Namib Indepedent Issue 121 by The Namib Independent

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Issue 121 - Thursday, 16 October 2014 to Wednesday, 22 October 2014

FANTASTIC PHOTOS

vaccination shortage

goodbye to the chief

fight against shack fires

Porn,

Poaching

& Passports How ordinary Namibians have access to the criminal underground at the click of the mouse Lavrenty Repin If you are looking for US citizenship, assassins, drugs; in short anything and everything, there is a rotten, murky and massive underbelly of the internet that goes by many notorious names: the dark, the hidden, the deep or the invisible web. The dark web is praised, or criticised (depending on who you speak to) for providing complete anonymity to its users and ultimate access to any desire and utility you might need or want within just a

few clicks. The ease with which you can access this dark and often evil underground web is astonishing and for a harbour town like Walvis Bay, it may be the communication platform for a variety of illegal activities. With the rapid speed of internet availability in Namibia, we are still pretty oblivious to its existence, and so we finally took a look into this mysterious network, a look into the criminal underbelly of the world. Continued on Page 3

Rhino horn kingpin posing for webcam: he was sentenced to 40 years' prison time (Image source: http://killingforprofit.com/)

Erongo Can Become Energy Self-Sufficient in 5 Years Lavrenty Repin

Energy expert Harald Schutt, in partnership with German company Konrad Adenauer Stifung, definitely had everybody’s attention. A plan to make Erongo 100% energy self-efficient in just 5 years is as bold a statement as you can get, but

Mr Schutt’s alternative energy proposal, which he sketched in a seminar attended by Swakop and Walvis Mayor’s and the Erongo Governor, may not be as far-fetched as they seem. Besides outlining tangible solutions, Mr Schutt also explained how the energy sector, globally and in Namibia belongs in the hands of very few,

fortunate individuals and it is continued existence is only worsening our weak economy. In his opening remarks, Mr Schutt set an ambitious objective; “Namibia has a unique chance to be the first country to be 100% powered by renewable energy. We can set a worldwide example of how it should be down. I hope

to show you that this is not impossible and not even complicated.” One of the best ways of moving over to alternative energy is through solar or thermal power; according to Mr Schutt, we have the same sunshine intensity as the Sahara desert, indeed we have the best environment for intensive solar energy collection, and since our

needs are relatively small, we only need about 10 000 hectors of solar panels or reflective solar mirrors to supply Namibia’s entire energy demand, at a stable price, indefinitely. Our country, apparently, has the potential to produce 1800 00 Tw/h annually, while our annually Continued on Page 3

2 | News

Thursday, 16 October 2014

FOR ALL YOUR DSTV REQUIREMENTS, PAYMENTS AND INSTALLATIONS

Sales Lorna Bock 081 350 0346 lorna@namibindependent.com.na Gareth Amos 081 128 2197 gareth@namibindependent.com.na Editorial Tanya Calitz tanya@namibindependent.com.na

Disclaimer:

Namib Independent is published by Halfround Communications CC. All rights are reserved. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within, no liability can be accepted by the publishers or contributors for any errors, misstatements or omissions which may have occurred. The opinions expressed in the publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Also, the publishers accept no legal liability regarding copyright ownership for material which was supplied directly to the publishers by any of the advertisers or contributors.

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News | 3

Thursday, 16 October 2014

Porn,

Poaching

& Passports Continued from Page 1 What is it? Most people know and use Google and Yahoo, and the sheer size of information on these search engines might make you believe that it encompasses the entire internet; in reality Google has to date only indexed about 0.04% of the websites on the internet; the remaining 99.96? On the dark web. At average internet speed it will take you about 5 minutes to download the Tor browser; the program will change your IP address and bounce your requests (whatever they may be) around servers worldwide, so that when you are sitting at an internet café in Swakopmund, your internet activity seems to be coming from Switzerland or India. It is a virtually impenetrable anonymous system, and it provides access to untraceable currency (known as bitcoins) and encrypted emails. The speed and ease of the dark web is down-right disturbing; within minutes of downloading the correct software, I was browsing

through a site designed to hire a hitman – the price, around N$60 000 dollars. Full US citizenship, with a brand new name, will apparently cost you N$70 000. Another site offers; “hacking, DDOS, Social Engineering, Espionage, Ruining people”. The dealer says “I will do anything for money, I am not a p*ssy :) if you want me to destroy some business or a person’s life, I will do it!” And he is not kidding, suggesting that “if you want someone to get known as a child porn user, no problem.” Earlier this year an outspoken Russian journalist had a very close call of this kind of cyberattack; when pictures of child pornography were sent to his laptop, just before a trip to the US, to set him up; had he not noticed that he was being framed, he would have faced 10 year’s prison time. Tor stands for The Onion Router; whereas normally you use .com and .net websites, the illegal aspect of the dark

net uses .onion domains, which are not accessible through Google or any of the rest of the regular web. This is because the Tor network is littered with sites claiming to offer unspeakable pornographic material, among others bestiality and explicit underage material, although I am not going to try and confirm whether these links are authentic or scams/viruses – which the dark web is not short of either. A Notorious site, “The Silk Road” was shut down by the FBI last year, only to be reopened within a month. It is literally an E-bay service mostly in the business of facilitating drug and contraband sales, which include shipments worldwide. Other sites are available for weapons (even weapons of mass destruction) trade. The Silk Road explains its existence thusly: “We are risking our personal freedoms to bring economic freedom to the world... all people should have equal access to trade anything without monitoring or oppression”, followed by a quirky warning -”you will find easy access to things that could get you in trouble with your authorities and are downright terrible for your health. So, just because you can, does not mean you should. However, I am not your daddy and it is your job to judge what is good or bad for you. No one else can do that.” What about Namibia? It is impossible to say whether Namibian’s visit the dark web, because it is so unidentifiable, however one site claims that at least 10 users from Namibia have used the Tor service in the past year – the number, though, may be a lot higher. I went into the dark web in search of the rhino horn trade, but because it belongs to a niche market, the search was futile. Derek Mead, a journalist for Vice magazine however penetrated the market, and found a seller, who claimed to have local rhino horns. The alleged rhino horn dealer said that "my material is black rhino horn pure keratin

