Namib independent issue 109 by The Namib Independent

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Issue 109 - Thursday, 24 July 2014 to Wednesday, 30 July 2014

NEW FIRE STATION

hpv VACCINATION

CHINA TOWN

gRANNY MARRIES SCHOOL BOY

Baby Dies at Coastal

Crèche Tanya Calitz

A two-and-a half-monthold baby boy died at a day care facility in Walvis this week. His mother dropped him off earlier that day, only to receive every mother’s worst nightmare call an hour later to say that her baby was not breathing anymore. Devastated, Alma, the mother of Simon Petrus Nangombe rushed back to the day-care house to analyse the situation for herself, from where

she frantically phoned the police to come out. According to Inspector Mwatongwe the police phoned the state ambulance, who in return said that they do not have an ambulance available currently. The result of the lack of response forced Alma to take her baby to hospital herself, where she was informed that her baby boy had passed away. According to Detective Inspector Mwatongwe, the baby boy showed no Continued on Page 3

90 New Residential

Areas for Walvis

And Other Extraordinary Plans Ahead to Keep up With the City’s 4.7% Annual Growth Rate

Tanya Calitz At a council meeting this week led by the Town Planning Team of the Walvis Bay Municipality, some extraordinary plans were shared with the community on the

way forward. Seeing that Walvis is predicted to be the country’s primary industrial city, a few extraordinary changes and projects have to be implemented to accommodate this fast growing vision.

The plans shared with the residents tell the tale of the significant transformation the town will undergo to become the port city it promises to be, once the Namport harbour expansion has been completed. The aim

is to create and develop the port to such an extent that it will become the port of choice for most landlocked southern African countries. With this extraordinary development happening, Continued on Page 3

2 | News

Thursday, 24 July 2014

Satellite Fire Stations for

within the vicinity of the specific fire station,” van Zyl explained. The council will also make budget available each financial year to employ permanent staff at each of the fire stations, van Zyl said. Currently the main station across from Kuisebmund only has five permanent staff. According to van Zyl, once each station has their permanent staff and trained volunteers in place, the response time will be much quicker, and each substation can manage the fires while the main fire truck responds. Van Zyl also said that they work very closely with the Swakopmund municipality and big companies doing fire drills and regular training exercises to keep up their skills and improve their response time constantly.

the Whole of Erongo Tanya Calitz

noTiCe

Hereby given that in keeping within Liquor act. 1998 License (new License/Renewal/ Amended license) Issued under the liquor Act, 1998 (act No 6 of 1998) (regulation 20(2))

Speaking to Walvis Bay Municipal Fire Chief Willie van Zyl, the coast as well as the rest of the Erongo Region will receive brand new satellite fire stations within the next five years,

starting with Walvis Bay. According to van Zyl, Tutaleni will be one of the first neighbourhoods to receive a fire station, with a fire chief permanently positioned there. The municipality included it in this financial years’ budget, and the development of the

ThaT The following liquor holding has been Transferred as follows: KIND OF LICENCE: Club Liquor Licence currently held in the name of Blue Oryx Adventure CC Identity Number/Registration Number CC/2010/2248 to C.Baden-horst details as follows:

station will commence soon. The next financial year will see to it that Narraville and Longbeach also receive fire stations with a chief stationed at each. “For all of this to realise is a true dream to us,” van Zyl expressed with optimism. The Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development, is also busy developing fire stations in other parts of the country, including Karibib and Usakos. Furthermore Class 1 Municipalities will receive funds from the Ministry to build more stations across the region and country. “The aim is to train three to The new water tanker which can hold up to 15 000 litres of water, and goes on each call with the fire brigade team. four new volunteers each year

1. Name and postal address of applicant C. Badenhorst P.o.Box 3749 W/Bay 2. Name of Licensed business to which application relates Walvis Bay Angling Club 3. Address/Location of licensed premises to which application relates Erf 1920 Esplanade Road Central Walvis Bay Erongo 4. Nature and Details of Application for Transfer From Blue Oryx Advanture CC To Christina Badenhorst 5. Where application will be lodged Walvis Bay Magistrate date on which application will be lodged 21 July 2014

Chanté Nell 081 669 4427

chante@namibindependent.com.na

Gareth Amos 081 128 2197

gareth@namibindependent.com.na

Editorial Tanya Calitz

tanya@namibindependent.com.na

Design

sonya4maggiesattic@gmail.com

Maggie’s Attic Graphic Design

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

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, 24 July 2014

Baby Dies at Coastal Crèche Continued from Page 1 visible signs of abuse, maltreatment or bruising. The baby was transported to the police station where a proper autopsy will be carried out to establish the cause of death. According

to Alma her boy was in perfect health when she dropped him off at the crèche, and according to the investigating officer, this statement was confirmed by one of the ladies at the day care facility who received him.

According to the police interviews the baby was placed on his back inside the cot and given his milk bottle for the afternoon, and an hour later when they checked on the baby again he was not visibly breathing. They allegedly picked up the baby, but got no reaction out of him. They then phoned the mother. This reaction raised the question as to why the ambulance and

police were not phoned first by the day care personnel. It has also come to the paper’s attention that this day care facility was not registered, which means that they did not go through the safety procedures that a registered crèche would go through. “A concerned resident and family friend of the deceased told the paper that this probably could have been prevented, had

the crèche been registered. “I just feel that it is negligence, and if the crèche followed the proper route they would have known how to act in such an instance, and would have had a list of emergency numbers and maybe even first aid training,” she shared in distress. In a later interview with the parents of the deceased baby, the doctor who first examined their baby

told them that the most probable cause of death is due to milk in the lungs. In a preliminary autopsy, the doctor determined that the baby suffocated due to gastroesophageal reflux, which causes the milk to be pushed up from the stomach back into the oesophagus, which can end up in the baby’s lungs. The fact that the day care facility was not registered also raises several questions that could

90 New Residential Areas for Walvis Continued from Page 1

many other subindustries will spring from it in support of the current industries growing due to the port expansion. “The amount of residential land needed to accommodate the housing shortfall by 2030 is in the order of 2 000 hectares. The town will need to plan, establish and service an estimated 90 new residential townships, provide some 30 000 erven, and construct or facilitate the construction of over 40 000 houses, flats and townhouses. In the next 15 years, Walvis Bay must develop more housing, schools, clinics, community facilities, commercial and industrial opportunities, etc. than it has done since its establishment as a settlement over a hundred years ago,” town planner Hilia Hitula eagerly shared with the audience. Currently the town has approximately 80 000 residents, but this is estimated to more than double over the next 15 years, and eventually reach an estimated population of 180 000. With such a big population, more industries will have to be developed in order to accommodate everyone’s financial needs. Thus the community is encouraged to engage with council or investors to discuss possible business and development opportunities.

The town will need at least: - 33 new primary schools - 8 new secondary schools - 20 new crèches - 10 new clinics - 10 community centres - 4 more police stations - 2 more fire stations - several more fuel stations - and a lot more shopping complexes When developing the

new residential areas the town planners look at four different income groups and their housing needs. The four categories are; high income housing, middle income housing, low income housing and special housing. The special housing option is catering for the need of the shack dwellers in Tutaleni. The idea is to

clean up Tutaleni and have everyone live in a nonflammable structure by 2030. Everyone in the community is welcome to go get a copy of the town expansion from the municipality at the town planning department, as well as a list of possible business opportunities and projects that need to be implemented in order to keep up with the town’s growth.

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have saved the baby’s life. According to Detective Inspector Mwatongwe, the police will put all their finding in the inquest which will be presented to the Magistrate for further examination to make a decision of whether the persons involved should be held criminally viable. The distraught parents are currently in the North to mourn their baby’s death with family.

