N$4
SERVING THE COASTAL COMMUNITY SINCE 1958
NO 6470
TUESDAY 14 JULY 2015
Tel +264 64 205 854/+264 64 461 866/Fax +264 64 204 813/+264 64 461 824/Website www.namibtimes.net
Freight Train Derails
inside
Innovative minds at work
Photo by Liesl Losper
Maria Davel-Wallis and Liesl Losper
A Class 34 acid tank freight train with a consignment of sulphuric acid destined for Rössing Uranium Mine, derailed late yesterday after it departed from Walvis Bay. The train carrying around 11 acid tankers derailed on the route behind the dune belt. Some of the sulphuric acid from a single tanker that capsized when the locomotives derailed, spilled, but the hazardous fluid was contained swiftly by the TransNamib Acid Re-
sponse Unit, to safeguard the direct environment from contamination. The sulphuric acid is used for extraction processes at the mine. The Executive spokesperson of TransNa-
mib, Mr Struggle Ihuhua, told namib times later last night that the recovery unit was on site. According to Mr Ihuhua the two train drivers sustained no injuries. He said
the train had derailed due to sand on the tracks, and bad weather conditions. He said no rail services leaving from Walvis Bay would be available until further notice, and train
services would only be available from Swakopmund, the nearest train station. He said they were working around the clock to restore services as soon as possi-
ble. Investigations were ongoing, and the extent of the damage was unknown when going to press.
where no country or citizen thereof shall feel left out,” he said. Geingob said despite Namibia’s significant achievement in improving the economy of the country, the income gap between the majority of the people and the few with access to economic resources is increasing. He said it is for this reason that Namibia has declared all-out war on poverty, and in order to fight this poverty war, the country need to accelerate the rate of economic growth trade and investment. However, there can be no growth without financing, said the Namibian leader. Geingob said there is a need to grow the economy at a rate higher than five
per cent by significantly investing in various sectors such as energy, road, rail and telecommunications. “Without these supporting infrastructures our firms cannot be competitive,” he said. The president stressed that the country need significant financing in order to develop the critical infrastructure as a step towards taking Namibia to the next level of development. He noted that Namibia has significant natural resources, however, people do not eat natural resources, adding that people want food and access to basic services, quality health and quality education. The head of state said the country needs to unlock the wealth in Namibia for the
Struggle kids are violent people
Page 4
Jay in Walvis
President Hage Geingob (pictured) has called for new partnership agreements between developed and developing countries, where all parties are considered equal. Geingob said this on Monday in a statement prepared for delivery at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He called for a partnership based on equality, transparency and mutual trust. the European Union. Geingob said development financing and the mechanisms that govern it should also change and become relevant to the realities of the time. He noted that inequality is one of the greatest challenges developing nations are facing at present, and it has the potential to undermine the efforts to promote sustainable development, not only on the domestic front but also in the world in general. “It is possible that if we pull together as humanity, under the umbrella of the UN, we will be able to arrest the increase of poverty in developing countries and open the doors towards a future of shared prosperity and global prosperity,
Public Service celebrates
Page 3
Geingob calls for equal partnerships in development
“Let us relegate to the dustbin of history, those partnerships where people sitting in boardrooms in the developed world dictate terms that are forced upon us such as what transpired during the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations (with the European Union),” he said. Namibia agreed to sign the EPA in July 2014, and negotiations on the EPA successfully ended last year; the parties are waiting to sign the documents this year. The EPA is a comprehensive agreement with the whole Southern African Developing Community (SADC) EPA Group, and gives member states the opportunity to have duty and quota-free access to
Page 2
Bladsy 11
benefit of all Namibians. Geingob will also use the opportunity at the 3rd United Nations (UN) Conference on Financing for Development to call upon the international community to do away with the classification of Namibia as an upper middle-income country. Geingob says due to the unfair classification of Namibia as an upper middleincome country that narrowly focuses at Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at the cost of its distribution, Namibia is unfairly deprived of much-needed concessional development
finance. The President is of the opinion that the classification does not take into account the uneven distribution of wealth in Namibia. “In Namibia, we have abundant natural resources, however, due to lack of development some of these resources remain dead capital,” he said. The four-day conference will, among others, deliberate, as members of the UN, on how to finance the post Millennium Development Goals agenda. “There is no doubt that Namibia has made significant Continues on page 2
The world this week
Page 14
Champ of Champs crowned
Page 24
BUTCHERY
WE SWAKOPMUND
Bulk Beef Packs
49.99per kg
& WALVIS BAY
Oranges
8.99per kg
Potato Pocket 5 kg
29.99each
Food Lover’s Signature Instant Coffee 200 g
69.99each
Ouma Rusks 500 g
24.99each
Valid Tue 14 - Fri 17 July 2015 • Food Lover’s Market Centre, 50 Moses Garoëb, Swakopmund,Tel: 414 400 • Fresh Produce Market, 69 Moses Garoëb St, Walvis Bay, Tel: 207 152
ERONGO RED PRE-PAID ELECTRICITY NOW AVAILABLE AT FOOD LOVER’S MARKET SWAKOPMUND
ACTUAL PRODUCTS ON OFFER MAY DIFFER FROM VISUALS SHOWN, AS THESE ARE SERVING SUGGESTIONS ONLY! • HAMILTONS ADVERTISING 130715 • NO HAWKERS • NO TRADERS • WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT QUANTITIES • E&OE • WHILE STOCKS LAST