Namib Independent Issue 102 by The Namib Independent

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Issue 102 - Thursday, 05 June 2014 to Wednesday, 11 June 2014

TOBACCO WOLVES

A CRYING SHAME

dbn aims for coastal growth

Schumacher TRAGEDY

Ambulance Wars Local Company Takes Giant to Competitions Commission

Siglinde de Villiers

The ongoing case submitted to the Namibia Competitions Commission (NACC) involving allegations against E-Med Rescue Services is still causing emotional upheaval and grief among the coasts emergency service providers. E-Med Rescue has been accused of market manipulation and monopoly, practising exclusively without letting their competitors gain any ground. Early media accounts have reported on the case since January this year. The Managing Director of a local ambulance service said, “We were told that the case ruling will be this month. “The problem remains that in the case of an emergency, any other ambulance services have to go through E-Med before they can assist, but E-Med does not pass the call on, regardless if another ambulance service is closer to the patient,” he added.

However, E-Med is the preferred emergency service for medical aid funds in Namibia. Sonya Malan, Corporate Communications of Prosperity Health, said, “We are fully aware of the ongoing case, however, it is a very complex issue.” She added: “Each medical aid fund has certain structures in place. E-Med is the biggest company with the largest infrastructure available to assist our medical aid members, and thus they are our preferred emergency service provider and we have agreements with them for our members.” Kobus Struwig, CEO of Prosperity Group, said that the problem has very old roots. “Long ago the market was split between ISOS and E-Med. However, ISOS proposed merging the two organisations, since they were based in South Africa, and if that were Continued on Page 3

Municipality Accused of Sweet-Talking Narraville Speaks Out Against Walvis Bay Municipality at Budget Progress Report Meeting Tanya Calitz On Tuesday evening, Narraville residents expressed their dissatisfaction with the track record of the Walvis Bay Municipality, who they claim is favouring the needs of the Kuisebmond community over

theirs and that the projects that are being invested in across the tracks are nothing but white elephants. Some of the most prominent issues raised by the Narraville residents were the delay of the old age home, the dirt roads not being tarred despite plans to do so, the lack of policing,

difficulties in obtaining land, sewerage issues and the readiness of council for an influx of people and the town expansion as well as the mad traffic out of Narraville during rush hour. It was further suggested that a new exit out of Narraville should be considered. In response to the complaints about

the old age home, former Mayor and current councillor Derek Klazen said that it is very important that the community understands the agreement the town council and the residents who suggested this project had in the first place. “A group came to us (Municipality)

and said that they want to build an old age home in Narraville, and have established a trust through which they will raise funds to subsidise the project. All they said they wanted from council’s side was land to build Continued on Page 3

2 | News

Thursday, 05 June 2014

Be on time for things that matter. Operational Integrity Statistics for April 2014

On Time Departure:

94.1% of our flights departed within 15 minutes of scheduled time.

Completion Rate: We executed

99% of our scheduled flights

Tel (+264 64) 200 497 Email info@namibindependent.com.na

Air Namibia has one of the best “on time departures” records, in comparison to 69.7% for the average global airlines listed on the FlightView - On Time Performance Report for April 2014 . www.flightview.com

Hilda Swanepoel 081 617 5889 hilda@namibindependent.com.na

Gareth Amos 081 128 2197

Design Maggie's Attic Graphic Design

chante@namibindependent.com.na gareth@namibindependent.com.na

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Address 127 Theo Ben Gurirab Street (MVA Office Complex) PO Box 5085, Walvis Bay, Namibia

Disclaimer:

P.MZINYATI

weather

Chanté Nell 081 667 4694

Editorial Tanya Calitz tanya@namibindependent.com.na

*The global airlines average of 69.7%, is the average for the top 30 and bottom 30 airlines listed.

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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.

19/05/2014 15:07

Swakopmund

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Thursday, 05 June 2014

Municipality Accused of Sweet-Talking Narraville Speaks Out Against Walvis Bay Municipality at Budget Progress Report Meeting Continued from Page 1 the old age home. Then, as a gesture of support, the municipality said that they will grant N$2 million towards this project, the rest should then come from the trust’s side,” Klazen explained. Despite this, more residents voiced their unhappiness regarding the old age home. The municipality further explained that they have favoured the taxi rank because it was a chaotic situation that needed attention and had to be resolved. In the long run the whole of Walvis Bay will benefit from it, not just one isolated group, Community Development Manager Piet van Niekerk explained. Van Niekerk also commented on the community’s concerns over the lack of policing in the area. “At one stage the municipality had numerous discussions with the Narraville residents regarding the lack of policing in the area, and to establish a dedicated municipal force to patrol the neighbourhood was going to cost a lot of money. The only way such an operation could be supported was if we raised the Narraville residents’ taxes, so they then decided that they did not want the extra service anymore,” he said. In regards to another road leading out of Narraville, council confirmed that the issue has already been discussed and they are looking at the different options, for instance, building a road which is diverted over the railway, through the industrial area and linked up with the airport road before the roundabout, which leads back into town again. Next on the table were the sewerage complaints, to which Andre Brummer, Head of Water, Waste and Environment Management, responded. “The community needs to understand

that we cannot specifically target residents’ homes, but have to repair huge sections at a time, which is a constant ongoing operation. We are constantly fixing and upgrading sections of our town’s sewerage system, which will also eventually resolve their problem,” he stated. In response to the query of whether Council is prepared and ready for an influx of people and the expansion of the town due to the harbour development, the mayor assured that they are more than ready. Council, according to her, has a town planning program in place that made provisions up to 2030. “We are fully prepared and geared for what is yet to come,” the mayor confirmed. After all was said and done, a few residents left the meeting satisfied, but others were not so easily convinced by the answers and reasons given. One of the very outspoken community members said, “Dit voel of die Raad elkekeer by die vergaderings net jam kom smeer om ons bekke, met hulle mooi-praatjies, maar as dit by resultate kom, sien ons maar min.” Ending the questions segment of the evening was another very outspoken and well-known resident, Tannie Babsie, who upturned issues going as far back as the eighties, raising everything from the old age home matter to the idle youth problem. Walvis Bay Progress Report – Capital Projects: In Stage One of the Budget Progress Report, Council discussed the completed projects for the financial year 2013/2014, which include 11 completed tasks. These include; Kuiseb taxi rank, Kuiseb stadium development, Kuiseb old age home,