4 | News

Thursday, 24 July 2014

Smoke Away

Smoking Law is Toothless at the Coast Staff Reporter When the new smoking law was being announced, the whole coastal region geared up for its implementation. Nevertheless, now, nearly a month later, the Ministry of Health and Social Services is not ready for enforcing its new legislation on the local populace. Local pubs, restaurants and hotels followed through on the implementation of the smoking law. They put up “no smoking” signs everywhere. They located special designated smoking areas outside their buildings. Package displays were changed and all cigarette advertising stopped. With the threat of fines ranging between N$60 000 to N$200 000 lurking on the horizon, the main consensus was to avoid paying unnecessary fines at all cost and not

throw money into the water. With all these preparations, one can not help but wonder how the implementation of this new law fares. Are health inspectors prowling the streets ready to fine anyone who disregards

the new law? Has anybody been fined? At an informative public meeting held by the Ministry of Health and Social Services they announced that they have appointed and are training health inspectors for the purpose of enforcing

the anti-smoking law. However, after three weeks of constant enquiry, the Ministry of Health and Social Services still could not say whether anybody has been fined yet. Even worse, they could not provide any names for health inspectors in the Erongo Region. After all the media frenzy has blown over, the antismoking law has no bite, it’s toothless. Is this the reason why some smokers openly flaunt the anti-smoking law by smoking in public spaces while advertising it on social media? Well as of yet, they have nothing to fear, the Ministry of Health and Social Services is not ready for enforcing the new smoking legislation and has no one to fine those who do not abide by the anti-smoking law.

Become the 6th Solar Power User in Walvis Where to get it and why you should have it

red

power to the people

Erongo Regional Electricity Distributor (PTY) Ltd, commonly known as Erongo RED is mandated to distribute and supply electricity in Erongo region. We are proud to announce that Erongo RED is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants friom disgnated groups defined in the Affirmative Action Act (1998) are encouraged to apply.

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Lavrenty Repin Electricity costs are set to double by 2018, according to a Nampower presentation held last week in Walvis Bay, while uncertainty looms over our the energy market with every blackout and tariff increase. So one would imagine that solar power is booming at the coast, but that is not the case. Many people are still unaware of the long-term benefits that solar energy brings. Chris King, who owns Skypower Namibia CC in Swakopmund, explains that there are two options for potential solar power customers. “The most efficient is heating your water using solar energy, which is 60% to 40% of your overall (electricity) consumption.” By installing a solar panel, solar driven pipe, fittings and a solar collector directly to your existing geyser, Chris says you can save between N$500 and N$600 a month; paying back the initial investment of N$11 000 in two years. Also, because solar geysers are considered part of your building, your building insurance will cover any maintenance costs. To fully equip your house with solar panels that provide electricity for most of your needs will cost between N$55 000 and N$60 000; the life-span for the power unit is at least 20 years – until then a constant 80% power up guarantee is provided. The only drawback is that when Erongo Red power goes

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TEL +264 64 214600 ERONGO RED BUILDING

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out, yours goes out as well. The solar system produces between 400 and 450 units per month. Chris, who has been in the solar business since 2007, explains that only about 30% of output is lost during the typical overcast weather at the coast and believes that prices for solar utilities will remain the same. Supermarkets like Super Spar in Swakopmund have solar panels that pay for the electricity needs of the shop. Recently Chris installed a solar energy supply for the water heater in Welwitschia hospital in Walvis, which according to Chris cuts out 90% of diesel usage, saving the hospital thousands of dollars. Not only is solar energy cost-efficient and environmentally friendly, but excess production can be sold

back into the grid – making it a business investment as well. Provision is made by Erongo Red and the ECB for residents with solar panels on their roofs to feed into the market when their power output surpasses their need and buy from the market when their power supply drops. Swakopmund has been the number one utiliser of solar energy at the coast, says Erongo Red, with 75% of the total PV-infeed in Swakopmund for the Erongo region, followed by 21% in Omaruru and only 4% in Walvis Bay. However, the statistics get even more troubling, considering that there are only 82 urban solar power users who sell back into the Erongo Red grid; 47 in Swakopmund and five in Walvis Bay, a town that enjoys clearer skies and longer sunshine than the former. Businesses and

savvy residents may be reluctant to invest in expensive solar power initiative, seeing as Erongo Red is the only company where one can sell excess solar energy, and while the company increased all tariffs for the year, they left the power infeed price unchanged at N$1.080/ kwh; meaning the power is sold back at the same price. Although the investment is on the heavy side for many coastal residents, the long-term benefits of this new market are ever-reaching; the sooner you start looking for alternative energy the sooner you can cultivate the advantages. Like Chris King says: “Highly sophisticated machinery changes heat to electricity, sends it through 2000km of wire so that you can change it back to heat, when you can do it at home with the sun. It’s ridiculous.”

FAX +264 64 214601

91 HAGE GEINGOB STREET WALVIS BAY

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erongored.com

Thursday, 24 July 2014

MTC’S BILLING SYSTEM NOT TO BLAME FOR HIGH DATA USAGE Mobile Telecommunication Limited (MTC) is confident that their billing system is 100% accurate and that the complaints relating to excessive data usage is therefore not a system issue, or as a result of the upgrade on MTC’s systems, but that the high data usage is as a direct result of the latest versions operating systems on many latest smartphones that are now using more functionalities and consequently more data. WINDHOEK 23 July 2014 – In the last two weeks MTC has received complaints from customers directly and through the media about the surprisingly high data usage. MTC immediately investigated the matter and can now confirm that all data charges were correctly billed in relation to the data usage generated by the customer’s smartphone. This was confirmed by MTC’s Chief Human Capital & Corporate Affairs Officer Tim Ekandjo which stressed that MTC has thoroughly investigated the concerns and found that the data complaints are related to smartphone operating systems update versions which contains functionalities responsible for high data traffic and usage. Specifically one of the most used functionalities on these operating systems is “mapping services” generating high data usage while customers are on particular applications and or on social networks. Mapping services is a service that enables your smartphone to use your current geographical location commonly known as geotagging, this service is used mostly by applications such as Facebook, Whatsapp etc. Every time you post on Facebook the mobile searches your current location. The customer is in charge of this service as every application request the user to use your current location upon installation, and the user has an option to say yes or no. Customers can disable the mapping functionality on their devices if they are not happy with the amount of data usage as they are in control of the service. Customers can however monitor their data usage on their devices using the settings of the operating system on their smartphones; this enables the customer to check their total data usage, their data usage per application, and also the system services where “mapping services” amongst others are indicating exactly the Megabytes used at any time. “We are confident that this has nothing to do with our billing or IT systems. We have performed thousands of various test trials to compare, which operating system was registered in the meters of the device, what the data detail record was on the core system, and what was charged by the billing system, and it is very clear that its totally in sync and correct, Ekandjo enthused. We recently upgraded our postpaid billing system to a new Business and Operating Support Systems (B/OSS) and our prepaid billing system will be due for upgrade and convergence during the course of this year.

