Representatives of the World Food Program (WFP) on Tuesday afternoon agreed that all beans dished out to refugees at the Osire Refugee Camp (ORC) north of Okahandja should not be consumed unless they were tested for lethal chemicals, aflatoxins, a refugee said. The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) told media that it was informed by a member of the Association for the Defence of Refugee Rights (ADR) after the meeting at Osire. It was attended by the Namibian government, UNHCR, Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS), Action for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA) and members of the Osire camp refugee committee and was allegedly quite stormy. WFP-Namibia country director John Prout allegedly agreed that no beans should be consumed until being tested, the NSHR said. The beans appear to be of Chinese origin, said the ADR spokesperson on condition of anonymity. Last week, a WFP spokeswoman denied that beans laden with aflatoxins were distributed for human consumption at Osire. Ms. Ami Nagamune said all12 metric tons of beans tested and found to have aflatoxins were stored in a separate warehouse in bags clearly marked as such. Allegedly, no contaminated beans were fed to refugees. In an urgent letter addressed to the ministry of health last week, the NSHR requested that beans distributed to refugees at Osire should also be tested for aflatoxins, but go no reply.

The entire property of the Rössing Country Club outside Swakopmund along the Swakop River is up for sale. This includes the 27 hectares of land, the clubhouse, pool, camping site and the sport facilities for squash and tennis can be had for N$ 6.5 million. The premises were during the heydays of Rössing Uranium Ltd very popular, when the company still had 2000 employees. When the company had to cut expenditure, it also sold the club. It is now owned by Rudolph Neshville. According to unconfirmed sources, the Nonidas Hotel, in close proximity of the country club is also for sale. Investors, who want to fork out N $ 3,5 million, could buy it. A probable investor might be the golf club just a few metres away, which has started to upmarket houses for a golf residential village on its own premises.

The City of Windhoek launched an assessment of needs nursery schools, crèches and kindergartens do have. Experts visited 40 such centres and noted that they were either privately owned or belonged by churches. According to Niilo Taapopi, chief executive officer of Windhoek, the law on decentralisation, which was promulgated in 2000, shifted the responsibility of early childhood development to local authorities. The Windhoek municipality will now draft a policy for early childhood development centres and training needs for people that run such institutions. Taapopi did not disclose how much this new responsibility and financial burden will affect the budget of the City.