Day: April 12, 2024

Agricultural Bank of Namibia (AgriBank) mentor for the Kunene and Erongo regions, Arnold Gaseb said farmers must continue to diversify their farming amidst the drought that Namibia is experiencing to ensure survival.

Gaseb made the remarks on the sideline of a stakeholder engagement session at Africa Safari Lodge at Mariental on Thursday. The session was organised by AgriBank’s agri advisory service division for their 13 mentors from across the country.

‘During COVID-19 many farmers lost animals and even during the drought they are losing animals, so we encourage them to come up with an approach of diversifying, where we not only focus on livestock farming, but we farm with other products such as crops, poultry and pigs so that we can survive,’ he said.

Gaseb urged farmers to start treating farming as a business so that they can make a living out of it and improve their living standard, saying it is important that stakeholders in the farming industry work together and pull resources together for the benef
it of the farmers.

‘Stakeholders should pull in the same direction to avoid duplication of services to the farmers, so if all the stakeholders can collaborate in training farmers and giving out information so that the limited resources are available to all the farmers,’ he said.

The session, according to Agribank public relations officer, Fillemon Nangonya aims to capacitate the mentors with the necessary information so that the bank’s clients are aware of all the products available at their disposal to ensure success in their farming.

‘We have gathered here for the last two days, just to strategise on the way forward given the roaming drought that is approaching. We want to expose our mentors and technical advisors to the various opportunities that are available in the industry, to ensure that when they engage with our clients they are fully equipped in terms of opportunities and challenges and how they can address the challenges, especially in the interest of alleviating the impact of the drought,’ he sa
id.

Participants in the meeting included officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Namibia Development Bank, the Livestock and Livestock Products Board, the Environmental Fund and the Namibia Agronomic Board.

Source: Namibia Press Agency

Four people died instantly Thursday night after the seven-seater vehicle they were travelling in collided head-on with a double-cab pickup on the B1 road between Otavi and Otjiwarongo.

The Namibian Police Force’s (NamPol) Head of Community Affairs in the Otjozondjupa Region, Senior Inspector Maureen Mbeha on Friday told Nampa that both vehicles involved in the accident caught fire.

‘Four occupants in the seven-seater were burned beyond recognition, and one occupant escaped with serious injuries,’ said Mbeha.

The fatal accident occurred around 23h00 about 10 kilometres south of Otavi.

Preliminary police investigations indicate that the double cab was traveling from the direction of Otjiwarongo towards Otavi with two occupants including the driver, while the seven-seater was coming from the opposite with five occupants including the driver.

The two occupants in the pickup survived the accident and were taken to the Otjiwarongo State Hospital along with the survivor from the seven-seater.

The remains of t
he four deceased were taken to the Otavi Clinic mortuary.

‘We therefore call on the members of the public with missing relatives who were travelling on Thursday to contact the Otavi Police Station,’ said Mbeha.

Police investigations into the matter continue.

Source: Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: Windhoek City Police Chief Inspector, Katrina Naukushu, has warned members of the public of the legal implications of being caught with any form of illegal substances.

Naukushu’s warning follows several arrests at two households in Groot Aub involving the alleged possession of cannabis with the intent to distribute.

‘It is illegal; therefore it is not allowed to be sold nor to be in your possession and if you are caught, you will have to deal with the consequences,’ the chief inspector said in an interview with Nampa at the Groot Aub police station on Wednesday.

The arrests were made at the settlement’s Kransneus location after a tip-off to the Windhoek City Police, who in collaboration with the Rehoboth Drug Enforcement Unit of the Namibian Police Force conducted a search at two houses and arrested four people for the alleged possession of cannabis with the intent to distribute.

At the first house they reportedly found six parcels of cannabis with a street value of N.dollars 305 250 and took th
ree suspects into custody. At the second house, one suspect was arrested after the police allegedly found cannabis with a street value of N.dollars 3 800 and 10 grams of skunk cannabis with a value of N.dollars 500, Naukushu said.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Source: Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: A 19-year-old Namibian male died on the spot after he jumped from the fourth story of the Independence Memorial Museum in Windhoek around 09h00 on Friday.

Chief Inspector Elifas Kuwinga of the Namibian Police Force confirmed to Nampa that the name of the deceased is known but could not be revealed because his next of kin had not yet been informed of his death.

