Ref: 13/6/27 11 October 2010

Transcription

1 Ref: 13/6/27 11 October 2010 MEDIA RELEASE FROM CABINET CHAMBERS Cabinet took the following decisions at its 13 th ordinary 2010 meeting held on 28 September MODELING INTEGRATED REGIONAL LAND USE PLANNING THROUGH PILOTING IN THE KARAS REGION The Ministry of Lands and Resettlement is in the process to develop and introduce a new strategy for the implementation of Integrated Land Use Planning (IRLUP) through a project called Modeling Integrated Land Use Planning that is being piloted in the Karas region. The project is being financed by the Namibian Government, the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), and the Spanish Cooperation for Development (CEACID). The objective of the project is to develop a process which enables collaboration and knowledge exchange between the various stakeholders to achieve conflict resolution, as well as drawing together the sectoral planning efforts. Conflicting land uses are increasing in the country and this is triggered by uncoordinated and overlapping allocation of land uses by various government sectors, the lack of stakeholder participation and involvement, and inefficient planning strategies. The Ministry of Lands and Resettlement has the responsibility to coordinate the formulation of integrated land use plans and the development of respective guidelines. Appropriate strategies on integrated planning will provide a mechanism for coordinated development. To integrate all sectors, it is necessary to steer the project through a high ranking Steering Structure with decision making capacity, since regional planning involves far-reaching strategic decisions, e.g. the establishment of land use zones and respective zoning regulations. The project has been hampered because of difficulties in accessing the various data from Ministries. To achieve collaboration among the different government sectors, it is necessary that the respective government institutions provide adequate personnel for common planning and implementation purposes. Cabinet, therefore, approved the establishment of the Steering Structure for Integrated Regional Land Use Planning within the context of the Cabinet Committee on Land and Social Issues. Cabinet also directed that all government institutions are compelled to provide all data and information relevant to the Integrated Land Use Planning in the required format to the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement without conditions and at no cost. This includes baseline data, environmental data, infrastructure data, boundary data, statistical data, and detailed project related data. Cabinet, furthermore, directed that all government institution should provide qualified personnel for IRLUP and such personnel should fully cooperate in and support the planning process, as well as the implementation of the planned projects resulting from an approved Integrated Land

2 Use Plan. Sector projects which are identified and approved in an ILUP will be considered in the respective annual management plans and/or balanced scorecards of the respective government institutions. Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement at telephone number REPORT ON THE CHINA-AFRICA FORUM ON COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF AGRICULTURE (FOCAC) (10 13 AUGUST 2010) The Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry attended the China-Africa Forum on Cooperation in Agriculture in Beijing, China at the invitation of the People s Republic of China and on the instruction of the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister. To date, Namibia has not been benefitting from the Forum, which came into being in 2000 or the associated Plan of Action covering the period 2006 to At the August 2010 Forum, China announced a new FOCAC plan of action containing eight policy measures which cover different areas of cooperation from which Namibia could benefit. It is important that Namibian government institutions, especially the economic ones find ways to benefit from the opportunities presented by FOCAC. Cabinet directed that Namibia should undertake the following preparatory activities to draw maximum benefit from FOCAC: - Namibia should acquaint itself with the content of the declaration which was issued during the China-Africa Forum within the framework of FOCAC. This will enable the country to devise a strategy which will put it in a position to draw benefits from the offers made to African countries by the Chinese government. - Namibia shall come up with a common strategy and coordinated mechanism that will enable government institutions to formulate and submit project proposals on areas of their interest to one central point from where these proposals will then be processed and forwarded to the relevant Chinese authorities for consideration; - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Planning Commission are to institute a committee to disseminate information on FOCAC and coordinate project submissions from various institutions in Namibia. Cabinet directed that the committee should prepare a plan of action for the implementation of FOCAC activities in the country; - Cabinet also directed the Directorate Veterinary Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry to prepare an update on the Foot and Mouth disease status in Namibia for submission to the Chinese authorities to facilitate export of meat and meat products to China. Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry at telephone number LOGO OF THE COUNCIL OF TRADITIONAL LEADERS

3 The Council of Traditional Leaders is established in terms of Article 102 (5) of the Namibian Constitution to advise the President on the control of communal land and on such other matters as may be referred to it by the President. The Council has realised the need for its logo to be used on its letterheads for official correspondence and the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development facilitated the process for the design of a logo. At a 2008 Cabinet meeting the logo was referred back for further consultations and definitions. That process has now been completed. Cabinet, therefore, approved the design logo of the Council of Traditional Leaders. (A copy with the description of the logo in shades of orange, brown and gray is attached for information.) Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development at telephone number APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTORS TO THE BOARD OF MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LTD (mtc) The term of office of the current MTC Board of Directors expired on 30 September The NPTH, as one of the joint venture companies in MTC together with Portugal Telecom, nominated candidates for appointment to the MTC Board of Directors. Cabinet, therefore, approved the appointment of the following persons to the MTC Board of Directors: - Mr. Dirk Conradie, a lawyer, as Chairperson; - Ms. Leezhel van Wyk, a lawyer at Telecom Namibia; - Mr. Asser Ntinda, editor of Namibia Today; and - Ms. Idah Kandjii-Murangi, the Dean of Students and International Exchange Programmes at UNAM. Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology at telephone number APPOINTMENT OF THE NAMCOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Ministry of Mines and Energy approached Cabinet to appoint four directors to the NAMCOR Board of Directors. The term of office of four of the previous directors expired on 25 September 2010, while the term of office of two of the remaining directors, namely Mr. Siseho Simasiku and Mr. Sam Beukes expire on 21 January 2012 and 1 March 2012 respectively. Cabinet approved the appointment of four new directors to the NAMCOR Board of Directors for the period 1 October 2010 to 30 September They are: - Mrs. Frieda Shimbuli, the Dean of Students at the Polytechnic of Namibia; - Mr. Mathews Hamutenya, the Managing Director of the Millennium Investment Group of Companies; - Ms. Anna Libana, the Deputy Director: National Energy Fund in the Ministry of Mines and Energy; and