Natis building upgrade, TIPEEG program tarring of streets, labour intensive road construction, northern industrial sewer line, upgrade of the central pump station, construction of new RCB building, major repairs and sewerage works and Dolphin Park water slides. In Stage Two of the Budget Progress Report, Council discussed the ‘in working progress’ projects for the financial year 2013 / 2014, which include 17 projects. Amongst the ‘in working progress’ projects were; new cemetery in Narraville, sewer master plan, New Consumer water connections, fence at landfill site, rebuilding of intersections, surfacing

Ambulance Wars Local Company Takes Giant to Competitions Commission not possible they would withdraw from Namibia. When the merger was rejected [by the Competitions Commission] ISOS moved out of the country, leaving only E-Med in the market,” he explained. When it comes to E-Med being the preferred ambulance service by medical aid institutions, Struwig stated that they determine their own agreements. “When ISOS closed doors all medical aids went to E-Med to help them out. That’s when small players in the market saw a niche and started their own businesses. However, a big medical aid company will not contract a small emergency business located in only one place. They need a big infrastructure so as to attend to a countrywide member spread. It is not us who created this whole mess, but the NACC themselves, since ISOS was the balancing factor,” Struwig continued. According to St Gabriels Trust, they have no problems with E-Med. “We are a non-profit organisation

and work together with E-Med to provide a community service,” Gabriela Teleman, Founder and Manager of St Gabriels Trust, said. “Any expenses incurred in a medical emergency have been paid out to us by the medical aid funds. In the eleven years that we have been at the coast, we have gained the trust of the community and of medical services through our experience, training and the facilities provided,” she said. “We try to educate our members that E-Med is our preferred service provider, however, an emergency is an emergency and we will refund whichever ambulance was closest to assist our client,” Malan said. “Thus it is not a case of the medical aid refusing to pay other ambulance services that were not summoned by E-Med Rescue Services,” she emphasized. With regards to the ongoing case, Bridgett Dundee from the NACC said that the Commission is bound by confidentiality and not able to reveal any particulars of the investigation until the case is concluded.

of sidewalks and more tarring of Completion date: January 2015 streets. Meersig Ext. 2 (300 Single Residental & 5 General Residential In Stage Three of the Budget Progress Report, Erven) Council discussed planned projects, Progress: 45% which included; new camping Estimated Completion date: June site at Dolphin Park, Narraville 2014 community hall, new bungalows at Dolphin Beach, conference facilities at Dolphin Beach, youth centre, beautification of the town, and a Kuisebmond cemetery. Establishment of the new residential areas and servicing of land Kuisebmond Ext. 5 & 6 (340 Single Residential & 9 General Residential Erven) Progress: 25% Estimated

Walvis Bay Ext. 14 (75 Light Industrial Erven) Progress: 55% Estimated Completion date: January 2015 Narraville Ext. 7 (169 Single Residential Erven & 7 General Residential Erven) Progress: 45% Estimated Completion date: July 2014

Connect 500 Leadership

Continued from Page 1

“However, market dominance is not prohibited by competition law, but rather the abuse thereof,” Dundee noted. “The Competition Act describes several instances where undertakings can be accused of the conduct described as ‘abuse of dominance’. These include instances where dominant undertakings directly or indirectly impose unfair purchase or selling prices or other unfair trading conditions, market outlets or market access to name a few,” she said. The decision of the NACC is still pending. E-Med Rescue Namibia’s Managing Director Eddie Bezuidenhout could not be contacted for comment at the time of going to press. “E-Med claims to have the best service quality, but that is not really the case,” the Managing Director of the local ambulance service said. “It's a closed market for us out there, E-Med dictates who goes to what call and stops us from working,” he concluded.

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4 | News

Thursday, 05 June 2014

Tobacco Wolves Lavrenty Repin

Ironically, on World No Tobacco Day, British American Tobacco (BAT) released a statement cautioning southern African countries not to increase taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products as this may result in “unintended consequences.” In a statement responding to the World Health Organisation’s call to increase taxes, BAT said, “We have observed a dramatic increase in the incidence of illicit trade in countries with higher excise rates on tobacco products, many of which are struggling to curb the problem despite concerted efforts from law enforcement authorities… closer to home, illicit cigarettes are already widely available throughout both formal and informal retail channels across southern Africa.” Furthermore, BAT took a humanitarian approach, saying “The call for increased taxation on tobacco products is being made from within a context of already high tobacco taxes… and an economic environment in which the disposable income of consumer’s remains stretched.” Although there is no exact figure as to the tobacco industry’s revenue, it is estimated to reach close to half a trillion dollars every year. To put into perspective, if the industry were a country, its gross domestic product, or GDP, would be equivalent to that of Sweden and Poland put together. In fact, the power and reach that tobacco companies have, especially in third world countries, makes Namibia’s new laws the exception rather than the rule. Minister of Health Richard Kamwi, faced with “stacks” of lawsuits and letters from tobacco companies, famously said this year: “We have decided to put our foot down, if they want to go to court, we will see them there.” The largest tobacco companies in Namibia are British American Tobacco (Kent, Dunhil, Paul Mall and Lucky Stripes), Imperial Tobacco (Embassy, Peter Stuyvesant and rolling paper – Rizla) and Philip Morris International (Marlboro, Chesterfield), who all have an array of skeletons in their closet and in cemeteries worldwide, too. Tobacco has always been a dirty business. R.J. Reynold, founder of tobacco company by the same name (which presently works with brands like Camel), said at the beginning of the 20th century: “We don't smoke the sh--, we just sell it . . . We reserve that 'right' for the young, the poor, the black and the stupid.” But, one may argue that this was over 100 years ago, a period in which the world has changed dramatically. Yet to this day, tobacco wolves are weaving their tartainted webs. Looking at two giants, BAT and Philip Morris, an embarrassing picture emerges. As recently as 1994, Philip Morris executives stood before the U.S. Congress and testified under oath that cigarettes were not addictive – this from a company that spends hundreds of thousands annually on research into the harmful substance. A month later boxes of documents revealed how they had known the risks for decades and how, in that period, they have re-strategised their advertising approach to lure in younger and younger consumers. As for British American Tobacco, the sheer gall of warning southern African countries not to raise tobacco taxes because this will lead to a surge in black-market cigarettes is appalling, considering that for years BAT has been involved in supplying smugglers with cigarettes. In 2000 the company (finally) admitted that it “supplies cigarettes knowing they are likely to end up on the black market.” According to leaked papers, vicious competition for cigarette sales in developing countries led BAT into the manipulation of illegal markets. But even admitting this, Deputy Chairman Kenneth Clarke explained that they acted “within the law.” Tobacco companies may say whatever they please to defend their product, and their apparent ethical responsibility and integrity, which they uphold

