postponed

to 21 September 2015 for further police

investigations. The fourth suspect, known

only as Mufaya, is apparently still at large

and living in the Cowboy location.

Lupalezwi, 34, had been released

on bail in March last year after being

charged with raping a woman at Kongola,

110km west of Katima Mulilo. His case

was postponed to 9 September this year

for plea and trial in the regional court.

Lupalezwi’s criminal activities do

not stop at rape and include intrusion,

poaching, assault and theft.

According to reports, the accused used

a knife to cut the front of the tent in which

Maier and his companion slept after

having snuck into the park. The suspects

then allegedly tied up the couple and held

them at knife point while demanding cash

and alcohol. The suspects reportedly stole

N$13 000, 300 Botswana Pula, 200 Rand,

a laptop, a camera, two iPhones and other

items.

Namibia will not destroy ivory stockpile


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News

St Gabriel’s gives back for Mandela Day

Sharon Brooks

The 18th of July, Nelson Mandela’s birthday, is celebrated annually around the world as Mandela Day, when volunteers undertake community service as a tribute to the great man’s the legacy. St Gabriel Community Ambulance

Service marked the occasion by donating to the elderly of Walvis Bay.

St Gabriel’s teamed up with the Walvis Bay Round Table to collect blankets and duvets which were handed over to Huis Palms and the Kuisebmond Old Age Home last week. According to Gabriela

Teleman, Founder and Managing Director of St Gabriel’s, the pensioners were incredibly grateful for the donation given the cold weather Walvis Bay is currently experiencing.

She went on to say that the residents of the Kuisebmond Old Age Home, who received the bulk of the donation, were especially appreciative, adding that she was very impressed at how neat and tidy the home is, saying that one could plainly see the pride the pensioners take in the upkeep of the facility.

St Gabriel’s also contributed blankets to the SPCA through the Namib Times Blanket drive to honour the memory of Mandela. “He was a special man, not just for South Africa, but for the world.” Gabriela said.

Kuisebmond Secondary School comes out tops

Sharon Brooks

The third coastal clash of the year saw Kuisebmond Secondary School crowned FNB Classic Clashes champions after securing a 4-2 victory over SI Gobs Secondary School.

Rivaldo Festus, left winger of Kuisebmond Secondary School walked away with the FNB Classic Clashes Man of the Match award while Jonas Sheyavali, also a student at Kuisebmond Secondary School was named the Namib Mills Hero.

Westside High School beat visitors Kolen Foundation Secondary School by 4-2 in the fourth and final coastal match of the year. Julia Kafugula of Westside High School was named the Namib Mills Hero due to her outstanding academic record and Kolen Foundation Secondary School’s Romario Cloete went home with

the title of Man of the Match. Engelhard Ugam, the coach of Westside

High School, said, ‘’We are very excited about our match victory. In the past we didn’t perform so well thus in preparation for the FNB classic clashes match we had a different approach. We derived upon the strategy of mixing up young players with more experienced players in our team, this accompanied with stronger preparation turned out to be our winning recipe.”

“The valued support from our peers tremendously motivated the boys to play well and elevated our team spirit. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude towards FNB for really investing in our youth and the different school sport codes. Through their support they are encouraging learners to excel in sport which has a lasting positive influence on our young generation.” He added.

FNB Classic Clashes winners Kuisebmond Secondary School


Wesbank Transport aims for better service

Absalom Shigwedha

In an effort to provide better service to its customers, Wesbank Transport has purchased a brand new fleet of twenty-one transport trucks which were officially unveiled at Walvis Bay last week Thursday.

Martinette van Niekerk, a representative from the Office of the company's Chief Operating Officer, said the company decided to buy a new fleet of trucks in order to become the preferred transport company in Namibia.

“This is a proud moment in the history of the company,” says Willie du Toit -the Managing Director of FP du Toit Transport, which recently bought Wesbank. Although now a subsidiary of FP du Toit, the company will continue to operate under the Wesbank brand. “These trucks will be profitable to the business. Our customers are the blood of our business,” added Du Toit.

Francois Uys, the chairperson of the FP du Toit Board of Directors, said that in the transport industry there have been complaints that goods are not delivered on time, Wesbank is doing all it can to avoid disappointing its customers, hence the decision to buy a new fleet of trucks.

