Veld fires season in Namibia

Windhoek with its booming population of more than 300 000 residents is a potential hot spot for devastating veld fires this time of the year and the city's fire brigade already attends to between eight and ten fires in and around the capital on a daily basis.

And the seasonal August winds could make this situation considerably worse in the days to come.

Senior station officer of the Windhoek Fire Brigade Jeffrey Mayanga yesterday appealed to every resident for full cooperation with the fire brigade and to report any veld fires in residential areas immediately.

"We are always ready and fully trained. We have the infrastructure and equipment to deal with any type of fire but we need the close cooperation of citizens to combat potentially deadly fires. We don't hunt for smoke; we put out fires," said the senior station officer.

Statistics indicate uncontrolled forest and veld fires destroy some five to seven million hectares of land in Namibia annually and these fires are now a real threat again during the driest months of the year, coupled with the ever-present threat of strong winds in August.

Mayanga says the presence of wind makes their job more difficult because a small fire in or near a neighbourhood can result in a virtually uncontrolled veld fire with devastating effects.

"Fires started close to houses with thatched roofs pose an added risk and owners of such houses should be extra careful and install sprinkler systems on those roofs. The bottom line is that every resident should adhere to standard fire regulations to avoid the risk of uncontrollable fires," said Mayanga.

Despite the National Forest and Veld Fire Management Campaign driving home this message regularly, millions of hectares of valuable grazing are continuously destroyed, while the productivity of land is compromised and even human lives are lost.

Uncontrolled veld fires are sometimes caused by lightning during the rainy season, but mostly by people in the dry season.

Namibians have been reminded again that it is the responsibility of every citizen to help curb fires. Regions most affected are usually Zambezi, the Kavangos, Omaheke and Otjozondjupa, but parts of Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Kunene and Khomas also fall prey to these fires.

Some of the reasons for poor fire control and management practices, experts indicated, are due to inadequate incentives to take control measures because of unclear property rights in communal lands, inadequate coordination and cooperation between villagers, confusion caused by overlapping laws, traditional rules and inadequate skills and resources.

Veld fires destroy valuable timber and forest products such as grass for grazing, grass for thatching, and animals. The damaged environment also has an adverse impact on the tourism sector, one of Namibia's most important earners of foreign revenue.

The fight against uncontrolled forest and veld fires has become a multi-stakeholder commitment over the years and these include the Emergency Management Unit and the various government ministries, together with the Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU) and Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU).

Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, John Mutorwa, every year calls on all Namibians to take precautionary measures against veld fires.

"Any irresponsible acts that may result in the outbreak of veld fires anywhere in Namibia will and must be regarded as a criminal offence and those responsible will and must be prosecuted and legally punished," Mutorwa was quoted as having said.

Precautionary measures against veld fires include the scraping of fire belts, keeping dams full and having firefighting equipment at hand.

Land owners are implored to give a plan of their farms and infrastructure to their farmer association, so that the necessary precautions can be taken.

Following the good rains this season, the NAU has also cautioned members and especially charcoal burners against veld fires.

Namibia: Evaluating Lüderitz Crayfish Festival

The Lüderitz Town Council hosted a breakfast meeting with stakeholders last week Friday to do a follow up on the Lüderitz Crayfish Festival that took place in April this year.

According to the mayor of Lüderitz, Suzan Ndjaleka, the turn out at this year's crayfish festival has once again proved that it (festival) is getting bigger and more popular, and therefore contributing to the economic upliftment of the town.

However, as the festival develops the need for bigger and permanent venues to accommodate all activities for the festival has become a challenge for the Lüderitz Town Council. The mayor said the current venue, the Waterfront Harbour Square, although a magnificent site might not have the capacity to accommodate the festival in the near future.

"Attendance at the business conference was good and with improved organisation could add more value to developments of the town," said Lüderitz Town Council Chief Executive Officer, Aunie Gebhard.

On the entertainment front, she said performances were well arranged although the festival could not attract key targeted artists, as the event dates coincided with the NAMAs.

Gebhard also reported that the launch and fundraising gala dinner for the Crayfish Festival, earlier this year, was well attended raising N$134 000 in the sale of table and dinner tickets, while N$664 152 was received through pledges and table sales.