4 - Mr. Fanuel Kapapero, the Deputy Director/Chief Education Officer of the Kavango Regional Office of Education. Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Mines and Energy at telephone number ANNUAL REPORTS /2009 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MINISTRY OF LANDS AND RESETTLEMENT; ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NAMIBIA FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY (NAMFISA) Cabinet noted the two above-mentioned annual reports and authorised the Minister of Lands and Resettlement and the Minister of Finance respectively to table these reports in the National Assembly. Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement at telephone number and the Ministry of Finance at telephone number respectively. 7. PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE TENDER BOARD OF NAMIBIA ACT, (ACT NO. 16 OF 1996) The Tender Board of Namibia was established in terms of Section 2 (1) of the Tender Board of Namibia Act, The Act has not kept track with the developments of the country as a whole. The proposed amendments aim to bring all structures of the government together under the same principles and will require sub-structures to carry out the procurement function in line with the principles of the Act. The amendments further aim to promote local enterprise development with special focus on SME s and economic empowerment of the previously disadvantaged. Special focus is also given to the empowerment of the youth and women. The amendments will promote decentralisation of the procurement process to local structures by allowing for delegation of authorities of the Tender Board. The amendments will also extend the empowerment aspect of the procurement policies to alienation by public entities. Wide consultations took place on the proposed amendments to the Tender Board Act and consultations will continue with the wider Namibian business public, regional and local substructures, SOE s and other relevant stakeholders. Cabinet, therefore, approved the proposed amendments to the Tender Board of Namibia Act, 1996 (Act no. 16 of 1996). Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Finance at telephone number DRAFT DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT BILL Namibia has recorded five crippling droughts affecting between to people in all 13 regions of the country between 2000 and A total of five flood disasters have been

5 recorded between 2004 and Epidemic diseases such as cholera, measles and animal diseases have also affected Namibia over the years. An estimated N$556 million was spent on disaster response between 2002 and The 2009 flood disaster alone resulted in damages of N$2 billion and 1.6% loss of GDP. The major concerns are the continued disruption of social and economic activities, diversion of resources away from development to emergency response and the loss of development gains. With global changing weather conditions, disaster losses are set to increase, hence the need to take the required action. The Office of the Prime Minister developed a National Disaster Risk Management Policy, which was approved by Cabinet and endorsed by the National Assembly in To ensure compliance and its enforcement, the Office of the Prime Minister drafted a Disaster Risk Management Bill with support from the United Nations Development Programme. Wide consultations took place on the Bill. The Bill will among others provide for the following: - The establishment of institutions for disaster risk management in Namibia; - An integrated and coordinated disaster management approach that focuses on preventing or reducing the risk of disasters and mitigating the severity of disasters; - Declaration of disasters; - The establishment of the National Disaster Risk Management Fund; and - Incidental matters. Wide consultations on the Bill took placed with various stakeholders, including government institutions, non-governmental organisations, civil society and the Namibia Red Cross Society. A discussion on the Draft Bill also took place at a national workshop in February Cabinet approved the Draft Disaster Risk Management Bill in principle and authorised the submission of the Bill to the Cabinet Committee on Legislation. Once scrutinised by the Cabinet Committee, the Bill may be tabled in the National Assembly. Further information can be obtained from the Office of the Prime Minister at telephone number PROPOSAL FOR THE PROPERTY VALUERS PROFESSIONAL BILL The Ministry of Lands and Resettlement approached Cabinet with a request to draft a Property Valuers Professional Bill that will provide for the establishment of the Namibia Council for the Property Valuers Profession, the registration of professionals and candidates and specified categories in the property valuation profession. According to the Ministry, Namibia is in need of legislation to regulate the determination of the value of immovable property and the Property Valuers Profession Bill endeavours to regulate the concerned profession. In Namibia, valuation is considered only as a part of the discipline of estate agency, banking or general land use, while in reality valuation transcends these disciplines and requires good knowledge of law, economics, accountancy, town planning, environmental science, construction etc.

6 Presently, property valuation functions are done by anyone who believes they are competent to provide valuation services, as Namibia does not have any legal framework to regulate the practice of property valuation, hence the lack of professional accountability by the valuers. Valuation services are of vital national importance as it has a grave impact on economic activities relating to property. Furthermore, valuation services are essentially required for various fiscal and non-fiscal purposes, such as municipal, land, capital gains and income tax and transfer and stamp duties. Currently, any person, even without having any academic qualification or requisite experience in valuation can be registered as a sworn appraiser in Namibia under the Magistrate Act. The implementation of the Property Valuers Professional Bill is not part of the land reform process, but is geared towards economic transformation aimed at fiscal discipline through the provision of qualified valuations. The aims of the Bill are to provide for the establishment of a juristic person to be known as the Namibian Council for the Property Valuers Profession; to provide for the registration of professionals, candidates and specified categories in the property valuation profession; and to provide for incidental matters. Cabinet, therefore, approved that the Property Valuers Professional Bill be introduced in the National Assembly after consultation with stakeholders. Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement at telephone number Signed by: MBEUTA UA-NDJARAKANA PERMANENT SECRETARY Cabinet 12 and 13 of 2010