www.mtc.com.na

The new Business and Operating Support Systems (B/OSS) is the latest IT version globally, compliant with TM Forum’s model for Telco’s supported by Oracle, a global leader in these technologies. The TM Forum is the world’s leading industry association focused on enabling best-in-class IT for service providers in the communications and telecommunications market. Below are some of the recommendations for iOS, Android and others operating systems for customers to consider: • All application usage can be viewed in the operating system at any time; • Bear in mind that accessing any social network, i.e. Facebook and others, uploading and viewing photos and especially video, uses significant data (in general this would be visible under settings, carrier on your smartphone); • Also be aware that clicking on a link from a Facebook page would open up a browser session, which may contain images, moving banners, etc. – which also generates significant traffic; • Moreover, several applications, including social networks, can be set up by the user with mapping services with location updates on - which will generate constant traffic automatically; • New update versions of the operating systems, as recently iOS7.x, notified the user about new functionalities, in particular mapping services and location update services, which generate significant traffic and usage; • Some games generate significant traffic usage, e.g. Candy Crush and Diamond Rush because these games are in many cases played online with other players and charged; • Cloud type (iCloud) services should be managed correctly, otherwise any picture/video taken is uploaded automatically (synchronized) without the user realizing it; • It is recommendable that when not using the mobile, ensure that all applications are closed on your handset, to ensure that the apps don’t run and generate traffic in the background or while in idle mode; • It is also advisable that customers power off their handset completely once per day to ensure that all apps are closed; • When upgrading the software on the handset, it is also advisable to power the handset off and back on after the update was installed; • Most importantly, MTC strongly recommends that users verify the usage in the meters of the operating system on their smartphones, but also to use the free short code by *139# that will reply with the exact charges of the bill cycle at any given time. Issued by Corporate Communications Department Media enquiry John Ekongo – Corporate Communications Department jekongo@mtc.com.na

Thursday, 24 July 2014

Uncertainty About

current highlight in media reports throughout the country. For one, the Health Ministry is in the process of introducing Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccinations for young Not Telling You girls. The vaccination is to be available at clinics However, as of yet, there is countrywide. Nevertheless, no scientific evidence that the talk is still far from supports the idea of the action. Upon enquiry at a local HPV vaccine preventing cervical cancer. Some even hospital in the Erongo claim that it causes cancer Region, the Health Office was not able to inform the instead of preventing it. Cervical cancer Namib Independent when vaccinations feature as the the vaccination program is

Cancer Vaccinations

at Coastal Clinics What They Are Siglinde de Villiers As coastal residents go about their day to day business, they are constantly being bombarded with the media myth of a cancer prevention vaccine.

to be rolled out and whether the vaccinations were going to be free of charge. “It is too early to say,” she said. “The vaccine helps to prevent HPV, which causes cervical cancer,” a recent media article quoted First Lady Penehupifo Pohamba at a cancer conference earlier this week. But is that the truth of it? This cervical cancer vaccination has become a controversial issue worldwide. Many scientists even question the link

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between HPV and cervical cancer. Since 2003, the FDA has become increasingly aware of the missing scientific evidence between the HPV virus and cervical cancer. A press release dating back to 31 March 2003 acknowledges that “most infections by the HPV strain are short-lived and not associated with cervical cancer.” According to NaturalNews, HPV vaccines have proven worthless in clearing HPV virus from women who have already been exposed to HPV (which includes most sexually active women) in various clinical trials. This then calls into question the scientific justification for mandatory vaccination policies. Furthermore, one wonders why the FDA has approved the HPV vaccine despite them being aware that HPV does not cause cervical cancer. Is it Big Pharma greed, disease mongering bound to exploit the fear of cancer in young girls or the frustration of a losing fight against cancer? No one can say for sure. Even though HPV vaccinations have become mandatory in some parts of the world, other countries have banned it completely. These include France, Japan, Spain, Israel and India. At the coast there are two brands of HPV vaccinations available at private pharmacies. Cervarix costs N$395 and Gardasil N$1 400. “About 40 strains of genital HPV circulate in the human population, but of those, just two (6 and 11) are responsible for about 90 percent of genital warts and two more (16 and 18) for 70 percent of cervical cancers and many cases of vaginal, anal, and throat cancer. Those four strains are the target of Gardasil, whereas Cervarix targets 16 and 18,” states a medical report. According to a local pharmacist, the vaccines consist out of three courses; the second vaccination follows the first one after a month and then again after six months. “The vaccine works just like any other vaccine, where the virus is injected into the human body so that its immune system can build up resistance against it,” the pharmacist explained. Could this vaccine then in effect cause cancer instead of preventing it? According to some health agencies, Gardasil can increase the risk of precancerous cervical lesions by an alarming 44.6% in some women. Even though the local pharmacist said that the vaccination will not affect one’s health, women at the coast testify to becoming ill after receiving it. Neither is the HPV vaccination intended to substitute regular Pap screening. According to a medical website, the vaccines do not protect against all HPV types, thus overlooking about 30% of cervical cancers. Since multiple sex partners are a great contributing factor to cervical cancer, many people also wonder whether the advent of cervical cancer vaccines will not bring with it a more promiscuous attitude in youngsters, since they have been “vaccinated”. “It is up to each individual to choose whether to take the vaccination or not. All medicine has side effects and it is important that the person makes an informed choice, though personally, I would not do it,” the pharmacist concluded.

News | 7

Thursday, 24 July 2014

How Racist are We? Mixed-Race Families

Lavrenty Repin Living as a mixed-race couple or family at the coast means that you receive a lot of attention. We take a look at the complicated inter-relationships that the growing number of mixed-race couples find themselves having with our coastal society. Richard* is a NamibianGerman living in Swakopmund. He grew up in Windhoek and Walvis Bay, and has a new-born daughter with his longterm Oshiwambo girlfriend, Anita*. While Richard is quick to point out that the reactions him and his girlfriend have received have pretty-much ceased to disturb their relationship, he explains that many Swakopmunders have been less tolerant than he expected. “People in Windhoek seemed to accept us easier, and it reflects directly in the arts and culture of the town. White, black and coloured all mix their creativity. Swakopmund is definitely more racist. To be honest, when I moved here, I thought we would get more racism from white people, but the white folk we’ve bumped into have been nothing less than accepting. Some of them find it quite cool that we have a mixed baby, like that is something to show off,” Richard explains. “Where the problem comes in is Anita’s own people; when they realise she is Oshiwambo, they stereotype her. I didn’t realise it until we started dating, but there is now reversed racism; since

Apartheid’s been abolished the tables have literally turned.” Richard says that they get awkward looks all the time, and cannot walk down the street without being noticed. “I’ve kind of accepted it, it’s the norm now,” he says. “Actually when people don’t look at us I wonder what the problem is, is there something more interesting happening somewhere else?” he jokes playfully. “You do feel the stares catching,” he continues seriously, “and wonder; don’t you have anything better to do with your time?” Since the baby, Richard says he gets a lot of attention, especially from black and coloured women. “Every time I get to the (supermarket) counter on a slow day, the cashiers will crowd us, watching the baby. Maybe they think it’s the chosen one or maybe the devil baby, I’m not sure what they’re thinking.” Yet Richard is not worried about the impact this segregation will have on his child. “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger,” he mentions. “My kid will have a unique perspective from this.” His own family have also been less accepting: “My close family is ok, but the more distant ones wouldn’t invite me to dinner or Christmas. I don’t have one cousin that isn’t dating a white or a German partner.” However, for all Richard’s optimism, he says frankly that there are places he would not go to with his

girlfriend. “I wouldn’t go out in Walvis Bay, like to a club, Racism is still very much alive there, specifically from the older folk,” he says. “Saara se Gat, I couldn’t go there at all, that would be a f-ing disaster!” A local white musician, Chad*, who originates from Swakopmund, spoke of his experience within the music industry, where the media would advertise his relationships because they were mixed-race. “My friend, another musician, and I received a lot of negative attention from entertainment newspapers. They really were only interested because the relationships were of different colour. I, as a white man with a black girlfriend and he, as a black man with a white one.” Because of the media attention, Chad received threats and insults over social media. “In Windhoek we could walk down the street holding hands and not many people would notice, but in Swakopmund, which we often visited, we realised that it was better not to hold each other,” he says. “Or we’d get snobby comments and looks from people at restaurants, cafés, shops.” Chad explains that the hostility puts a strain not only on the relationship but on your view of people. “You start to feel suspicious of people, and because they put you in a box, you defend by doing the same to them.” Amelie* and Sue* are both white, but have two black adopted Namibian children, four and two years old. “Generally, mostly the response has been very positive,” Amelie relates, “you get different vibes from different sections of the community. Of course I’m generalising, but typically older Afrikaans women are very positive, they come up to us and tell us how what we are doing is so good, to which I answer that it is actually for selfish reasons; we just wanted more children!”

