22 sept namib times e-edition

Diverse cultural groups, Swakopmunders and visitors gathered at the Amphi-Theatre in Swakopmund on Monday morning for the celebratory event which marked the official opening of the Namibian Heritage Week. Read the full story on Page 5.

Henties Bay Municipal Executive in Court

Haroldt Ricardo Kruger, the Strategic Executive for Corporate Services at the HentiesBayMunicipality,appearedinfrontofMagistrateConchitaOlivieratthe Swakopmund Magistrate Court on charges of fraud this week, after he was summonedtocourtonThursday

The accusations against Kruger involve the alleged forgery of a community member's signature and impersonation of that individual, utilising theirname,contactnumber,andsignature.

Namib Times reached out to Willem Jansen, a Henties Bay resident and community activist whosename,signature,andcontactnumberwere involvedintheincident.

AccordingtoJansen,theincidentunfoldedinJuly of the previous year while he was in Windhoek accompanying his wife for medical reasons. Around 20 July, he received an unexpected call from an individual claiming to be from Coastal Couriers.ThecalleraskedwhereinWindhoekhe shoulddeliverapackagethathadbeensentfrom

Swakopmund.

Jansen became suspicious and responded, "What parcel? I didn't send any parcel." Upon further inquiry, he realised that something was amiss. He drovetothelocationanddiscoveredhisname,cellphonenumbers,andaforgedsignatureonthewaybill. Inside the package were three envelopes containingidenticalletters.

Jansen informed the driver that someone was fraudulently using his name and decided to take possessionofthedocuments.HecontactedCoastal Couriers,whoconfirmedtheyhadnoknowledgeof thesender

Jansen requested CCTV footage from Coastal

Continues on page 2

ErongoRED Announces Crucial Changes in Metering System

Ahead of TID Rollover

Swakopmund Snake Park

Searching for New Premises

Numubes Says No To Racism and Tribalism

Photo Sharlien Tjambari

Haroldt Ricardo Kruger

Sharlien Tjambari

Couriers,anduponreviewingit,he contactedhislawyerinWindhoek. HereturnedtoHentiesBay,opened a case, and later transferred it to Swakopmund.

Despite providing evidence to an inspector, Jansen faced numerous delays and excuses when trying to follow up on the investigation.

Dissatisfied with the lack of progress, he felt that the inspector was not forthcoming with information.

In May of this year, Jansen grew frustrated with the stalled investigation. He raised concerns aboutthespecialtreatmentKruger seemed to receive, with Kruger being summoned to court rather thanarrested.

Jansen, a community activist, believed that his public profile

mighthavemadehimatarget.Hehad previously received threatening SMS messages on his wife's phone from Kruger

Theletterfoundinthepackagewasa request to the Minister of Finance, urging an investigation into corruption allegations against the current Chief Executive Officer, Mrs SCoetzee.

Reportedly, the incident took place duringofficehourswhileKrugerwas on official duty Jansen attempted to fileacomplaintwiththeHentiesBay Municipality but was met with reluctance from local authority councillors who claimed it was not withintheirjurisdiction.

ThecasewillcontinueonApril24 forpleaandtrial,andKrugerhas beencautionedregardinghis actions.

Erongo RED Announces Crucial Changes in Metering System Ahead of TID Rollover

In a press conference on Tuesday this week, Immanuel !Hanabeb, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ErongoRED, delivered a significant announcement regarding forthcoming changes in the metering environment, particularly focusingontheTokenIdentifier(TID)Rolloversettooccuron24November2024.

!Hanabeb began by acknowledging directives received from the Standard Transfer Specification (STS)Association, which will impact not onlyErongoRED'smetersbutallSTS-compliant meters countrywide. He stressed that ErongoRED swiftly took action to ensure compliance withthesechanges,enhancingtheirvendingsystem software to adopt the new STS6 standard. This vital upgrade will enable meters to accept tokenspurchasedafterthedate. Explaining the current process, !Hanabeb outlined that when consumers purchase electricity through ErongoRED's channels, they receive a receipt with a unique 20-digit number, used to credit their meters. This number contains a distinctive Token ID, crucial for identifying tokens.However,on24November2024,meters will cease to accept these token numbers, as the TokenIDwillreachitslimitinidentifyingunique tokens.

