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SERVING THE COASTAL COMMUNITY SINCE 1958 NO6392 TUESDAY 30 SEPTEMBER 2014 Tel +264 64 205 854/+264 64 461 866/Fax +264 64 204 813/+264 64 461 824/Website www.namibtimes.net
Workers told not to protest while PM is in town
inside
Zambia cold storage
Jade McClune
A group of government workers who gathered at the Ministry of Labour in Swakopmund on Friday afternoon to prepare for a mass demonstration against the Namibian Public Workers Union (NAPWU) were told, mere minutes before the march was due to start, that they would not be allowed to proceed. The police apparently could not escort the protestors across the
road due to the fact that Prime Minister Hage Geingob and Continues on page 2
INFORM
PROPOSED
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Introduction Africa Union Financial Services (Pty) Ltd (AUFS) is proposing to develop a section of land within the Walvis Bay Harbour into a cold storage facility.
Kerk gee om
Under Namibia’s third National Development Plan (NDP3), Namport was given a mandate to improve and expand port infrastructure. Consequently the proposed site, currently known as the Zambian Dry Port, was established in March 2007 following a Memorandum of Agreement between the governments of Namibia and Zambia. AUFS was appointed to promote trade with Zambia and has developed its current container operations consisting of frozen goods stored in ‘reefers’ (refrigerated containers), most of which is destined for the Zambian market. Given the ever increasing demand for cold storage at the port and Namport’s instruction to its clients to optimise any available space, AUFS has embarked on a project to construct a state-of-the-art cold storage facility. Currently the transfer of frozen product from ship into refrigerated containers and then back into refrigerated trucks is hampered by weather conditions, which raises various operational and health concerns. Together with their equity partners Esja Fishing (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd, AUFS have commissioned an engineering feasibility study and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Figure 1 indicates the locality of the proposed cold storage facility (in green). The existing AUFS operations lie to the north east of the proposed site.
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Oktoberfest
According to the Environmental Management Act (No.7 of 2007) the construction of a cold storage facility at the port is a listed activity requiring an Environmental Clearance Certificate. Quivertree Consulting has been appointed by AUFS to undertake the EIA. With this Background Information Document (BID), we hope to inform stakeholders of the project, to give them an opportunity to register as interested and affected parties and to submit any initial comments. This will ensure that all issues of relevance with respect to social and ecological aspects are identified and addressed.
Conflict erupts after assault on WB woman
The Project The site has not previously been developed and is currently being used for the storage of second hand vehicles. It is approximately 18,000 m2 in size and is bordered to the south by a railway siding, previously used by TransNamib for the washing of railway wagons, to the west by 5th Road and to the north and east, by container operations.
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Monthly market
Jade McClune
A virtual war of words erupted over the weekend following an incident whereby a woman was allegedly assaulted and threatened after taking photos of an official government vehicle in Walvis Bay. According to Mrs Rheta Kruger Smeer, she was driving in the parking area of the Spar Supermarket in town when a vehicle with GRN number plates (GRN81028) stopped in the middle of the driveway, blocking her vehicle so that she could not drive out. She indicated to the driver to move out of the way, but the driver apparently just put on his hazard lights, left the white Prado Land Cruiser in the
driveway and went into the shop. She then got out and took pictures of the vehicle with her camera-phone. That is when all hell broke loose, as apparently some of the women in the vehicle got out and started pushing Mrs Kruger Smeer around and threatening her. “I was called a white whore, who does not belong in Namibia. They said I’m a Boer that must
still be taught a lesson and other despicable words that I do not even want to repeat. They shouted at me to apologise politely for taking pictures and that I must delete the photos, because a governor may do as they want.” The namib times can confirm that the vehicle does not belong to the Governor of the Erongo region. It is assigned to the Governor of the Hardap Region, Cllr Katrina Hanse-Himarwa,
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Swimming
Governor of the Hardap Region, Ms Katrina Hanse-Himarwa seen in the vehicle and at a Swapo rally earlier that day
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The cold storage fac warehouse, with add workshop, offices an to 10,000 tonnes o storied building, ab whereas the receptio in size.
The cardboard carto from fishing vessels placed on pallets. Th to the cold store and and telescopic forkli on site, as this will h When ready, pallet containers or refrige