hunted in Namibia. I have three in the US right now.” Followed by prices and transaction details. Regardless of the validity of this particular dealer, it is safe to say that the “rhino horn is now being advertised through the impossibleto-trace connections of the darknet.” Besides rhino horns, it is safe to assume that exotic animal transactions, large local drug deals and fighting dog trading are connected or communicated through the dark web – searching for specific examples is not easy though, even the best intelligence services are largely inadequate. Another site, known as the Strategic Intelligence Network, has confidential and hard to find information on countries worldwide, from the estimated gold reserves of Namibia to personal details of (some) key figures of our country and its embassies. The site claims some of this information comes from the CIA. Another is a contraband site, a certain threat for a port town like Walvis, where you are free to buy limitless amounts of cigarettes at untaxed prices, however the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) category does worn buyers to “be aware of the laws in force in their country and the sanctions they may incur”. The service is apparently quite rapid, the cartons are shipped within 24 hours and take between 3 to 30 days to arrive. One FAQ asks “is it legal to resell cigarettes?” The answer is “No. This is against the law in any country of the world. But you're welcome to do it with no worries.” The same site also sells counterfeit money and sim cards that can be used to make cheap worldwide phone calls. The world of the dark web is uncharted, it is a doorway into criminal trade, and when troops on the ground cannot prevent crime, maybe cyber surveillance can. The more we know, the better we can deal with the threats we are encountering as our small, unassuming country ventures deeper into the technological realm.

Erongo Can Become Energy Self-Sufficient in 5 Years Continued from Page 1

expenditure at present is just 20 Tw/h – this means we can be 100% self-sufficient and become an energy exporter in the near future. The technology is readily available, too, especially when you consider that a solar power station that is 20 years old can provide half of our needs; today’s infrastructure is cheaper, more efficient and easier to acquire. What Mr Schutt made clear, is that future energy price projections are not looking promising. In 2006 electricity cost was at N$0.60/kilowatt in 2011 it was N$1.80/kl and by 2017 it should rise to at least N$2.70/kl. He is proposing a business model which has the potential to make the regions of Namibia completely energy independent, “business model where a municipality can be the owner of a power station” and live on the surplus of tariffs. This could be a decentralised solution for energy needs and an extra income for local authorities, making the cost of energy N$1.00/kilowatt, and then, after the initial installation costs are covered, the energy becomes virtually free. Local companies like Cymot and Woermann Brock are already capitalising on benefits of solar energy countrywide. Erongo could be the centre of such a project, since “the energy grid is very well developed and maintained”. If this happens, Mr Schutt promises that the international community “will come running with money to invest in Erongo.” At the same time as setting up a solar energy power station, Mr Schutt wants to make “every house a power station” by encouraging residents to set up solar systems at home and feed into the system, which will “put money into the hands of the people” and “minimise grid-losses”. Erongo Red, represented by CEO Kahimise said that they fully supported such an initiative, claiming that in 10 years’ time customers would probably choose who they want to buy their energy from. Mr Schutt explained that the rich elite are already in the process of privatising their personal energy, and eventually the middle and low class will have to foot the bill; “No government, no restriction or policy can resist marketdemand” he said. The present system is in a dire state, Mr Schutt illustrated. We use diesel and heavy fuel oil for the majority (40%) of our energy supply, petrol is second at 19%, Ruacana is only responsible for 7%, while alternative renewable energy (both wind and solar) is only 0,04%. The total local energy supply is only 23%, which ultimately means that every year we lose N$2,4 billion in taxes to countries in the SADIC region. “In vision 2030, energy is mentioned in 4 lines” Mr Schutt added, “it is a huge shocker”. This supply has proven to be inefficient, and also worryingly, unable to extend to most of Namibia, indeed only about 30% of the country has access to electricity. This, as Mr Schutt emphasised, has increased rural to urban migration, which

“is infinitely more expensive than setting up renewable energy”. Due to heavy transport and energy cost, only 15% of people in rural areas have electricity, compared with 78% in urban areas. 38% of Namibians still rely on candles while 56% of cooking in Namibia is still energised by wood. Yet besides the realistic possibility of a solar powered Namibia, there are many other equally viable alternatives that we just haven’t pursued. The North of the country is overrun by bush, which according to Mr Schutt’s model, can be burned to produce energy (up to 25% of the demand), create 20 000 direct jobs, make space for cattle and help stabilise the grid. Wind power too can be cultivated, and decommissioned wind generators can be purchased for relatively cheap prices from land-short European countries where the wind generators are constantly replaced for larger more efficient ones. Wind may be unpredictable, but we have an abundance of it, yet at the moment we only have one wind generator for the entire country, in Walvis Bay. There are also options like geothermal power (hot springs), Kenya is one country using this method, ocean streams; using the Benguela current, which travels at 7 km/h 24/7 and even the latest wave technology, harnessing the constant tidal power of the ocean. CEO Kahimise from Erongo Red further mentioned using sewage waste as a source of energy through biogas exploitation, explaining that “whenever we looked at Swakopmund and Walvis Bay the sewerage waste was not enough; but now the towns have reached the stage for that possibility.” He also mentioned that Erongo Red’s net profit fell from 40% to 38% in the last three years, and since the company is owned by local municipalities, local authority has the influence to challenge their strategies. One way Municipalities can begin to influence solar production is by refusing to give out building approval codes to buildings that install electric geysers as oppose to solar ones, Mr Schutt stressed. Mr Schutt is adamant that the change needs to happen today, and that the solutions are available; “it is cheaper to supply a country like Namibia by renewable sources, by far – we can either be part of the future or we can try to be part of the past, but the trend cannot be stopped.” The idea that Namibia can become the first country in global history to produce decentralised energy and feed into the power grid instead of centralised power that supplies the population from the top down may seem implausible and even science fiction, but unlike many industrialised countries, we need a solution one way or the other – why not make it a renewable, environmentally friendly one? “The risk not to do anything is absolutely the highest” – Mr Schutt concludes.