Included in the 21 new trucks is a huge Western Start tuck – which has the capacity to carry 150 tonnes of goods and was imported from the United States. The other 20 vehicles come from

South Africa, and in total, the company has spent N$35 million to acquire the new vehicles.

The merger between Wesbank Transport and FP du Toit Transport was approved by the Namibian Competition Commission in April this year, after the Van Rooyen family (the former owners) of Wesbank Transport decided to sell the company to FP du Toit as they wanted to retire.

Both companies were founded in the mid-60's, FP du Toit Transport by Maans du Toit in the Northern Cape and Wesbank Transport by the EP van Rooyen family in Walvis Bay. For many years, FP du Toit has been the largest logistics service provider in Namibia, with its main focus being on long-haul transportation. Du Toit said the combined company now operates a fleet of 400 vehicles and has 1000 employees, adding that FP du Toit is also involved in the tourism industry under the brand Taleni Africa.

The company is active in nine SADC countries supplying logistic services to the retail, automotive, industrial and pharmaceutical sectors. A courier division renders express services from South Africa and a daily domestic footprint in Namibia to larger destinations while servicing even the smallest communities at least twice a week.

Grindrod gives to Walvis Bay Old Age Home

Absalom Shigwedha

As part of its social corporate responsibility, Grindrod Terminals has built an additional living room at the Old Age Home in Walvis Bay's Kuisebmond location and officially handed over the new room on Wednesday.

The room, which contains a kitchen, built in cupboards, a toilet and shower, was built at a cost of N$316,000,00 and was officially handed over to the Old Age Home on Wednesday.

Grindrod Terminal Manager,

Johnny Ferreira, said that a few years ago the company promised to build an additional living room at the Old Age Home and the promise has been fulfilled. “We are glad that we can give something,” he said.

Shakespeare Maziza, a member of the Grindrod Terminals Board of Directors, said the company will continue to support the elderly home, to help make it a better place to stay. He said the company welcomes ideas from the elderly people who are living at the home as to what they need. “Because we cannot decide for you. We make

profits and we need to give back to the community. We hope other corporate companies can also support you,” said Maziza.

After hand-over of the living room, the company supplied the pensioners with some food, both to eat at the event and to take back to their rooms.

The Manager for Housing and Properties at the Walvis Bay Municipality, Jack Manale, applauded Grindrod Terminals for supporting the Kuisebmond Old Age Home almost every year. “Council is aware of your support,” said Manale.

OFFICIALLY HANDED OVER: Walvis Bay Deputy Mayor, Benson Uakumbua (second from right) cutting the ribbon symbolizing the official hand-over the new living room at the Kuisebmond Old Age Home, which was built by Grindrod Terminals. Also in the picture are Shakespeare Maziza (Grindrod Terminals Board member), the Manager of Housing and Properties at Walvis Bay Municipality, Jack Manale and Jakoba Willemse (76), a resident of the old age home.

Photo: Absalom Shigwedha


In a global environment where choices have started to overwhelm us and the availability of products and services is merely the press of a button away, people have begun to demand more with regards to service and returns. Society today demands high quality products and services, at affordable prices, made available to them in the most convenient manner, and if companies fail to deliver, they will find themselves grappling to survive in an exceptionally competitive environment.

This is no different in the Financial Services Sector. Products that meet real financial needs, and which offer returns that exceed the bench-mark, make customers feel valued. At Old Mutual, we understand that that our customers have entrusted us with their money often over a very long time - trusting that when the products purchased reach maturity, we will make good on the promise made at point of purchase.

It is often true that the actual people who partnered with you when you joined your retirement fund and committing to paying monthly contri-butions into your pension fund, may not even be around at the time you will need to claim the benefit many years later.

It is for this reason that Old Mutual ensures that the promise made to every customer, being employers or employees, is made according to strong and enduring values, firm legal principles and that our service is delivered through clear and transparent sustainable processes, available to customers as needed.

The pension fund industry seems often to be an overwhelming frame-work to grasp and yet in explanation is relatively simple. Umbrella retirement funds often sign up new participating employers who wish to offer a pension benefit to their employees post-retirement. The launch of the sub-fund requires the careful consideration and alignment of its benefit structure that will meet the needs of its employees as well as the registration of Special Rules of sub-funds with NAMFISA. Once the Special Rules have been approved and subsequently loaded on our administration system, a highly skilled team of administrators, account-ants and account executives ensure the day to day management of the sub-fund. This is where the customer experience becomes critical and seamless operations are needed to ensure that the customer experi-ences a transparent and an easy process when queries or claims are made against the fund. The pension fund industry is regulated by NAM-FISA and at Old Mutual managed by the fund’s professional Board of Trustees and Principal Officer to ensure the contributing employee’s

interest is appropriate and carefully considered for the duration of the employee’s participating in the fund.

