Welcome to PLUS online

European Investment Bank Signs Loan

With Old Mutual Namibia

Old Mutual Namibia last Friday signed a 4 million euro (N$28,5 million) with the European Investment Bank (EIB). The funds will be used for Old Mutual’s MIDINA (Managing Infrastructure Development in Namibia) Fund, to co-finance infrastructure and related investment projects undertaken by local authorities, state-owned enterprises or private entities. The EIB loan will cover up to 50% of eligible investments, while MIDINA itself will provide the balance of funding.

The rationale is to mobilise local and international resources to provide funding primarily for municipal and other infrastructure projects at competitive terms, while generating an acceptable return for investors. These include transport infrastructure, telecommunications, power supply and distribution, water and sanitation projects, low cost housing as well as community projects in underdeveloped areas. The size of individual projects to be funded by the Old Mutual MIDINA Fund will be between N$1 million and 30 million. The EIB will provide the funds over a 5-year investment period and to be repaid over 10 years. Louis du Toit, Chief Financial Officer of Old Mutual Namibia, and Mr. Jean-Louis Biancarelli, EIB’s Director General for Lending Operations outside the EU signed the loan agreement. The EIB finances capital investment projects that further the (EU) policy objectives. Financing in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) is carried out under the provisions of the Investment Facility, set up by the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, signed in Cotonou in June 2000. Under the Cotonou agreement, the total financial aid available amounts to 15 billion euros between 2002 and 2006, of which 11,3 billion euros are grants from EU member states. Some 2 billion euros are managed by the EIB under the Investment Facility and up to 1,7 billion come in the form of loans from the EIB’s own resources.

Feedback Asked From Tourism Sector

All stakeholders in the tourism industry are requested to give input and feedback on the draft unit standards for the tourism and hospitality industry. The draft documents are available either from the offices of the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) in the building of the former Rössing Foundation in Rand Street, Khomasdal or they can be downloaded at www.nta.com.na. The input is required because a curriculum for employees in the tourism and hospitality will be developed from the draft unit standards. The NTA will hold regional workshops with all stakeholders on 27 March at Swakopmund, 29 March at Katima Mulilo and on 30 March at Rundu. Another workshop will take place at Oshakati on 31 March. Copies of the draft standards can further be requested from Mr Digu Noabeb at the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) at quality@namibiatouirsm.com.na or from Ms Linette Smit at linette.smit@nta.com.na.

UNAM Suspends Two Officials On Theft

The Pro Vice-Chancellor for academic affairs and research of the University of Namibia, Prof. Geoffrey Kiangi, was suspended with another UNAM official for alleged theft of 12 computers. The other official is the head of the computer centre, Kaggere Suresh. According to UNAM, the theft was discovered last Friday and the suspensions took effect this week Monday. A police docket with charge of theft was opened at the NamPol charge office. The value of the Computers is about N$ 70,000. Internal investigations are ongoing, UNAM communications manager Edwin Tjiramba said. A security guard reportedly noticed Suresh and Kiangi apparently removing the PC’s from the UNAM computer centre on Friday. Dr Louise Mostert, dean of the education faculty will now act as pro vice-chancellor for academic affairs and research, while all maters regarding the computer centre can be referred to the office of the pro vice-chancellor for administration and finance.

Maternity leave refund not yet 100 %

The Social Security Commission (SSC) this week clarified that the implications of the New Labour Act, (Act 15 of 2004) especially with regards to full payment of maternity leave benefits are not in place yet. Section 25 of the new Labour Act, which deals with the full payment of maternity leave benefits is not yet operational to date, the SSC announced. It continues to pay 80% of the salary of female workers calculated at N$240 for those earning N$300 per month and N$2400 for those women earning N$3000 and more per month. However, the Commission has embraced the provision to pay 100% maternity leave benefits in future. Consultations are underway to finalize the amendment of the Social Security Act to bring it in line with the new Labour Act. These consultations with different stakeholders on the matter are at an advanced stage.

Telecom Namibia: Flexivoice service

Telecom Namibia has announced the introduction of yet another service offering into the market, Flexivoice, as from 16 March. Flexivoice is a value added service for voice messaging through the use of FlexiCall cards. Current and future holders of valid FlexiCall cards can link their cards to the Flexivoice service at a once-off fee of only N$10. Customers with a valid Starter Pack card can complete a subscription form at any TeleShops nationwide before the
Flexivoice service is activated. When a FlexiCall card user signs up for this messaging service he/she will be able to make calls to any destination or access voice messages via any fixed-line telephone, including public phones, across the country. Retrieval of messages from the Telecom Namibia network is free. To deposit a message, however, normal call charges apply. Advantages of Flexivoice include availability around the clock, national reach and affordability.

"This messaging service will provide our customers with a flexibility and accessibility not previously seen in Africa’s fixed line
telephony," Telecom said. Flexivoice service offers password-protection for customers to retrieve messages. In order to retrieve deposited messages, a Flexivoice subscriber dials the short code 1001 on any Telecom Namibia fixed phone line and he/she is prompted to enter the Flexivoice number and secret code to access the messages.