4 | News

Thursday, 16 October 2014

Swakop Woman Poisoned by Estranged Husband Tara van Eck A local women was allegedly poisoned by her estranged husband in the suburb of Mondesa last week Wednesday and appeared in the Swakopmund Magistrate’s Court on Friday, where he was denied bail. This incident followed just a few months after Madala Junias Jonas (48) was arrested in August on charges of attempted murder, possession of a firearm without a licence and illegal possession of ammunition. In August this year Mr Jonas allegedly tried to shoot the deceased, Mrs Mutaleni Ndjalukeni Jonas but missed and fired the bullet into their television set, Nampol confirmed upon inquiry. The accused was granted bail of N$5000 by the Swakopmund Magistrate Court, and a protection order was issued prohibiting him from making any contact with his now

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deceased wife. The order obligated Jonas to leave the district of Swakopmund, to which he moved to Karibib. At the time of the incident the couple were separated but still legally married. On the night of the alleged poisoning, Mr Jonas travelled from Karibib, with two beers in his possession. Upon arrival he claimed that he wanted to talk things out with his estranged wife and offered her one of the beers. Mrs Jonas allegedly accepted the beer and started drinking with her husband. According to Deputy Commissioner Otillie Kashuupulwa, shortly after she accepted the offer, Mrs Jonas panicked, claiming that she has been poisoned by Mr Jonas. At the time of the incident, the deceased’s daughter and sister were present and responded to her distress. Mrs Jonas was then

rushed to hospital, but died upon arrival, Kashuupulwa stated. An autopsy will determine the cause of death and if indeed poison, what type of poison was used. The suspect appeared in the same court on Friday before Magistrate IIeni Velikoshi, who remanded the suspect into custody. The State objected to the suspect being granted bail out of fear that the suspect could interfere with the police investigation, as it is a domestic case. Jonas is now facing new counts of murder and violation of a protection order in addition to the previous charges. Julia worked at the Rossmund-golf-estate where she was well known and valued by the golfing community. Rossmund Golf estate is raising funds on behalf of her kids and family to help with funeral expenses.

This was the second incident in just one week of Gender Based Murder in Swakomund. Another case was heard by the court after a man killed his girlfriend in the DRC settlement in Swakopmund and then committed suicide. It is estimated that approximately 50% of all woman killed in the last year, died at the hands of an intimate partner or family member. Domestic violence is becoming an epidemic.

Much has been learned in recent years about the epidemiology of violence against woman, yet information about evidence-based approaches for preventing intimate partner violence is seriously lacking. The evaluation of interventions to improve the health and well-being of abused woman remains a key priority. This case will be heard again on 8 December.

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News | 5

Thursday, 16 October 2014

Goodbye to the Exclusive interview Chief with Willie van Zyl

Siglinde de Villiers After having been part of the Walvis Bay Fire Brigade for thirty years, Willie van Zyl has resigned his position as the Fire Chief. Nevertheless, he continues to train thousands of local residents about fire safety. In an exclusive interview with the Namib Independent, he related some of the highs and lows of his long career in the Fire Brigade. “It all started in 1984 when there was a vacancy at the Municipality for a Civil Protection Officer,” Willie said. “I was qualified and applied for the job, which I was granted in November.” Willie continued to say that after just two months, in January, the CEO of the Municipality phoned him and told him that he would like to see Willie. “I kept thinking, why does he want to see me, what did I do wrong,” Willie exclaimed. He described how he walked into a long big office with a short man waiting for him at the other end. “The walk seemed endless and when I reached the man he told me to follow him and led me around a cupboard. All of a sudden, I saw this big conference table with 12 chairs and all the important guys sitting around it, dressed up in their suit and ties. “Oh no,” I thought, “I have not even been working for two months and now I am called in here! I must be in some serious trouble,” Willie said. They made Willie sit down and asked him if he heard about what happened to their Fire Chief. “They told me that he tried to steal some foam with a company car and had been involved in an accident. Then they dropped the question that changed my life: Do you want to be the next Fire Chief?” How did Willie respond? “I told them that I know nothing about fires,” Willie answered. “The Mayor at the time then told me that it was very easy, you just put foam into the water and fight the fire, words that I remember up to this day,” Willie related. Willie agreed to become the Fire Chief, on the condition that he would get training. And so Willie went to South Africa to study and graduate as a firemen. “First I studied to become a junior fireman, and then I came back for a while. The next step was to become a fireman, so I went back to Johannesburg. Once I achieved that goal I completed the course for becoming a senior fireman over long distance. Once I graduated as senior fireman, I felt comfortable in my position as Fire Chief,” Willie said.

Looking back, how does Willie feel about the 30 years he spend fighting the fires around Walvis Bay? “If I would ever be born again, I will do it all over!” he exclaimed. “I love to work with the people in the community, it is a great honor and really satisfying work,” he added. One of the highlights of Willie’s career was the construction of the Fire Station. “At a Municipality party, the Mayor at the time asked me what I think we can do for Walvis Bay. “What about building a Fire Station,” I asked her. She said “where,” and I suggested we build it between Walvis Bay Town, Kuisebmond and Narraville,” Willie related. He added that they both thought it was a great idea, somehow though they needed to convince the council of it. “Just then, I had the opportunity to go to Norway and the Norwegian government agreed to help us,” Willie said. After that, everything fell into place and soon a beautiful Fire Station decorated Walvis Bay. Off course, fighting fires also has its low points. “My first big fire was a wooden house in the military camp.” Willie reminisced. “It was on a Sunday and I was in church. When I heard the siren I ran out and saw the smoke. I immediately went to the house and found a women standing outside telling us that her baby is in the back room. It was too hot to enter through the front, so I went around the back but it was too late,” he said. How do firemen cope with the tragedy? “It is like we have a switch that switches off when we are in action. We do not see the bad things, we are only focused on how quickly we can do the job at hand. Later, maybe an hour or so afterwards the events start playing on our mind and we ask ourselves if we did the right thing. The best way to cope is to talk about it,” he said. “I could not have been as successful without the brilliant firemen in our community, permanent and voluntarily who all work as a one unit in an emergency,” Willie concluded. He continues to share his knowledge and experience with others through his new company, West Fire Training and Consulting.

