ONYAANYA: The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform has issued a warning to the public regarding the illegal buying and selling of communal land adjacent to the B1 road in the Oshikoto and Oshana regions. The ministry's spokesperson, Simon Nghipandulwa, made the remarks in an interview with Nampa on Monday following reports from concerned citizens regarding unauthorised land transactions along the B1 road. He urged the public to report any suspicious activities related to land deals to the ministry. According to Nghipandulwa, investigations have revealed the involvement of community members from areas surrounding Omuthiya, Oniipa, Ondangwa, Ongwediva and Oshakati, as well as villages along the B1 road between Ongwediva and Ondangwa, in illegal land transactions. 'Several individuals have fallen prey to these illegal actions,' Nghipandulwa stated. He said it is crucial for the public to understand that land within town boundaries falls under the jurisdiction of the respective council. 'Communal land cannot be sold as freehold land to any individual as per Section 42 of the Communal Land Reform Act, 2002 (Act No. 5 of 2002),' Nghipandulwa emphasised. He further urged the public to adhere to the correct procedures for acquiring communal land. 'Individuals should first identify the desired land portion with the village headman or woman of the respective traditional authority. Subsequently, land parcel boundaries should be identified and collectively defined with neighbouring landholders,' he advised. He added that applicants should complete a prescribed form and submit it, along with an application fee of N.dollars 25, to the traditional authority. Following this, the ministry should be contacted to verify and map the identified land parcel. 'A seven-day notice should then be displayed at the traditional authority office to allow for objections from community members. The application should be ratified by the respective Communal Land Board for approval and registration of the land right,' Nghipandu lwa explained. Upon approval, customary land right certificates will be issued to the respective traditional authority, and applicants must pay a certificate fee of N.dollars 50 to the traditional authority upon collection of the land right certificate. Source: The Namibia Press Agency
Rössing Uranium marathon entries double up
SWAKOPMUND: Entries for this year's Rössing Uranium Marathon have doubled from over 1 000 last year to over 2 000 entries, according to the company's Manager of Corporate Communications, Daylight Ekandjo. The marathon, which is scheduled for 09 March at the coastal town of Swakopmund, will start off at the tennis court with amateur and elite runners expected to compete in the 42-kilometre (km) marathon, the 21km Frank Slabbert half marathon, the 10km run, and 5km fun walk. According to Ekandjo, this year's edition is testament to the inevitable growth of the Rössing Marathon, which features elite and amateur runners from across the country. 'Entries this year have doubled and this cements the dire need of sporting events in the country. The nation every year looks forward to this event and this year's numbers only mean we should double our efforts to appetise running for health reasons and at the same time, create a platform for our elite runners to compete nationally to better represent the country intern ationally,' she said. Eight-time Rössing Marathon elite runner and last year's winner in the 42km female category, Alina Armas, said she is excited to participate in this year's edition as well and is looking forward to seeing new competition, particularly from female runners. 'I have already started with preparations for the Rössing Marathon and would like to call on all athletes to register and make their names on the weekend. Train hard so that you get the results you want,' Armas urged. All proceeds from the 5km fun walk will be channelled to the Cancer Association of Namibia to bolster their fight against cancer. The marathon has also previously attracted international entries from around Africa. Source: The Namibia Press Agency
Black Africa find going tough in Southern Stream First Division
WINDHOEK: Katutura-based former Debmarine Namibia Premiership outfit Black Africa struggled in their opening matches of the Southern Stream First Division, following their relegation from the country's elite league last season. Since the start of the Southern Stream First Division (SSFD) in 2023, Black Africa Football Club were provisionally suspended by the SSFD Executive following their failure to fulfil their league obligations against Blue Boys and Eleven Arrows. This squabble came about after two separate groups within Black Africa were vying for leadership, resulting in two different teams showing up for the matches. Despite the two having an ongoing matter in the High Court of Namibia, the SSFD scheduled fixtures for the team that saw them travelling to Oranjemund and Keetmanshoop to play their opening fixtures of the season. In their opening game of the season against Oranjemund FC, on Saturday the lively Lions lost 2-1. On Sunday they struggled once more to display the qualities of a 10-time Nami bia Premier League winning team, ultimately losing 4-0 to Try Again in Keetmanshoop. After two matches, Black Africa is at the bottom of the SSFD standings with zero points. The Namibian Correctional Service team is currently at the top of the log standing, level on 19 points with Swakopmund-based Blue Boys from eight matches played thus far by the two teams. Former Premier League outfit Eleven Arrows are third on the log standing of 12 teams with 15 points, with Mariental Sport Club closely behind in fourth place with 14 points. Dates Eleven takes the fifth position with 13 points from nine matches played so far. Other teams also competing in the SSFD are Try Again who are currently in sixth place with 12 points. Latino FC and Davos are occupying the seventh and eighth positions respectively with 11 points each. Oranjemund FC, on the other hand, moved up to the ninth position after securing their second win of the season against Black Africa. They have collected seven points from nine matches played so far. Meanwhile, other teams also juggling with the relegation carrot are DTS who are 11th on the log with four points, and Ramblers, who are 10th with six points. Source: The Namibia Press Agency