To address this, pre-paid meters need to be updated with a new Token Identifier, a process achieved through a key change token ErongoRED has proactively completed the backend infrastructure upgrade to accommodate theTIDRollover

The next phase involves customer involvement. !Hanabeb explained, “To ensure their meters are updated, customers are required to use two 20digitactivationcodes,totalling40digits.”There aretwooptionsforactivation: Option1:ErongoREDtechniciansorauthorises agentswillvisitmetersandinputtheKeyChange

Token. These agents will carry official identification cards for verification, ensuring customer safety

Option 2: Customers can visit the nearest ErongoRED office to request the Key Change Token, activating their meters with the provided codeandthenenteringtheirpurchasedunits. An essential note for customers: Ensure all prepaid tokens purchased before the update have been entered into your meter before proceeding withtheupdate.

ErongoREDurgesallprepaidmeteruserstovisit their offices promptly to claim their Key Change Codes. Currently, over 7 409 meters have been upgraded, representing 19% completion, with more extensive efforts focused on Walvis Bay (37%) and Swakopmund (33%). In the next 12 months, priority will shift to updating meters in Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Henties Bay, and Arandis, where only 5% of meters have been updatedsofar

!Hanabeb reassured customers that there is no needforconcern;theTIDRolloverisanecessary step for continued service delivery and is not unique to ErongoRED. “The company remains committed to providing uninterrupted services, and customers are encouraged to support this initiative.”

The countdown to the TID Rollover has begun, andallcustomersareurgedtoensuretheirmeters are upgraded to avoid disruptions. For any assistance, affected customers can contact ErongoRED'scustomercareagentsorcallcentre.

Double Homicide Trial Closing Arguments Set for October

TheWindhoekHighCourtJudge,ChristieLiebenbergonThursday,15September postponed the trial of former Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT)employee,ErnstLichtenstrasser,whostandsaccusedofmurderingtwoof hissuperiors,to16Octoberthisyear.

Liebenberg postponed the matter for final oral submissionsbeforeaverdictonconvictioncanbe made, after the State indicated that Deputy Prosecutor General, Antonia Verhoeff, who is representing the State in the matter, has been booked off due to illness Double Homicide accusedLichtenstrasserhasbeenbroughttotrialon chargesrelatingtothemurderoftheinstitute'stwo top executives of NIMT Executive Director, EckhartMueller,andhisDeputy,HeimoHellwig. ThemurderstookplaceattheNIMT'sheadoffice on 15April 2019. Lichtenstrasser, represented by legal aid lawyer, Albert Titus, has pleaded not guilty to all eight charges against him, which include two counts of murder and two counts of possessing a firearm without a license.After Lichtenstrasser was arrested at Karibib during the evening of 16 April 2019.He voluntarily made a confessionwhereinheadmittedhewastheshooter in the murders of the two senior executives of the

NIMTinstitute.

Hefoughthardtokeeptheconfessionthathemade to police officers atWalvis Bay a month after his arrestoutofevidencebutfailed.Hetoldthecourt he made a false confession under duress, after police officers threatened to arrest his wife. The prosecutionclaimsthatLichtenstrassercommitted the double murder following a dispute with the NIMT leadership regarding his transfer from the institute's campus at Tsumeb, where he was employed, to NIMT's campus at Keetmanshoop which would have been a major financial burden forhim.Therewerenoknowneyewitnessestothe crime, and Lichtenstrasser was arrested the eveningafterthemurders.

The National Forensic Science Institute showed spent bullet casings found at the murder scene, cartridgesfoundatashootingrangeintheTsumeb area where Lichtenstrasser had done shooting practice shortly before the murders, and spent bullets found at his house at Otavi which had all beenfiredbythesamegun.