with slogans and statements such as “Reducing Harm Through Innovation” (British American Tobacco) and “We support the communities where our employees live and work, as well as where we source our tobacco” (Philip Morris International), but no other example of their hypocrisy can illustrate the gap between what they preach and the reality as that of Indonesia. Both of the abovementioned companies share the monopoly when it comes to Indonesia, fifth largest tobacco market in the world and a country where smoking laws are so lax that more than 30% of children smoke their first cigarette before the age of 10. Nearly 2% of children start smoking at age four, probably because there is no minimum age for smoking or buying cigarettes, but also because tobacco companies invest heavily in marketing to them. Schools are entirely sponsored by tobacco companies that paint the school walls with cigarette advertisements and sponsor school sports events. The backlash has been hard on Namibia’s new strict laws, but our Ministry has come up against some of the world’s largest and dirtiest corporations and by putting their foot down, took a step forward towards a better, healthier future.

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News | 5

Thursday, 05 June 2014

Fuel Workers Strike Crisis Temporarily Averted Tanya Calitz The nationwide (coast included) fuel attendants strike, organised by the Namibia Fuel and Allied Workers Union (NAFAWU) for this week has been put on hold after the Ministry of Labour intervened and suggested peaceful discussions to be held between the union and the Association of Service Station Owners (ASSO), before disrupting the industry by means of a strike. NAFAWU handed over their entreaty to ASSO this week, demanding a minimum wage of N$4500 a month, medical aid and transport allowance for the pump

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POWER OUTAGE MILE 4 AND HAGE HEIGHTS IN SWAKOPMUND

Notice is hereby given that the electricity supply will be interrupted on the following date: DATE: DAY: TIME:

11 June 2014 Wednesday 08:00 -17:00

The power outage will affect the power supply to all customers in: • Mile 4 • Salt Company • China Satellite • Hage Heights (Tsavorite Street) • MTC • Telecom/TN Mobile The reason for the power outage is for Erongo RED to replace faulty switchgear at Hage Heights and Crayfish Substations. Erongo RED regrets any inconvenience which may result from this outage. PLEASE NOTE: YOUR INSTALLATION MUST BE REGARDED AS “LIVE” AT ALL TIMES AS THE POWER SUPPLY MAY BE SWITCHED ON AT ANY TIME DURING THE ABOVEMENTIONED PERIOD. Issued by: Public Relations Division Benjamin Nangombe Tel: +264 64 214 600

Enquiries: Control Centre Stephen Muller Tel: +264 64 217 609

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attendants, stating that ASSO has until 30 June to meet their request and come to an agreement. Should they fail to reach an agreement by the end of the month, NAFAWU will proceed with the nationwide strike, which will see over 3000 service station employees abandon their posts. Speaking to the unions at the coast, it is clear that they fully support NAFAWU in their efforts to negotiate a minimum wage for the service station employees, and said that they will fully participate in any demonstrations or strikes organised by NAFAWU, to show their support of the cause. Daniel Imbili, Vice President for the Trade Union Congress of Namibia (TUCNA) in Walvis Bay, said: “We fully support the efforts made by NAFAWU to negotiate a minimum wage for the service station workers. We will be having discussions with all the service station workers at the coast (including Henties) this month to prepare them for the possible strike, should the unions and ASSO not come to an agreement.” Speaking to the service station owners at the coast painted a very different picture, with comments such as, “these are unrealistic demands,” “unreasonable requests,” “propositions will never work,” “this will cause smaller stations to shut down shop.” It was widely agreed amongst the owners that if they were obliged to now pay the demanded minimum wage, it would have to come from the consumer’s pocket. Jannie Theron from Engen Convenience Centre in Walvis Bay said, “It is just simply not financially viable for a business owner, especially the smaller guys, to try and absorb these increases in wages and medical aid, etc. The financial implications of such a decision are huge, and will cause a ripple effect, which will most negatively affect the end-user. “At the end of the day, I would rather go to the Ministry of Mines and Energy and hand back my trading license, because there is no way my business will be able to absorb such costs,” Theron added. Another service station owner on

the coast shared similar sentiments, but said that he will only start showing concern once the Ministry of Mines approve the requests, because they are the ones with the final say. Another service station owner told the Namib Independent, “If the matter becomes a reality, I will lock my pumps for the night shift and only run day shifts to have a more feasible business.” Yet another explained, “What one must remember is that the service station owners only make about 80 cents per litre, and out of that we have to pay all our overheads.” Theron also said that the fuel industry has already taken a few knocks due to the training levies they have to pay, as well as the debit and credit card fee they suffer since the phasing out of petrol cards earlier this year. “We will not be able to absorb any more cost, and in the end the consumer is going to feel it,” he stated. A fourth owner said, “Ideally, it would be in the best interest of the service station owner to have a ‘pump yourself’ system like in Europe and other western countries, which will cost a lot of families their income, but save us from these constant demands and headaches.” According to ASSO’s chairperson, Rupert Harmse, the minimum wage demanded by NAFAWU could result in a fuel price hike of up to N$2 per litre. Not only will the immediate fuel price be affected, but it would lead to a knock on effect, pushing up prices of all goods in Namibia. Harmse also confirmed that ASSO has appointed a private labour consultant to assist in the labour dispute. In the meantime, NAFAWU Secretary General David Frans said they have two options, which are either to negotiate and agree on a minimum wage or to have a minimum wage determined by a Wages Commission that would be established by the Labour Minister. “Before the end of this year a minimum wage for service station attendants will be in effect,” Frans said, determined.