Within the Corporate Segment of Old Mutual where our core retirement fund related business resides, we live our values of account-ability, respect, and integrity pragmatically, which enables us to ensure a unified end-to-end process for employers with whom we work and also to the contributing employees.

At Old Mutual we have a commitment to continually enhance our product offering and service delivery, and it should come as no surprise that while the legislative framework of Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) as implemented in South Africa is not yet legislatively enforced in Namibia, Old Mutual has opted to already implement these principles across all of our customer relationships. You might ask yourself why? Well it is simple; it is the right thing to do. So with a solid set of values and the TCF framework as a map, we are committed to our journey that continuously ensures customer satisfaction.

What defines customer satisfaction in the pension fund space? It is service, service, service and more service. We know that members of funds need security, stability and guaranteed returns to the investment of their hard-earned money and possibly only savings. We know that when customers call on us for information, for pre and post retirement solutions, we need to be accessible, approachable and speak in plain simple language. We are committed to ensuring that customers know they are valued, that customers find it easy to do business with us, and that with a 170 years of experience behind us, our customers can have real peace of mind about their retirement investments.

How we deliver this, is through continuous review and implementation of improved operational process changes with clear key performance indicators. Secondly, we will ensure the greatest financial value to the customer through clearly defined lean management parameters. And thirdly, continuous innovation of the service delivery process, through regular communication with our participating employers and contribut-ing employees is in place to ensure alignment to the changing needs of customers.

To continue this conversation: Contact Gail Van Wyk at [email protected] at Old Mutual Corporate for a further more in-depth discussion.

CUSTOMER FOCUS IS THE GREATEST ENABLERGAIL VAN WYKCHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER (COO) | OLD MUTUAL CORPORATE

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP ARTICLE

News

Thursday, 23 July 201514 Worldwide

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In order to better cover costs, the new adoption and boarding fees for the Walvis

Bay SPCA will be as follows: ADOPTION FEESCatsVaccination: N$287Sterilisation: N$610DogsVaccination: N$290Female Spay: N$1020Male Castration: N$610

BOARDING FEESSmall dogs N$45/dayMedium dogs N$55/dayLarge dogs N$70/day

Please note that the cost of vaccination may be covered by the ongoing vaccination project if funds are available.

If you would like to contribute toward the vaccination project, please contact the Walvis Bay SPCA on 064-204041 for more information.

Colorado police say a Minion stuffed toy helped save the life of a five-year-old girl after she fell from a third-floor apartment window.

Police said the girl was playing when she fell backwards out of her bedroom window, clutching on to the cuddly toy.

The youngster escaped with a broken arm after the cuddly toy helped absorb the impact of her plunge on Thursday night in Colorado Springs.

"Fortunately, when the child fell out of the window, she continued holding on to a stuffed Minion teddy bear that is believed to have cushioned her fall," police said in a statement.

The girl was playing in her bedroom when she fell backwards out of her window, police said.

She was treated in hospital and released. Authorities have ruled the incident to be an accident.

The Minions first appeared as henchmen to the lovable villain in the animated film Despicable Me. The havoc-wreaking yellow creatures are currently featuring in their own spin-off movie. The Minions movie is playing at Atlanta Cinema in Swakopmund.

Source: www.sky.com/news

Minion Saves Girl's Life

Dutch engineers and designers have become known for their innovative ideas during the recent years. From the self-healing concrete to the world’s first solar bike path, their creations always offer us a unique combination of ingenuity and eco-friendliness. Now, Dutch construction company VolkerWessels plans to pave the roads with recycled plastic bottles instead of asphalt. If everything goes smoothly and the PlasticRoad project is finally implemented, the Dutch city of Rotterdam will see roads with the surface made of recycled plastic in three years.

It’s a good way to replace asphalt with a more ‘green’

alternative, considering how harmful this material is to the environment. In fact, every ton of produced asphalt emits 27 kilograms of CO2 into the atmosphere, which makes the total of 1.45 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide a year. Asphalt is also one of the main factors which cause the urban heat island effect, because of its property to absorb and retain heat. On the other hand, there is another critical problem with tons of plastic trash which is overloading both the land and the ocean.