Amelie laughs. “The white community - if they are negative, they don’t verbalise it. They will give you dirty looks, but never say anything directly; once we sat down at a table and the people next to us moved – things like that happen sometimes.” Amelie believes that a lot of attention is not of a spiteful nature but merely ignorance. “There is a lot of curiosity from black people, although it is easier in smaller towns like Walvis Bay; people get to know us and ask us question – afterwards they leave us alone. But just because it isn’t meant to offend, there are still repercussions,” she says. “Sometimes I’ll be shopping with my daughter and a black lady will come up and ask me whose child that is?! Obviously, it is my child, but because my daughter is black, not coloured, the lady might not understand that she is adopted. It’s a problem for my daughter,” Amelie continues, “imagine you were a child and someone came up to your mom and said that you’re not her child – I don’t think it is malicious, it’s a culture difference.” A place Amelie would not want to visit with her kids again is the Fishfestival in Henties Bay. “The last time we took them there, the only black people in the room were cleaners.” Amelie says she wants to have control when it comes to the inevitable conversation and hopes that her kids will grow up open. “I’m ready for the racism they are going to get,” she insists. Mixed-race couples” is Part 1 of a series of articles looking into the impact of racism in the coastal community. Our next edition will look into the influence of racism in schools and young people. If you have any racism-based experience to share, you can email: lavrenty@ namibindependent. com.na. *Racism is a sensitive issue, thus a decision was made to change all names in this article to protect their identities.

8 | News

Thursday, 24 July 2014

Elgin Brown & Hamer Namibia (Pty) Ltd An equal opportunity Employer Elgin Brown & Hamer Namibia (Pty) Ltd. is a Marine repair company operating three floating docks. This company consist of various divisions geared to perform large ship repair works and other related projects.

POSITION - OPERATIONS MANAGER Purpose of this position: Oversee the strategic planning, implementation and coordination of resources of the EBH Shipyard and ensure that scheduled repairs are provided in line with the client’s requirements on time and within budget. The position is part of the executive team and has a critical focus on ensuring effectiveness, efficiency and profitability of EBH Ship yard.

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ISWB

Key Performance Areas: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Planning and scheduling operations activities and managing the ship repair and service delivery process. Setting the Operations priorities and ensuring the Operations objectives of EBH shipyard are reached. Manage current and upcoming projects from initial planning too closure of projects. Lead Operations Team and coordinate work of EBH Shipyard to ensure work is done safely, man hours are scheduled properly, objectives are met and deadlines honoured. Establish and maintain sound working relationships with customers and contractors, consistent with the best interests of the company. Ensuring the effective management of operations and interaction with the Production Manager and Marketing Manager. Ensures that work inputs and manufactures adheres to engineering specifications. Ensuring cost effective and high-standard maintenance. Monitoring the Operations practices and modify the schedules as required. Decides on the operating unit’s layout, size and range of service or product to deliver and design and arrangement of work processes. Delivering quality engineering solutions in learned response to development, hardware, manufacturing, and operational needs. Ensuring that strong and efficient teamwork culture exists within the operation team and to develop technical competencies and a motivated workforce. Execute the policies and goals of the organization with strong team approach focus on safety, quality, and communication, delivery on time and within budget.

Qualifications, Skills, Competencies and Experience Requirements: • • • • • • • • • •

Appropriate Tertiary Qualification in Naval Architecture/Marine/Mechanical Engineering A minimum of 5 years of experience in the ship construction and repair industry; Three years of project management, working with construction superintendents, craft supervisors, port engineers, vessel owners and support department managers; Experience and extensive knowledge of ship structures, equipment and machinery; Project contract and change order negotiating experience; Legal and marine insurance matters preferred Fully Microsoft literate and CAD conversant; Must demonstrate the ability to handle multiple projects at once and be capable of handling stressful situations tactfully and remain in control; Ability to work independently and lead team members; Knowledgeable on ISO 9001 quality standards and on government regulations on Shipyard operations.

POSITION - ASSISTANT TECHNICAL SUPERINTENDENT: MECHANICAL Purpose of this position: This job category includes personnel involved at middle management level responsible for the planning, coordinating and facilitating within budgetary provisions mechanical projects related to ship and oil rig repair, coordinating the supply of resources and provide expert advice on all areas related to the job including the utilization of specialized equipment.

Key Performance Areas: • • • • • • •

Coordinating, planning, organizing of technical work schedules and methodologies Performing of complicated technical tasks HSSE responsibilities Quotations and Estimations Staff Development Human Resource Administration Cost Control

Qualifications, Skills, Competencies and Experience Requirements: • • • • •

A three (03) year tertiary qualification in Mechanical Engineering or Marine Engineering plus eight (08) years appropriate experience of which five (05) years should be on supervisory/management level OR a National Trade Diploma in Mechanical related trade with N6 plus twelve (10) years appropriate experience of which six (05) years should be on management level. Good knowledge of various marine mechanical work repair and manufacturing and industrial safety rules Goof knowledge of Safety, Health, Environmental, Risk and Quality standards and requirements in marine (primarily oil/gas) and shipyard environment Excellent leadership, supervisory, decision making, problem solving, project and team management and communication skills Ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure

POSITION - FOREMAN: MECHANICAL Purpose of this position:

This job category includes personnel involved in the supervising of daily operations of the mechanical section, manages their preventive maintenance programs, and oversees any repairs. Schedules the tasks of subordinate staff and coordinates the availability of supplies, tools and vehicles.

Key Performance Areas: • • • • • •

Planning, Coordination, Supervision, Control and Communication of tasks Project Meetings Quotations and Estimations Training & Development Human Resource Management Cost Control

Qualifications, Skills, Competencies and Experience Requirements: • • • • • • •

Grade 12 or equivalent PLUS a National Trade Diploma or equivalent with specialization in the mechanical discipline (N3) Minimum of five (05) years marine mechanical experience of which two (02) years should have been at supervisory/charge hand level Good knowledge of dismantle and assemble of various types of pumps, shafts, blades, etc Good leadership, supervisory, problem solving and communication skills Ability to meet deadlines, work under pressure and work as a team Computer literacy Code B driver’s licence

Remuneration:

EBH will provide remuneration and benefits relevant and appropriate to the position.