In his testimony, Lichtenstrasser stated he spent the days leading up to the murder in the desert between Usakos and Arandis, following a disagreementwithhiswifeandaplannedmeeting withacolleague.Healsodisputedaconfessionhe madeamonthafterhisarrest,allegingitwasgiven under duress after police threatened to arrest his wife.Hehasremainedincustodysincehisarrest.

Double Homicide accused Ernst Lichtenstrasser

Photo left: NIMT Executive Director Eckhart Mueller and his Deputy, Heimo Hellwig that were gunned downed at the NIMT in 2019

Rudi Bowe

Eileen van der Schyff

Swakopmund Snake Park Searching for New Premises

they need a space of about 200m², who needs to house more than50animals.

“Our animals are not something you can wrap up and store in a warehouse; they are sensitive animals who requirespecialcare.It's quite a process to keep and take care of these animals,toensurethey are healthy and thriving. Preferably, the space should be where there are a lot of feet, like a CBD area, and ample parking space.

I'velookedataplacein themainstreetofSwakopmund,butitisway beyond my pay grade; over N$50 000 and I cannotaffordthat.”

TheSwakopmundSnakeParkisfacinganunfortunatesituationwhereitneedsto findnewpremisesassoonaspossible.

Stretch Combrink, the owner of the Swakopmund Park stated that he has beengivenuntilend ofFebruary2024to vacate the current premises.

“The Snake Park has been around since 1995, and the founding owner wasStewartHebart.

After his retirement, mywifeandIbought the park from him. We initially moved from our first premises in 2015, because the Municipality needed the building We then moved into our current premises, and we've now been given notice I've

been searching high and low for the past three months in Swakopmund for suitable premises, but to no avail. It's either too expensive, inaccessible to the public or not enough parking space.”

The Snake Park and surrounding buildings was given

notice to make way for a new development.

Combrink explained that thus far, for the year, 112 schools havevisitedtheSnake Park.

“This is 550 teachers and 4 884 learners; this is not only a tourist attraction but an educational centre aswell.”

“Ihavenowheretogo with the snakes, and perhaps I could appeal to someone, if they have a possible collaborationinmind, asuitablespace,forus to keep the Snake Park in Swakopmund.”

Combrink added that he has a meeting scheduled with a private nature reserve located outside of Swakopmund.

“If I can't find any suitablespaceinSwakopmund, we will thenhavetomove.”

He explained that

“Hopefully someone reads this, sees my

plight,andgivesmea call. I would hate to see Swakopmund without the Snake Park.Itisoneofthose things that's a 'must do' for families; they visit the Aquarium, the Snake Park and theice-creamparlour It's a great place to view and experience thesnakesupclosein asafeenvironment.”

He added that the moving process is all dependent on the spacetheparkmoves to.

“The current Snake Park was an old house, where the rooms were turned into cages for the snakes. Whenwemove,Iwill probably have to build new cages

Although the notice period is seven months, time flies. I haveupcomingtraining to do with the ministry of tourism, inOctober

In November, I prepare for December, which is the busiest timeoftheyear,then its January and then its February Time is oftheessence.”

Combrink added that like any other business, they too suffered severe financial losses during the Covid-19pandemic. “We are trying to recover now. Plus, aside from me and my wife, we also employ four people, which will also be affectedbythis.”

Stretch Combrink with a Black Mamba at the Swakopmund Snake Park. P hotos Leandrea Mouers

Leandrea Mouers

Have-a-Heart Foundation: A Beacon of Hope for Stray Animals in Walvis Bay

Eileen van der Schyff

Multiple fish factories and businesses in Walvis Bay have embraced a voluntary Trap-NeuterReturn (TNR) initiative spearheaded by the Have-a-Heart Walvis Bay initiative that operates under the umbrella of Have-a-Heart Namibia. Under this program, feral cats living on these factoryandbusinessgroundsarecompassionatelycaptured,neuteredbylocalveterinarians,and then returned to their familiar surroundings to fulfil their natural role as skilled mouse and rat hunters.