Thus, using recycled plastic instead of asphalt to pave the roads could help lessen the environmental footprint. But it’s not the only benefit – it would also make the road surface more durable

and, as a result, reduce road maintenance costs. According to VolkerWessels, this eco-friendly road surface is able to withstand a great range of temperatures – between -40C and 80C. At the same time, the plastic roads would be light and hollow, which means that there would be some extra space for pipes and cables.

Road construction would also become faster and less costly as there would be no need for on-site construction activities which require numerous staff and long-hours of work. Instead, sections of the recycled plastic surface could be manufactured in a factory and then transported to the site. This would make it possible to prevent the pollution caused

The Netherlands to Pave ItsRoads with Recycled Plastic

A Transylvania music festival wants your blood. Yes, you read that correctly. Festivalgoers are being offered ticket discounts for blood donations. The rather unusual request is an attempt to tackle a blood shortage in hospitals across Romania, which has the second lowest number of active blood donors in Europe.

The music festival – Untold – is taking advantage of the country’s legend of being home to the infamous bloodthirsty vampire Count Dracula. The ‘Pay with blood’ campaign sees Untold teaming up with Romania's National Blood Transfusion Institute to give deals to donors during the festival's run from July 30 to August 2 in Cluj-Napoca. The festival, which is among a number of cultural events taking place this year in Cluj-Napoca, is predominately aimed at young people. The lineup includes Avicii, David Guetta and Armin

van Buuren.“Given that Romania

faces an acute blood shortage in medical facilities, a campaign that takes inspiration from these myths in order to draw attention to a real problem is more than welcome. The 'Pay with blood' campaign is aimed at boosting awareness of this need and contributing to increasing the number of donors in Romania,” said the festival director Bogdan Buta in a statement.

The 'Pay with blood' campaign gives a 30% discount to anyone who becomes a blood donor online at one of the country’s 42 blood centres by July 24. Those who turn up on the day can receive a free one-day pass if they give blood at a mobile blood collection unit. The Guardian reports that 45 people have already signed up and given blood on the first day of the campaign.

“It’s great, I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s a positive

by roadworks and minimize the transportation of raw materials, which would contribute to reducing the environmental impacts as well.

Although the project is still on paper, the company is very optimistic about the future prospects. Rolf Mars of VolkerWessels said that the plastic roads could have a great potential for becoming a platform for the introduction of some other innovations, such as heated roads or ultra-quiet surfaces. In fact, Rotterdam is

famous for supporting similar sustainable developments initiatives, so the city officials have already shown their interest in the implementation of the PlasticRoad project.

“Rotterdam is a very innovative city and has embraced the idea,” Mars told the Guardian. “It fits very well within its sustainability policy and it has said it is keen to work on a pilot.”

Source: www.themindunleashed.org

Music Festival Offers Ticket Discount For Blood campaign, but I hope

people continue giving blood afterwards, when there is no reward for them,” Krisztina Fejer, a 23-year-old photographer from Cluj-Napoca, told The Guardian.

Currently, only 1.7% of the Romanian population

are active donors, whereas the number is much higher across the rest of Europe, with 66% being active donors in Austria and 52% in France.

Source: www.iflscience.com

15 Thursday, 23 July 2015 Motoring

motoring

ExecutiveCareExecutiveCare

Contact 081 304 0232Email: [email protected] next to Mega Stationers in Walvis Bay

Every 5th Every 5th Wash & Vacuum is FREE

Wash & Vacuum is FREE

CAR WASH

An all-new urban crossover has joined the Honda product line-up in South Africa. Being called an urban crossover, and a compact SUV, in the same way that the Jazz is almost but not quite a compact MPV.

While most contenders in this segment reflect a scaled-down SUV approach, the new HR-V combines sleek aesthetics of a coupé-inspired design with a rugged attitude of a sports utility vehicle, and the space and versatility of a MPV.

Styling cues include a pronounced roofline curve while short overhangs, raised stance and wide tracks give the impression of a typical SUV. Up front, the tapered headlights frame a V-grille and a meshed lower air intake adds visual appeal. The tidy rear is dominated by large tail-light clusters; the tail door opens all the way down to the charcoal-coloured bumper's level. Alloy wheel-rims and slim roof rails add a classy touch.