She further reported that out of the 145 exhibitors who applied at the 2014 Lüderitz Crayfish Festival, 95 made their payments and 32 of them were corporates, 10 SMEs were from outside Lüderitz and 53 SMEs from Lüderitz.

According to the analysis, the number of exhibitors was satisfactory and complied with the aim of adding value to the festival. Different corporates added the element of information sharing, brand positioning and marketing of services and products available in different sectors.

Next year's festival is planned for the first week of May.

Employees' education at Gondwana

The Financial Literacy Initiative (FLI) Secretariat and the Gondwana Collection Namibia have announced a
cooperation to deliver financial education, through a FLI Financial Wellness Workplace Programme to Gondwana employees.
The cooperation is formalised by a Memorandum of Understanding signed on 29 July. One of the key areas that have priority is monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the programme for further development.
Already 10 Gondwana Volunteers have been trained as Peer Educators at the workplace through the
Training-of-Trainers (TOT) Programme and are consequently facilitating training in their respective regions. The program covers topics ranging from basic numeracy, money and wellbeing, saving, budgeting, spending, bank accounts, borrowing, retirement, finances and children, as well as managing a side business.
The Financial Literacy Initiative was first launched in March 2012 by the Minister of Finance Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, to enhance financial education for individuals and small and medium enterprises in Namibia.
The initiative has grown in the industry and now works with more than 40 platform partners from the private,
public and civil sectors.
The financial wellness program for workplaces is also supported by print material such as posters, flyers and

booklets, translated into various Namibian langua-ges.
FLI activities also include interactive educational undertakings such as street theatre, TV and radio shows; and financial literacy training for individuals and micro, small and medium enterprises in Namibia.

Dangerous leopard put down at Spitzkoppe, Namibia

A leopard which attacked and seriously injured two communal farmers in the Spitzkoppe area near Usakos was put down on Monday.

The attack took place last Friday after the leopard had killed a donkey in the area the day before.

The owner of the donkey in the area, 67-year-old Willem Goaseb and a friend Andries Nangombe, set a trap close to the donkey's carcass.

The leopard was caught in the wire snare, but managed to break free with the wire around its neck.

When Goaseb and Nangombe trekked the leopard with the intention to kill it, the leopard attacked the two men, landing both in the Usakos State Hospital.

Confirming the incident to Nampa yesterday, the deputy Director of Parks in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in the Erongo region, Ulrich Boois, said the leopard was indeed killed.

"We decided it must be killed because it is a danger to humans and animals," he said, adding that the search for the leopard started on Saturday.

Boois said Gert van der Walt, a trophy-hunter from the #Gaingu Conservancy, managed to trek the animal and kill it.

Goaseb and Nangombe are still in hospital, but are both reported to be in stable condition.

Botswana becomes a refuge for South Africa’s rhino

Botswana is to become new home to dozens of rhinoceros from South Africa following the country’s decision to evacuate hundreds of the animals from its flagship reserve, Kruger National Park to safer places within South Africa and other countries with robust conservation systems.

In a recent story about the translocation, City Press quotes South Africa’s Environmental Affairs Minister, Edna Molewa, as confirming her country’s intent.

“South Africa is considering a range of rhino strongholds, inclusive of national parks, provincial reserves, communal areas and private reserves…Part of the translocation will include the Southern African Development Community…We have already started discussions with Botswana, we are working with Zambia, we are working with other countries, but more intensely those two in particular,” she said. The paper also quotes South African National Parks’ large mammal ecologist Sam Ferreira as saying up to 500 rhino could be evacuated.

“If you want to give rhino a chance, you remove them from places where they have a high probability of being killed,” quotes City Press.

The Kruger National Park is estimated to have nearly 10,000 rhinos, having initially received 350 from Kwazulu-Natal in the 60’s.

Botswana’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment Wildlife and National Parks Neil Fitt confirmed South Africa had approached them seeking refuge for the animals.

“However, they have not finalised when and how many they will translocate to Botswana, but we understand most of the animals will be moved to different places within South Africa,” he said.

Fitt said notwithstanding the high cost of translocating such big mammals as rhino, Botswana was “very prepared” to receive the animals and hopes South Africa would send “a lot”.

