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Sperregebiet Mining in legal battle with Namdeb over Elizabeth Bay mine: Staff Reporter SPERREGEBIET Diamond Mining (Pty) Ltd is suing Namdeb Diamond Corporation (Pty) Ltd for an alleged breach of contract or misrepresentation, claiming that Namdeb allegedly recovered diamonds from the Elizabeth Bay mine, which it had sold to Sperregebiet Mining. The matter appeared on the court roll on 29 August 2024, where Sperregebiet Mining sought leave to amend some paragraphs in its particulars of claim. However, this application was dismissed in a judgment by High Court Judge Boas Usiku. In its initial particulars of claim, Sperregebiet Mining explained that during 2018, it participated in a bidding process for the purchase of Elizabeth Bay Mine and Associated Mining Licences (the “Sale Assets”) as a going concern. The plaintiff (Sperregebiet) submitted a final, binding, and fully financed offer (the “Binding Offer”) for the Sale Assets on or before 20 July 2018, premised on an assumed valuation of the Sale Assets as at 30 September 2018. The mining company stated that, in terms of clause 13.1.1 of the SPA, Namdeb materially represented to the plaintiff that the Sale Assets had been shut down and placed under a state of Care and Maintenance. Further, all prospecting, mining, and processing operations had ceased in or around October 2018. “In and around February 2019, the plaintiff received notification of additions to the Virtual Data Room reflecting production information, showing for the first time that Namdeb had continued to process recovery tailings from October 2018 to January 2019. More specifically, Namdeb had continued processing the waste materials left after the recovery of diamonds from diamond-containing ore, known as the X-Ray recovery tailings (“X-Ray Tailings”),” the claim stated. These X-Ray Tailings were stockpiled within the main processing plant area under high-security surveillance and were considered high-grade material still containing diamonds that could be reprocessed to recover more diamonds. One of the final methods of processing the tailings is through an X-ray separation machine, which identifies and separates the diamonds from other material, producing high-concentrate diamond-containing material. “Namdeb recovered 13,715 diamond carats from an estimated 2,667 tonnes of material between the months of October 2018 and January 2019, as evidenced by the Production Report,” Sperregebiet claimed. “The estimated revenue obtained by Namdeb is the sum of N$ 32.5 million. In the circumstances, the plaintiff has suffered damages, and Namdeb has been unjustly enriched at the plaintiff’s expense, in the sum of N$ 32,491,397.29.” Additionally, Sperregebiet claimed an extra N$ 43.1 million in damages, alleging that Namdeb failed to undertake Care and Maintenance operations during the interim period as agreed. In his judgment on Sperregebiet’s application for leave…

Namibia’s economic growth could be affected by growing geopolitical unrest: Josef Kefas Sheehama Namibia relies heavily on imports, and rising geopolitical upheaval may limit the country’s economic growth. Within this framework, the growing geopolitical environment, which includes the war between Russia and Ukraine, unrest in the Middle East, and a series of sanctions aimed at preventing Russia’s military-industrial complex from obtaining critical and essential goods such as sophisticated machinery and electronic components, can be attributed for inciting World War III. It is worth noting that Namibia saw positive growth in the first quarter of 2024, despite expectations that real growth would slow to 3.7 percent in 2024. However, real economic growth is predicted to increase by more than a point to 4.1 percent in 2025. World trade growth is expected to be 3.2 percent in 2024 and 3.3 percent in 2025, lower than its historical average of 4.9 percent, owing to persistent geopolitical tensions and policy uncertainties. The escalation of conflicts between Israel and Hamas, as well as between Russia and Ukraine, has hampered energy and food supplies and contributed to further destabilization. Inflationary pressures have risen since 2022 as costs have increased. Ukraine’s aggressive push towards the Kursk area on Russia’s border will aggravate tensions. Additional sanctions have been imposed on Russia, raising the possibility of a third global conflict. Geopolitical conflicts increase uncertainty, lowering investment and economic growth. Conflicts and wars have the potential to rduce global supply capacity, which could lead to inflation. However, if the Middle East conflict escalates, oil prices might jump by 30% beyond the baseline estimate of $81 per barrel in 2024. According to the World Bank’s most recent Commodity Markets Outlook, this might boost global inflation and reduce global growth by 0.2 percentage point. As a result, Namibia and its businesses can better address geopolitical concerns while maintaining economic growth. Namibia should prioritize institutional strengthening in agriculture, energy, transparency, and good governance in order to attract international investment and maintain a stable economy. How can Namibia and businesses navigate geopolitics to sustain economic growth? We must understand Namibia’s trade with the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the United States, among other destinations. As a result, any global trade developments will affect Namibia. Namibia should maximize the market’s role, create a more equal and dynamic market environment, and allocate resources as efficiently and productively as possible. Namibia will be able to reduce its dependency on imports to keep the national economy running smoothly while simultaneously releasing Namibians’ local driving forces and creativity. Namibia must ensure that companies with varied forms of ownership…

