14 OCTOBER 2014
NAMIB TIMES 3
COMMUNITY NEWS
Another successful year for IUM Sharlien Tjambari
The International University of Management(IUM), Swakopmund Campus held their graduation ceremony on Saturday at the Swakopmund Hotel & Entertainment Centre in Swakopmund. The graduates have recently completed a Certificate in Tourism and Hospitality course which was offered by IUM, being facilitated by the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NTA) and sponsored by the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA). All the 45 graduates were on a scholarship provided by the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA). According to the Branch Co-ordinator of the IUM Swakopmund campus, Mr Noel Chinokwetu, the graduates are people from previously disadvantaged societies, people in need of education but without access to funding, and tourism and hospitality enthusiasts who have experience but without tertiary education qualifications. “For the IUM family this is a very important event as it marks the corporation between MCA, NTA, IUM and the tourism industry in Namibia” said Mr Chinokwetu. The International University of Management (IUM) is Namibia's first Not-ForGain private University founded in 1994. Today, the institution has a current combined student population of more than 8 000 with campuses in Windhoek, Ongwediva, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. On 26 October 2002 it obtained University status when it was officially launched by the then president of the Republic of Namibia, Dr Sam Nujoma. The International University of Management is fully accredited by the NQA.
Graduates at the ceremony
No bail for alleged wife-murderer Crime Reporter
The Swakopmund community was shaken to their roots last week, after it was learned that a well-known and beloved resident of the town, Mrs Mutaleni Ndjalukeni Jonas (43), died after she was supposedly poisoned by her estranged husband.
The late Julia Jonas behind her workstation at Rossmund Golf Club
According to the Erongo police's spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner Otillie Kashuupulwa, the incident occurred around 00:20, last week Wednesday. Mrs Jonas, better known as Julia, and her husband, Madala Junias Jonas (48) allegedly had marital hitches and was still legally married, but separated for some time. Mr Jonas apparently came to the victim's home in Swakopmund's Mondesa resi-
dential area last week Wednesday night in order to “talk things out”, in spite of a protection order which barred him from coming near her or her residence. The protection order followed after he allegedly attempted to shoot her on a prior incident in August this year. This protection order obligated him to move to Karibib about 175 kilometre east of Swakopmund. It is alleged that he came all the way from Karibib to Swakopmund on the night of the
tragedy. On his arrival at Mrs Jonas' home, he apparently had two bottles of beer for the two of them. They were seemingly enjoying their drinks when the deceased “started screaming that she was poisoned by her husband”, Kashuupulwa commented. Julia's sister and daughter, who were in the house at the time, came running to her aid and insisted they call an ambulance, while according to them, the husband was sitting peacefully, allegedly saying, “Julia should just go and lie down in the bedroom. She is just having a lot of stress”. At this point Julia started to vomit and cough and be-
came very weak. She was rushed to hospital after a short while, but there was nothing the doctors could do, as she was already dead upon arrival at the hospital. The accused appeared in the Swakopmund Magistrate's court last Friday, facing charges of murder and violation of a protection order. He was denied bail and will appear in court again on 8 December. The pending case of attempted murder against him was struck from the court roll, following his wife's death, but he will appear on a charge of possession of a firearm without a license and illegal ammunition on 24 November.
Members of the Rossmund Golf Club, on the outskirts of Swakopmund, where the victim was employed, expressed their disbelieve and shock regarding this tragedy, claiming that Julia was a friendly, hardworking and adored lady, always ready to assist her customers. This was the second gender based murder in one week at Swakopmund, after a 50-year old man committed suicide, subsequently murdering his 44year old girlfriend, last Monday in the town’s DRC informal settlement. - Additional reporting by Nampa