For many years, Botswana has ensured a robust conservation system that brings together its various security organs and has to a great extent managed to keep poachers of especially large mammals such as elephant and rhino at bay.

Further collaborative efforts between government and conservation groups have ensured the success of the re-introduction of black and white rhino in Botswana. The efforts followed a1992 survey that showed only 19 white rhino remained, while the black rhino was classified as “locally extinct” in Botswana.

News from Farm Omandumba, Namibia

Some exciting news on Omandumba Farm in the Erongo Region. Omandumba has started with the building of 8 new en-suite guestrooms, situated a little off-side from the main house.
The rooms are set in 4 units with each 2 bedrooms. The farm is famous for its family friendly atmosphere where guests can enjoy true Namibian Farm hospitality, surrounded by magnificent nature, goats, chicken, cats, dogs, doves and soon cattle again. Home made specialities like smoked game meat, cheeses & jams and informative talks around the camp-fire with the owners, add to the allure of this homely farm. 
The farm  will be be open for business until construction works are finished in January 2015.

Highlights at Omandumba
Omandumba offers wild, romantic granite landscape and fantastic vistas - some of the best in the Erongo Region!
Well preserved rock engravings & paintings are Omandumba's hidden gems! Explorations on the farm offer unique rock formations and an interesting Fauna, Flora and birdlife. Nature drives & rock climbing afford visitors with attractive activities. Listen to the sound of silence and enjoy the tranquility of nature during self-guided walks in the country side.

The Living Museum of the San people
Visitors can get an interesting insight into traditional Buschman culture at a cultural village situated a mere 2 km away from Omandumba.  Guests may interact in the activities as the Ju/'Hoansi San people show their skills at arrow making and arrow shooting, teach how to make fire & jewellery and explain natural health remedies. Visitors may join in on a hunting and gathering trip or experience their song and dance. Pre-bookings are only necessary for larger groups. Self-drive customers may visit the San people at any time between 8-17h00.

Camping Facilities & Self-Catering Farmhouse
All camp sites are situated in-between sublime granite scenery, far apart from each other, thus offering privacy for each separate group.  Showers, toilets & waterpoints are available (no electricity).
Experience how it feels to stay on a Farm on your own.  The self-catering Farmhouse lies 8 km from Omandumba.  There are 2 rooms inside the house and one room outside. Shitemo and Pontianus will keep the water for the shower warm and will help you with anything you need around the house.  The Farmhouse is situated on its own at the foot of the "Grober Gottlieb Mountain".

Namibia: Statement By Minister of Health and Social Services

Republic of Namibia
Ministry of Health and Social Services

Statement

By

Dr. Richard Nchabi Kamwi, MP
Minister of Health and Social Services

PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE STATUS OF EBOLA PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE CAPACITY
MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES NAMIBIA

12 August 2014

There is no Ebola in Namibia. Indeed there is no Ebola in the SADC Region. 

Ebola is a severe acute viral illness, usually with sudden onset.  It is a zoonotic disease.  Currently the disease is reported in West Africa – Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and recently Nigeria.

There are eleven thousand, seven hundred and eleven (11711) suspected cases and one thousand and seventy (1070) have been confirmed as Ebola and nine hundred and thirty two (932) deaths are reported.
About fifty (50) Health Care workers have been infected, with eighty (80) deaths.  Most cases are reported from Guinea.

Signs and symptoms in humans are flu like illnesses, sudden fever (more than 38 degrees), general body weakness and intense muscle pain, headache, sore throat when swallowing, nausea, loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting with or without blood, conjuctivitis (red eyes), skin rashes, abdominal pain, hiccups, cough, chest pains and difficulty breathing.

What are the modes of transmission?

The disease is transmitted through direct contact with infected people (person to person) – contact with infected blood, secretions and other body fluids.  The risk of a person transmitting the disease is during the late stages of illness when the patient is vomiting, having diarrhea, or bleeding and during funerals with unprotected body and burial preparations. 

The risk during the early incubation period is low.  Airborne transmission among humans has not been documented usually health care workers and families of the sick patients are regarded as contacts and are at risk of contracting the illness.

Others are mourners who have direct contact with bodies during preparation and burial.

What are the chances of importation of the disease into Namibia?

