Narrow escape for fishermen as vessels collide in fog
170 fishermen escaped death last week when their vessels collided in foggy weather.
Some 140 of them were on board the Fishrot-implicated horse mackerel freezer trawler the MV Heinaste, which has been renamed the Tutungeni.
The Tutungeni belongs to Tunacor Fishing.
The remaining 28 fishermen were on board the hake trawler Erica, belonging to Hangana Seafood, which is a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver and List (O&L) group of companies. The accident happened at slow speed in thick fog and the dark of night. There were no fatalities.
The damaged vessel can be repaired.
The Tutungeni, which is the bigger vessel, accompanied the Erica to the port to ensure both reach it safely. The Tutungeni has been at the centre of several events since its arrival in Namibia in 2015. The vessel was bought from a Cyprus-registered company, Heinaste Investments, by Namibian-registered Arcticnam Investments.
Arcticnam Investments was one of the five joint-venture partners in the vessel with Namibian companies Sinco Fishing and Epango Fishing, and the Icelandic company Samherji HP. The Namibian companies had a 51% shareholding in Arcticnam, and were allegedly swindled out of the deal by the Icelanders after spending over N$200 million on purchasing the vessel.
The vessel was impounded in 2019 as part of the ongoing Fishrot corruption case. It was later sold to Tunacor under questionable circumstances as it is part of the evidence in the Fishrot case. The Erica was involved in an incident that happened last week while out at sea. The company has since launched an investigation into the incident.
This is not the first time that a vessel belonging to Hangana Seafood was involved in an incident at sea. In 2020, one of the company's fishing trawlers, the Resplendent, sank in the Atlantic Ocean, along with its captain, Carlo Gordon. The Tutungeni was left with a big hole on its side. Both vessels had fisheries observers on board.
The observer on board the Erica was said to be hurt, slightly injured. He is currently recuperating at home.
Remains of tourist discovered in Fish River Canyon
Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) has reported an incident in which the remains of a tourist that had been hiking in the Fish River Canyon were discovered today.
NWR spokesperson Nelson Ashipala said the hiker was discovered six kilometres from the finishing point.
"All we can say right now is that they came in on 12 September and they went hiking, we don't know how many they were or which country they are from, we are still working on establishing those details.
“Details are very sketchy at the moment but there are teams on the ground busy with searches," said Ashipala.
Originally a De Beers Group mine, Jagersfontein has been the site of diamond digging since the late 1800s and has produced some of the world’s largest rough diamonds, including the 972-carat “Excelsior.”
De Beers confirmed that it stopped mining on the site in 1971. In 2010, it sold Jagersfontein to the Superkolong Consortium, a Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) holding company for a number of mining operations.
Slug dam wall burst on Sunday 11 September 2022.
Johann Rupert's Reinet sold Jagersfontein assets just months before deadly incident. The dam used to be owned by De Beers until it was sold to Superkolong Consortium in 2010.
Stargems Group, based in Dubai, this year acquired Jagersfontein Holdings, which ran the site used to process old tailings.
Free State dam disaster: Compensation for damage is the responsibility of company that owns it - Mantashe. Immediate threat 'stabilised' after tailings dam disaster in Jagersfontein - Dlamini Zuma.
The remains of three people were recovered - and 40 others were hospitalised after a dam wall which belongs to a mining company collapsed in Jagersfontein. Electricity supply was lost, and local cellphone towers were damaged.
The incident is not the first of its kind; almost 30 years ago, 17 people were killed in the Merriespruit tailings dam disaster.
Compensation for fatalities and damage to property, after the catastrophic fallout of the Jagersfontein mine dam collapse, will be the responsibility of the company that owns it, said Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe.
Sunday's "accident" was not the first of its kind, he explained, referencing the Merriespruit tailings dam disaster, which took place almost 30 years ago.
Seventeen people were killed in February 1994, when the tailings dam failed and subsequently flooded the neighbourhood in Virginia, Free State with 600 000m³ of water and slime.
"Therefore, that precedence is going to guide our action in dealing with this one," Mantashe said. "In other words, the company that is the owner, will take the bigger responsibility."
The dam used to be owned by De Beers until it was sold to Superkolong Consortium in 2010. Stargems Group, based in Dubai, this year acquired Jagersfontein Holdings, which ran the site used to process old tailings.
