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News
release: April, 23, 2008)
Etosha Pan has water for first time in decade
WINDHOEK - The massive salty pan of the Etosha National Park is filled with water for the first time in a decade, attracting thousands of bird species, including flamingos.
The floods that hit the northern and northeastern parts of the country have been welcome for animals in the park.
The pan is a large dusty depression of salt and clay, and it only fills up in exceptional rainy seasons.
The ancient lake gradually dried up between two and 10 million years ago when climatic changes and topographic movements caused the Kunene River to change its course and to flow into the Atlantic Ocean.
Now, the pan is a stark, seemingly endless depression of pale greenish-white clay, silt and mineral salts.
In years of good rainfall, several tributaries of the Kunene River such as the Oshigambo and the Ekuma in the northwest and the Omuramba Ovambo in the east drain into the pan, attracting thousands of flamingos and other wading birds.
The water can be as much as twice saltier than seawater, and therefore generally unfit for animal consumption.
The unusually heavy rains this year also filled several small, usually dry lakes to the north.
A San legend about the formation of the Etosha Pan tells of how a village was raided, and everyone but the women murdered.
One woman was so upset about the death of her family that she cried until her tears formed a massive lake.
When the lake dried up, nothing was left apart from a huge white pan.
The Etosha National Park is one of the largest savannah conservation areas in Africa, and is renowned for its spectacular wildlife: elephants, black and white rhinoceros, lions, leopards, cheetahs, large herds of springbok, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe and a multitude of other fascinating species, big and small, interacting in their natural environment.
News
release: April, 12, 2008)
Hon. N. Nandi-Ndaitwa was moved to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
President Hifikepunye Pohamba yesterday made his first Cabinet reshuffle, which saw the return of Namibia's first Prime Minister, Hage Geingob, to Cabinet.
Although the reshuffle affects 10 ministers and six deputy ministers, only two new faces were introduced to the new Cabinet.
Swapo Party vice president, Geingob, has been appointed Minister of Trade and Industry, while former Namibia's Ambassador to Germany, Peter Katjavivi, is the new Director General of the National Planning Commission (NPC).
Minister of Agriculture, Water and Fores-try, Nickey Iyambo, has moved to the Ministry of Safety and Security, replacing Peter Shirumbu who is reportedly ill.
John Mutorwa is now the new Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry. He has been replaced by Willem Konjore at the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture.
Pohamba appointed Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as Minister of Environment and Tourism.
Former Trade and Industry Minister, Immanuel Ngatjizeko, has moved to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, replacing Alpheus !Naruseb who is now Minister of Lands and Resettlement.
Jerry Ekandjo has filled the position of Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development, which was left vacant following the tragic death of John Pandeni.
Addressing a press conference at the new State House, Pohamba announced his decision to re-organise two ministries, namely the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
He said he has decided to place the information and communication technology portfolios under one roof and thus the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will be known as the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology.
The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology will now be headed by Joel Kaapanda, while the former Director General of the NPC, Helmut Angula, is Minister of Works and Transport.
Local economic and political experts reacted to the reshuffle with mixed feelings.
Political analyst, Bill Lindeke, said the re-shuffle is a recycle of old faces and thus it is disappointing, as the Cabinet needs new blood.
He noted that the most significant appointment is that of Geingob as the ministry has been performing poorly over the last two years.
Lindeke said although the appointment of Geingob comes two years late, the ministry is now equipped with a strong minister and strong permanent secretary and can produce results.
Lindeke, however, said he was disappointed that Angula has been moved from the NPC, adding that Angula has done good work especially internationally and he was making good progress.
The political analyst said he is not convinced that Katjavivi has the administrative skills to run the NPC.
Lindeke added that he is not excited about the appointment of Nandi-Ndaitwah as Minister of Environment and Tourism as the ministry is key to employment creation if managed properly.
The political analyst said the technical issues of environment and tourism will be beyond Nandi-Ndaitwah and she could have been given the position of party chief whip in Parliament because she is very political and administration is not her strength.
The Deputy Dean of Economics at the University of Namibia (Unam), Omu Kakujaha-Matundu, said he was pleased with the appointment of Geingob as the Minister of Trade and Industry.
The economist said Geingob has in the past shown passion for international trade and contributed positively to debates on trade agreements such as the SADC EPA and other internal trade accords.
Kakujaha-Matundu added that he is also happy with the appointment of !Naruseb at the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement and said the ministry needed a 'coolheaded' minister like !Naruseb as it is a sensitive ministry which can scare investors.
The economist also welcomed the appointment of Katjavivi, saying he has proven to be a good mobiliser of resources and his experience working in Europe will add value to his new position.
News
release: September, 12, 2007)
 Elephants pose danger at night
Environment and Tourism Minister Willem Konjore told a press conference in Windhoek that four people had been killed by an elephant attacks in the Caprivi and Erongo regions during the past six weeks. Another person was seriously injured by an elephant at Impalila Island in Caprivi. People in the Caprivi, Erongo, Kavango and Kunene regions should avoid walking at night in areas were elephants occur said, Environment and Tourism Minister Willem Konjore. The ministry has developed a human wildlife conflict management policy to address the problem.
The four people died were identified as Samatutu Isaks (77), Costa Jonas Ndumba (39), Rosina Simango (47) and David Tjangura (60).
Hon Minister Konjore expressed his condolences to the families.Tourist in particular, have also been urged to avoid harassing and disturbing elephants at water holes and favorite grazing areas such as riverbanks, as such behaviors may anger the animal.
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