The chances of a plane from West Africa landing directly at one of our local Airports is non-existent since we have no direct flights from West Africa to Namibia.  All flights go through O.R. Thambo Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa.  The likelihood of these people being detected with thermal detectors in South Africa before proceeding to Hosea Kutako Airport is HIGH. 

Other indirect routes are Luanda, Lusaka and Cape Town.  The Port Health Authorities at ALL major Ports Of Entry are highly sensitized and will be able to link up with Ministry of Health and Social Services in their respective regional health offices.

Currently, the National Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Committee is active and the Contingency Plan has been activated.

The focus now is on Surveillance to be able to detect any importation.
The Ministry of Health officials are ready to investigate rumors and suspected cases. Please let us avoid rumour mongering.

All risk groups such as Health workers, Traditional Healers, cleaners and Ambulance personnel will be trained to be able to deal with the importation of any viral hemorrhagic fever.

Community participation and involvement is required.

Social molibazation activities have been strengthened.  The Ministry has set aside a floor in Windhoek Central Hospital 6 East to be used for treating any importation and is ready for that purpose.
Social Mobilization and Surveillance is ongoing.

Stakeholders and partners such as NAC, AIR NAMIBIA, WHO, CDC, City of Windhoek, NIP, Directorate Customs, Excise and Immigration, Namibian Tourism Board, Port Health and the Media are involved in the response activities.

 The Ministry of Health and Social Services is prepared and the situation is under control.

I am urging the community not to panic.

Namibia's adoption of the open skies policy could increase GDP by millions

Namibia is among a group of African nations which could achieve further economic growth by liberalising their air space, a new report says.
Member states could see their annual Gross Domestic Product grow by the millions, annually, and thousands of jobs created with the adaptation of an open skies policy, a liberal market between signatory states allowing airlines unlimited rights to fly.

The new report released this month by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in partnership with regional associations AFCAC and AFRAA, outlines the benefits African nations would gain by implementing a liberalised policy and uses 12 key markets as examples. These are: Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda.

According to the study, if Namibia adopts the open skies policy, the GDP could additionally grow by US$94,2 million and create 10 600 jobs.

Air Namibia has yet to react to the report. The Namibian approached them for comment last week but by yesterday no reaction had come through.

Air transport plays a crucial role in driving economic and social developments in Africa through enhanced connectivity. However, regulations have made it difficult to provide inter-connectivity in the region.

“Governments should support the growth of the industry by fully liberalising African skies as intended by the Yamoussoukro Decision, while providing other facilitator assistance like implementing global standards in safety, security and regulations, reducing high charges, taxes and fees and removing visa requirements for ease of movement across the continent,” said the secretary general of African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Elijah Chingosho.

According to the report, if the 12 countries were to adapt an open skies policy they would create 155 000 extra jobs in the market and grow the combined annual GDP of the nations by US$1,3 billion. Five million additional passengers a year would fly.

Africa agreed, in principle, to an open skies policy 26 years ago with the signing of the Yamoussoukro Declaration. The lack of implementation saw member states, under the Africa Union umbrella, come up with the 1999 Yamoussoukro Decision, which looks at what its implementation would mean for African economies. It called for the deregulating of air services and opening regional air markets.

GROWTH ‘STUNTED’

The secretary general of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), Iyabo Sosina, says by not adopting the Yamoussoukro Decision, African countries are not only holding back growth in the aviation sector but their economies.

Additional growth could have a trickle down effect on the economy with other sectors gaining including the farmers who supply their produce to catering companies who work with airlines. Liberalisation leads to increased air services, which in turn facilitate growth in the sectors of the economy by supporting increased trade, attracting new businesses to the region, encouraging investment and enhancing productivity.

“It is essential that African governments use aviation as a critical driver of social and economic development,” said IATA’s director general and CEO, Tony Tayler. “Greater connectivity leads to greater prosperity.”

With a population of more than one billion people, untapped resources and poor infrastructure, the potential for aviation in Africa is big. Countries treat regional airlines with suspicion opting to open up, instead, to other third countries and not to each other.

There has been evidence in Africa where countries have liberalised their air markets and have seen substantial growth. An example is between Kenya and South Africa where, according to the report, liberalising the air market between the two countries in 2000, led to a 69% rise in passenger traffic.