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6 | News

Thursday, 05 June 2014

WOMEN’S MICRO-BUSINESS PROJECT

DO GREAT THINGS FOR YOUR BUSINESS Old Mutual is inviting women entrepreneurs from across Namibia who meet the following criteria to apply for an interest free loan from Old Mutual to grow their business. Included is a training course in Business Management at the Polytechnic of Namibia spread over a year. No collateral security is required for the loan. • Beneficiaries must be a Namibian female; • Business must be owner-driven and managed; • Owner must be engaged in the operations of the business on a full-time basis; • Business must have been in existence for at least one year; • Business must employ at least one person in addition to the owner, must have legal status (i.e. formally registered); or must be formalized during the course of the training project; and • Business must be conducted from a specified premises.

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Omusati Regional Council T: 065 2 50614

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Omaheke Regional Council Zambezi Regional Council T: 066 261700 T: 062 563032 Kunene Regional Council T: 065 27390

Otjozondjupa Regional Council T: 067 303702

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Application forms are available at the following offices: • Old Mutual Namibia branches countrywide; • Polytechnic of Namibia; - Centres for Life Long Learning (COLL) in the regions; - Centre for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) in Windhoek; • Regional Governors offices in all 13 regions.

Please fax your application or contact Mrs Zulene Bio on Tel: 061 299 3249 or Fax: 061 299 3504 Closing date for applications: 31st July 2014.

How will you know if your application was successful? The Old Mutual Foundation Trust will notify successful candidates telephonically on or before 31st August 2014. If you do not hear from the Trust by this date, your application was unsuccessful.

News | 7

Thursday, 05 June 2014

A Crying Shame! EXCLUSIVE: Medical Aids Ignore Suicide Victims as Namibia’s Death Rate Rises to Top Ten Worldwide Lavrenty Repin Despite the high frequency of suicides and suicide attempts nationally and on the coast, medical aid companies refuse to cover any costs for patients who have attempted suicide. In such instances, where it is often the case that family members find suicide victims next to death's door, these families will be met with a sobering reality that hospitals will refuse to treat the patient unless on a cash basis. This even when the victim has medical aid cover. According to the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics, Namibia ranks ninth in the World and third in Africa (behind Malawi and Swaziland) in suicide rates with 22.3 deaths per 100 000 (average suicide rate world-wide is regarded as 16 per 100 000 people), or 1.7% of total deaths in Namibia. Data provided by Dr Shaun Whittaker, a prominent Windhoek psychologist specialising in suicide cases, reveals that this has been a continuous trend: in 2003 Namibia ranked tenth globally. The statistics reveal that young adult males are at most risk, with 84% of males compared to only 16% of females committing suicide, of which only 3% are teenagers. Hanging is the most widely used method, accounting for 85% of deaths. Even though suicide rates worldwide have increased by 60% over the last 50 years, and the increase has been particularly marked in developing countries, Namibia’s undiminished high rates are alarming. In response, many Ministers, NGOs and media outlets have attempted to curb the elevated rates. With this in mind, it was discovered that suicides and suicide attempts are entirely overlooked and disregarded by medical aid and insurance companies, leaving fragile suicide attempt victims having to pay for medical expenses from their own pocket, and more than often not receiving the appropriate, crucial treatment. The Namib Independent spoke to all medical funds/aids in Namibia including NHP, MetHealth, Investmed, Paramount, Nam-Med and Prosperity/Renaissance Health. The replies were uniform: all health companies have suicide and attempted suicide on the exclusion list and will not pay out any claims, expenses or benefits. Renaissance Health, which on its website states that “(the company) continuously strive to be a healthcare provider that represents the aspirations of the people of Namibia,” explained: “The fund rule says that we don’t pay for any self-inflicted injuries, we will only pay out if you are a child under the age of five years or an adult over 80 years old.” Most funds say that it is a “general exclusion, as a result of self-infliction.” Indeed, the exclusion stretches to all applicable insurance funds, including life insurance. Medically, the general consensus is that there are ten attempts for every successful suicide, bringing the number of suicide attempts to an estimate of 4000 a year. For NHP, claiming to provide “for the healthcare needs of almost 45 000 people,” this would mean receiving as many as hundred suicide attempt cases, although realistically it should be half that. Nonetheless, Namibians paying for medical aid, or receiving it as a benefit through their work position, are not covered for one of Namibia’s largest contributors to death – it is the 15th cause of death in Namibia, ahead of breast cancer (22nd), lung cancer (41st) and Rheumatic Heart Disease (48th) according to – www. worldlifeexpectancy.com, yet it receives a fraction of the attention. According to a study by The University of Amsterdam, “households without health insurance suffer from large medical expenditures after death and hospitalisation, despite the free access to public care. Although gifts and support from others help them to overcome part of the financial burden, findings suggest that they need to resort to additional coping strategies, such

as selling assets, decreasing nonfood consumption or taking up loans.” Yet, in the case of suicide, families suffer the same fate as even the most comprehensive medical aid excludes them entirely. One family, who spoke anonymously, explained how they had to put down a N$20 000 deposit just for the patient to be admitted to their regular hospital, this despite paying over N$5000 per month on a medical insurance premium. Psychologist Dr. Shaun Whittaker, who for the past decade has been studying suicide trends in Namibia, was not aware of the extent to which medical aids exclude the problem. “[This is] obviously unexpected, suicides happen all over the world and happen frequently, one would expect it to be covered.” He agreed that in regards to life insurance, the exclusion “would be to prevent people from committing suicide in order for their family to secure a monetary reward,” but admitted that the medical insurance excuse of “self-inflicted injuries” does not cut it. The most basic definition of “health” as defined by the World Health Organisation is “[a] state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” “This whole debate whether or not depression is self-inflicted is absolutely a legitimate one to have,” he said. “Everyone becomes depressed at some point, it could be over divorce, or employment - we all become depressed just like we all get a flu at some point, and it’s time we give the necessary attention to this psychological condition. I don’t think it is fair to say that it is self-inflicted or use flimsy excuses like that, because to what extent do people have control over what they do when they attempt suicide?” He also stated that some private hospitals outright refuse to treat suicides at all, although this does not apply to all. In terms of the state medical aid, the understanding of the psychological condition is more open. “We obviously have the psychiatric unit.” Dr Whittaker pointed out, “and there are psychologists you can go to. Indeed, we do have a relatively good psychiatric unit. And also, if you have government medical aid you can apply for psychological evaluation.” However, state psychologists are limited (there are four in Windhoek, one in Swakopmund