Closing Date: 08th August 2014

Should you meet the requirements and willing to contribute to the success of the organisation kindly submit your CV and supporting documents for the attention of Mr. Petrus Pandeni Salomo via e-mail to petrus.s@ebhnamibia.com

ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE NOTIFIED. NO DOCUMENTATIONS OR CV’S WILL BE RETURNED

The International School of Walvis Bay will be hosting their annual International Day this coming Saturday, 26 July from 11h00 until 17h00 on the school premises. On this occasion, the school celebrates the various cultures represented in the school, in aid of creating awareness and raising funds for the school and the various projects they have. With this we would like to send a note of invitation out to all members of the community to come and celebrate the wonderful diversity our school offers. One of the highlights of this event is the Cash Rush. Flag tickets have been sold before the function and will be sold on the day of the event as well, at a cost of N$100 per flag. On International Day, flag holders will be afforded the opportunity to plant their flag in a designated area, in the hope of winning the grand prize of N$8 000. A second and third cash prize is also up for grabs! Gourmet and traditional meals made by the various cultural groups will also be on sale at the festival, to indulge in. There will also be games and activities arranged for the children throughout the day. And so, we invite you, the community, to take your traditional costume out of the mothball boxes and get it ready for our big day. A most dynamic group of Fund Raising committee members and teachers are working extremely hard to ensure that the day will be a huge success. At the International Day our school celebrates the diversity and the international spirit of the children represented. The ISWB at the moment has students from Spain, Brazil, Angola and England enrolled over and above the many different Namibian cultural groups that also school with us. On the day, we have stalls with food which reflect the different cultures and ethnic groups as well as entertainment for kids and adults. There is a tombola, jumping castles and a kids disco for the younger generation, to name but a few. The atmosphere promises to be that of a festive country fare. A huge tent will be pitched on our school grounds, which will house the different food stalls. This wonderful social occasion needs you to be there along with all your family and friends.

News | 9

Thursday, 24 July 2014

Chinese Campsite Nears Completion Staff Reporter As the harbour expansion gains more and more momentum, parallel developments spring up everywhere around town. One of these is the campsite being built for the China Harbour Engineering Company employees, a pretty picture of blue roofs on white walls topping out over small dunes. The Namib Independent decided to find out what this village will be like once completed.

One of the first objections being raised about the Chinese accommodation by coastal residents is that of racial segregation. The existence of what is known as today’s Narraville, Kuisebmund and town area tell the tale of how authorities have painstakingly tried to avoid the mixing of different races throughout history. Is the area set out for the Chinese campsite following in the footsteps of this Apartheid ideology? Well, according to the China

Harbour Engineering Company, (CHEC) they have several reasons for not accommodating their workers around town. “Due to the nature of the project it would have been inconvenient, unrealistic and very costly to accommodate all our future Namibian and Chinese employees over the three-year-period of the Namport project at places such as hotels, private accommodation and bed and breakfast facilities,” Fiona Keir, Project Manager for the China

Harbour Engineering Company said. “We have looked at it holistically, and want to provide fully fledged and much needed accommodation facilities to our employees at no cost while supporting the town’s municipality by leasing the land from them for the time period,” Keir added. According to Keir the accommodation project has been under construction for the past four months and is nearing its completion. “We are looking at finalising the campsite in about a month’s time,” Keir added. During the construction, CHEC has

employed Chinese and Namibian labourers. The main houses are constructed from material used for prefabricated houses. “All materials that are being used have been carefully selected and are environment-friendly, so that when we have to break down the units it will leave no damage to the environment,” Keir commented. The units are spacious, but of varying sizes, some sharing a standard living area and others being more of a communal type. According to Keir, the CHEC will only accommodate its employees at the campsite,

not any family members. “Everyone will be accommodated equally and as per requirements,” she stated. The campsite will also have kitchen facilities as well as a squash and tennis court. With the campsite so far out of town, safety might just be an issue. However, Keir is confident that they have taken all possible steps to provide a secure area. “We already have a Namibian Security company sub-contracted to deliver security services during the day and night. In addition, various security measures have been put in place, ensuring that doors,

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windows and gates are securely lockable. “All necessary standard requirements from the local authorities and town planning have been met with regards to sewerage, running water and electricity,” Keir added. All houses will be fully furnished and equipped with the necessary utensils. The campsite is meant to be only a temporary means to accommodate CHEC employees for the said period of the harbor expansion. As of yet, CHEC could not say what will happen with the campsite once the harbor expansion project has been completed.

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Worldwide News | 11

Thursday, 24 July 2014

W o r l dwid e

One Small Step for

Man, One Giant Leap

Back for Mankind Lavrenty Repin

45 years have passed since the Apollo 11 lunar capsule touched down on our rocky, grey moon marking a new chapter for our civilisation – yet to many, it has been a 45years-of-disappointment. War has always been an instrument of innovation, often at a high cost, but surprisingly with an array of long-lasting benefits

for the spoils of humanity, as the spoils of the victor quickly resign to misguided history books. The cold war provided the political atmosphere that enabled a leap in celestial exploration and research on a, literally, astronomical level. The peak of the space-race cumulated between two imperial countries: USSR (Russia) and USA competed to become the

first empire to put a man on the moon; thus establishing themselves (by some twisted logic) as the better political and economic system. At its peak, USSR launched the first artificial satellite in 1957, only four years later Russia’s Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. America’s John Glenn followed within a year. In 1965, just eight years since the

VACANCY United Fishing Enterprises (Pty) Ltd is a prominent operator in the pelagic fishing industry and an equal opportunity employer. The Company is part of the Bidvest Namibia Group of Companies and is based in Walvis Bay. UFE requires a suitably qualified Namibian to occupy the vacancy of Workshop and Equipment Foreman and Marine Workshop Foreman as soon as possible.

Workshop and Equipment Foreman United Fishing Enterprises (Pty) Ltd

Location : Walvis Bay

Job Specification... Ÿ To control all internal /external rental of equipment - forklifts, vehicles and truck; Ÿ Allocating equipment to different departments and liaising with finance to invoice internal and external clients; Ÿ Manage external renting of equipment; Minimum Requirements... Ÿ Grade 12; Ÿ N3 Technical diploma; Ÿ Experience in working with Diesel Engines and forklifts; Read more on the Website...

Marine Workshop Foreman United Fishing Enterprises (Pty) Ltd

Location : Walvis Bay

Job Specification...

Ÿ The incumbent will be in charge of all engineering and technical work

on UFE ' s Purse seine Fleet;

Ÿ Will liaise with Subcontractors and control the issuing and allocation

of work to be done;

Ÿ Will liaise directly with Namport to book and control annual syncrolift

activities for fleet; Minimum Requirements... Ÿ Must be a Namibian citizen; Ÿ Must be in possession of an Engineering class 4 / equivalent or higher Certificate of Competence; Ÿ Must at least have 5 years' experience as a Chief Engineer;

Read more on the Website...