Honda’s "unique Magic Seat system", a popular feature on the Jazz and Civic, is included - which means further cabin practicality and flexibility. There is 393 litres of cargo space up to window level, folding flat the split rear seat takes that to 1002 litres.

Safety goodies include anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-pressure distribution, emergency braking assistance and emergency brake-lights activation, stability assistance, gradient assistant and a high-mounted diode rear brake light.

ENGINESThe new Honda HR-V is available with a choice of two efficient petrol engines, both linked to a new-generation, Earth Dreams technology constantly variable transmission with front-wheel drive.

Honda's familiar 1497cc in-line four-cylinder engine powers the HR-V. The 1.5 Comfort outputs come to

The new Honda HR-V is a pure urban crossover 88kW/145Nm.

The 1.8 Elegance has a 1799cc four-cylinder engine, with electronic fuel injection, makes 105kW/172Nm. Stop/start functionality benefits economy and CO2 emissions.

MODEL RANGEThe locally available HR-V range consists of two models, with the 1.5 Comfort variant on offer initially. It has halogen headlights, front fog lamps, roof rails and colour coding.

The interior features cloth upholstery, soft-touch surfaces; front cup holders, glove compartment, door panel pockets and a front centre armrest plus illuminated vanity mirrors.

Comfort derivative gets a 12cm monitor; a 150watt, four-speaker sound system, USB and AUX inputs, Bluetooth connectivity and alarm system.

The 1.8 Elegance offers all the standard features of its 1.5 Comfort stablemate and adds larger alloys, and auto-activating LED headlights with daytime running lights. The interior gains leather upholstery , leather-trimmed steering wheel, auto climate control, heatable front seats, rear armrest and a 17cm touch screen display with

rear-view camera. Honda's Smart Entry system allows remote locking and

unlocking, and only requires the push of a button to start the engine.The new Honda HR-V is offered in a selection of seven colours:

two black shades, red, blue, white, silver and grey.

PRICINGHR-V 1.5 Comfort CVT - R299 900HR-V 1.8 Elegance CVT - R354 900

Prices include a three-year or 100 000km warranty, a four-year or 60 000km service plan and a year's AA roadside assistance. Service intervals 15 000km.

Source: wheels24.co.za

The Old Mutual Group, through its Black Economic Empowerment initiative, offers bursaries for higher education to members of Trade Unions and their dependants.

This exciting opportunity is available to broaden access to tertiary education for members of the following participating Trade Unions and their dependants who wish to further their education at a recognised/accredited institution of higher learning within the SADC region.

Participating Trade Unions:

■ MUN (Mine Workers Union of Namibia) ■ MANWU (Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union) ■ TUN (Teachers Union of Namibia) ■ NAFAU (Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union) ■ PSUN (Public Service Union of Namibia) ■ NATAU (Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union) ■ NANTU (Namibia National Teachers Union) ■ NAPWU (Namibia Public Workers Union) ■ NAFINU (Namibia Financial Institutions Union)

Closing date for applications:

Monday, 30th September 2015. Application forms can be obtained from: Old Mutual and Nedbank branches and participating Trade Union offices.

Submit to:

Old Mutual and Nedbank branches or Email: [email protected]

Bursaries consideration:

Bursaries are awarded to successful applicants selected on merit who wish to study on a full-time or part-time basis for a first-time undergraduate degree, postgraduate degree or diploma (including B-Tech), at an accredited Higher Institution of Learning within the SADC region in the fields listed below:

■ Science and Mathematics Disciplines ■ Engineering and Architecture ■ Medicine ■ Banking and Finance ■ Accounting ■ Actuarial Studies ■ Information and Communication Technology ■ Other fields of studies that are regarded as scarce will be

considered e.g. Maritime Law & Environmental Science

Eligibility to apply for a bursary:

The bursaries are available to suitably qualified Namibians who are: ■ A member of one of the participating trade unions; ■ A solely financially-dependent child of a member of the

participating trade union and under the age of 25; ■ A solely financially-dependent grandchild or other blood relative

to the member and; ■ Under the age of 25.

Telephone enguiries should be directed to:

■ Revonia Kahivere: (061) 299 3017 ■ Melissa Goagoses: (061) 299 3249 ■ Shelley Mulenamaswe: (061) 295 2976

EXCITINGOPPORTUNITIESFor Bursaries through Old Mutual & NedNamibia Education Trust

Education Trust A4 Advert.indd 1 30/06/2015 08:46