and one in the North), and waiting periods can be anything from weeks to months. “In fact, what you need to realise is that if a suicide attempt is not given proper attention, within one month the person will try to take his own life again; this is known as the period where the person needs the most attention,” Dr Whittaker explained, while confirming that psychologists normally work on the assumption that a suicide patient needs six sessions, which for someone that does not have medical aid (or is on the exclusion list), will run to an average of N$5000. He agreed that the exclusion by medical insurance leads to financial strain on an already fragile individual; it also reduces the likelihood of him or her completing the required sessions, increasing chances of further attempts. Dr Whittaker concluded: “In the long term we are neglecting our duty as a health service. Surely we should at least be debating this kind of situation.” Optimistically, however, he mentioned, “What tends to probably happen is the patient is treated under the framework of depression, which is allowed by the medical aid. Many of those patients are [thus] seen by private psychologists.” When an industry insider at one of Namibia’s biggest medical aid companies spoke to the Namib Independent on account of anonymity he explained that the industry focuses on preventative measures. “We provide benefits for psychological and psychiatric evaluation… but [when applying] the member needs to disclose if they suffer from depression or not.” He said medical aids indeed treat depressive disorders, but, as a rule, will not pay out those benefits after a suicide attempt. "Suicide is not only excluded with the medical side, but it is excluded through all insurance companies. Rationality behind this is that it can be viewed as a self-inflicted condition.” He explained that other exclusions depend on preexisting conditions. “We are very careful in terms of imposing exclusions - usually it will last for a period of 12 months when it comes to preexisting conditions, and then be revoked.” However, no such consideration is applied to suicides. According to NAMFISA’s 2013 annual report, the medical aid industry generated N$2 billion income from gross contributions last year in Namibia.

8 | News

Thursday, 05 June 2014

Can Ban On Shebeens In New

Developments Be Applied At Coast? Lavrenty Repin Last week the Minister of Regional and Local Development, Housing and Rural Development, Charles Namoloh, announced that shebeens will be banned from new housing development projects. This decision is aimed at improving the wellbeing of lower-income communities. Namoloh reportedly said, “I know

you are going to hate me for this, but I want to tell all the house owners of the new residential areas that there will be no shebeens allowed in those areas because we do not want alcohol to be served there.” Furthermore, he solidified his stance by warning that threatening to boycott elections will not change his position on the matter. He explained that people need to move away from a culture of spending money on alcohol.

Even though this new suggestion by the Minister is compelling and intriguing, one wonders how such a law will be implemented in practice. NHE, the company responsible for the housing project development, will hand over the project in its entirety, once construction is complete, to the relevant local authority, which will then be responsible for the upkeep of law and order in the new location. When queried about the Minister’s

proposal, Walvis Bay Municipality Public Relations Officer Kevin Adams explained that, “The municipality does not hand out liquor licences; the job lies with different authorities throughout the regions, here (Walvis Bay) it is the job of the local magistrate. “As far as the local authority is concerned, we will only see if the area is suitable, if there is enough ventilation, toilet facilities, etc. It will be up to the Ministry; and whether they can override the act, I don’t know.” Adams also mentioned a very real problem that the idea faces from the start: most shebeens in the country are operated illegally. So even if the magistrate refuses licenses or the local authority refuses to pass approval to a location, such institutions will continue to exist unless a drastic overhaul is undertaken.

Taking you in the

Minister Namoloh’s comments were met with approval throughout Namibia, as the plague of shebeens has for years spoiled lower class areas. The new housing project, which aims at providing Namibians with the most essential and basic needs, like safe and reliable housing, water and electricity and a safe neighbourhood to raise the next generation, is right to distance itself from the primitive culture of open drinking, which is what many shebeens in the country represent. Although such initiatives are progressive, and the rhetoric by the Ministry is exciting, the reality remains that unless real action is taken, such rhetoric remains just that. Unfortunately the Ministry was not able to reply to queries by the Namib Independent in time for publication.

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Thursday, 05 June 2014

News | 9

10 | News

Thursday, 05 June 2014

Face of Namibia to Bring Some Colour to Town Tanya Calitz

Mary Shikongo, founder of the Face of Namibia competition, said that they would like to give back to the community of Walvis Bay by selecting and painting six houses in the Walvis Bay area. This comes after Face of Namibia has received many positive contributions from the business sector of town. Mary said that they will select two houses each in town, Narraville and Kuisebmund, which are dedicated establishments for looking after vulnerable and orphaned kids. “Face of Namibia would like to give back to the community by painting six houses where vulnerable and orphaned children live, because we believe that vulnerable children are part of our social responsibility,” Mary told the Namib Independent. Their goal is to have this project completed by 1 August, before the actual Face of Namibia event. According to Mary they will work closely with the Ministry of Gender and Equality to

execute this initiative successfully. Another great partner in the above mentioned project is Neo Paint. “Neo Paint in Walvis Bay is our second largest sponsor this year and sponsored all the paint for our house paint project,” said Mary. She mentioned that they still need sponsors to help them with the actual labour and act of painting

the houses. “We will take before and after pictures and share the progress and results with the community, "Mary encouraged. Anyone who wishes to assist Mary and her team in realising this initiative can contact her directly on 081 831 7380.

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The Legacy of Namibia's Drinking Force

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Through its commitment to its people, the company offers a competitive remuneration package and the opportunity to work alongside some of the most experienced and dedicated people in the industry. Interested persons should submit their CV and relevant supporting documents to EngJobs@swakopuraniumcom.na OR on Jobportunities.net website by 20 June 2014 Previously disadvantaged Namibians meeting the above criteria are encouraged to apply. Clearly indicate the position you are applying for as well as your name and surname in the subject line of your application email. Applications received that do not meet this criteria will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted within two weeks of the closing date of this advertisement and no documents will be returned. Short-listed candidates must be willing to undergo pre-employment selection assessments. For more information on the company, please visit www.swakopuranium.com

Passionately energise our World

Staff Reporter At the conclusion of a function held by Namibia's Defence Force, the ground lay strewn with beer bottles and cans as far as the eye could see. A few party goers were still hovering around, waiting to be returned to their destinations all over the country as they continued their drinking spree. The function was held at the Jan Wilken Stadium in Walvis Bay. Last Thursday morning saw buses and cars transporting Namibia Defence Force (NDF) employees entering the stadium, the start of a huge noisy commotion. The event lasted for five days, with loud music and boisterous shouting that could be heard all the way down the street. “We are holding a birthday party,” one of the attendees told the Namib Independent when the reporter enquired as to what was happening. “All the people present are NDF employees that come from all over the country. Throughout the five days we were holding tournaments and playing games,” he continued. A sweeping look around the sports grounds confirmed that the event was more a drinking spree than a tournament. Beer bottles and cans were covering the sports field. Other litter was strewn between the beer bottles decorating the ground. The street towards the Jan Wilken Stadium did not look any better, with paper, bottles and bags from the festival goers lining the roadway.