The closing date for above positions is: 25 July 2014 Bidvest Namibia supports all efforts to conserve the environment and uses an online recruitment service to reduce its carbon footprint. This service enables you to view the latest vacancies within the Bidvest Namiba Group and to register your CV for any other future positions. All applications must be done online at:

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Bidvest Namibia Limited is a proudly Namibian company, listed on the Namibian Stock Exchange and is engaged in fisheries, food distribution, commercial trade, freight management and service industries. Bidvest Namibia believes in empowering people, building relationships and improving lives. We turn ordinary companies into extraordinary performers, delivering strong and consistent shareholder returns in the process. But most importantly, we understand that people create wealth, and that companies only report it.

launch of the first satellite, NASA’s own spaceship did a fly-by past Mars and four years on Neil Armstrong cautiously walked out on to the surface of a foreign planet, bringing life to the moon for the first time in the history of our planet (unless you’re a conspiracy theorist, of course). As millions of people crowded around old grainy black and white televisions to watch a moment in human history that will never be erased, I wonder how many of them looked to the future in awe and excitement; contemplating what planets we might visit next and what incredible technological strides we may achieve. 45 years on and the little war-ridden human population of earth, most of whom are too young to have experienced the momentous Apollo missions, have indeed achieved an explosion in technological advances. Moore’s exponential law predicted accurately that computers double in efficiency, speed and power every two years – presently the cell phone in your pocket has a heck of a lot more processing power, storing capabilities and functions than all the digital equipment, computer hardware and software put together used to bring Neil Armstrong to the moon, some 384 000 kilometres away. The algorithms used to power your Angry Birds game today are civilisations away in complexity and powering capability from the 6Mbyte programs IBM developed to monitor the spacecraft's environmental and astronauts' biomedical data, which they described at the time “as the most complex software ever written”. Yet following the extraordinary timeline of events, climaxing in 1969 with the moon landing, space exploration dwindled desperately as the cold war slowed in its prominence. It took ten years for Voyager 1 to flyby Jupiter. Another eleven for the Hubble Space Telescope to be launched. In 1998 the International Space Station was established amid renewed space cooperation between Russian and the

Source: NASA US, its mission; to fly around our orbit for no particular reason. 45 years of absolutely nothing of note to mention. Indeed, the reputation of scientists has deteriorated lately to status of “geek” or “bookworm” and how many of today's kids want to be astronauts when they are older? The technological advances, unbelievable in complexity, are used almost entirely to power video games, music players and social networks. America and Russia have thrown the bulk of their focus into commerce, economy and politics, with very little success judging by the ongoing wars and economic crisies. The world’s most powerful nation has consistently cut NASA’s budget. In 1966, at its highest, the budget was US$32 million or 4,4% of the federal budget. By 1975 the percentage fell below the 1% mark, at US$11 million and entering the millennium, the figure rotated between 14 and 16 million. The budget now stands at (still a ridiculous) US$17 million annually, or 0.4% of the federal budget. In 2012 NASA had a total of 79 000 employees, compared to over 400 000 in 1965. Governments have been all too willing to listen to arguments made by the youth of our time, such as; space exploration is not important, that we should

focus on the problems of the world and that it is a bottomless pit for tax payers' dollars with no immediate benefits to people’s lives and communities; all absolutely ridiculous arguments. One of our times most instrumental scientist, Dr. Carl Sagan, once said that “Since in the long run, every planetary society will be endangered by impacts from space, every civilisation is obliged to become spacefaring – not because of exploratory or romantic zeal, but for the most practical reason imaginable: staying alive.” But besides protecting ourselves from potential life-ending asteroids, like the one NASA and Canada are working on preventing, an asteroid named Bennu, which will make a series of close approaches to Earth in (the distant future) 2180, with a 1 in 1800 chance of a life-changing collision, there is an array of benefits that only imagination can limit. A November 1971 study of NASA released by MRIGlobal, concluded that "the $25 billion spent on civilian space R & D during the 1958-1969 period has returned $52 billion through 1971 -- and will continue to produce pay offs through 1987, at which time the total pay off will have been $181 billion." This has been exceeded unmeasurably; considering

that the IBM software used by the Apollo missions introduced the world of computing to the world making it popular, the programming methods developed by NASA scientists are still used today as the backbone of the software world – personal computers, cell phones, GPS, satellites all owe their credit to the space race. We fight over dwindling resources, yet planets and celestial bodies nearby contain the elements we need in abundance, and if our travels can someday lead us to the discovery of extra-terrestrial beings, the benefits are unimaginable. Sadly, caught up in war and greed, countries have neglected their duty as representatives of Earth, to explore the unknown. China is on its way to visit the moon next year, as it expands its space program, closely followed by India’s ambitions. Yet their missions are not pioneering. Now the privately-funded (or underfunded) Mars project is ambitiously planning to send people to mars while the CEOs of some of the largest corporations on the planet plan to set up a fully-equipped rare-metal mine on the moon – but it seems that to achieve a real cosmic stride, the likes of the 1960s space race, will take unparalleled world cooperation or another world war to achieve.

12 | Worldwide News

Thursday, 24 July 2014

W or l d wid e

Boy, Nine, Remarries His

62-Year-Old Bride A nine-year-old schoolboy has become one of the world's youngest grooms for the second time after marrying his 62-year-old wife again, to keep his ancestors happy. The second marriage ceremony was this time held at the home of the blushing bride in Ximhungwe in Mpumalanga, South Africa, in front of around 100 guests. Shockingly, his family took the message from the heavens seriously and hurriedly forked out N$5000 for the bride and a further N$10 000 for the big day. But little Sanele Masilela – the youngest of

five children – would not rest until the couple followed through with South African traditions, insisting they have the second ceremony to make their marriage official. Despite stunned villagers branding the act 'sickening', the boy's family defended the union saying it was just a ritual and not legally binding. Sanele's 47-year-old mum, Patience Masilela, said: "Sanele was fine and he was happy about the ceremony last year and it is what he wanted. He was just happy to get married, very excited and was not embarrassed about it. So much so he wanted to do it again.

"After the wedding last year people keep asking them question like will they live together, sleep together, have babies, but I keep telling them that after the wedding everything went back to normal, nothing changed. "Sanele moved to Venda not long after the wedding because he wanted to learn a new language, but they are very close. "Our families are very close. It was nice to celebrate with a wedding once more, it was after all a calling from the ancestors. By doing this we made the ancestors happy. If we hadn't done what my son had asked then

something bad would have happened in the family." The widow, who works at a recycling centre, added: "I didn't have a problem with it because I know it's what the ancestors wanted and it would make them happy." Young groom Sanele said he hoped he would have a proper wedding to a woman his own age when he was older. "I told my mother that I wanted to get married because I really did want to,' he said. "I'm happy that I married Helen – but I will go to school and study hard. When I'm older I will marry a lady

my own age. "I chose Helen because I love her and although we don't live together all the time we meet at the dumping site where my mother works regularly." Old enough to be his grandmother, bride Helen, whose children are aged between 38 and 28, yesterday said she was still happy with the arrangement. The recycling worker – who donned the same dress – said: "I'm very happy that the boy chose me and my family support and understand that it is part of making ancestors happy."

Cannibal Fetish

Nurse Planned on Killing and Eating

14-Year-Old Girl A nurse who tried to meet up with a young girl so he could kill and eat her has been found guilty of sexual grooming. Dale Bolinger, 57, made headlines after it was revealed he tried to meet up with a 14-year-old girl named ‘Eva’ with the promise that he would behead her and then cook and eat her remains. He arranged to meet Eva, a Mexican living in Germany, at Ashford International train station, sending her a message the day before, saying: "I’ll eat everything from your feet to your face. You’ll be completely consumed." Eva did not show up to the meeting, and Bolinger was arrested in February last year following an FBI tip-off. He was found guilty of attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 following sexual grooming at Canterbury crown court. Police also found messages posted on the Dark Fetish Network by Bolinger, in which he boasted that he had killed and eaten both a 39-year-old woman and a girl of five. Bolinger, who had worked as a nurse at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital

in Margate and was married for 34 years, posted about allegedly eating the five-year-old to the fetish website: "Tried her alive but not great, could only taste the blood so I snapped her neck and cut her up and ate her over about three weeks." He will be sentenced on September 19. Source: http://metro.co.uk/