Today, the route is served by five direct flights daily operated by Kenya Airways and South African Airways, in addition to services provided by RwandAir, EthiopianAir and LAM of Mozambique among other African carriers through their hubs. This has seen more competitive prices on the route and helped grow tourism for the two destinations with Kenya being one of South Africa’s key source tourist markets in the region.

MORE COSTLY THAN EUROPE

The report shows one of the advantages would be the cost of flying across the continent coming down, with a benefit from fare reduction of between 25% and 35%.

“Liberalisation can lead to increased air service levels and lower fares, which in turn stimulates additional traffic volumes, facilitate tourism, trade, investment and other sectors of the economy and bring about enhanced productivity, economic growth and increased employment,” the report said.

Interconnectivity in Africa is said to be more expensive than travelling to Europe or the Middle East in some instances. This has been attributed to the lack of competition and the cost of operations in the region mainly hampered by price of fuel and taxes.

Fuel, one of the major headaches in the aviation sector, accounting for up to 40% of operational costs, is more expensive in Africa compared to other markets. African airlines pay about 21% more for jet fuel than the global average. This makes African airlines less competitive compared to other rival carriers which have been expanding their reach in Africa. In the past five years there has been increased frequencies from European carriers and especially Middle East ones who have positioned themselves to connect the continent through their hubs.

There is always concern that liberalisation will harm profitability of existing national carriers. The report says though there would be an impact initially there are major growth opportunities, especially on volumes.

Tayler said beyond economic growth liberalisation of the aviation sector “is a force for good and plays a major role in helping to reach the African Union’s mission of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa”.

Mine licences for friends

Enrichment of Namibia’s tiny elite of politically connected middlemen is set to continue, as government applauds multimillion-dollar deals that have made a handful of individuals fabulously wealthy through the sale of petroleum licences.
Namibia is yet to strike oil in commercial quantities but it is being called the next big oil frontier, whose offshore geological formations are like those of Brazil, where the giant Lula field was discovered in 2006.

Licences for oil in Namibia are acquired by well-placed individuals for a fee of between N$15 000 to N$30 000 and later sold for millions of dollars to international companies.

Calculations show that a cartel involving not more than 20 middlemen and politicians have benefited in the past six years from fewer than 10 transactions involving cash or shares in exchange for their prospecting licences.

Many beneficiaries are politicians, their children or their close business partners. The absence of regulation on such transactions allows room for the sale of licences.

The public disclosure of transactions would almost certainly reveal crony enrichment on a far larger scale.

It also means that despite the government policy of favouring locals when issuing licences, Namibians are losing the grip on the ownership of oil blocks.

Ninety per cent of the 90 oil-block licences issued are now held by international companies.

The list of licence-holders provided by government last week shows that locals only own an average of between 5% and 10% in each oil block compared to eight years ago, when they owned most of them.

Some companies have announced the sale of their licences but have refused to reveal the price, saying this is confidential.

Anglo-Dutch group Shell, for example, acquired a 90% stake in two blocks owned by Signet Petroleum, a company owned by a Malaysian company Mettiz Capital through London-listed Polo Resources. Mettiz Capital is owned by Shanghai-born businessman Michael Tang.

Shell did not divulge the amount it had paid for the block, saying it was a confidential transaction. However, investor watch website proactiveinvestors.co.uk quoted Tang as saying that the deal was worth R220 million.

Apart from the transfer licence fee of N$30 000, the Namibian government did not receive a cent from the transaction in taxes.

Mines and energy minister Isak Katali admitted in 2011 that Namibia has become an “El Dorado of speculators and other quick-fix, would-be mineral explorers and mining developers”.

A report released by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) last year, “Namibia’s new frontiers – transparency and accountability in extractive industry exploration”, echoed claims of underhand deals in the exploration sector, and a worrying trend of pressure by government officials on foreign firms to link up with inexperienced, hand-picked local partners.

The report was also concerned about the influence of politically connected middlemen. It said that companies are asked to make empowerment deals with other companies that appeared to be little more than “briefcase firms” representing one or two favoured individuals.

IPPR also complained of the lack of laws, rules and guidelines dealing with conflicts of interest in the exploration industry.

