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Shopping
UCKG
Behind Tithe
the The
on
Basics for
Deal
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Meet our Partners
Being Namibia’s only independent consumer-affairs magazine, we investigate issues
Distribution by that affect consumers and which help them to make informed decisions in their day-to
Nampost Courier -day spending life. This issue is packed with valuable information and expert opinions
for the Namibian consumer. We examine the operations of the UKCG Church, which
Design & Layout somehow seems to defy the core ethics of Christianity. We also look at customer
Elisha Chambara
service and counterfeit goods sold at ‘China town’ and investigate whether consumer
E-mail: elisha@consumernewsnamibia.com
rights are being infringed in any way. Our entertainment section visits the Himba
Cell: 081 377 4344
fashion show held at the FNCC; how more local can we be? Many Namibian citizens
The Editor and children lack birth certificates and Consumer News looks at items to be checked
Salome Nzuma off when completing birth registry forms. Consumer News is establishing itself as
E-mail: salome@consumernewsnamibia.com an esteemed monthly publication and much-needed article contributions from other
Cell: 081 352 3723 consumer-awareness organisations and individuals make for an interesting and infor-
mative read. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our partners, Namibia
Journalists Consumer Protection Group, Namibia Customer Service Institute, Namibian Standards
Tendai K
Institute and the Namibian Consumer Lobby for their continued support. We encourage
E-mail: tendai@consumernewsnamibia.com
you to join and support these organisations as their efforts pay dividends for the rest of
Marla Chaneta us. Please be sure to check out our website or Facebook group for even more features
E-mail: marlachaneta@yahoo.com and exclusive web content at www.consumernewsnamibia.com. Thanks to everyone for
the fantastic support and feedback. Your feedback propels us to excellence.
Raymond Isaacs Please email me at salome@consumernewsnamibia.com or send us your message to
E-mail: raymond@consumernewsnamibia.com info@consumernewsnamibia.com
Our mission is to create a platform for you the Namibian consumer, who strives to see
Photography improvement in the value of goods and services and are savvy enough to spot misleading
Norman Skrywer advertising and poor quality products and services. You deserve more, and together we
Email: norman4all@yahoo.com have power in numbers, so we welcome your contributions, feedback, acknowledgements
and your voice on products and services that need our investigation.
Cell: 081 430 4003
Leitago Narib
E-mail: leitago@yahoo.com
Cell: 081 363 2712
Contact details
Namibia Consumer Protection Group: Milton Louw. E-mail: miltonlouw@gmail.com
Consumer News Namibia Customer Service Institute: Jon Allen. E-mail: csinstitute@iway.na
PO Box 96366 Website: www.namibiacsi.com
Windhoek, Namibia Namibian Consumer Lobby: Bob Ziekenoppasser. Tel: 064-461 461 or 081 284 8000
Tel/Fax: +264 61 228 196 Namibian Standards Institution: Tel: 061-386 400 / Queries: query@nsi.com.na
Website: www.nsi.com.na
Enquiries
info@consumernewsnamibia.com COMPETITIONS! WIN with Shoprite Checkers and Bokomo Namibia.
CN 01
contents
table of
Feature
UCKG
Consumer News goes to church 04
Comparison Shopping
32
Boxing sms ‘CN’ and your
We get in the ring with some great Namibian comment to
boxers
1111
editorial
I
n preparation of this issue’s article I wanted
to be positive and motivating, but some re-
cent negative experiences have left me tem-
porarily sombre.
To comment on this article sms ‘CN’ and your comment to 1111 or email us at: info@consumernewsnamibia.com
CN 03
editorial
P
erhaps no Christian church has gained as seemingly ever-ascending growth in both following and in-
much publicity in the mainstream media as frastructure. In the most recent news, it was announced just
the Brazilian Universal Church of the King- earlier this month that the church has been given permission
dom of God. to build a U$200 million replica of the ancient Solomon’s
Temple in Brazil’s economic capital of Sao Paulo.