The event finished on Tuesday, with passengers still boarding three buses situated on the sportsground. Through the windows one could see the travellers finishing their beer and tossing the bottles out of the window. Already a whole array of bottles was lining the ground next to the buses. Then the driver finished his beer, tossed the bottle, and soon the bus departed, followed by its convoy. The reputation left behind by those who are supposed to protect our country leaves much to wish for. Are these the kind of people that we entrust our safety and the nation's security to? The complete disregard for tidiness and the environment of the NDF raise more questions than there are answers to.

News | 11

Thursday, 05 June 2014

Coastal Growth the Main Eye of New Development Bank of Namiba Branch

Siglinde de Villiers The new branch of the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) in Walvis Bay is all about creating an environment in which small businesses can thrive. However, how small a business can they assist financially and what requirement must be met? The Namib Independent decided to find out in an exclusive interview with Simeon Kahonga. Simeon Kahonga, Manager of the DBN branch in Walvis Bay, said that they came to Walvis Bay because they saw a need in the Erongo region for development. “The coast is changing into an economy hub very quickly, and we felt that we wanted to be a part of it,” Kahonga said. “The Erongo region has lots of potential for development, given the type of businesses that are already here. Thus we wanted our presence to be here in order to provide necessary assistance to small businesses,” he explained. “In the long rung, we want our second biggest office to be situated at the coast.” What sectors will the DBN be concentrating on? “In a nutshell, we are eyeing corporate business and infrastructure in line with the National Development Plan for Namibia. One of our aims is to utilise resource based financing. This means that we look at what resources are available and how we can develop

them, especially with regard to cleaner energy resources in the near future,” Kahonga stated. According to him, the DBN will focus on sectors that involve manufacturing, transport, infrastructure, logistics and tourism as well as value addition to natural resources. The DBN is all about development, thus when looking at potential businesses, those who will have an impact on the community will be financed. “This is where we differ to commercial banks. To them, financing is all about assets, for us, it’s all about development,” Kahonga emphasised. The DBN also looks at the environmental aspects, business sense, value addition to natural resources and job creation when deciding whether they will finance a prospective client. Are there limits to the DBN's financing capabilities in the Erongo region? According to Kahonga, a region may not exceed 25% of the loan book of the DBN. This 25% is then spread out and divided into the different sectors so as to maintain a balance amongst them. The question arises whether this percentage will also include emerging businesses. “Emerging and small businesses are all placed in one group and we finance both. Financially, we can assist with a sum from as little as N$150 000 up to N$5 million,” Kahonga answered. “However, we do not have the capacity

7 cols x 11 cm

for microfinancing,” he added. Another difference between commercial banks and the DBN is that the latter looks at the person behind the business when choosing who to finance. “A business only fails because of the character behind it. The character of a person can either make or break his business. Thus we take a close look at the business owner and their level of commitment. We also look at the business plan, its impact and development, and whether it fits into our mandate,” Kahonga said. If all requirements are ticked, a loan is granted. Since the DBN is all about development, they do not finance any self-enriching businesses, such as property developments. “We also do not finance socially unacceptable projects and those of a speculative nature,” he added. What does the DBN do if a business is not successful? “We try everything in our power to make a business successful. The closing of any business is a last resort for us. At that point, we have to take the legal route and allow the law to take its course,” Kahonga replied. How much security is needed in order to get a loan? “The security does not really depend on the assets but on the business plan itself,” Kahonga answered. “Even if there is a 100 % security but the business plan makes no sense it is a no go for us.” He continued to say that the security requested by the DBN is associated with the risk. “The higher the risk, the higher the security,” he said. “Most of our security lies in the cash flow of a new business and thus we advise new businesses to keep their capital assets to a minimum at first. The more capital assets one obtains, the higher the burden of repayment,” Kahonga explained. “We would love to get to the stage where we have an idea and can find entrepreneurs to develop it into a business. For now, though, we first want to plant our feet firmly in the ground and provide help to the fullest of our capacity,” Kahonga concluded.

we've g o t

M AI L

Municipality Asked to Stop Giving Tenders to Foreigners Hope the Municipality of Walvis Bay will adhere to Article 18 of the Constitution of Namibia, “Administrative bodies and administrative officials shall act fairly and reasonably and comply with the requirements imposed upon such bodies and officials by common law and relevant legislation.” The tenders for transporting sand for the Municipality of Walvis Bay were awarded to foreigners last year; hope this will not be the case again. The concern is, on what ground were these tenders awarded to them? Was it not the responsibility of the Municipality to cater for the upcoming Small Medium Enterprises (upcoming businesses) and also, are they not supposed to accommodate the local residents (Namibians) of Walvis Bay first? (These are normally the requirements on tender documents or policies.) Firstly, these foreigners make use of the addresses of local residents when they submit their tenders. How is it possible that the responsible persons at the Municipality are not aware of this? Secondly, do these foreigners have properties in Walvis Bay? Do they pay rates and taxes to the Municipality? Where do they park their trucks? Is it not on Municipality property? Are they generating the money in Namibia, because according to information, they send it to their country?

