OSHAKATI: A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 38-year-old man at Onaanda village in the Omusati Region on Sunday. The Namibian Police Force's Omusati crime investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Moses Simaho, said the incident occurred around 15h00. It is alleged that the suspect, who is a cattle herder, was looking after livestock with the girl near their house at the time of the incident. Simaho said a case has been opened and the suspect was arrested. Police investigations into the matter continue. Source: The Namibia Press Agency
Science subjects training underway in Zambezi
KATIMA MULILO: Eighty-nine teachers from the Zambezi Region are receiving training in chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics this week. Zambezi Regional Education Director Josty Kawana welcomed the training which started Monday and concludes on Friday, and which trains science teachers to be confident in practical teaching. 'This training is going to expose us to do our practicals in terms of critical work and to capacitate us even further in the areas our teachers still need to be capacitated in. We are fortunate to have this programme,' Kawana stated. The training workshop which is being conducted by the Education, Arts and Culture Directorate in the Zambezi Region is made possible with the assistance of Risk-Based Solutions through Dr Sindila Mwiya. 'Education is the greatest equaliser and if we can 100 per cent empower our science and maths teachers, then you get the benefit of producing the best learners who will become the knowledgeable and well-equipped leaders of tomorrow,' Mwiya emphasised. H e further insisted that training such as this is vital as it provides support to the teachers as they also get cutting-edge understanding of new concepts and new ways of doing things. The 89 selected teachers are from all secondary schools in the Zambezi Region who are responsible for science and maths. They are being trained by lecturers from the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) under the leadership of Professor Sylvanus Onjefu. This is the second time the training is being offered. Source: The Namibia Press Agency
Otjiwarongo residents submit petition against Cenored tariffs
OTJIWARONGO: More than 60 residents of Otjiwarongo on Monday walked to the Central North Regional Electricity Distributor (Cenored) offices where they handed in a petition, demanding a reduction in the prepaid electricity tariffs at the town. The residents accused Cenored of selling electricity to them at an exorbitant price of N.dollars 2.08 per unit. They accused Cenored of buying luxury vehicles, double storey office buildings and paying exorbitant salaries to employees instead of selling more affordable electricity to consumers and investing the profits into electrifying all informal areas. They further said the company which was created in 2005 to generate money and pay dividends to its shareholders such as the regional and local authority councils, has failed to do so, and instead operates like a 'mafia style' organisation where millions are channelled into less priority areas. The aggrieved residents further claimed that Cenored continues to deprive the local authorities of finances, saying before i ts establishment in 2005, the Otjiwarongo Municipality which was handling the affairs of electricity on behalf of Government, would generate over N.dollars 43 million a year from the sales of electricity. 'We demand a decrease in prepaid electricity charges, for instance N.dollars 10 which is fetching less than four units, should give us about seven units,' they said. Reacting, Cenored Public Relations Officer Charlie Matengu on Monday afternoon said Cenored has a dividend policy approved by the shareholders who are mostly the local authority councils. 'It is based on this policy that we pay them money on a monthly basis in surcharges or reinvest the surcharges into electrification of the towns' informal or newly created suburbs,' he said. The surcharges refer to the money Cenored collects from the sales of electricity units on their behalf, said Matengu. He added that two other levies are also added to its electricity charges and that of the surcharges in the form of the National Energy Fund and Electri city Control Board (ECB) charges, which in total would collect N.dollars 7 from the electricity units of N.dollars 10 paid by a client. Cenored Executive for Commercial and Customer Services, Ignatius Komomungondo who received the petition, told the residents the company would respond to their grievances within seven working days. Source: The Namibia Press Agency
FC Ongos goes top after weekend fixtures