Ghanaian boxer thrown out of Olympic qualifiers due to overweightOryza Sativa lead Zambezi Second Football League
Accra: Ghanaian lightweight boxer Jonathan Tetteh was disqualified for not meeting the weight threshold in his category at the 2024 Olympic Boxing World Qualifiers. The boxer, who is popularly known as 'Worldwide', was supposed to weigh 80kg but was at 80.60 kg, preventing him from competing in the prelims. His German opponent, Schumann Kevin Boakye, had a walkover into the next round. With Tetteh's elimination, Ghana is left with four boxers from the World qualifiers who are seeking to get a spot at this year's Olympics. Sensational Theo Allotey has won his first battle, while Samuel Takyi, the 'Ring Warrior' is also hoping to beat his Japanese opponent. Source: Ghana News Agency OPUWO: The Zambezi Second Division Football League has seen varying numbers of matchups, with some clubs playing more games than others due to stadium unavailability since its commencement last month. Oryza Sativa Football Club (FC) has emerged as the frontrunner, leading the league after four matches. The league concluded with rounds three and four over the weekend, with log leaders Oryza Sativa FC picking up four points after a 1-1 draw against Namib Chiefs FC and a thumping 4-0 triumph over Rocano Chiefs on Sunday. In other Saturday fixtures, Sahara defeated Black Buffaloes 3-0, while Space Age suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat against visiting Bush Bucks. The match between Green Eagles and King Fisher was abandoned due to stadium shortages, meaning King Fisher and Blue Chiefs have only played once. On Sunday, Power Dynamos failed to secure any points after losing 2-0 to Sahara. Black Buffaloes and Shooting Stars played out a goalless draw, while Namib Chiefs, who started the season strongly, defeated Green Eagles 1-0. At present, Oryza Sativa leads the league with nine points from two victories and two draws. Namib Chiefs and Sahara closely trail with seven points each, occupying the second and third positions respectively. Bush Bucks hold fourth place with six points, followed by Rocano King Rangers with four and Black Buffaloes with three. Shooting Stars sit in seventh place with two points, followed by Blue Chiefs, Green Eagles, Space Age, and Power Dynamos, all with one point each in positions eight through eleven. King Fisher currently ranks 12th in the standings with no points. Source: The Namibia Press Agency
N.dollars 40 000 allocated per region for annual arts education implementation
WINDHOEK: The Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture (MoEAC) has allocated N.dollars 40 000 per region towards the operations of the national arts directorate to implement programmes aimed at arts education under the 2023/24 financial year. Responding to Nampa's questions recently, the ministry's Executive Director, Sanet Steenkamp, said a total of N.dollars 66.4 million (N.dollars 66 409 000) was budgeted for the national arts directorate, of which a combined N.dollars 570 000 was allocated for all regions to implement programmes for arts education. 'Close to two thirds of the budget allocation to the directorate covers staff benefits and salaries, as well as other operational costs, leaving very little left to implement our programmes. The national arts budget represents about 0.00041 per cent of the ministerial budget,' she said. Steenkamp explained that salaries and benefits make up 59 per cent of the total budget standing at N.dollars 39 092 000, while subsidies to institutions total N.dollars 22 78 0 000 representing 34 per cent share of the budget, noting the head office including the College of the Arts (COTA) is allocated N.dollars 3 967 000, which includes costs of daily subsistence allowance, utilities, maintains and repairs. She noted that the arts directorate faces great challenge of funding and as a result does not have enough human resources like necessary specialised experts and researchers, noting that currently the directorate is short-staffed with a total of 12 staff members at the head of office, while the majority (72 employees) are employed at COTA. Steenkamp further noted that as per the annual plan of 2023/24, the directorate has prioritised reviewing existing legal frameworks including National Arts Fund Act No 1 of 2005, the National Art Gallery of Namibia Act No 14 of 2000, as well as the establishment of a legal framework for COTA. 'We also plan to improve the operations and service delivery at COTA and carry out research on the cultural and creative sector, as well as formulate a creative industries strategy,' she added. Steenkamp highlighted that subsidised institutions include National Arts Gallery of Namibia with N.dollars 8 348 000; National Arts Council of Namibia, which received N.dollars 5 500 000 and National Theatre of Namibia with N.dollars 8 100 000. Source: The Namibia Press Agency