Tonameafew, B4Diving,Embwinda,Princess Brands, Spraytech, Jax Services, Steel Africa, Desert Airpower, Tunacor, Namport, Namdoc and Skeleton Coast Launches took on their supporting roles by means of buying food and providingshelterforferalcats,however,HAHis in dire need of funding for their Trap-NeuterReturn(TNR)initiative.Have-a-Heartisknown throughout Namibia for its advocacy of responsibledomesticanimalownershipandcare. From conducting neutering programs in townshipstotheirlatestendeavourofcontrolling cat populations in industrial settings without resortingtoeuthanasia,thefoundationismaking

asignificantimpact.

AHolisticApproachtoAnimalWelfare. But Have-a-Heart's mission extends beyond just factory felines. With the goal of reducing the number of stray animals and thereby eliminating the need for mass euthanasia, the non-profit organisation provides free dog and cat spay and neuter services. This service isn't limited to pet ownerswithlowornoincome;italsoextendsto stray cats living at various locations throughout the town, including fishing factories The foundation's commitment to township dogs and cats is evident through their efforts to improve their health with regular feeding and checkups.

Have-a-Heart sterilises as many cats and dogs as possible to prevent unwanted litters, thereby curbing the multiplication of strays and keeping theareastheyinhabitratandmouse-free.

A Crucial Partnership with Southern Cross VeterinaryPractice

To achieve their mission, Have-a-Heart collaborates closely with Southern Cross VeterinaryPracticeinWalvisBay,whichprovides sterilising services year-round for cats. For dogs and cats privately owned lesser or no income groups, the foundation hosts spay days with various mobile animal clinics, such as Dr Baines, DrWinterbachandDrErna, ensuringaccessibility forownerswhomayfacefinancialconstraints.

EducatingforChange

Have-a-Heart's goals extend beyond immediate interventions. They aspire to advance public education in all aspects of animal care and protection.Theiraimistopersuaderesponsiblepet owners to spay and neuter their pets and provide needy animals with essential treatment and care.

Volunteers of Have-a-Heart Walvis Bay emphasises the importance of education in their mission. "Sterilising (trap-neuter-return) works.

What does not solve the problem is removing, killing,andrelocating.Bydoingthis,thespaceis just made for new animals to move in a neverendingcycle.Somepeopleadvocaterelocatingor 'putting down' feral cats, but this has proven ineffective due to the vacuum effect. Feral cats gatherwheretherearefood,water,andshelter."

TheCallforCollaborationandSupport

Have-a-Heart Walvis Bay envisions a brighter future for these animals, where more companies join hands with them on their preventative trapneuter-return projects. Financial support from the community would significantly impact their ability to continue this essential work. To learn more or support their mission, don't hesitate to contact them. Direct donations can be made with reference to Have-a-Heart at the Southern Cross Veterinary Practice or Weco in Walvis Bay Alternatively,donationscanbemadedirectlyinto thebankaccountofHave-a-Heart.

Bankingdetails:Have-a-HeartWalvisBay

Accountnumber:57977011001

Branch:884001

BankBic,Currentaccount

SWIFT:BVBNLNANA

(FNB – please select Transmission or Savings Account) (Standard Bank – please add 000 in frontoftheaccountnumber)

Swakopmund Road Marking Project Set to Start Soon

The community of Swakopmund has taken to the paper their frustration about road markings in Swakopmund whichareeithernon-existentorveryfaintfortheeyetosee. This especiallyringstrueforlearnerdriverswhoareoften failedbyNATISofficialswhendoingroadtests.

Namib Times has contacted the Swakopmund Municipality to find out howoftentheypaint the roads per year because the responsibility for roadworks, including road markings, falls under Municipal Engineering and Planning Services Department When

contacted for comment, Linda Mupupa, the Public Relations OfficeroftheSwakopmund Municipality said, road mark painting is an annual exercise.AccordingtoMupupa, the last road markings maintenance cyclewascompletedin November 2022, just beforeDecember2022. Onaverage,thecouncil

allegedly allocates approximately N$ 1.5 millionannuallyforthe above-mentionedexercise.Thiscostincludes labour, equipment, and materialsnecessaryfor maintenance. Mupupa said the yearly road markings maintenance program commenced with smaller projects this month and will continue with big pro-

jects soon and the exercisecontinueuntil earlyDecember2023. Mupupa further said, “thesafetyandconve-

nience on our roads are of utmost importancetous,andweare committed to keeping theresidentsinformed

about our ongoing effortstomaintainand improve our road infrastructure in Swakopmund.