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We’ve Got Mail | 13

Thursday, 24 July 2014

MAIL Namibian Love we've got

Letter to Palestine The pogroms against the Palestinians of the past 66 years persist unabated. So far, on the sixth day of the latest siege on Gaza by the Israeli state, 165 Palestinians (including 34 children and 18 members of one family) have been slain and more than 1089 (including 342 children) injured. About 2477 sites have been bombed, including the El-Wafa Geriatric hospital in Gaza City, a rehabilitation centre for the disabled in northern Gaza and the house of a renowned professor of linguistics. Around 216 houses have been damaged and 1086 partially destroyed Gaza is home to 1.7 million Palestinians – almost as many as the entire Namibian population. But, unlike our vast geographical area, this Palestinian Bantustan is one of the most densely populated and impoverished areas on the globe. Some have referred to it as the largest open-air prison in the world, a consequence of the colonial occupation of Palestine. Of course, the Namibian people know about Bantustans, but the situation in Gaza is much graver. Israel boasts one of the strongest armies with hundreds of nuclear weapons in its arsenal. In fact, the rogue state is reportedly using weapons called Dense Inert Metal Explosives, which cause acute disfigurements and inner wounds. The homemade rockets of the Palestinians pale in comparison to such weapons of mass destruction – which is confirmed by the fact

that not a single Israeli has yet died from these missiles. It is such a huge fabrication that these are two equivalent fighting forces when they really are coloniser and colonised. The entire globe is being subjected to an enormous disinformation campaign of the Zionist movement to justify its hideous atrocities against humanity: indiscriminately bombing civilian areas, collective punishment, demolishing private homes, mass detention and harassment. As usual, this sophism is uncritically regurgitated in some media in Namibia. At least 1407 Palestinian children have been killed over the past 14 years by Zionism. It is believed that a Palestinian child is murdered every three days. There is no doubt that the Israeli state abuses and terrorises Palestinian children on a massive scale. What a vicious oppressor. What a ghastly form of state terrorism. What anguish the Palestinian people must endure. The distinguished Palestinian intellectual, Edward Said, wrote excruciatingly about the vilification of the Palestinian identity by Zionist ideology and stated that it exemplified the ‘punishing destiny of being held hostage by a dehumanising ideology’. Reasonable voices such as those of Edward Said or the Israeli journalist, Gideon Levy, have been drowned out in the mad rush to warmongering, scaremongering and the cult of the weapon, while the devaluation of countless Palestinian deaths dehumanises us all. Humanity tolerates far

too many monstrosities. The Jewish people have a wretched and long history of torment as well as an exceptionally proud record of left-wing thinking and activism. They too – like Namibians – suffered genocide. Many – if not most – Jewish and Israeli people oppose the occupation of Palestine, but Zionism (not Judaism) makes Israel the most unsafe place for them. So, the foe is Zionism, that form of colonialism and oppression which is actually much worse than apartheid as that ideology propagates the expulsion of all Palestinians. And there are millions of Palestinians in exile. This life of exile is a state-ofbeing that Namibians can fully empathise with as we only emerged from that more than two decades ago. However, the colonial regimes in Namibia or the apartheid rulers in South Africa/Azania would not have dared to do what the Zionist system is currently doing in Gaza, i.e. the unrelenting bombardment of civilians, homes, hospitals and schools from the air for days on end. And, the people of southern Africa

should fathom that we have much in common with the Palestinian populace. Besides our history of colonialism, fascism and apartheid, South Africa – which was colonising Namibia at the time – was, after the Second World War, the next choice for the location of the State of Israel. In other words, we in southern Africa could very well have been in the same situation as the Palestinians today – facing a brutish Zionist establishment guilty of massive crimes against humanity for almost seven decades now. And doing it with impunity as the so-called Western democracies are complicit in this violation of Palestinians! The US military, for example, operates a radar station in the Negev desert (south-western Israel), run by 100 soldiers, with the world’s most sophisticated missile defence system. As Namibians, we are ashamed and dismayed to acknowledge that a solid link exists between diamond production in this country and the Israeli elite. We call on the Namibian government to immediately sever

Palestinian women react next to the rubble of their relatives’ house, which police said was destroyed in an Israeli air strike, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Picture by: Reuters

all diplomatic ties with Israel and to join the campaign to boycott, divest from or implement sanctions against the Zionist state. What is required is a unitary and secular Palestine, where Jews and Palestinians can live together in peace, justice and social equality. Oppression anywhere in the world should be our preoccupation. The Palestinian people should be in the thoughts and feelings of Namibians. We are all Palestinians. Shaun Whittaker

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14 | Lifestyle

Thursday, 24 July 2014

LIFESTYLE What Porn Does

to Intimacy The rapid proliferation of pornography is one of the digital age’s legacies; and 43% of all internet users visit porn websites regularly, many of them emerging or young adults. Popular media have capitalised on cautionary tales about porn addiction and stories of boyfriends objectifying their girlfriends and wanting them to behave like porn stars. But studies confirm that the preponderance of young men—and slightly less than half of women—thinks that watching sexually explicit material is okay. That’s what Spencer B. Olmstead and his colleagues found when they asked college students about the use of pornography in future romantic relationships: 70.8 percent of men and 45.5 percent of women thought they would watch. In contrast, only 22.3 percent of men and 26.3 percent of women thought pornography had no role in a romantic partnership. Men and women tend to disagree on two issues: How porn is watched (alone, in groups, with a sexual partner); and how

often it is watched. As Michael Kimmel reported in his 2008 book Guyland, young men often watch porn with their peers and for different reasons than older men. Kimmel writes that “guys tend to like the extreme stuff, the double penetrations and humiliating scenes. They watch it together with guys and they make fun of the women in the scene.” In contrast, older men with more experience either watch by themselves or with a partner, and with what Kimmel calls “wistfulness” about their younger selves; they tend to prefer material “where the women look like they are filled with desire and experience pleasure.” The Olmstead study found that women’s concerns had more to do with whether consumption of porn was limited than whom it was watched with. Men tend to think that watching porn has only positive consequences. As reported by Nathaniel Lambert and others in a review of studies, women whose partners watched porn regularly thought less of those partners and saw porn as more of a threat

to the stability of their relationship. On the other hand, other studies have shown that young men and women alike think that sexually explicit material can help them explore their sexuality and adds “spice” to what they do in bed. Is watching pornography really as benign as people think? The following three studies reveal that it has a greater effect on relationships than those we usually discuss. 1. Porn-free relationships are stronger, with a lower rate of infidelity. That’s what Amanda Maddox and her colleagues found in a study of men and women, ages 18 to 34, who were in romantic relationships. The researchers measured the levels of negative communication, relationship adjustment, dedication or interpersonal commitment, sexual satisfaction, and infidelity. In their study, 76.8 percent of men and 34.6 percent of women looked at sexually explicit material alone; 44.8 percent reported viewing it with partners. They found that people who did not view any

porn had lower levels of negative communication, were more committed to the relationship, and had higher sexual satisfaction and relationship adjustment. Their rate of infidelity was at least half of those who had watched sexual material alone and with their partners. But people who only watched porn with their partners were more dedicated to the relationship and more sexually satisfied than those who watched alone. 2. Watching porn diminishes relationship commitment. What these researchers discovered is that watching porn reminds you of all the potential sexual partners out there, which in turn lowers your dedication to the person you’re actually involved with. It also leads you to swap out the person who’s actually lying in bed with you for some fantasy person you’ve never met (and probably never will). Nathaniel Lambert, Sesen Negash and others conducted five separate experiments to find out. In the first, they asked participants, age 17 to 26, who were in relationships