Vaccination Shortage at the Coast for Eradicated Diseases

Siglinde de Villiers Vaccinations are considered by many as one of the top ten achievements of the 21st century in eradicating diseases. Yet, the recent shortage of chickenpox vaccination could cause a highly contagious childhood disease that is supposed to have been eradicated, make a comeback amongst the coastal community. Nervously, Tim (pseudonym) sits down on the hospital bed at the Welwitschia Baby Clinic in Walvis Bay. The nurse disinfects his arm and injects it with the latest vaccination shot as required by Tim’s* medical record. While the nurse updates his medical book, Tim’s* father notices that the vaccination block for chickenpox has been colored in with a black pen. “At the moment there is a shortage of vaccinations for chicken pox,” the nurse explained when Tim’s father asked what it meant, “there has not been any stock for the past two years.” “When do you expect to get stock,” Tim’s father asked. “Perhaps only in 2016,” the nurse answered. Tim is not the only child who has not received all the vaccination shots that are meant to eradicate highly contagious and serious childhood diseases. Neither is measles the only vaccination shot of which there is a shortage of in Namibia. According to a local pharmacy, Namibia also does not have enough of the combined vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella. The reason for the vaccination shortage continues to be elusive. Namibia receives its immunization stock from South Africa, who also struggles to cope with their shortage of vaccination stock. Neither GlaxoSmithKline nor Aspen, the main vaccination distributors in Southern Africa, were able to give any answer as to the root cause of the vaccination shortage. At the same time, the head office of GlaxoSmithKline in the UK, is not aware

of any vaccination shortages in African countries, despite there being shortages in Germany, Canada and Alaska. Nevertheless, various media sources have reported that GlaxoSmithKline was unable to release a failed batch of vaccinations earlier this year. According to FiercePharma Manufacturing, the shortage was attributed to problems at a production plant in Belgium. “Late last year, GlaxoSmithKline uncovered a manufacturing issue that involved some varicella (measles) – containing vaccine batches that were not meeting GlaxoSmithKline release criteria and standards,” FiercePharma Manufacturing said. “Thus, as a precautionary measure, the final release of all varicella containing vaccines were put on hold.” What could the short and long term effects of a vaccination shortage for Namibia be? Well, the anti-vaccination movement in the US is a good example of what could follow. Based on false claims that vaccinations were linked to autism, many anti-vaxxers refused any form of immunization. This went on for some years and suddenly there were multiple outbreaks of measles, whooping cough and other childhood diseases that were considered as effectively eliminated. A high rate of vaccine refusal in Washington mad it easier for these diseases to spread and in 2012 the US saw its worst whooping cough epidemic in 70 years with an increase of 1300% of cases. At least 18 people died and 190 measles cases were reported in 2013, triple the amount than 2012. Even though there is no anti-vaccination movement at the coast, the history lesson shows that when immunization rates fall, it does not take long for diseases to resurge. If the vaccinations drop, everyone becomes more vulnerable to infectious diseases. If more than 90% of a population is vaccinated, we have “herd immunity,” where the disease cannot spread because there are not enough susceptible people in the community. However, the shortage of vaccinations could cause a dramatic rise in infections in the future. Apart from leaving the coastal community open to an immediate increase in the incidence of the target disease, a failure to provide catch up immunizations, if chickenpox vaccinations finally arrive, could leave a group of children at higher risk of contracting the disease. If these highly contagious but preventable diseases are not inhibited, they could once again proliferate, even mutate, and cause a mass epidemic.

6 | News

Thursday, 16 October 2014

10 Years’ of Navy for What? Lavrenty Repin Governments’ are very adamant when it comes to convincing you of the importance of a large defence force, and are very eager to use your tax money on what they deem a job empowerment and national protection service more important (according to the budget at least) than health, war veterans (ironically)... actually all of them except education, as the defence budget is the second highest at N$6,6 Billion. Now, ten years’ since the Navy’s inception, we are in “celebration mode”, but what exactly it is we should be proud of I am not particularly sure. The naval policy states that “in peacetime, the Navy of the NDF have a role of augmenting civil offshore patrol forces... to combat illegal immigration, smuggling (arms, drugs etc.) and threats to the environment.” Since till now we have been “blessed” with peacetime, the expensive role of our ever-growing navy is to basically act as a consultant to enforcement agencies. To this effect, when is the last time you have read about a successful navy operation on our coast, arresting, for instance, poaching smugglers, like the apparently rampant pangolin smuggling ring Namib Independent reported on earlier? Or finding contraband on a ship bound for our coast? It does not just teleport to Chinatown, it must be coming from somewhere! I could not find a single example. In 2004, when the Navy was commissioned, the then Minister of Defence, Minister Nghimtina, reportedly said that "now that we have a Navy in place, illegal fishing in Namibian waters should be a thing of the past"; yet illegal fishing is as widespread as ever. The Namibian Navy is also used to patrol between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay to provide safety to holiday makers: in general a very expensive solution to nearly insignificant problems; and with no obvious or reported success, a ten year Navy anniversary should not be celebrated, it should be condemned. I know the argument all too well; safety and territorial integrity are vital for any country, especially one as young and as vulnerable as Namibia, and

Court Takes Decisive Action Against GenderBased Violence

Swakopmund Resident Sentenced to 35 Years in Jail

Siglinde de Villiers

Photo source: kanhemaphoto.com frankly I do not buy it. The argument goes something like this: Fire brigades, for example, are created on assumptions that there might be a house on fire one day, a powerful defence force is created on assumption that there might be a war someday. Yet I do not need assumptions to predict how many people will die from starvation this year, or traffic accidents or disease, or fire burns. I can also safely look at how many people have been killed by warfare, in say the last 10 years, and deduce that it is zero. With these simple numbers at my disposal, I can then value the importance of better housing or roads above first-grade military equipment. In 2004, the naval force consisted of about 300 officers; today this number is nearly doubled. The question is, what changed? We had no war, no threat of war, not even a territorial dispute since 1999 – yet our defence budget is growing! We allocated N$80 million on the building of 600 classrooms – imagine what N$6,6 billion will do? The neatly iron-pressed bleach white uniforms and (somewhat) well-rehearsed band parades do not impress me, neither do the agonising speeches that try to prove how vital the navy is to our survival, when jobs and food are the real threats that affect us, day in and day out.