If you have further questions or require

rmation, please feel freetoreachouttous.”

Sharlien Tjambari

Victorious Win by Dr Alpo Mbamba SS

DrAlpoMbambaSecondarySchoolfromtheKavangoEastregionwalkedaway withachequeofN$25000afteratriumphantwinattheGrandFinaleoftheAntiCorruption Song Choir Competition for Secondary Schools in Namibia which tookplaceinSwakopmundonFriday,15September.

The Anti-Corruption Song competition, themed “#JoinTheFight” was aimed at raising awareness of the scourge for corruption in society Dr Alpo Mbamba Secondary School competed with MweshipandekaSecondary School, from the Oshana region; Monica

Geingos Secondary School from the Otjozondjupa region; and Angra Pequena Secondary School from the //Kharas region in the grandfinale.

According to the AntiCorruption Commission's Acting DirectorGeneral Advocate, Erna Van Der Merwe, from 3

August this year, the Anti-Corruption Commission collaborated with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education,Art, and Culture; Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, and the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation to promote a culture of

integrity through the song competition by secondary school choirs in all 14 regions across thecountry Atotalof33 secondary schools competed, with only four schools making it to the grandfinale.

Monica Geingos Secondary School got the second-place prize of N$12 000, Angra Pequena Secondary School received the third-place award of N$7 500 and Mweshipandeka SecondarySchoolgotN$5500 forcominginfourthand they all received a trophy The choirs performed threeroundsofsongs.In thefirstround,allchoirs had to perform a song

named 'Save Our Nation' The second round saw choirs performing a prescribed song called 'One Voice' and they had to perform a song of their own choiceinthethirdround. Marcillinus Swartbooi who was one of the judgessaidthey[judges] looked at the choir adequate, how the choirs presented themselves, how they walked onto and off the stage, discipline,andinteractionbetween the choir and the conductor Swartbooi said, “we are looking at whether this conductor had the choir under his control, we are looking atwhetherthechoirkept the key that they started on if you have done any pitch shifting. We are trying to see if you are starting with the same pitch and ending on the samepitch.” Judges were also looking at dictation, how well the choir was pronouncing words, the techniquethatthechoirs were using. They were looking at how the

choirs blended their voices, tone quality, accuracy, and musicality of the performance on stage-whethertheperformancewasaliveordead, exaggerating too much and so forth. Van Der Merwe said this competition is one of the AntiCorruption Commission's initiatives to respond to the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan (NACSAP) 2021-2025.

He said, “this song competitionshouldserveasa reminder that the AntiCorruption Commission values the contribution our school learners can maketowardscombating corruption. We furthermore recognise the need to instill a culture of honesty and integrity in the youth – our future leadersoftomorrow.”

Van Der Merwe further said, “it is our hope that by continuously engagingandcapacitatingour young people with anticorruption information we shall be assisting our country in achieving its long-term goal of

becoming a corrupt-free society as envisaged in our national policies, in particular the National Anti-Corruption StrategyandActionPlan.”

In his keynote remarks, the Governor of the Erongo region, Neville André Itope said, “today's competition is a testament to two strategic objectives, namely: conducting extensive Anti-Corruption education, enhancing engagementandparticipationof youthinAnti-Corruption programs. By involving ourlearnersinthisnoble mission, we aim to plant Anti-Corruption seeds and cultivate free minds among school communities across Namibia.” According to Itope, the theme of this competition revolves around exposing corruption, promoting transparency, and advocating for accountability “Through the power of music, we have the opportunity to engage and mobilize people from all walks of life in the fight against corruption,”statedItope.

