Day: March 27, 2024

OTJINENE: The Road Fund Administration (RFA) and the Namibia Traffic Information System (NaTIS) held a stakeholder engagement with Otjinene residents on Tuesday to discuss how the services at the local NaTIS office can be improved.

Otjinene currently has one Namibia Traffic Information System office which offers vehicle registration services only. The engagement explored the possibility of adding services such as vehicle testing and the issuing of learner's and driver's licences.

Otjinene regional councillor Erwin Katjizeu commended the RFA and NaTIS for engaging the community and said it is an enlightening experience for many constituents.

'I hope NaTIS will expand its services at Otjinene to include vehicle testing and the issuing of licences as currently, there is only one office in Gobabis serving the entire region with these services,' Katjizeu said.

Otjinene is situated some 160 kilometres from Gobabis.

Samson Ajagbe, a representative of the RFA responsible for fuel levies and abnormal loads, meanwhile urged community members to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy and called on them to do their part to support the authority and its functions.

He explained that the RFA is responsible for collecting the road user charge, which includes fuel levies, abnormal loads, cross-border charges, and road permits.

'Regarding vehicle licence fees, we engage extensively with communities and NaTIS as NaTIS serves as the point of collection for these fees. The funds collected by the Road Fund Administration are reinvested in roads and provided to local authorities for road maintenance. Therefore, we visit towns with Natis offices to assess operations and identify areas for improvement,' he added.

Daniel Hange, the newly appointed NaTIS Gobabis section Leader, encouraged the public to visit their nearest NaTIS office for information on services provided by NaTIS and the Road Fund Administration.

'Our communities lack adequate information, and I urge them to utilise Natis facilities. The Road Fund Administration has introduced an initiative allowing individuals to enter agreements and pay bills in instalments,' Hange said.

Source:The Namibia Press Agency

OTJINENE: The Road Fund Administration (RFA) and the Namibia Traffic Information System (NaTIS) held a stakeholder engagement with Otjinene residents on Tuesday to discuss how the services at the local NaTIS office can be improved.

Otjinene currently has one Namibia Traffic Information System office which offers vehicle registration services only. The engagement explored the possibility of adding services such as vehicle testing and the issuing of learner's and driver's licences.

Otjinene regional councillor Erwin Katjizeu commended the RFA and NaTIS for engaging the community and said it is an enlightening experience for many constituents.

'I hope NaTIS will expand its services at Otjinene to include vehicle testing and the issuing of licences as currently, there is only one office in Gobabis serving the entire region with these services,' Katjizeu said.

Otjinene is situated some 160 kilometres from Gobabis.

Samson Ajagbe, a representative of the RFA responsible for fuel levies and abnormal loads, meanwhile urged community members to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy and called on them to do their part to support the authority and its functions.

He explained that the RFA is responsible for collecting the road user charge, which includes fuel levies, abnormal loads, cross-border charges, and road permits.

'Regarding vehicle licence fees, we engage extensively with communities and NaTIS as NaTIS serves as the point of collection for these fees. The funds collected by the Road Fund Administration are reinvested in roads and provided to local authorities for road maintenance. Therefore, we visit towns with Natis offices to assess operations and identify areas for improvement,' he added.

Daniel Hange, the newly appointed NaTIS Gobabis section Leader, encouraged the public to visit their nearest NaTIS office for information on services provided by NaTIS and the Road Fund Administration.

'Our communities lack adequate information, and I urge them to utilise Natis facilities. The Road Fund Administration has introduced an initiative allowing individuals to enter agreements and pay bills in instalments,' Hange said.

Source:The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) is developing a reporting tool kit on indigenous communities for the media which is expected to be finalised by the end of March 2024. The toolkit is being developed by the university's Journalism and Media Technology Department and aims to train students and journalists on effective reporting to ensure that stories represent the sources. Speaking at a media conference here Tuesday, NUST Acting Executive Dean for the Faculty of Computing and Informatics, Fungai Shava said the critical function of journalism, which is the production of news as a representation of people from diverse backgrounds in terms of cultural, religious, class, racial, and gender identities, will be encompassed in the tool kit. 'This is because, in this latter point, the media has often failed, especially in respect of marginalised social groups and minorities such as indigenous communities, more so when it comes to reporting on these communities,' said Shava. Shava ad ded that by developing this tool kit, the department will be at the forefront of global efforts aimed at creating more equal and inclusive societies. Media Ombudsman John Nakuta on his part urged journalists to train themselves to accurately tell the truth and report in a way that honours the sources. Nakuta further said his office plans to create codes of good practice for the media as part of his final outgoing project, stating, 'We can't perpetuate these stereotypes because of lack of knowledge.' The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) funded 10 African nations as part of its Promoting Excellence in Journalism Education in Africa Project. A grant was awarded to NUST through the University of Witwatersrand (WITS) in South Africa. As part of developing the toolkit, the university in February visited Opuwo in the Kunene region, home to the majority of the Ovahimba people, and Donkerbos in the Omaheke region, a community east of Gobabis, home to the San people to lear n from and experience firsthand accounts. From these experiences, they are creating a reporting toolkit, three research papers, journals, and stories which will be published after review by community leaders on behalf of the communities that the students engaged to ensure accuracy and fairness, before being published by various media houses. Source:The Namibia Press Agency

OKANKOLO: Oshikoto region health director Joshua Nghipangelwa has raised a concern about the rising cases of malaria amongst Angolan cattle herders employed by local farmers. Nghipangelwa in an interview with NAMPA on Wednesday pointed out that most malaria cases are imported from Angola through cattle herders that are employed by local farmers. 'Most of the cases recorded in the region are imported from Angola through their nationals that come to look after our cattle,' he said and urged all the farmers to have their cattle herders tested, to reduce such cases in the region. He said a total of 354 malaria cases and three deaths were recorded from January to 26 March 2024 and most cases were reported in the Onandjokwe District Hospital. 'The males have reported many cases and the most affected age group is between 15 to 35 years old,' said Nghipangelwa. He also highlighted several challenges they face in preventing malaria in the region such as the limited testing kits due to the high number of suspected cases as well as late presentation at health facilities. He added that there is an inadequate availability of insecticide for indoor residual spraying and a limited stock of long-lasting insecticidal nets. 'Our community members tend to ignore information on malaria prevention,' he said. Source:The Namibia Press Agency

OSHAKATI: A 21-year-old woman was arrested at Oshakati on Tuesday for alleged concealment of birth. The Head of the Namibian Police Force's Oshana Community Policing Sub-division, Chief Inspector Thomas Aiyambo, told Nampa the woman, who is employed as a domestic worker, reportedly gave birth to a baby boy on Monday. Aiyambo said the newborn baby's lifeless body was discovered by Oshakati municipality workers who were collecting refuse from the house where the woman is employed in the early hours of Monday. They alerted the police. 'Upon receiving information from a tenant residing in the same house, the police investigated and identified a person of interest,' Aiyambo stated. The suspect was traced to the Okatana clinic where she was receiving medical attention. Aiyambo indicated that the woman was admitted to the Oshakati Hospital under police guard. Police investigations continue. Source:The Namibia Press Agency