Pohamba Appoints 40 Experts to Advisory Council

President Hifikepunye Pohamba on Monday launched the restructured Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and appointed 40 members to the body. Since he took office on 21 March 2005, Pohamba made his intention clear that the Council would be different than under his predecessor, former President Sam Nujoma. AS President Pohamba pointed out on Monday, the PEAC started work in 1997, but with over 100 members, mainly coming from parastatals, it was too large. A study was compiled in 2001 to make recommendations for a lean and active PEAC. It recommended that only 40 persons should be appointed. However, it remains a mystery, why Nujoma did not change the PEAC after the recommendations were made 5 years ago. On Monday, prominent business experts were introduced at a ceremony in Windhoek to invited guests, diplomats and the media. They are inter alia Mr Harold Pupkewitz, Hans-Günther Stier, who

who has his own accounting firm and he chairs the board of AgriBank, Raimar von Hase (NAU), Rainer Ritter, who became CEO of Namfisa on 1 March, lawyer Peter Koep, Johnny Hamman (Safari Hotel), Verena Grüttemeyer, Messrs Sven Thieme (O&L), Michael Leech (Rössing Uranium), Johan Swanepoel of Capricorn Investments, Dr Leake Hangala (NamPower), Reinhold V. Rukoro (FNB) and Theo Mberirua (Standard Bank) among others.

Meeting at Spitzkoppe for Trekkopje Uranium Mine

The environmental consultants for the proposed third uranium mine in Namibia to situated near Trekkopje will hold a meeting next week at Spitzkoppe. The meeting of the Spitzkoppe community and interested persons will be held at the school hall at Spitzkoppe on Friday 24 March 2006 at 11h00. All interested and affected parties are invited to attend. The meeting will be addressed by the Environmental Assessment Team and facilitated by Mr A !Auchab, regional councillor of the Daores Constituency. The purpose of the meeting is to introduce the project, listen to the concerns of the community, answer questions, find out what the community hopes for from the mine and identify any other stakeholder groups.

NamPower to Encourage Wind and Solar Power Plants

NamPower was open for concrete proposals regarding the use of solar and wind energy, its managing director, Dr Leake Hangala said. Speaking on a possible power crunch for Southern Africa due to lack of excess supply capacity by South Africa’s Eskom by 2007, Hangala said Namibia had to look at various options for power supply to get more independent from South Africa. Namibia imports about 500 mega watt from Eskom, mainly from that company’s Koeberg nuclear power station north of Cape Town. Koeberg has problems since last September as one of the two 900 MW turbines needs repair, after an 8 cm long bolt was accidentally dropped into the turbine, damaging sensitive components. NamPower had to reactivate the coal-fired Van Eck power station outside Windhoek for the past 6 months at a very high coast due to expensive coal imports. Hangala said on Tuesday during a business breakfast organised by the NCCI in Windhoek, that a possible wind park near Lüderitz, discussed a few years ago, could become a reality, if the private sector would also come with concrete proposals, especially how to finance it. Conrad Roedern of the company Solar Age said during the discussions that the wind park would cost about N$ 160 million.

The Kudu gas project must still be decided on by the government, NamPower and investment partners, but it would only be able to produce electricity by 2010. PLUS was made aware that there are ideas of possibly establishing a large solar plant with photovoltaic panels in southern Namibia. According to experts, an area of 64 square kilometres – 6,400 hectares – would be enough to secure Namibia’s electricity supply and some could even be exported to other countries.

World Water Conference in Mexico

This week a very important international conference on the worldwide sustainable use of water takes place in Mexico City, organised by the World Water Council. 2006 is the second year in the "Decade of water for life", a period named so by the United Nations and with a focus on carrying out actions that allow for the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals, the implementation plan of the Johannesburg Summit and of the 21st Agenda. In precisely this period (2005 – 2015), the goal of reducing the number of people without access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 50% must be fulfilled. The conference started on Thursday and will end on World Water Day, which is 22 March.

UN condemn Botswana about Bushmen

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has reprimanded the Botswana government over its eviction and harassment of the Gana and Gwi Bushmen. In an unusually harsh report issued last Friday, the committee noted its concern at "persistent allegations that San/Bushmen were forcibly removed, through such measures as the termination of basic and essential services inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the dismantling of existing infrastructures, confiscation of livestock, harassment and ill-treatment of some residents by police and wildlife officers, as well as the prohibition of hunting and restrictions on freedom of movement inside the Reserve".
The UN committee urged the Botswana government to, "pay particular attention to the close cultural ties that bind the San to their ancestral land; protect the economic activities of the San that are an essential element of their culture, such as hunting and gathering practices, whether conducted by traditional or modern means; study all possible alternatives to relocation; and seek the prior free and informed consent of the persons and groups concerned.’
The committee also condemned the government’s removal of Bushman rights from the Botswana Constitution, which it says "may impact on the on-going court case brought by some residents of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve against the Government to challenge their relocation from the Reserve". The case is being heard at Ghanzi.

Britain responsible for destruction of countless tribes

This week on Tuesday, it was Commonwealth Day. The London-based organisation looking after the rights of indigenous minorities, Survival International, called on Commonwealth countries to put the "genocide of tribal peoples behind them" by signing a relevant international law. Only 2 Commonwealth countries - Fiji and Dominica - ratified the key law protecting tribal peoples’ rights - the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 169. Many Commonwealth countries have tribal or indigenous peoples living within their borders like Australia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Canada Guyana, India and New Zealand. The policies of others such as the UK have a direct impact on tribal peoples through development aid and their work at the UN. Yet all but 2 refused to ratify the ILO Convention 169, which states: "The rights of ownership and possession of the peoples concerned over the lands which they traditionally occupy shall be recognised." It obliges governments to identify the lands and protect these rights. Seventeen nations worldwide ratified the convention, including Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.

Survival International’s director Stephen Corry said: ‘Imperial Britain was responsible for the destruction of countless tribes, wiped from the face of the Earth forever (…), Botswana is on its way destroying the Gana and Gwi Bushmen, and the British government looks on without a murmur of disapproval".

"If the Commonwealth stands for human rights, as it’s supposed to, then it’s high time for all its members to respect the rights of the tribal peoples who have survived to the present", Corry added. All members should ratify the international law on tribal peoples without waiting for more centuries to slip past carrying more tribes into eternal oblivion, he said in a statement