Land Roller

This week, a Swakopmund resident has finally been brought to justice when the court sentenced him to 35 years in prison for killing his girlfriend and unborn child three years ago over a minor domestic dispute. Hopefully this sets a precedent for many other cases to come, making Namibians think twice before engaging in gender-based violence. Elifas Hailonga was convicted on charges of murder and assault with the direct intention to kill. His girlfriend, Helena Ndeulukveshi Nghipunyati was visibly pregnant when he stabbed her in the back with a knife, inflicting a fatal injury to one of her lungs. Eye witnesses reported that they saw Hailonga punch Nghipunyati in the face after which they disappeared behind a curtain in their house. Shortly

thereafter they heard her scream that she has been stabbed. Eventually she ran out of the house and collapsed in the street where she died on 16 December 2011. During the trial Hailonga said that he did not intend to kill Nghipunyati and denied stabbing her with a knife. However, Judge Nate Ndavendapo said that the two were in a domestic relationship. “The fact that Hailonga was visibly pregnant with his child is considered as an aggravating factor,” he said. “The first thing about showing genuine remorse is to acknowledge the wrongfulness of one’s conduct,” he added. The main message that is being sent out by the courts of Namibia, especially with regard to Hailonga’s case, is that men killing girlfriends or wives after their relationship has ended is totally unacceptable in Namibian society and will be punished accordingly.

VACANCIES The Namsov Group of Companies is an equal opportunity group involved in the fishing industry. The Group is looking for a suitably qualified Compliance Accountant and Accountant to join its ranks as soon as possible.

Compliance Accountant (C5) Namsov Fishing Enterprises Location : Walvis Bay

Minimum Requirements... Ÿ Bachelor's Degree in Accounting with three years completed articles; Ÿ 5 years practical experience in general accounting; Ÿ Working experience in tax related matters; Job Specification...

Ÿ Managing the tax affairs of the Group, including; ŸPreparation of all VAT, Import VAT and Withholding tax returns, ŸPreparation of Normal tax returns, ŸLiasing with Receiver of Revenue and related authorities, Ÿ Responsible for the Sustainability Reporting of the Group; Ÿ Completing selected fishing surveys;

Accountant (C2) Namsov Fishing Enterprises Location : Walvis Bay

Minimum Requirements.. Ÿ Bachelor's Degree in Accountancy; Ÿ 3 years practical experience in general accounting; Ÿ Completed articles and foreign exchange knowledge will be an advantage; Job Specification... Compilation of month-end files up to trail balance, for selected foreign and local subsidiaries of the group. Includes processing of monthly journals and performing stock and other general ledger reconciliations as well as revaluation of foreign currency debtors and creditors; Ÿ Maintaining selected asset registers (including verification thereof); Ÿ Managing inter-company loan accounts (including foreign currency loans); Ÿ

Read more on the website Closing Date: 19 October 2014

A Land Rover turned over on Wednesday in Nangolo Mbumba Avenue near 5th Road. Details pertaining the accident is not clear yet, but it appears to be a single vehicle accident. Auto Help was at the scene to assist with the Clean Up and Accident Scene Safety. No major injuries were reported.

Bidvest Namibia is an equal opportunity employer. Remuneration packages are comenserate with qualifications and experience. Apply for this position online at:

http://bidvestnamibia.pnet.com.na

8 | News

Thursday, 16 October 2014

BOOK YOUR

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From only

For bookings: Tel +264 61 2996111 | www.airnamibia.com or contact your travel agent.

Call Lorna on 064 200497 or email

lorna@namibindependent.com.na

News | 9

Thursday, 16 October 2014

Celebrating 20 Years of Sign Writing & Art with Donelia Tanya Calitz

Working on a vessel back in the day

Collage of Donelia's work over the years

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This year Donelia Esterhuizen is celebrating 20 years in the signwriting business here in Walvis Bay. She did her very first assignment back in 1994 when someone approached her to paint a sign for them on their vessel. And the rest, as they say is history. “I suppose it was almost by chance that I got into the business of sign writing. I always loved painting and I did portrait studies, but never thought it would take this course,” she says. Thanks to Walvis Bay local, Willie Heyns who showed Donelia the ropes of the business, she had the necessary skills to pursue a career in sign writing. The rest she taught herself. Over the years Donelia built up her skills. “I see myself as a ‘copy sign writer’, which means that I can copy anything my client wants and on any surface like; vessels, walls, roofs, boards, floors and more,” Donelia explains over a cup of coffee. "I am still an “old school” letter artist. The quality of paint that is available, still makes it the best option for sign writing. The challenging weather conditions at the coast makes this a safer option of wall art. It is so much better to paint directly onto walls or any other surface. I can guarantee that my projects last up to 5 years and still is the cheapest option available," Donelia says with confidence. One of Donelia’s greatest achievements was when she completed an assignment to

Donelia's stylishly designed vehicle

paint a 40 meter letter “B” on a cargo ship. “I used the cranes on the dry dock to move me up and down,” she says. She also worked on various movie sets, and painted all the planes for the movie ‘Flight of the Phoenix’ when they came to Namibia to shoot the movie back in 2003. Today Donelia has established herself as one of the best signwriters at the Coast, and enjoys the majority of support of the fishing industry. Not only do they paint vessels and buildings, but Donelia also does murals and paint techniques. “This section has really taken off and I enjoy the creative process very much.” Last year Donelia’s Signwriting won one of the tenders for Erongo Red, and they had to repaint most of company’s logos which led to a bit of travelling in the region. “As much as I enjoy my work, it comes with some challenges, especially when your patience is being tested out at sea in harsh weather conditions with a million midges in your face and rough seas all around,” Donelia told chuckling about some of the circumstances she has worked in. Apart from the

One of Donelia's lastest works in Nangolo Mbumba Ave.

testing Walvis weather, Donelia says she finds it very challenging keeping her staff after intensive training. “When I first started out in this business we were only 3 sign writers in town, but fortunately for me I have kept my clients by always providing the best affordable quality work in the fastest time humanly possible,” she says. Despite all the ups and downs, Donelia says she absolutely loves the business and the challenges that comes her way. “I am so unbelievably thankful and grateful for the clients and close relationships I have built with the good people of Walvis Bay." Many may already know Donelia and Belinda who started a new company together, The Lemon Tree restaurant. “Keeping both these very creative industries alive has become such an honour. I strongly believe that with hard work and passion that goes with that, one can only strive for better and more,” Donelia concludes. For further inquiries you can contact Donelia at 081 129 6179 / Email: donelia@iway.na