But Nathi Shabangu, a spokesperson for the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, told the mine's dumps and slime still "belong" to De Beers, while the government's access has been restricted by a court order. The abandoned mine's tailings dam collapsed at about 06:00 on 11 September 2022.
The flow of water had stopped by Sunday afternoon, said Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
However, there had already been extensive damage.
Free State dam disaster: Immediate threat stabilised, rescue and relief operations underway. By nightfall, only two of the 82 patients hospitalised had not yet been discharged – a pregnant woman and a casualty who had suffered a fracture.
One person was killed, while one person is unaccounted for. The search will resume on Monday morning. According to Minerals Council South Africa, Jagersfontein diamond mine was shut down in the 1970s. The council and its members offered its assistance to the government, although it said it had no information about the ownership structure or the standard of management of the dumps.
"The Minerals Council has reached out to the South African authorities to offer whatever practical support and assistance the industry can provide regarding the Jagersfontein tragedy at this trying time," it said in a statement.
Residents of the mining town of Jagersfontein are being evacuated. The mine dam has burst, causing flooding in parts of the town.
Reports coming in indicate that several houses in the nearby Charlesville residential area have already collapsed. The main road leading into the town is also flooded.
Белые фермеры в Зимбабве (бывшая Родезия) в феврале 1980 года.
Глава семьи Джеральд Миллс, его жена Каролина и дочери Дафна и Ванесса демонстрируют оружие, с помощью которого они готовы защищать свою ферму площадью 200 га.
Глава семьи, Джеральд Миллс – англичанин, он из Уэльса. Кэролайн – родезийка. Дочерям 12 и 10 лет; старшая в шапочке с револьвером в руках, Дафна, младшая – Ванесса. У Джеральда – FN FAL, стандартная винтовка армии Родезии (если внимательно присмотреться, виден камуфляжный окрас); Кэролайн держит в руках очень распространённое в то время на юге Африки оружие (но в наше время довольно редкое) – пистолет-пулемёт местного производства LDP (Lacoste DuPlessis Ponter), в Родезии его именовали RhUZI (Rhodesian UZI) из-за определённого сходства с израильским ПП, в ЮАР он был известен как Kommando.
Судьба семьи Миллс неизвестна, однако известно, что случилось с их птицефермой. В то время она располагалась в Борроудейле, тогда это был пригород Солсбери, сейчас это район Хараре (довольно престижный). Так вот, сейчас по этому адресу, Grasmere Ln, Harare, Zimbabwe, расположено Посольство Намибии.
И ещё один момент. Фотография была сделана 2 февраля 1980 г., и часто подписывается неточно. На тот момент Родезии уже не было, а Зимбабве ещё не было. С 1 июня по 11 декабря 1979 г. страна называлась "Зимбабве-Родезия", премьер-министром которой был епископ Абель Музорева, (первый чёрный премьер, Мугабе был только вторым). После подписания в Лондоне Ланкастерских соглашений 11 декабря страна вернулась под управление Великобританией «до проведения всеобщих выборов весной 1980 г». Аналогично в этот день парламентом Зимбабве-Родезии была принята поправка к конституции, гласящая, что "Зимбабве-Родезия" прекращает своё существование в качестве независимого государства и становится частью доминионов Её Величества». Решением парламента Великобритании были учреждены посты губернатора и вице-губернатора Южной Родезии (лорд Соумс и сэр Энтони Дафф, соответственно). И только 18 апреля 1980 г. была провозглашена независимая Республика Зимбабве.
Так что строго формально – на фото семья Миллсов в колонии Южная Родезия.
The Namibian police have deployed drones to help fight crime in the national capital of Windhoek as the city grapples with a surge in criminal activities, said Khomas Police Commander Ismael Basson.
Basson said that the police are using drones as part of an operation called “Clean Sweep” to enhance surveillance and clamp down on crime in the capital.
“We are embracing the use of technology for us to be more efficient, increase public safety as well as make life easier for our police officers. The drone’s agility and versatility make it ideal to operate over any given location be it over a city or town, rough terrain, or areas covered by dense vegetation,” he said.
Gordons Bay, Western Cape, South Africa: The GB on the mountain does not stand for Gordon's Bay.
It was for GENERAL BOTHA the merchant naval college.