Otjozondjupa hands over brick-making project to Kalkfeld residents - nbc

700 wild animals, including elephants and hippos, to be killed for meat in Namibia - Global News: 700 wild animals, including elephants and hippos, to be killed for meat in Namibia  Global News

Cargo Ship Turned Away by Namibia Over Fears of Explosives for Israel - The Maritime Executive: Cargo Ship Turned Away by Namibia Over Fears of Explosives for Israel  The Maritime Executive

Namibian hunters shoot elephants, hippos and zebras to feed the hungry - Yahoo! Voices: Namibian hunters shoot elephants, hippos and zebras to feed the hungry  Yahoo! Voices

Video Namibia set to cull over 700 animals as drought worsens - ABC News: Video Namibia set to cull over 700 animals as drought worsens  ABC News

Otjozondjupa hands over brick-making project to Kalkfeld residents: Otjozondjupa hands over brick-making project to Kalkfeld residents NBC Online Thu, 08/29/2024 - 17:15

No rest for the dead at Khorixas: … Families sometimes forced to travel 118 kilometres to the next morgue Some residents of the Khorixas constituency are forced to transport their dead loved ones to the nearest mortuary up to 118 kilometres away. This has left the Anigab, Bergsig and Fransfontein communities grappling with significant distress and a public health challenge. The issue has sparked concern among residents and local authorities, highlighting the need for urgent intervention. Khorixas constituency councillor Sebastian Gobs detailed the residents’ struggles during a recent interview with The Namibian. Sebastian Gobs “There are no mortuaries in these areas and in densely populated areas like these, the lack of a mortuary means that families are often forced to transport bodies themselves.” Gobs emphasised the difficulties this creates for the community, particularly when dealing with the deceased. “Whenever there is a death within the settlement, families are sometimes referred to the police. If the police don’t have transport, the families must bring the corpse to the Khorixas mortuary themselves and that could mean driving about 118 kilometres,” Gobs said. This issue extends to clinics at Fransfontein, Anigab and Bergsig. Despite being well-established, these clinics lack the facilities to properly handle deceased individuals, he added. “All these areas have schools, agricultural development centres and hostels. Whenever there is a death, the absence of a mortuary means that the burden falls on the community to manage.” The challenges are compounded by the fact that the Anigab area does not have a police station. “In cases of death, if the police are unable to assist due to a lack of transport, the family must make arrangements themselves,” Gobs said. He emphasised that he has been advocating for improvement for years but his pleas have fallen on deaf ears. “I have appealed to the minister to consider providing a small mortuary at each of these clinics to store corpses until transport can be arranged,” Gobs said. He noted that other areas in the constituency need new clinics but despite various requests from the community and traditional leaders, there has been no response from the health and social services ministry to date. United Democratic Front spokesperson Mabasen Narib has echoed calls for the government to provide funds to equip local clinics in the Kunene region with functional mortuaries. “At the moment only Khorixas has a mortuary in the Khorixas constituency. Surrounding places like Bergsig, Terrace Bay and Fransfontein do not have mortuaries at the local clinics.” He says when someone dies at home, the body has to be picked up by the police but there are often delays in this process due to the police not having enough vehicles. Narib says the situation puts the family members under heavy pressure to…

Suspected SSC boss hijacker gets bail: The suspect in the hijacking of Social Security Commission (SSC) chief executive Milka Mungunda (64) at Keetmanshoop on Friday has been granted bail. The suspect, Prince Luther Snewe (23), was granted bail of N$2 500 on Tuesday, //Kharas regional crime investigations coordinator deputy commissioner Nicodemus Mbango told The Namibian. “The case was postponed to 1 October,” Mbango said. The incident occurred near the B1-B4 traffic circle on the Keetmanshoop-Lüderitz highway at around 23h00. According to the police report, it is alleged that Mungunda was looking for a guest house in town when she encountered the suspect, who offered to direct her. “The suspect, however, led her astray till the traffic circle. The complainant got suspicious and confronted him on where they were heading. The suspect became aggressive and drew a firearm (toy gun) and pointed it at the victim, threatening to shoot and kill her,” Mbango said. The two reportedly started wrestling over the steering wheel. Mungunda then managed to get out of the car and run away, leaving the car key in the ignition, added Mbango. She left with her cellphone, while Snewe made off with her car and luggage. “He left her in a shocked state but did not harm her in any way physically,” said Mbango. Snewe, however, encountered traffic officers who pulled him over because the car only had one number plate. The police were unaware at the time that the vehicle had been stolen,” Mbango added. “He was ordered to disengage the engine while being issued with a traffic ticket. Afterwards, the officer allowed the suspect to leave, but he could not succeed in restarting the car. The sensor of the vehicle activated and the officer detected some foul play. “The complainant repossessed her car and her property intact,” said Mbango. Mungunda was driving a bakkie valued at N$800 000. The post Suspected SSC boss hijacker gets bail appeared first on The Namibian.