10 | News

Thursday, 16 October 2014

Minister Calls for Ban on Funny Baby Names Request foR

Ideas!

the “New LoLLIpop” - CompetItIoN

LifeLine/ChildLine Namibia is inviting individuals, schools, youth groups, companies and another organisations to submit their ideas and suggestions for a new product to raise funds and awareness for our 116-ChildLine and related support services for children in Namibia. Selling colourful Lollipops has been LifeLine/ChildLine’s main fundraising tool over the last twelve years, helping us to provide services to vulnerable children, such as the 116 ChildLine. At the same time the campaign has provided opportunities to talk about the problems children face and hundreds and thousands of children have been made aware of the ChildLine by buying a lollipop.

tIme foR a ChaNge! Feedback from our supporters and staff on the Lollipop Campaign tells us that it is time to rethink and innovate, so 2014 is the year of transition. The LAST LOLLIPOPS are being offered until 15th December. -> Stock is limited. Place your order now with Beulah: Phone: 061-226 889 or Email: admin@lifeline.org.na

Be paRt of the ChaNge! In line with our core values of inclusion and participation, we want to invite the public and especially children to join us in finding new, creative and suitable products and approaches for raising funds and awareness as from 2015.

the CompetItIoN What is your best idea for a product to sell? It can even be a collection of new products. Or do you have a brilliant new idea for fund raising or awareness raising? It’s time to get very creative and here are some guidelines.

YouR Idea shouLd: • • • • • •

Help raise awareness for the 116-ChildLine (the “116”-number needs to be visible); Something children of all ages want to have or use; Colourful and ‘swirly’ in design, ...so that we are reminded of the lollipops; Something which can be produced in Namibia; Something children will use often and keep for a long time; Simple and inexpensive.

Please give a brief description of your idea and why you think it will be a good new product or strategy. You are encouraged to attach, drawings, pictures, samples or use any other creative ways to describe your idea/s. When submitting your ideas, please don’t forget to list your full name, age, and contact details (for individuals), or (for organisations) all relevant contact details and a short description of your group/ organisation. Please note that any individual or organisation is allowed and encouraged to submit more than one idea, which automatically increases your chances of winning.

the pRIzes Everybody who participates in the competition will automatically receive a certificate and a small surprise as a token of appreciation. We will have different categories for Individuals (i.e., “Children” & “Adults”) and Organisations (i.e. , “Schools / Youth Groups” & “Other Organisations”), and recognition and prizes for winning ideas will be given in each category. Individuals can win Cash Prizes up to N$ 5,000, sponsored by the First National Bank (FNB Foundation) or Participation in Courses in Personal Growth/Development, offered and sponsored by ChangeAgent, LifeLine’s Training and Business Wing. Organizations can win 2-day Wellness & Teambuilding Workshops (for max. 20 staff ) and participating Schools or Youth Groups can receive tailor-made support, based on experiences from our prevention and intervention work over the last years and decades - both offered and sponsored by ChangeAgent, LifeLine’s Training and Business Wing. We look very much forward receiving your creative ideas and suggestions.

suBmIssIoN of Ideas aNd CLosINg date: Inquiries: 061 226 889 info@lifeline.org.na PO Box 5477 Windhoek 45 Bismarck Street, Windhoek Monday, 15th December 2014 - by 17h00

Tanya Calitz Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister, Peya Mushelenga called for the banning of offensive baby names, saying that Namibian lawmakers should step in and stop parents from giving vengeful baby names. “A legal ban on the practice of offensive baby names will stop fathers from taking revenge on the mothers by calling the baby ‘Ndalipo,’ which means ‘I was there’ or names meaning ‘Shame on you’,” Mushelenga said. The Deputy Minister said that it is a rather common practice by the Oshiwambo speaking people to give belittling names to children in order to ‘settle scores’. “It is ridiculous of people to think that this is a way to get back at each other.” He further said that an offensive name given to a child can have serious emotional and psychological effects on that person later in his or her life. Namibia, however will not be the first country to introduce such

legislation. Many other countries have restrictions on naming babies. Japan for instance similar to China, has a certain set of characters that can be used in a child's name. In Germany the name has to indicate gender, and it cannot be a last name or a product, or negatively affect the child. Portugal has a set list of names approved and not approved published periodically by the Institute of Registration at the Ministry of Justice and in Iceland parents are limited to choosing children's names from the Personal Names Register, which is a list of about 1800 names for each gender. Then last, but not least in Hungary a child's name must be chosen from a list of pre-approved names, and should the parents wish to give a name not on the pre-approved list it must go through a lengthy process to get consent. Another country bombarded with funny, offensive or just down right ridiculous names is South Africa. Here are just a few for your amusement.

News | 11

Thursday, 16 October 2014

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12 | News

Thursday, 16 October 2014

Namib Independent Joins Fight Against Shack Fires After reporting on the devastation of shack fires in our community for so long, the Namib Independent joined forces with three key corporate citizens, Erongo Red, Namport and the Walvis Bay Municipality to print an edition of the newspaper dedicated entirely to raising awareness on the issues that surround this scourge in our community. Speaking on the matter, Gareth Amos editor of the paper said, “The fact of the matter is that until the long term social challenges faced by our region and the

country as whole are addressed, we will always literally be “putting out the fires” with regards to this specific challenge.” Amos said that on the surface one would expect common sense to be key factor in avoiding fires, but the thought of life without electricity in our harsh conditions is not one worth entertaining, while for the majority have no other alternative but to entertain the reality of life without power. “From the outside, I am continually and pleasantly assured at the good nature of our community who come together

from all walks of life to support the victims on fire at a time and for now that seems about all we can do in the face of continued devastation,” Amos said. This year with the kind help of Erongo Red, Namport and The Walvis Bay Municipality, the Namib Independent have joined in affray by taking a pro-active approach in printing a newspaper and poster campaign aimed at raising levels of awareness as to the physical and not ideological causes of shack fires in our community. “Through continued education, practical advice and the promotion of other life threatening power sources, we will not extinguish the fires, but may just be able to slow the tide,” said Amos Eight thousand copies of the free newspaper have been distributed exclusively into the areas in the Erongo Region most affected by shack fires. The paper has been made available via leading shopping outlets, smaller shops (tuck shops), shebeens, hairdressers and other points of where the general public get together. “We are pleased to play a role as citizens of the coastal community by compiling, printing and distributing the newspaper, however, we see this only as a beginning. There are plenty other proactive and practical steps that our community can be taking that will contribute to the minimisation of instances going forward. We have highlighted some of these great ideas in this our inaugural edition and in 2015 we hope to bring other businesses on board that can physically contribute to bringing these ideas to a reality,” said Amos.

