6 NAMIB TIMES
14 JANUARY 2014
Economic Indicators Australian Dollar
BUY SELL 0.10 9.71
Canadian Dollar
1.00
Euro
0.07 14.63
Great British Pound
0.57 17.60
9.80
Japanese Yen
BUY SELL 9.65 0.10
United States Dollar
0.094 10.69
Swiss Franc
0.084 11.84
Latest update: 2:57pm, 13-01-2014
SUN Sunrise 06:28 Sunset 19:52 MOON PHASE Moonset 04:58 Underfoot 11:46 Moonrise 18:32 Overhead ---:--TIDE TIMES High tide 02:42 Low tide 08:33 High tide 14:47 Low tide 20:49 BEST FISHING 15:19 to 16:21
Die inwoners van Walvisbaaai en Swakopmund het verlede naweek talle krewe by die rotse tussen Walvisbaai en Swakopmund uitgehaal. Die krewe is redelik groot. Slegs vyf krewe per persoon mag uitgehaal word en die kreef mag nie verkoop word nie.
Vangste bly swak Tuesday 21 January 1975, page 1 Visvangste op die oomblik is oor die algemeen langs die Suidwes kus swak. Die pelserseisoen begin eers die 1ste Maart en sal tot 31 Augustus duur. Daar is op die oomblik baie maasbankers in die nabye omgewing van Walvisbaai gevang. KREEF: Vangste is uiters noord en suid van Luderitz. Die weer is ook baie ongunstig sedert die seisoen op 1 Januarie begin het. WITVIS: Vangste is ook swak behalwe vir tongvis wat in die omgewing van Rocky Point in redelike hoeveelheid gevang word. SNOEK: Vangste begin nou verswak. Die bote vang nou in die noorde en die vangste wissel tot 500 snoek per dag. Indien het dit nie verbeter nie sal die bote meer suid beweeg en daar probeer. Gedurende Desember is 101 129 snoek op Walvisbaai geland maar was hoofsaaklik van klein format. Vangste duur nog tot 31 Maart vanjaar.
Concern about future of Vessel Tuesday 21 January 1975, page 1 The 850 ton Chinese freighter UNITED TRADER with a cargo of some 700 tons of dynamite and detonators aboard aground at Easter Cliffs, some 100 kilometers north of Lüderitz, was described this week as a “potential bomb.” The vessel, shown in our picture above hard aground on a rocky reef along an inaccessible part of Sperrgebiet No. 2, was on her way from Europe to Bombay when she ran aground a few days before Christmas. The entire crew was taken off and brought safely to Lüderitz. The vessel was later declared a total constructive loss and it is understood that the insurance underwriters in Cape Town are now considering the fate of the vessel. In the meanwhile it is believed that the explosive cargo has become damp through cracks in the hull and this could result in it “blowing up” at anytime. Damp dynamite is known as unstable. There is also thought to be a pollution danger should the containers holding the explosives be rotted away by the sea and the chemicals pollute the surrounding water. The vessel is aground in a rich crayfish area. Fortunately from a view of human beings and property the vessel is aground on a uninhabited beach accessible only by helicopter. If the boat should explode it is not likely to do any damage to property at Luderitz but could affect bird life and be a danger to fishing and other vessels operating in the area. The authorities are preparing a report on the position and it is expected that a top-level decision will be taken shortly. The UNITED TRADER is aground in an area where three other vessels have come to grief in the past few years. These are: *The tanker ANDRON with a full load of crude oil went down further out to sea on the 8th May 1968. *The fishing vessel KARIN sunk in the area on the 9th November 1970. *The Korean tunny trawler TONG WHA is aground about six kilometers north of the stranding of the UNITED TRADER. The Korean vessel went aground on the 17th April 1972 and is now breaking up under the pounding of the seas.