WINDHOEK: Katutura-based FC Ongos claimed top spot in the Debmarine Namibia Premiership after securing maximum points against log leader Khomas NamPol and Karasburg-based Young Brazilian over the weekend. Round 20 and 21 of the Debmarine Namibia Premiership resumed on Friday with action between FC Ongos, and then log leaders Khomas NamPol at the Independence Stadium in Windhoek. Ongos, who had a game in hand, managed to outclass their resilient opponents with a 3-0 scoreline, which saw them moving from third place on the log standings to the top of the log. On Sunday, the Katutura boys showcased an impressive performance by defeating Young Brazilian 3-0 at the UNAM Stadium in the capital. With this victory, Ongos secured the top spot on the Premiership log standings with 45 points from 20 matches played so far. On the other hand, Khomas NamPol failed to collect any points in their fixtures for the first time this season, which caused them to drop to third place with 41 points. African Stars maintained th eir position on the log standings by collecting four points out of a possible six over the weekend. They are a point behind Ongos on 44 points. The league's defending champions, coached by their newly appointed coach, Ronny Kanalelo, dropped two points on Saturday with a goalless draw against Civics. However, they managed to bounce back on Sunday to secure maximum points with their 2-0 win against Tigers. Meanwhile, in other games played over the weekend, Ohangwena-based Eeshoke Chula Chula demonstrated their dominance in the season by defeating Blue Waters with a scoreline of 2-0 in Walvis Bay. This victory helped them secure the fourth position on the log standings, alongside Okahandja United, who are fifth but level with 32 points. Young African, with 30 points, is now in sixth place, followed by UNAM in seventh place with 29 points, along with Mighty Gunners, Blue Waters, and Tigers in eighth, ninth, and tenth positions, respectively. Life Fighters, with only 12 points from 21 matches, are at the bott om of the log standings. Orlando Pirates are in 15th place with 16 points, while Civics and Okakara Young Warriors are tied on 19 points each but occupying positions 13th and 14th, respectively. Young Brazilian is currently placed 11th with 27 points, and Julinho Sporting, based in Rundu, is in 12th place with 20 points. Source: The Namibia Press Agency
Kalahari and Garieb circuits emerge victories at ||Kharas governor’s cup
ROSH PINAH: The Kalahari and Garieb circuits were declared winners of the 2024 ||Kharas Governor's Cup in the netball and soccer categories respectively on Sunday. The tournament took place from the 01 to 03 March 2024 at the Rosh Pinah Scorpion Zinc sport park and saw four teams from the four circuits compete in the netball, rugby, and soccer sports codes. The aim of the tournament is to create regional teams that would at all times be battle-ready for inter-regional, national, and international sporting events. In the netball category, the Kalahari girls defeated the team from the Namib circuit 59-13 in the final game, while for soccer, Garieb defeated the Namib circuit 3-4 in the final game. The rugby final was between PK de Villiers Secondary School and Suiderlig High School, both from the Kalahari circuit, and the final score was 16-5 in favour of PK de Villiers. Players of the tournament were as follows: Lumando Basson for soccer from Garieb, Ruaha Shekwaya for netball from Kalahari, and David Sakeu s for rugby from Kalahari. Each of the best players walked away with N.dollars 5 000 in cash, sponsored by Rosh Pinah Zinc Mine, while the mine pledged to support Shekwaya in her netball career going forward. Speaking as she officiated the tourney on Saturday, ||Kharas Governor Aletha Frederick said sports is beyond the thrill of competition as it offers countless opportunities for the youth, adding that sports goes far beyond future opportunities of income as it serves as a shield, protecting the youth from the pitfalls of life's social evils, providing a safe haven and a place where young people can find purpose, discipline, and belonging. 'It is not just about scoring goals; it is about scoring opportunities for a brighter future, your participation in sports can open up a host of avenues for you, it can create for you employment in the future, opening doors for careers as athletes, coaches, administrators, and more,' she stressed. PstBet is the main sponsor of the Governor's Cup, having pledged an amo unt of N.dollars 70 000 each year for the next three years towards the event. Other sponsors are Novanam Group of Companies, Sea Flower Group of Companies, Vedanta, RoshSkor Township, Rosh Pinah Zinc Mine, ||Kharas Regional Council, Total Energies, Bank Windhoek, and First National Bank among others. Source: The Namibia Press Agency