Lifestyle | 13

Thursday, 16 October 2014

LIFESTYLE Childhood Psychological Abuse Is Sometimes More Harmful than Sexual or Physical Abuse Children who are emotionally abused and neglected face similar and sometimes worse mental health problems as children who are physically or sexually abused. Yet psychological abuse is rarely addressed in prevention programs or in treating victims, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association. “Given the prevalence of childhood psychological abuse and the severity of harm to young victims, it should be at the forefront of mental health and social service training,” said study lead author Joseph Spinazzola, PhD, of The Trauma Centre at Justice Resource Institute, Brookline, Massachusetts. The article appears in a special online issue of the APA journal Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. Researchers used the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Core Data Set to analyse data from 5,616 youths with lifetime histories of one or more of three types of abuse: psychological maltreatment (emotional abuse or emotional neglect), physical abuse and sexual abuse. The majority (62 percent) had a history of psychological maltreatment, and nearly a quarter (24 percent) of all the cases were exclusively psychological maltreatment, which the study defined as care-giver inflicted bullying, terrorising, coercive control, severe insults, debasement, threats, overwhelming demands, shunning and/ or isolation. Children who had been psychologically abused suffered from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, symptoms of posttraumatic stress and suicidality at the same rate and, in some cases, at a greater rate than children who were physically or sexually abused. Among the three types of abuse, psychological maltreatment was most strongly associated with depression, general anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, attachment problems and substance abuse. Psychological maltreatment that occurred alongside physical or sexual abuse was associated with significantly

red

power to the people

TENDER 17/2014

PLANNING,DESIGNING & PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR THE PAY POINT OFFICE IN OMARURU more severe and far-ranging negative outcomes than when children were sexually and physically abused and not psychologically abused, the study found. Moreover, sexual and physical abuse had to occur at the same time to have the same effect as psychological abuse alone on behavioural issues at school, attachment problems and selfinjurious behaviours, the research found. “Child protective service case workers may have a harder time recognising and substantiating emotional neglect and abuse because there are no physical wounds. Also, psychological abuse isn’t considered a serious social taboo like physical and sexual child abuse. We need public awareness initiatives to help people understand just how harmful psychological maltreatment is for children and adolescents,” said Spinazzola. Nearly 3 million American children experience some form of maltreatment annually, predominantly by a parent, family member or other adult caregiver, according to the U.S. Children’s

Bureau. The American Academy of Paediatrics in 2012 identified psychological maltreatment as “the most challenging and prevalent form of child abuse and neglect.” For the current study, the sample was 42 percent boys and 38 percent white; 21 percent African-American; 30 percent Hispanic; 7 percent other; and 4 percent unknown. The data were collected between 2004 and 2010 with the average age of the children at the beginning of the collection between 10 and 12 years. Clinicians interviewed the children, who also answered questionnaires to determine behavioural health symptoms and the traumatic events they had experienced. In addition, caregivers responded to a questionnaire with 113 items pertaining to the child’s behaviour. Various sources, including clinicians’ reports, provided each child’s trauma history involving psychological maltreatment, physical abuse or sexual abuse. Source: http://disinfo.com/

Closing Date: Document Enquiries: Document Fees: Telephone: Facsimile: Technical Enquiries: Telephone:

Friday, 07 November 2014 Mrs. A Welgemoed N$274 (Non - Refundable) +264-(0)64-214600 +264-(0)64-214601 Mr. C. Tjizo +264-(0)64-214600

Documents in a sealed envelope clearly marked: “Tender 17/2014” addressed to the Chairperson of the Tender Committee must be placed in the tender box at the Enquiries Desk at: 91, Hage Geingob Street, Erongo RED Building, 1st floor, Walvis Bay or be posted to the Chairperson of the Tender Committee, P. O Box 2925, Walvis Bay, to reach him no later than: 10:00 on Friday, 07 November 2014 Please note no faxed or e-mailed documents as well as documents received after the specified closing date and time will be considered for evaluation. TEL +264 64 214600 ERONGO RED BUILDING

FAX +264 64 214601

91 HAGE GEINGOB STREET

P O BOX 2925

WALVIS BAY

NAMIBIA

Job SeekerS apply on www.jobportunities.net for the vacancies below.

Closing date:

24 October 2014 To Apply: Please register on Jobportunites website and then apply for available positions. Please note for any assistance download the job seeker’s manual. For further assistance please click on the “contact us” button.

• Maintenance Planner • Technical Procurement Officer • Processing Systems Analyst

erongored.com

14 | Worldwide

Thursday, 16 October 2014

W o r l dwide Richest 1% Now Own Half of World’s Wealth

The world has bounced back from the credit crunch, with global wealth having risen by 20% since 2008 (and 40% since the worst months of the global crisis) – but only a very small minority are reaping the benefits, according to Credit

Suisse. The total amount of global wealth has doubled since the year 2000, reaching £163 trillion in 2014 – but the bottom half of the world’s population own less than 1% of it. The top 1% – and if you’re worth £496,000

or more, including your home, you are one of these sneering plutocrats – own 48.2% of the world’s wealth. In America and Europe, things are going to get better, as with America expected to remain the undisputed leader in global wealth, despite gains by China. World wealth will rise a further 40% in the next five years, Credit Suisse predicts. In the UK in particular, the rich will keep on getting richer – and the UK being the only one of the ‘big seven’ economies to have shown an increase in inequality since 2000. "The UK recorded rising inequality over the entire period 2000–2014," said Credit Suisse. The top 10% of people in the world own 87% of the world’s wealth. To be in this elite group, you have to have more than £50,000 in assets (homes, savings etc). To be in the top 1%, you have to own £500,000 – so London homeowners may find that they have stumbled into the world’s sinister power elite by accident. The number of millionaires worldwide is set to increase by about 53% in the next five years, reaching 53.2 million in 2019. In terms of average wealth, the Swiss are the richest people in the world – worth an eye-popping £361,000 each. Source: http://metro.co.uk/