NOTICE

CONSENT USES, ERECTION OF BUILDINGS AND USE OF LAND IN TERMS OF TOWN PLANNING SCHEME REGULATIONS

Notice is hereby given in terms of Clause 6 of the SwakopmundTownPlanningSchemeRegulations thattheMunicipalityCouncilconsidersthefollowing consent uses, erection of building and use of land details which are obtainable from the General Manager

Laaities and Ladies Daycare herewith intends to applytotheMunicipalityofSwakopmundforspecial consent to operate a Daycare Centre on the premises of Erf 2259 (Turmalin Street) Swakopmund.

Any person having any objection against such applicationshouldlodgesuchobjection/sinwriting and within 14 days of the last publication to the applicantandtheSwakopmundMunicipality,during normalbusinesshours.

Initially this notice was advertised on 8 September and15September2023,howevertheclosingdate waserrorsly inserted.Therefore,theobjectiondate has moved from 22 September to 29 September 2023.

Closingdateforobjectionsorcommentsis: 29September2023.

ContactPersons:MrsJulietteJudeel,Cell:081367 4940,email:claudinevisser20@gmail.com or

MrJ.Heita(Manager:TownPlanning) Tel:+264(64)4104403oremail: jheita@swkmun.com.na

MORIA PRIVATE SCHOOL

VACANCY - GYMNASTICS-COACH

FIG QUALIFICATION

The position requires the following:

! Primary Coaching of Trampoline and Tumbling

! Club Management

! Planning participant readiness.

! Planning and developing new exercise and warm-up programs.

! Organization and attendance of club competition and activities.

! Attending competitions and managing gymnasts at competitions.

! Attending various educational, sports professional and other workshops.

! Teaching ART classes for Grades 1-7.

! Help with general sports organization.

Requirements: Living Out Christian Life.

! Level 2 FIG coaching course.

! Level 4 Trampoline en Tumbling judge's course.

! Good knowledge of technical aspects of gymnastics.

! Willing to do further courses in coaching.

! Good experience in Coaching.

! Thorough knowledge of at least the following Microsoft products: WORD, EXCEL, POWERPOINT

! Must be prepared to stay updated of the latest technology and trends in gymnastics.

! Must be able to transfer knowledge and skills to the gymnast.

! Must be able to work with pre-schoolers.

! Must be in possession of a professional drivers permit (PDP).

! Previous experience of gymnastics coaching will benefit.

Send CV to: skoolhoof@psmoria.com admin@psmoria.com

Closing date for applications: 30 September 2023

Enquiries: +264 81 222 0102

Salary package negotiable. Only shortlisted persons will be contacted for interviews.

Sharlien Tjambari

Pro-Ed Academy Represented in Egypt

Pro-Ed Academy, based in Swakopmund, were recently represented by Indila Abraham in Egypt at the AfricanYouthChessChampionships. RushmereTitles,oneofthelearnersoftheschool media team writes that in a world of chess the elementsofstrategy,tactics,andintellectualskills reignsupreme.

“Indila Abraham's unmatched talent got her chosen for the African Youth Chess ChampionshipheldinCairo,Egypt.Abraham'spassion for chess sparked at an early age, which quickly showcased her sheer determination to excel. She honed her skills by mastering the intricacies of openings and endgames. Her dedication paid off when she earned an opportunity to represent her nation globally She got chosen by the Namibian Chess Federation for the 6th consecutive time surely, she has a bright future. The 15-year-old highlightsthatherfavouritepartaboutthisexperiencewastheculture.Sheadmiredtheirmanners and how welcoming they were to foreigners. Indila'sascenttoEgyptwasspectacular Arriving inEgypt,Indilafacedformidableopponentsfrom aroundtheworld,however,Indilawasinittowin it, her audacious sacrifices epitomised her indomitablespirit.However,noteverythingisalways rain and sunshine. Indila says that she dealt with severe agitation while preparing for her next game.Accordingtoher,shedidnothaveanyone

Coastal Racing Drivers in Action at

Tony Rust Raceway

Coastalracingdrivers-JanEverson,AllanMartinandhis son Zachary Martin will be in action at this weekend's Windhoek MotorClub (WMC) Speed Festival at theTony RustRaceway

Thethree-racingdriversfromWalvis Bayareaforcetobereckonedwithin theNamibianracingcircles.Theyare partofabout15Namibianracersthat will take on about 26 drivers with heavyartillerythatwilltakeofffrom CapeTown.