SUN Sunrise 06:29 Sunset 19:52 MOON PHASE Overhead 00:10 Moonset 05:48 Underfoot 12:33 Moonrise 19:16 TIDE TIMES High tide 03:15 Low tide 09:05 High tide 15:19 Low tide 21:17 BEST FISHING 14:47 to 15:51
Thursday 16 January
Tuesday 14 January
Three regional economic communities in Africa are expected to sign an agreement in 2014 to establish an enlarged market covering 26 countries in eastern and southern Africa. The “Grand” or Tripartite Free Trade Area (FTA) development and competitiveness. According to the with a combined population of some 600 million roadmap, all negotiations should be completed within people and a Gross Domestic Product of about 36 months. Thereafter, COMESA-EAC-SADC are US$1 trillion covers half of the member states of the expected launch a single FTA by 2016, building on the African Union and is intended to boost intra- FTAs that are already in place. It will also resolve the regional trade, increase investment and promote the long-standing conundrum of overlapping development of cross-regional infrastructure. The membership, which has presented barriers for the target was set just five years ago by the Common three communities in their quest towards integration. Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Technically, a country cannot belong to more than one (COMESA), the East Africa Community (EAC) customs union, yet the three communities have either and the Southern African Development already established or are working towards creating Community (SADC), commonly referred to as their unions. The ultimate launch of the enlarged FTA COMESA-EAC-SADC. Since the historic Summit will result in the three sub-regions coalescing into a of Heads of State and Government in October 2008 single FTA with the goal of establishing a single in Kampala, Uganda, they have made significant Customs Union in the near future. With the launch of progress towards realising this dream of opening up the “grand” FTA now getting closer to becoming a borders to literally half of the continent, spanning reality, countries in eastern and southern Africa the entire southern and eastern regions of Africa – including Zimbabwe should ensure that they fully from Cape to Cairo. The chairperson of the benefit from such an arrangement. The creation of an Tripartite Task Force, Dr Richard Sezibera, has enlarged market would promote the movement of indicated that negotiations are progressing goods and services across borders, as well as allowing according to the agreed time-frame, and that member countries to harmonise regional trade consultations will be concluded soon. He said an policies to promote equal competition. Removal of agreement by the three regional communities will trade barriers such as huge export and import fees be signed by June 2014, paving the way for the would enable countries to increase their earnings, launch of the FTA. “Considerable progress has penetrate new markets and contribute towards their been made and negotiations have intensified to national development. However, like any other trade ensure that we clinch the Tripartite Free Trade arrangement, the Tripartite FTA will bring its own Agreement by June 2014,” Dr Sezibera, who is also challenges that need to be addressed. For example, the EAC Secretary General, said at a tripartite less prepared nations are at risk of being swallowed meeting held in November in Arusha, in the United economically by more powerful nations, as their local Republic of Tanzania. His counterparts, Dr industries would suffer from the stiff trade Stergomena of Tax of SADC and Dr Sindiso competition from more rival firms in an open market. Ngwenya of COMESA, have pledged to make the This competition may subsequently allow the more tripartite negotiations a success. The ongoing organised and developed nations to push weaker local negotiations involving COMESA-EAC-SADC are firms out of business. Hence, member states must being followed keenly by the AU as other regions smartly address such pertinent issues to fully benefit that want to learn from this experience. Africa's from the trade arrangement. One way of addressing long-standing vision since 1963 at the formation of this could be by boosting the manufacturing sector to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now the ensure it is able to compete and withstand pressure African Union, is to have a united and integrated from outside firms. Another option is value-addition region. Under the African Economic Community to increase benefit from natural resources such as Treaty signed in 1991, Africa aims to establish a gold, diamonds and nickel. Zimbabwe has already continent-wide free trade area and these regional identified various measures that aim at accelerating trade arrangements such as the Tripartite FTA are economic development and preparing its industries to regarded as the building blocks. Once operational, withstand stiff competition in an open market. this tripartite FTA will become a new benchmark These measures are contained in the newly crafted for deeper regional and continental integration in Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Africa. There is a clear recognition that COMESA- Transformation (ZimAsset). Zim Asset is a EAC-SADC is founded on a strong and clear Government blueprint that will guide economic agenda, despite the challenges that the three transformation and development in Zimbabwe for the regional communities may face. According to a next five years, spanning October 2013 to December roadmap adopted in June 2011, negotiations for a 2018. It should be noted this is the same period in Tripartite FTA are being conducted in three which the Tripartite FTA involving COMESA-EACdifferent phases — preparatory phase, phase one SADC is to be launched, thus ZimAsset is also an and phase two. To date, the Tripartite Trade important blueprint for the country in this context. Negotiation Forum (TTNF) has completed the ZimAsset has identified four key priority clusters that preparatory phase which involved the exchange of will enable Zimbabwe to achieve economic growth relevant information, including applied national and reposition the country as one of the strongest tariffs and trade data and measures. It was aimed at economies in the region and Africa. These key priority ensuring the adoption of the terms of reference and clusters are food security and nutrition, social services rules of procedure for the establishment of the and poverty reduction, infrastructure and utilities, and TTNF. This phase began in December 2011 and value addition and beneficiation. Value addition in lasted about 12 months. The tripartite negotiations various sectors, among them mining, agriculture, are now concluding phase one which will cover infrastructure focusing on power generation, core FTA issues of tariff liberalisation, rules of transport, tourism, information communication origin, customs procedures and simplification of technology and enhanced support for small to medium customs documentation, transit procedures, non- enterprises, are the key drivers of any economic tariff barriers, trade remedies and other technical agenda. barriers to trade and dispute resolution. Facilitating movement of business persons within the region is Article by Kizito Sikuka. Southern African News being negotiated in parallel with the first phase. Features offers a reliable source of regional Phase two, the last stage of the negotiations, is information and analysis on the Southern African expected to start soon and will cover trade in Development Community, and is provided as a services and trade-related issues such as intellectual service to the SADC region. property rights, competition policy and trade
Years ago - Groot krewe Tuesday 14 January 1975, page 1
Wednesday 15 January
Tripartite Free Trade Area to become a reality
SUN Sunrise 06:30 Sunset 19:52 MOON PHASE Overhead 00:56 Moonset 06:38 Underfoot 13:19 Moonrise 19:57 TIDE TIMES High tide 03:45 Low tide 09:35 High tide 15:50 Low tide 21:46 BEST FISHING 15:18 to 16:22
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