Nurse Allegedly Killed

Denmark to

Ban Bestiality Denmark is planning to ban bestiality after long-running international pressure over animal welfare. Denmark is one of the few European countries which still allows bestiality. Norway, Sweden and Germany have all banned the practice, leading to a rise in the underground animal sex tourism in Denmark. Minister of Food and Agriculture Dan Jørgensen, who is planning an amendment to the Animal Welfare Act for next year, said to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet: “I have decided that we should ban sex with animals.” He indicated the damage done to Denmark’s reputation by allowing animal sex was a factor in his decision, but added: “The most important thing is that in the vast majority of cases it is an attack against the animals. “And under all circumstances, any doubts about it should go to the animals’ benefit. They naturally cannot say no to going along with it,” the Danish minister said. A recent Gallup poll revealed 76 per cent of Danes supported a ban on the legality of animal sex. Although the amendment was already tabled by Denmark's government, Mr Jørgensen's comments are an explicit indication the change will specifically include the banning of bestiality. However, the decision by Mr Jørgensen has been labelled unnecessary by animal ethics

committee president Bengt Holst. Mr Holst argues the law already protects animals, as existing legislation prohibits animal suffering, pain, distress or lasting harm. Ethics committee president Holst claims that the Animal Welfare Act accounts for animals’ protection, adding it was not the position of the Animal Ethics Council to moralise. Mr Holst heads the 12-strong committee, who are appointed by the Ministry of Food on the advice of animal welfare organisations, farmers’ groups and the Danish Consumer Council. A recent VICE documentary followed zoophiles who argued they were not harming the animals, and animal rights campaigners who have been working towards ensuring the practice is made illegal. Source: www.independent.co.uk/

38 Patients Because She Found Them British Parrot Returns Home Annoying After Four Years – Speaking Spanish

A nurse has been arrested for killing nearly 40 patients because she found them ‘annoying’, it has been claimed. Daniella Poggiali is alleged to have found patients or their families irritating. The 42-year-old is in custody over the death of Rosa Calderoni, 78, who died from a lethal dose of potassium, believed to have been delivered by injection. Further investigations discovered that

she was not the only patient to have died mysteriously and she is now facing the possibility of being linked with another 38 deaths. Rosa had been admitted to hospital for diabetes-related problems, but her visit should have been routine. But she died from a cardiac arrest, sparking the investigation. It is also alleged by one of her colleagues that Poggiali gave laxatives to other patietns to make work harder for people working after her. Poggiali works at Lugo Hospital, Italy,

and investigations are taking place to find out how she might have come to get the potassium injections. Chief prosecutor Alessandro Mancini told Libero Quotidiano: "The current patients of the hospital are not in any danger, if only because the suspect is not currently in service." Source: http://metro.co.uk/

A British parrot named Nigel disappeared from his owner’s home four years ago – then returned speaking an entirely different language. Nigel the African Grey used to speak with a strong British accent when owner Darren Chick first took him on as a youngster. But after he vanished, Mr Chick, who is British but lives in Torrance, California, was baffled to hear him chattering in Spanish when he came back. The bird also kept mentioning someone called ‘Larry’. Nigel was reunited with

Mr Chick by local vet Teresa Micco after some investigative work. Ms Micco was initially contacted by the Happy Tails Dog Spa in Torrance after they found the parrot whistling ‘hello? hello?’ outside their shop. They contacted Ms Micco after spotting her advert for another lost bird called Benjamin (still missing). After scanning Nigel’s microchip and doing some research, they found his old owner Mr Chick. Source: http://metro.co.uk/

Motoring | 15

Thursday, 16 October 2014

MOTOR ING Five Safest Cars in Southern Africa for 2014 Here is a list of the five safest cars in South Africa. We worked out the highest average percentage score for each vehicle across adult occupant safety, child occupant safety, pedestrian safety and safety assist tests conducted by Euro NCAP. You can read more details about the Euro NCAP rating here. 1. Volvo V40 – 90% Volvo is synonymous with high levels of safety and the V40 comes out on top in this regard, but be reminded that some safety features are optional. Starting from R299 900, the funky Swedish V40 hatch is available with numerous engine options and trim levels. 2. Renault Clio – 86% The Renault Clio 4 comes in second as South Africa’s safest car alongside the Audi A3. The French hatchback is offered with a choice of two engines including a 900cc Energy Turbo and a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated unit while the sportier Renault Clio RS is powered a 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine. Prices for the Renault Clio start at R159 900 for the 1.2 version. 3. Audi A3 – 86% The Audi A3 is a safe bet if you place value on safety. Engine options include a 1.4-litre TFSI and a 1.8-litre TFSI while a 1.6-litre TDI engine is also available. Prices for the Audi A3 start from R307 500. 4. Hyundai i30 – 83% The Hyundai i30 scores big in terms of safety and comes with good standard specification. Engine options include a 1.6-litre and 1.8-litre unit with pricing starting from R264 900 for the 1.6 Premium manual. 5. Honda Civic – 83% The Honda Civic is one of the safest cars money can buy with prices starting from R277 300. The Civic hatchback is powered by a 1.8-litre SOHC i-VTEC petrol engine or a 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine. True or false? A bigger, heavier car is safer than a smaller, lighter car. Most would probably say true, but the numbers tell a different story entirely. We had a look at cars tested by Euro NCAP from 2012 to 2014, to determine the five safest cars available in South Africa and the result was somewhat surprising. Numbers do not lie and it just so happens that the five safest cars in South Africa are all hatchbacks. Surprised? The main reason why SUVs and 4×4s do not get a very safe rating is due to their height. Being higher off the ground and offering great ground clearance means the vehicles are more likely to roll in the event of an accident. Source: http://www.cars.co.za/

IMAGINE YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE A SATELLITE orbiting high above your own country or even above your own home or school . . . What would you see? What would you like to tell the people below about what you see from up there? What would you like people to know? What would you like them to think about? If you could send them a message or an image, what would you like to SAY or SHOW?

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