Its director Graham Hopwood said it was a major concern that Namibia’s public officials – elected politicians and state employees – were not required to declare their assets.

“The failure to tackle these issues in law, systems and practice creates major loopholes which can be exploited by corrupt officials and business people,” he told amaBhungane.

He also said it is possible for a company to receive a licence and sell it in a multimillion-dollar deal without the fact ever being publicised.

“We do not know about the companies that senior public officials may have links to, because there are no working systems for public asset declaration in Namibia and information about companies at the registrar of companies often appears to be incomplete, missing and/or out of date,” he said.

“We can’t demand this information because government is under no compulsion to make it public – Namibia lacks an access to information law – and so much of it remains off limits or only partially released”.

Hopwood expressed concern that licences are allocated by a small group of officials under a non-statutory committee headed by a petroleum commissioner who has massive influence over the final decision.

The government decided to issue licences on a first-come, first-served basis in 2006.

The licences are cheap, entitling holders to conduct a preliminary exploration on an area to determine where prospecting should be focused. A “reconnaissance licence” costs N$15 000.

To apply for a full exploration licence, making the systematic prospecting for oil and gas deposits possible, a payment of N$30 000 is required. A 25-year production licence, allowing the holder to extract petroleum within a specific production area, also costs a mere N$30 000.

Namibians with a small stake in a licence block could be in line for a huge cash payout if a company sells out or reduces the size of its stake.

The petroleum commissioner, Immanuel Mulunga, said: “We are obliged to process every application that we receive, regardless of whether the applicant is, as you put it, well connected or not”.

“I can personally only be happy and proud to be overseeing an industry where Namibians have profited. What’s the point of doing business if you can’t make money from it?”

amaBhungane has compiled a list of the principal beneficiaries, who all have links with the government or the ruling party, Swapo.

Knowledge Katti

Businessman Katti is a friend of prime minister Hage Geingob, the probable next president of Namibia, and a business partner of liberation struggle stalwart Andimba Toivo ya Toivo.

Katti started getting oil licences in 2006 when the Namibian government decided to give preferential treatment to black-owned companies. The then minister of mines Erkki Nghimtina said Katti, in partnership with South African businessman Mxolisi Mbetse, had been awarded an exploration licence for three blocks.

Katti led two Namibian empowerment companies, Cumoxi Investments and Knowledge Resources, which owned 30% of the company awarded the rights, Mbetse’s Namibian Industrial Development Group (NIDG).

The same year Katti brought Namibian home affairs minister Iivula-Ithana into his other company, Kunene Energy, which received licences for three blocks off the Namibian coast measuring more than 10 000 square kilometres.

Katti sold Kunene Energy to Canadian-listed UNX Energy Corp in 2008. UNX described him in a media statement as “well positioned to assemble strategic interests in high-profile African oil and gas projects”.

The deal consisted of cash and shares in UNX. Also in 2008, UNX purchased Katti’s 30% of NIDG for US$1,5-million in cash.

In 2011, Brazilian oil company HRT bought UNX Energy Corp for $781-million (about R5-billion at that time) in a shares-only deal.

Katti and his partners, including minister Iivula-Ithana, are believed to have owned about 12% of UNX Energy at the time, giving them a paper windfall of around US$90-million.

HRT is now the second largest licence-holder in offshore Namibia, with ten blocks.

Iivula-Ithana declared the 15% interest she has held in Kunene Energy since 2006 to parliament.

She complained earlier this year in parliament that Namibia gets ‘scraps’ from natural resource deals. Her son Shafa Kaulinge’s company, Amis Energy, also holds three exploration licences.

Katti refused to answer detailed questions emailed to him. “Go to the government and ask them to respond to every concern you have. I have little time to entertain childishness or any nonsense,” he said.

Heinrich Ndume

Another well-connected individual who has made a fortune from the sale of licences is “Swapo” Ndume, son-in-law of Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba.

Ndume is the director of Enigma Oil and Gas Exploration, a company that was bought by London-listed Chariot Oil and Gas in 2008 in a deal that valued Enigma at $47-million.

Alongside Katti’s companies, Ndume’s Enigma was one of the first black-owned oil concerns to secure licences.

According to its 2009 annual report, Chariot had licences covering 10 blocks, mostly acquired with Ndume’s assistance.