Гордонс Бэй, Западный Кейп, Южная Африка: инициалы GB, выложенные белым камнем на горе выше бухты, означают не название города, а "Генерал Бота торговый морской колледж".
Gordons Bay, Western Cape, South Africa: The GB on the mountain does not stand for Gordon's Bay.
It was for GENERAL BOTHA the merchant naval college
Гордонс Бэй, Западный Кейп, Южная Африка: инициалы GB, выложенные белым камнем на горе выше бухты, означают не название города, а "Генерал Бота торговый морской колледж".
Accident in the Namib Desert, road C1918 from Sesriem to Walvis Bay, Namibia. Suspected driving on the wrong side of the road.
Нашли друг друга в пустыне Намиб, Намибия. По предварительным данным одна из машин ехала не по своей стороне дороги. Движение в Намибии осуществляется по левой стороне, как и в Южной Африке.
Police commander, commissioner Ismael Basson, has confirmed that about 1 000 rusty, old firearms were discovered while Telecom Namibia staff were digging up cables in a trench at the Tsumeb Gymnasium sports field. The weapons are believed to hail from the First World War.
Начальник полиции города Цумеба в Намибии, комиссар Исмаэль Бассон, сообщил, что около 1000 ржавых старых винтовок было обнаружено когда сотрудники телефонной компании Telecom Namibia выкапывали кабели в траншее на спортивной площадке местной гимназии. Скорее всего оружие относится к периоду Первой мировой войны, когда вооруженные подразделения Германии сдались наступающим войскам Южной Африки в 1914 году.
Okapuka Game Ranch, located 30 km north of Windhoek on A1 highway to Okahandja, has recently entered a joint venture with Gondwana Collection Namibia.
Okapuka will be part of Gondwana's portfolio from 1 November 2022 under the name Okapuka Safari Lodge.
According to a statement: “A collaboration between Gondwana and Okapuka will mean starting a new chapter for both companies, where the authentic savannah bushveld, with a well-established game lodge on Windhoek's doorstep, will join Gondwana's long-established customer base and footprint in the tourism market”.
The new joint venture is an undertaking comprising equal shareholders between Klein Okapuka CC and Gondwana Collection Namibia (Pty) Ltd in terms of management only.
The Okapuka Lodge was originally opened in 1998 and has since become a local and internationally renowned mainstay in the Namibian tourism industry. It was always known for its spectacular game drives, just 30 minutes outside Windhoek's city centre, yet deep enough into the African savanna to enjoy a true African safari experience.
Okapuka Hospitality Management (Pty) Ltd is planning an extensive revamp of the lodge premises, which will only be the first step in giving this classic safari lodge a new lease on life.
Renovations are scheduled to start in October, and Gondwana Collection Namibia will be taking bookings from 1 November. The first guests will be welcomed to the lodge in April next year, where they will encounter a classic safari lodge.
President Hage Geingob revealed that the Namibian government has donated a piece of land at the port of Walvis Bay to Botswana to construct a dry port facility and make that country sea-linked. He added that the donation was not only a gesture of goodwill, but also meant to facilitate the import and export of goods and services. In addition, Geingob said Botswana and Namibia would sign a bilateral agreement for the establishment of a one-stop border post at the Mamuno-Trans-Kalahari border post.
Президент Хаге Гейнгоб сообщил, что правительство Намибии пожертвовало участок земли в порту Валфиш Бэй Ботсване для строительства сухого порта и обеспечения морского сообщения этой страны. Он добавил, что пожертвование было не только жестом доброй воли, но и предназначено для облегчения импорта и экспорта товаров и услуг. Кроме того, Гейнгоб заявил, что Ботсвана и Намибия подпишут двустороннее соглашение о создании единого пограничного поста на пограничном посту Мамуно-Транс-Калахари между двумя странами.
Namibian Ministry of Mines has reduced the price of petrol by N$1,20 per litre, and diesel by 65 cents per litre. Previously price was N$22,28 per litre of petrol and the diesel price was N$22,77 per litre in Walvis Bay, the cheapest refuelling town in Namibia
Министерство горнодобывающей промышленности Намибии снизило цены на бензин на 1,20 намибийских доллара за литр, а на дизельное топливо - на 65 центов за литр. Ранее цена на бензин составляла 22,28 намибийских доллара за литр, цена на дизельное топливо составляла 22,77 намибийских доллара за литр в порту Валфиш Бей, город с самым дешевым топливом в Намибии.
