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namib times SERVING THE COASTAL COMMUNITY SINCE 1958 NO 6585 FRIDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 2016 Tel: +264 64 - 205854 / +264 64 - 461866 /Fax: +264 64 - 204813 / 064 - 461824 / Website: www.namibtimes.net
Senior immigration officer suspended at Walvis Bay for work visa irregularities
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Remember time-change on Sunday
Piquet Jacobs A senior immigration officer of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration in Walvis Bay was suspended from certain duties on 23 August, after gross irregularities were discovered with the issuing of at least two work visas for South Africans. The official is not allowed to stamp work visas any more, as in one instance he allowed two South Africans nineteen more months in Namibia to work, contrary to the Immigration Selection Board allowing these two South African nationals only five months in the country. In the first instance, a work permit application was approved by the selection board on 1 September 2015 for a period of five months until 31 January 2016. This senior official stamped the passport with the work visa stamp and instead changed this date for the validity of the work visa to 15 September 2017, nearly nineteen months more than what the Board allowed. Continues on page 2
Plan to remove 30 000 squatters Page 3
Tipped crane salvaged
Swakopmund owes NamWater N$87m Municipality not in the position to repay this debt...... Sharlien Tjambari The Swakopmund Municipality owes the national water utility Namwater N$74 million. This shocking news was revealed by Swakopmund Council member Wilfried Groenewald who also said that Namwater is requesting the municipality to settle their debts, but the municipality is not in a position to pay. Groenewald made these remarks during a consultative meeting with the Minister of Agriculture Water, and Forestry Mr John Mutorwa yesterday in the coastal town. Councillor Kleopas Ngwena also commented on the debts owed to Namwater saying that the water prices are raised regularly and there “is nothing the council can do” as they have no
say in the matter. Commenting on the same issue Mutorwa said Namwater only acts according to laws which have been implemented and that this is done to recover costs. “Namwater has every right to demand for their debts to be paid in full,” Mutorwa said.
Need for desalination no more debatable water shortage for coast grows rapidly Sharlien Tjambari During the information sharing and consultative meeting about the water supply to the coastal areas of Namibia with stakeholders in Swakopmund yesterday, the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, Mr John Mutorwa, made it clear that the national water utility Namwater is running out of sufficient water for the central coastal region. The only future for the coastal towns lies in the desalination of seawater. According to Mutorwa the main objective of the meeting was to provide an overall plan and strategies on how to deal with the issue of water supply both in the short, medium and long term and to provide and seek some information with regard to the situation of water in Erongo and to Continues on page 2
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Miss Blue Waters 2016
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