Chariot now controls close to 13 blocks, making it Namibia’s biggest offshore concession owner.

However, the two wells so far drilled by Chariot have been dry.

Desmond Amunyela and Lazarus Jacobs

Amunyela and Jacobs, co-owners of Paragon Investment Holdings have benefited from the sale of a licence covering 17. 295 square kilometres in the Walvis Basin.

Two years after acquiring it, Paragon sold its interest to Pancontinental Oil & Gas for US$4-million (N$40-million) last year.

Paragon’s interest in the block was reduced to 5%, while the Australian company’s stake increased to 95%.

Amunyela was unapologetic about selling the stake, saying this had been done to raise money for their other investments and branding the transaction “smart enterprising”.

Paragon is a private equity and management company with interests in property, marketing, extractive industry and media – including the weekly Windhoek Observer newspaper.

The Observer lobbied for the election of prime minister Hage Geingob as Swapo’s vice-president at the party’s 2012 congress, qualified him to be the next head of state.

Amunyela said his ties with Geingob date back as far as 1994. He again defended his relationship with the premier in July this year after admitting that he paid R1-million for Geingob’s trip to the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil.

Ironically, the paper has questioned the relationship between businessmen – whom it does not name – and government officials.

Paragon has bagged several government contracts, such as a duty-free shop at Namibia’s international airport.

Amunyela told AmaBhungane last week that there is nothing wrong with Namibians selling their licences, as oil is a natural resource that belongs to them.

“The truth is many of us do not have the expertise and skill to develop a mine or drill for oil. Partnerships with those in the know is good for Namibia to learn from,” he added.

Amunyela criticised politicians, saying some of them make “silly statements because they are out of depth with the portfolios they occupy and want to divert from their failures.

“Government officials should not make damaging statements at the expense of other Namibians who are only trying to make a living within the ambit of the law,” he said

Family and comrades

Other licence-holders who are politically powerful, or are linked by family or friendship to those in power, include:

• Helmut Angula, a Swapo politiburo member served as a minister or deputy minister in five portfolios (1990 and 2010) and headed the National Planning Commission. He is a director of Eco Atlantic and Eco Atlantic Namibia - the third-largest international company with rights over Namibian’s sea with an interest in nine oil blocks. His daughter, Phillipine Angula, runs Eco Namibia.

• Tobie Aupindi, vice-president of Hydrocarb Namibia, the local subsidiary of US-based multinational Hydrocarb Energy. Aupindi is a former Swapo think tank member, advising on party policies.

• Frans Mushimba, son of BEE mogul Aaron Mushimba, who is the brother-in-law of former president Sam Nujoma. Frans also has a joint venture with BP and Canada’s Serica Energy.

• Dantagob Gurirab, the son of National Assembly Speaker and former Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab. He co-owns Alphapetro, a former partner of Canada’s Petro Viking Energy. The licence they jointly held expired last year and has not been renewed.

Namibia: rhino terrorises Omuthiya residents

One pupil and an elderly resident sustained slight injuries after they were attacked by a lone black rhino which terrorised residents of Omuthiya in Oshikoto region on Monday.
The councillor of Omuthiya constituency, Armas Amukoto confirmed the incident and said the rhino first attacked pupils and teachers at Nicodemus Nashandi Primary School in the constituency.

He said the rhino invaded the teachers’ houses at the school, before attacking farmers in the area.

“The pupil and the elder were rushed to Omuthiya state hospital and they are both in a stable condition,” said Amukoto, adding that the rhino is believed to have strayed from Etosha National Park that is close to the constituency.

Amukoto further said classes at Nicodemus Nashandi school were suspended for the entire day yesterday to ensure the safety of the pupils, many of whom showed signs of fear, anxiety and nervousness after seeing the animal.

Amukoto said classes will resume today.

He said this was not the first time an endangered animal was spotted in the area, as the constituency is near Etosha national park where most of these animals come from.

The rhino was captured by the nature conservation officers in the early morning hours of yesterday and was returned to Etosha National Park in northern Namibia.

Amukoto cautioned the residents of Omuthiya to avoid walking at night and always report any endangered animal they see wandering in the area to the police or the council’s offices.