(as long as three years and as brief as two months) about their porn consumption and measured levels of commitment. They found that porn consumption lowered commitment in both men and women, but with a stronger effect on men. In their second study, they had independent observers watch videos of couples performing an interactive task— one partner was blindfolded and had to draw something while the other gave instructions. Among the observers, lower commitment was observed among porn users. The third study only tested participants who had consumed porn. They had half the group give up porn for three weeks. The other half was asked to give up their favourite food, but were allowed to watch porn. The result? Those who had abstained from sexually explicit material showed increased commitment to the relationship at the end of the three weeks. The last two studies focused on the effect of

greater attentiveness to alternatives on potential infidelity and infidelity itself. And yes, people who watched porn were more likely to engage in flirting (and more) outside their relationships in one experiment; and more likely to cheat and hook-up in the other. 3. The fantasy alternative leads to real-world cheating. In another study, Andrea Mariea Gwinn, Nathaniel Lambert, and others further explored the nature of the other alternatives imaginatively offered up by pornography. They suggested two possibilities: First, that seeing physically attractive and sexually available partners on screen may heighten a person’s perceptions of his own possible partners. And second, that porn may make the idea of multiple sexual partners more appealing—another wound to a committed relationship. And that’s exactly what they found. In one study, the researchers found that

people who thought about porn they’d watched reported having better alternatives to their current relationship than those who didn’t. A second study showed that, over time, exposure to porn was a robust predictor of infidelity. More strikingly, the team found that both thinking about possible partners and acting on the impulse to find those alternatives operated separately from dissatisfaction with one's current relationship and partner. In other words, even though one's own pasture may be plenty green enough, just the thought of a greener one can be enough to send one roving. You might want to keep that in mind if you’ve been watching the hard stuff or if you've become inured to seeing your partner just flip open his laptop "just for fun.” Pornography is not as benign as you think, especially when it comes to romantic relationships. Source: http://www. psychologytoday.com/

Wesco Engineering (Pty) Ltd. General ManaGer Position:

We seek a suitable candidate to fill the position of General Manager

rePortinG:

The incumbent will report to the Operations Director of the Company. Responsibilities include all the aspects of the Engineering Operation as follows: • Manage all Engineering and Administration functions of the Company • Allocate orders to the Workshop Foreman • Prepare tenders • Approve tenders • New client liaison • Technical review meetings • Costing review and financial administration • Manage the Human Resource function of the workshop • New business and marketing • Planning • Production • Must be willing to travel

Qualifications and exPerience reQuired:

The successful applicant must have at least 10 (ten) years management experience in an Engineering Environment

the coMPany offers coMPetitive frinGe benefits which include the followinG: • • •

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Please submit your curriculum vitae and proof of qualifications with a covering letter to: recruitment@linkservices.com.na closinG date: 25 July 2014 Please note: only short listed candidates will be contacted.

It Happened to Me! | 15

Thursday, 24 July 2014

It Happened to ME!

Raped as

a 14-YearOld Virgin Coastal Girl Shares Her Traumatic Experience Tanya Calitz “It was in the autumn of 1999. I was a 14 year old virgin. I went to stay over at a girlfriend’s house for the Easter weekend. Her parents were away on a rally weekend and we decided to play househouse for that weekend.” The son of very close family friends, Johan, was in town on a short visit from University. He was 20 years old and studies Mechanical Engineering in Potchefstroom. Both

families were well off and rather well known, especially under the rally community in town. “It was the Friday night and *Melissa and I were home alone, watching movies and eating pizza, when someone knocked on the door. It was Johan and a buddy of his. "We could see that they had a few drinks too many, but Melissa knew them well and invited them in. They offered us some alcohol too. We had a little bit, but were both a bit hesitant

about drinking with them, so we only had one brandy and coke. It all seemed innocent and fun up until then,” Natasha conveyed her experience to the paper. Johan’s friend passed out on the couch and around midnight Melissa also went to bed, leaving Natasha and Johan alone in the lounge. After a while Melissa came out and said that they were noisy and should go to her brother’s outdoor bedroom, which they then did. “Shortly after we went to her brother’s room,

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Johan became quite touchy and kissed me a few times. I kissed him back, but the minute his hand started wandering I would stop and take his hand off my breast and crotch area. He kept telling me to just go with it and to quit stopping him, but I stayed persistent. After a while of trying to keep him under control I decided to rather go to bed myself. I said goodnight and as I turned to walk out he pulled me back. All of a sudden his whole body language changed. His eyes turned wild and violent. “He grabbed me by the throat and started choking me. He told me that if I did not co-operate he would gag the life out of me. I was dead scared. I could not believe what was happening. I

begged and cried, but the more I did so, the harder he choked me. He was so strong. I felt so weak and defenceless. Every time I tried to fight back or break away he would stick his thumb deeper into my gullet. I begged him to stop and told him that I was still a virgin, but that made him even more vigorous. I could feel each inch of invasion into my body. It was painful and very uncomfortable. I closed my eyes and prayed out loud to God to make him stop,” Natasha shared. "The next minute it was over. He stopped, climbed off me, while breathing very deeply. He looked at

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me with so much disgust and belligerence. I cried silently, picked up my clothes and left the room. As I walked out he called me a slut. For a minute I believed him. I went straight into the house's bathroom, and sat down on the toilet. My body felt heavy and sore. Blood was dripping from me, down into the toilet. I was no longer a virgin. I took a bath in a trance-like state of mind and washed him out of my body. Despite my physical pain, I was numb, angry and revolted. How could I let this happen to me? I sat in the bath and cried for what felt like hours. I got out and went to bed. The next

morning the house was still and empty. “I got up very early, still feeling the pain between my legs. I told Melissa that I was feeling a bit sick and was going to go home. Ashamed I left the house. I felt so disappointed in myself and unbelievably guilty. What if, and why, popped into my head the whole time, along with the disturbing flashes of the night before. I was angry at him, Melissa, myself and all men. I hated life for a while. After that day I blocked out the incident for the longest time. I promised myself that I would never tell anyone about what had happened that night. I was too ashamed and felt too guilty. To date I have never seen Johan again. I heard that he is married now with two children." The following two years of Natasha’s life are a total blank. To this day, she cannot remember anything about those two years, but then decided to turn her life around and take on a positive approach, still blocking out the horrors of that night. The years had come and gone, but still she never confided in anyone about what had happened. She even told her first boyfriend that she was still a virgin, almost believing herself. Then, in 2008 at the age of 25, Natasha went through a terrible break-up, after being in a very abusive relationship for over two years. She fell into a very deep depression and her mother decided to send her to see a psychiatrist. At first she was very reluctant to go and sceptical, but it turned out to be the best thing ever. “After more than ten years, I finally spoke about my rape. I realised and learned that so much of my current issues were linked to that one fateful night in autumn,” she said. “Today I can truly say that I have completely worked through that traumatic experience, with professional help, hypnosis and therapy. I have since then shared my horrible experience with other girls and women that have been raped under similar circumstances, to realise that it is not their fault and that they do not have to carry that shame, hurt, humiliation and guilt with them forever. There is life, if not an even better one, after being raped. That horrific incident has made me a much stronger person, but even more so an empathetic person, who can sympathise with others trauma and share some coping-skills I have picked up over the years,” Natasha said. *All names in this article have been changed to protect the identities.

Closed: Friday, 25 July at 14h00 Open: Saturday, 26 July at 13h00

S N O I T A OPER

E R U CLOS

Due to a system upgrade, no DStv or GOtv transactions will be processed on the stipulated dates. Customers must also take note that ALL CUSTOMER ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL CHANGE with the switch, and therefore, each customer must use their NEW CUSTOMER ACCOUNT NUMBER AS REFERENCE when making payments after 26 July 2014.

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We advise that all DStv and GOtv accounts due for payment on these dates be paid by Friday, 25 July before 15h00.