During the tender period 2012 to 2013, the minimum amount for transporting sand was N$ 24 to N$ 25 per kilometer, which was submitted by local transporters of Walvis Bay. With the submission of the new tender 2013 to 2014, these foreigners submitted an amount of N$ 20 to N$ 21 per kilometer and the tender was awarded to them. Is this not an indirect manner of promoting poverty in Namibia? How are local residents, who are the owners of only one or two tipper trucks, supposed to be able to afford diesel expenses which increase three to four times per year when they have to lower their tender amounts each tender period? These foreigners can afford these expenses because the have about eight tipper trucks. According to information, traffic officers removed many of these vehicles from the road because their licenses have either expired or they had no license at all. If the locals are not considered, how are we suppose to pay our trucks license fees, which mostly exceed the amount of N$35 000 per annum and road users charges, which is another burden? Someone is playing a dirty trick on the local transporters. It is known why these foreigners received these tenders and the matter has been reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission. Concerned Local Truck Association

Namibia Curbs Child Trafficking Namibia is pulling up its socks when it comes to international child trafficking by requesting a whole new range of documents for any child that crosses the country’s border. As of 1 July, all children crossing the border need to have in their possession a full set of documents, including a birth certificate containing the parents’ details and ID numbers. This is to prove that the

adults who accompany the child are really the parents, or have consent from the parents that their child may travel with the adult in question. In the latter case, a permission letter of the parents is required, as well as full names, ID numbers and dates to be travelled. According to an Immigrations Officer, this new legislation is applicable to all border posts of Namibia.

We turn on the taps for local authorities. The prosperity of a nation depends on infrastructure for enterprise and communities in cities, towns and villages. The Development Bank of Namibia has developed a strong track record of long-term finance for local authorities that encompasses municipal infrastructure and utilities, serviced land, low-cost housing and finance for contractors. If you have a project to develop your city, town or village, call us to find out how we can turn on our financing flows for you. + 264 61 290 8000. We’re waiting to hear from you.

Good business is good for development.

www.dbn.com.na

12 | Lifestyle

Thursday, 05 June 2014

LIFESTYLE Watching Porn Almost 30% of the

May Shrink World is Now Fat Men’s Brains

per week. Pornography consumption was associated with neural structure, task-related activation, and functional resting-state connectivity. Gray matter volume of the brain was measured by voxelbased morphometry and resting state functional connectivity was measured on magnetic resonance imaging scans. “We found a significant negative association between reported pornography hours per week and gray matter volume in the right caudate as well as with functional activity during a sexual cue–reactivity paradigm in the left putamen,” researchers wrote in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. “Functional connectivity of the right caudate to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was negatively associated with hours of pornography consumption,” they said. Source: http://indianexpress.com/

Almost a third of the world is now fat, and no country has been able to curb obesity rates in the last three decades, according to a new global analysis. Researchers found more than 2 billion people worldwide are now overweight or obese. The highest rates were in the Middle East and North Africa, where nearly 60 percent of men and 65 percent of women are heavy. The U.S. has about 13 per cent of the world’s fat population, a greater percentage than any other country. China and India combined have about 15 percent. “It’s pretty grim,” said Christopher Murray of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, who led the study. He and colleagues reviewed more than 1,700 studies covering 188 countries from 1980 to 2013. “When we realized that not a single country has had a significant decline in obesity, which tells you how hard a challenge this is.”

Murray said there was a strong link between income and obesity; as people get richer, their waistlines also tend to start bulging. He said scientists have noticed accompanying spikes in diabetes and that rates of cancers linked to weight, like pancreatic cancer, are also rising.

“Parts of the world are quite literally eating themselves to death.

“

Watching sexually explicit videos regularly may cause the brain to shrink and work less effectively, a new study has claimed. The study suggests that the brains of heavy porn users show signs of degradation and shrinkage. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin found that men who watch a lot of porn tend to have a smaller striatum, an area of the brain “linked to rewards and motivation”. They also found that the connection between the striatum and the prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain associated with behaviour and decision making – degraded with increased porn watching, ‘The Telegraph’ reported. Although the study suggests that porn causes the brain to shrink, researchers cautioned it could be that people with smaller brains are more attracted to porn. For the study, sixty-four healthy male adults with a broad range of pornography consumption reported hours of pornography consumption

The new report was paid for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and published online Thursday in the journal, Lancet. Last week, the World Health Organization established a highlevel commission tasked with ending childhood obesity. “Our children are getting fatter,” Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO’s director-general, said bluntly during a speech at the agency’s annual

meeting in Geneva. “Parts of the world are quite literally eating themselves to death.” Earlier this year, WHO said that no more than 5 percent of your daily calories should come from sugar. “Modernization has not been good for health,” said Syed Shah, an obesity expert at United Arab Emirates University, who found obesity rates have jumped five times in the last 20 years even in a handful of remote Himalayan villages in Pakistan. His research was presented this week at a conference in Bulgaria. “Years ago, people had to walk for hours if they wanted to make a phone call,” he said. “Now everyone has a cellphone.” Shah also said the villagers no longer have to rely on their own farms for food. “There are roads for (companies) to bring in their processed foods and the people don’t have to slaughter their own animals for meat and oil,” he said. Source: http://indianexpress.com/

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Worldwide News | 13

Thursday, 05 June 2014

W or ldwide Breakthrough

For Human

Teleportation

Dutch scientists have unlocked the secret to the sci-fi phenomenon of teleportation, successfully causing an atom to vanish and reappear nearly 10 feet away. The Irish Times reports that a team led by Professor Ronald Hanson of Delft University conducted a demonstration in which information encoded into subatomic particles was teleported between two points with 100 percent accuracy for the very first time. Hanson says that, if a particle can be teleported, there’s no reason to believe the same cannot be done for a human being. He explained, If you believe we are nothing more than a collection of atoms strung together in a particular way, then in principle it should be possible to teleport ourselves from one place to another. In practice it’s extremely unlikely, but to say it can never work is very dangerous. I would not rule it out because there’s no fundamental law of physics preventing it. The technology used will be put towards creating a system of quantum computers that can process information at lightning speed compared even to today’s most advanced computers. He said, The main application of quantum teleportation is a quantum version of the internet, extending a global network that we can use to send

quantum information. We have shown that it’s possible to do this, and it works every time that you try. Hanson’s team entangled three particles — a nitrogen atom and two electrons — and used them to transmit quantum information between pieces of diamond three meters apart. This information is stored on “qubits,” the quantum equivalent of the digital bit. The teleportation was really just the two points linking together, with the second point filling a void the other had left. The professor explained that the goal is to use teleportation to create a communication system impervious to hacks. He said, The information is teleported to the other side, and there’s no way anyone can intercept that information. In principle it’s 100 percent secure. The next experiment will attempt to teleport information from one building to another over 4,000 feet away. Hanson said, I believe it will work, but it’s a huge technical challenge — there’s a reason why nobody has done it yet. Hanson’s findings were published in the journal Science. The last attempt to teleport quantum information, conducted in Maryland in 2009, did have a success rate but only once every 100 million tries. Source: http://elitedaily.com/