SHARK ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE NOW AVAILABLE FOR BOOKINGS
NWR recently unveiled the newly renovated lighthouse at Shark Island on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.
Shark Island, a historical site found in Lüderitz town and a popular camping spot was last closed in 2020 to give it a “newer” and “fresher” look.
The lighthouse' rooms and exterior have been completely renovated with its interior décor done by Namibia’s renowned interior designer Olive Rose interiors, bringing taste and tranquil naturals to both the 2 rooms and the kitchen. The lighthouse has a self-catering kitchen with cutlery and plates, a kettle, and a fridge, as well as a TV in the sitting room.
A one-night stay at Shark Island is self-catering. The view tower on the top of the lighthouse remains open, where guests can experience panoramic views that stretch over the horizon while spotting seals and pelicans that frequently appear around the site's rocky areas.
Namibia is experiencing a surge in poaching, with the number of poached rhinoceros rising to 48 this year, according to Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.
In a Ministry statement, it said that of the poached rhinoceros, 32 were black rhinoceros and 16 were white rhinoceros.
Poaching has become more prevalent in private farms as well as black rhino custodianship farms. The Ministry is busy implementing new measures across the board to counter this surge.
Anti-Poaching Units in private farms are being strengthened while police and Ministry law enforcement officials are being roped in to assist private farmers with intelligence, law enforcement and patrols, Xinhua news agency reported.
Ministry will also be availing the services of its helicopter for aerial patrols in hotspot areas.
According to Ministry, the figure included three carcasses discovered in June and recently confirmed as poached after a thorough assessment in the Etosha National Park while the Ministry also discovered two more carcasses last week, bringing the total to 20 poached in Etosha.
He said that 12 black rhinos were poached on custodianship farms while 16 white rhinos were poached on private farms.
"We want to assure the public that the Ministry with its stakeholders will pull resources together in stopping this new surge of poaching," said the Ministry spokesperson, urging members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspected case of poaching and other wildlife crimes.
Namibia boasts the largest population of free-roaming black rhinoceros in the world and has rebuilt the white rhinoceros population after local extinction during the colonial era.
The country recorded 44 rhinoceros poached in 2021, 42 in 2020, 57 in 2019, 83 in 2018, and 55 in 2017.
The sewing workshop was never part of the original vision for The Sijwa Project. With so much time on everyone’s hands as African Monarch Lodges came to a complete standstill when the COVID-19 Pandemic hit the world in March 2020, we thought it would be time well spent sewing uniquely designed bathrobes as an essential offering to our esteemed guests staying in our Nambwa suites. All it required was a sewing machine and some fabric, or so we thought. Sadly none of our staff or management could sew. This drove us to find a way to make this dream of special hand made bathrobes a reality.
Two years later with the successful training of 8 women from our local community, we have the most gorgeous bathrobes. Hand made with love.
Our tented suites emanate a feeling of vastness and evoke a gentle balance of serenity. It is therefore only fitting that we showcase the talent of our artisans from The Sijwa Project by offering our guests a linen bathrobe in the allure of Africa's most exotic hue of yellow and green.
During Isabel de Villiers' first visit to The Sijwa Project, we asked her if she could make our dream a reality by designing the bathrobe which sparked the start of one of the best facets of The Sijwa Project.
We were approached by Switzerland’s Africa Design Travel to create 500 branded information bags for their esteemed clients traveling to Africa.
Our proud team of ladies from the sewing workshop at The Sijwa Project could not believe that their handy work will be flying across the ocean and will be adorned by guests traveling to Africa from Switzerland.
We thank John Stewardson and Petra Buller for this beautiful collaboration and their support to uplift and develop the craftsmanship of our community women. A wearable art collection for all shapes and sizes, inspired by all the talented artists that surround her daily. From everyday objects to investment pieces.
She created 4 sizes inclusive of season-less staples that feature hand embroidery panels made by the talented Sijwa Project. Each panel is unique and part of a limited edition collaboration.
Isabel shines a light on the talent and passion of each woman who forms part of The Sijwa Project. It's a privilege to collaborate with her again.
African Monarch Lodges, P. O. Box 5072, Windhoek, Namibia
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