The event starts today, Friday, 22 September with the qualifying races atTony Rust at 10:00 followed with

IndalaAbraham. Photo contributed

tocalmherdown,soshehadtobeherownmoral supportandrefrainfromnegativethoughts. Titles further stated that although Indila's journey in Egypt did not culminate in the championship, herperformancewasextraordinary “Abrahamisa testamentthathumblebeginningscanleadtogreatnessontheglobalstage.” Inaddition,addinganotheraccoladetohername,is thatasmemberoftheJuniorTownCouncil.

Shaliaxwe and Shivolo Win the 2023 Navachab Half Marathon

Martha Shivolo and Jeremiah Shalixaxwe won the ninth edition of the QKRNamibiaNavachab21-kmmen's andwomen'sracesheldinKaribiblast Saturday.

The QKR Namibia

Navachab Marathon saw about 810 participants from all over the country competed in a 21km, 10km, and 5 kmfunrun.Jeremia

Shaliaxwe triumphed in a time of 1:05 2 with Simon Matias and Gerson Koper in a time of 01:05.4 and 01:06.2 tooksecondandthird place,respectively,in

the 21 km race Martha Shivelo with a new course record in a time of 01:13:40 won the women's 21km race followed by Alina Armas in a time of 01:15.1 seconds with Leena Ekandjo third in a timeof01:17.30.

Director of Sport in theMinistryofSport, Youth and National Service Jo-Ann Manuelexpressedher directorate's readiness to elevate the Navachab HalfMarathon into one of the largest events in the region. Manuel said, “next year, we willbecelebratingthe 10th anniversary of this half-marathon, and it would be fantastic to witness the participation of the finest long-distance runners from the region.” She emphasised it is the ministry's duty to ensure sport is played in the country and that Namibian children are given opportunitiestocompete. She urges the event organiser to liaise with the ministry regarding all logistical and financial aspects of incorporating this half-marathon into the World Athletics calendar Race director Berthold Karumendu expressed his satisfaction with celebra-

ting nine years of hostingtheNavachab Half-Marathon.

Karumenduhowever, heacknowledgedthat the race still faces challenges, such as manual athlete registration and manual timing, which hinder its ability to attract high-quality regional and international athletes.

“We need to secure sponsors willing to providefinancialsupport to enable us to engage institutions with digital technology,allowingusto utilise scanners and precise timing. This would cost us between N$25 000 and N$30000,”hesaid. Karumendu, thanked everyone involved, especially the sponsors, QKR Namibia Navachab Gold Mine, First National Bank in Karibib, Nammed, Karibib town council, Vivo Energy, Kodo Drilling, Standard Bank inKaribib,CocaCola Namibia Bottling Company and the sports, youth and national service ministry, who transported theathletestoKaribib the local organising committee of Navachab, BK Technical Team,Marshals,Agra Karibib and Engen Service Station who tended to the water points.

the drag racing event at the venue when Namibians will have the opportunitytoseeandtesttheircar's performance under controlled supervision.

Theracingwarm-upswillstartfrom 10:00onSaturday,followedbyheats andfull-onracing,and,attheendof theday,aninterestingfull-onraceby all the modified, classics and

Website:www.namibtimes.net

Website:www.namibtimes.net

Coastal racing driver Jan Everson

Coastal racing drivers Allan Martin and his son Zachary Martin

Jan Everson in action at a previous national Circuit Racing Cham-pionship

Allan Martin's racing car ready for the WMC) Speed Festival at the Tony Rust Raceway

Zachary Martin in action at Tony Rust Raceway in Windhoek

Jeremia Shaliaxwe won the 9th edition of the men's QKR Namibia Navachab Half Marathon on Saturday

Martha Shivelo won the 9th edition of the women's QKR Namibia Navachab Half Marathon on Saturday

Photo Contributed

Rudi Bowe

Rudi Bowe