Memories Could Soon Be Erased and Restored Scientists have successfully erased memories in rats and then reactivated them, at will, by applying a stimulus. The study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine is the first to show the ability to selectively remove a memory and predictably reactivate it by stimulating nerves in the brain at frequencies that are known to weaken and strengthen the connections between nerve cells, called synapses. “We can form a memory, erase that memory and we can reactivate it, at will, by applying a stimulus that selectively strengthens or weakens synaptic connections,” said Roberto Malinow, professor of neurosciences and senior author of the study. Scientists optically stimulated a group of nerves in a rat’s brain that had been genetically modified to make them sensitive to light, and simultaneously delivered an electrical shock to the animal’s foot. The rats soon learned to associate the optical nerve stimulation

with pain and displayed fear behaviours when these nerves were stimulated. Analyses showed chemical changes within the optically stimulated nerve synapses, indicative of synaptic strengthening. In the next stage of the experiment, the research team demonstrated the ability to weaken this circuitry by stimulating the same nerves with a memory-erasing, low-frequency train of optical pulses. These rats subsequently no longer responded to the original nerve stimulation with fear, suggesting the painassociation memory had been erased. Scientists found they could re-activate the lost memory by re-stimulating the same nerves with a memory-forming, highfrequency train of optical pulses. These re-conditioned rats once again responded to the original stimulation with fear, even though they had not had their feet reshocked. “We can cause an animal

to have fear and then not have fear and then to have fear again by stimulating the nerves at frequencies that strengthen or weaken the synapses,” said Sadegh Nabavi, a postdoctoral researcher in the Malinow lab and the study’s lead author. In terms of potential clinical applications, Malinow noted that the beta amyloid peptide that accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease weakens synaptic connections in much the same way that lowfrequency stimulation erased memories in the rats. “Since our work shows we can reverse the processes that weaken synapses, we could potentially counteract some of the beta amyloid’s effects in Alzheimer’s patients,” he said. The study is published in the journal Nature. Source:

http://indianexpress. com/

14 | Motoring

Thursday, 05 June 2014

MOTOR ING Pupkewitz Motors Swakopmund Boast With New Manager Tanya Calitz With a management style of leading rather than delegating from the top, Ankia Greeff is Pupkewitz Motors’ new Branch Manager for Swakopmund. She is delighted about calling the coast her new home and the great opportunity to take the branch to new heights. Greeff said that it was not an easy road to where she is today, from when she joined the Pupkewitz group in 2003 as the Personal Assistant to the now Managing Director. “Working as a PA back then I learnt a lot, and developed an interest and passion for the motoring industry,” Greeff said. Last year the company offered an internal management course, named Cadet Program, which Greeff participated in. “The program gives one the

opportunity to really get to know all the different divisions, and at the end of it they test your knowledge to see if you make the cut,” she explained. Evidently, Greeff made the cut and applied for the Swakopmund position when it opened. She said that she is a first timer when it comes to living at the coast, as she spent most of her life in Windhoek. “I am still getting used to the four-seasons-in-one weather, but really love the people here.” Talking about the challenges that await her at the Swakop branch, especially being a female in a male dominant industry, she said her biggest challenge would be to win the trust of the clients, so they have confidence in her regarding her knowledge of the motoring industry. Apart from that she does not really see another gender challenge.

“I am a firm believer that both sexes bring great qualities and skills to the table, which in compliment each other. I personally have only experienced being treated like an equal among my male counterparts,” she mentioned. Talking shop, Greeff said that her vision for this branch is to uphold their company motto, which is “Customer satisfaction through service excellence, particularly focussing on aftersales service.” On a more personal level, the Namib Independent wanted to know Ankia’s favourite vehicle from their range, for which she chose the Nissan Juke. And asking what her dream car would be, she answered, “Ford Mustang GT 500( The Cobra),” with a grin on her face.

Quality Pre - Owned

Motoring | 15

Thursday, 05 June 2014

Michael Schumacher Fans Warned not to Expect Good News Michael Schumacher fans warned they will "never have any good news" on racing driver's coma after skiing accident, former F1 doctor says. Fans of Formula One legend Michael Schumacher have been warned that they will "never have any good news" concerning his condition. Schumacher, 45, suffered a near-fatal head injury in a skiing accident in Meribel, France, on December 29 last year. It has been two months since the family relayed any information on the sportsman's health. Their silence has led fans and commentators to fear the worst. Gary Hartstein, a former F1 doctor, said: "I'm quite afraid (and virtually certain) we will never have any good news about Michael. At this point, I rather dread seeing that the family has put out a press release." Writing on his blog, he added: "I can conceive of no possible reason that Michael's entourage, understandably extremely protective of his and their privacy, would not tell his fans if significantly good things

have happened." Roger Benoit, a respected and long-serving member of the F1 media, said: "Slowly, everybody is really worried. Grenoble and the family have been silent for weeks. Why?" Schumacher's manager, Sabine Kehm, last issued a statement on April 4. It read: "Michael is making progress on his way. He shows moments of consciousness and awakening. We are on his side during his long and difficult fight, together with the team of the hospital in Grenoble, and we keep remaining confident." She has been criticised by some for failing to release more information but in the past she has said this is what he would want. She said previously: "Michael Schumacher is in a coma and cannot decide what is reported about him. "We, of course, know how he deals with such things and try in his interest to handle these matters for him." Since these statements there has been no news. This is the longest period of silence since the accident. It will be 23 weeks ago on

Sunday that Schumacher suffered his life-threatening accident while skiing in Meribel, where he owns a chalet. Doctors began the process of gradually waking him up more than 18 weeks ago. Ms Kehm has said it is "very hard" for his loved ones to comprehend how the racing car driver could have been so catastrophically injured in such a "banal situation". The accident occurred just over 14 feet from the edge of the ski run in a small, rocky offpiste area. He was skiing with his 14-year-old son when he lost control after hitting a rock. He ended up smashing his head into a bolder 34 feet further down the mountain. He is receiving roundthe-clock care in intensive care in Grenoble University Hospital. Corinna, with whom he has two children Gina Marie, 16, and Mick, 14, has remained at his bedside. In February, French investigators closed the official inquiry into his accident, ruling out any criminal wrongdoing. Source: http://www.telegraph. co.uk/sport/motorsport

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