Kuwinga said that according to a witness, the deceased came into the building, took the elevator to the fourth floor, went to the bar and asked for water to drink. He then went to the balcony on the same floor and jumped.

No suicide note has been found, and police investigations in the matter continue.

Source: Namibia Press Agency

In order to ensure peace and stability in the country, the government has and will continue to prioritise the needs of the Namibian Police Force (NamPol).

This is according to Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Albert Kawana, who said it is also pivotal that NamPol continues to optimally utilise and deploy the necessary resources to where they will make a meaningful impact in line with its constitutional obligations.

Kawana made the remarks during the inauguration of the Endola Police Station in the Ohangwena Region on Friday.

The project, inclusive of the procurement of the vehicles, cost N.dollars 42.6 million.

‘The inauguration of this Police Station is indeed a clear indication of our government’s commitment to address challenges faced by the Namibian Police Force,’ he said.

The police station consists of a charge office with three offices, one radio room, one server room, one armory/record room, a cell block with three cells and a doctor’s consulting room, two two-bedroom s
emi-detached units, and two 14-room barracks, of which eight rooms will be for males and six for females.

Kawana stated that adequate accommodation of the men and women in uniform has become topical.

The police deserve proper accommodation, and it is for this reason that it has become standard practice that wherever police stations are built, barracks for both males and females are included, he said.

The station will also be equipped with two vehicles for members to effectively respond to the community’s complaints.

Kawana then appealed to the men and women in uniform that will be making use of these facilities to jealously safeguard them against any form of vandalism and further ensure that they are preserved for future generations.

He also urged them to establish good networks and relations with the community they will be serving.

Source: Namibia Press Agency

The rise in fatal accidents nationwide, primarily due to motorists’ disregard for traffic rules, particularly during the rainy season, has raised concerns among leaders and civilians in Uasin Gishu county.

Addressing the media, Moi’s Bridge Member of County Assembly (MCA), Patrick Kimeli, decried the increased accidents witnessed in many places across the country during this rainy season, claiming several lives.

He called on road users to be vigilant and extra careful on the road by adhering to traffic regulations in order to avert further accidents, ensuring no more lives are lost due to road carnages.

The MCA challenged drivers to ensure that their vehicles are in good condition and able to maneuver when it’s raining.

‘If you look at statistics a lot of accidents are happening during the rainy season caused by various challenges including mechanical failure. Sometimes you find that cars experience breakdowns on the roads, but due to lack of signs and warnings other vehicles run into them causing massiv
e accidents,’ he said.

He noted that during the rainy season visibility is a challenge to the drivers, calling upon the Ministry of Roads, Transport and Public Works, to mark the roads, so that drivers can clearly see the road paths.

‘Despite the good roads that have been constructed most of them are not well marked, if this is implemented drivers will have an easy time staying on track reducing chances of accidents on our roads,’ affirmed Kimeli.

He alluded that citizens play a big role in ensuring their safety on the roads by boarding vehicles that are in good condition and driven by sober drivers.

‘Citizens should be keen when boarding vehicles by avoiding overloaded vehicles, speaking out when the driver is over-speeding and reporting drunk driving drivers. You should not feel ashamed to speak out because your safety comes first,’ He warned.

The MCA commended the government’s plan to re-introduce alcoblow among drivers a device that detects the alcohol levels in an individual as it will help curtail
drunk driving on the roads.

He mentioned that The National Transport and Safety Board Authority (NTSA) should be well funded to strengthen their coverage in terms of numbers in order to effectively manage all roads across the country.

‘NTSA is doing a good job, however they are few compared to the number of roads in the country. They should be well funded especially in budgeting in order for them to actualize plans like the introduction of smart licenses where drivers are rated according to how effective they are driving the vehicles,’ he noted.

Kimeli suggested the introduction of traffic regulations that prohibit issuance of licenses to drivers found with cases of alcoholism.

‘It is risky to endanger the lives of innocent civilians due to alcoholism, therefore, going forward the government should make it into law, denying licenses to alcoholic drivers,’ he affirmed.

The MCA urged Traffic Police Department, to carry out their duties with due diligence and in accordance with the laws, to ensure vehicles
are roadworthy so as to prevent further accidents.

Source: Kenya News Agency