The Church, this year, celebrates 33 years
- an amazing feat given all the reports, alle- Its various branches own radio stations and newspapers, run
gations and court cases that have followed the institution television shows and erect new church buildings regularly,
just about everywhere they’ve ever set up shop around the while at the same time running projects like soup kitchens
world, spanning 170 countries. Among these is the 2008 in- and other community projects.
cident where Brazil’s largest newspaper group was served
with a total of 28 lawsuits by the Church, based on claims The Church’s South African website notes that it is entire-
of libel and defamation. The year before that, the Namibian ly funded by charitable donations, and a recent visit to the
weekly state-owned newspaper Southern Times, was taken church’s congregation in Windhoek’s Independence Avenue
to court for about N$120 000, after the church felt an ar- by Consumer News confirmed the church’s emphasis on
ticle published in it aimed at painting them as a satanic sect money matters. On this particular Sunday service, the first
and previously, the Zambian government had suspended word of the bishop to the congregation after a powerful re-
the church’s operations there following riots in Lusaka over corded prayer is “Morning” followed by a call to bring their
such claims. tithes to the front.
American lecturer and ‘cult’ specialist Rick Alan Ross has The tithing system is 100 per cent in line with conventional
an extensive archive containing news articles and other in- Christian belief of setting aside 10 per cent of all earnings
formation on his website, “www.rickross.com, which docu- before deduction to God. This campaign is not to bless the
ment a host of other instances, including charges of fraud church but those who participated,” he says, calling on all to
and charlatanism that have been leveled against members depend on God and the belief in their sacrifice. “If you don’t
of the international body. The website deals exclusively believe in tithing, it is your right. But don’t come here for
with organisations deemed suspicious by the institute. The the anointing. I can of course, but it will do nothing. Only if
biggest reason for everyone’s interest in the church stems you believe,” he says.
from its philosophy of relentless fund-raising, as well as the
>>
04 CN
Manna from heaven cont.
Consumer News
response.
CN 06 To comment on this article sms ‘CN’ and your comment to 1111 or email us at: info@consumernewsnamibia.com
&
comparison shopping
Mom Baby
F
or the August edition, Consumer News took a comparison-shopping trip to the supermarkets and came back with some helpful tips to guide Moms on
their monthly baby-essential shopping excursions. Every parent is familiar with the high costs of raising a baby and most moms shop for baby neces-
sities on a calculated budget. We visited 9 stores and compared 9 items that rank high on mom’s list of baby goodies. This comparison shopping was
done Wednesday, July 28th and reflects the prices in those stores and the products available on that particular day.
Breast Pads
(Disposable) N$59.95 N$37.79 N$33.95
UNICEF report
“In Namibia, 81 per cent of women deliver their babies in a hospital, yet 40
per cent of Namibian children under the age of five lack birth certificates.
Children without birth certificates are more vulnerable to abuse, trafficking
and early marriage, and have less access to government services and
schooling.”
The following information is found on the birth certificate registry form and
must be paid attention to, to avoid mistakes:
• the newborn child’s identity number
and the page number (folio) and book in which the registration
was recorded
• the year of registration
• the child’s family name(s)
• the child’s given name(s)
• the child’s gender
Contact us on: +264 61 400 720 (Tel/Fax)
• the place of birth (name of the hospital, the clinic and the country) Email: sylviar@iway.na
Visit us @ 24 Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo street,
Southern Industrial Area
07 CN
• date of the birth (day, month, year)
• the order of birth: first, second in the case
•
of multiple births, for example
the full names of both parents and their
Pasta Perfecto Macaroni with Asp
nationalities Baby Tomatoes and Feta Che
• the place of issue of the document
(hospital, the clinic) Ingredients:
• the seal and signature of the registrar
Method:
Trim the woody ends off the asparagus
the rest into 3cm pieces. Pan-fry the as
baby tomatoes and garlic in olive oil for
minutes.
Bo
Shoprite Checkers
Top consumer Mom of the Month
Every mother has her own unique way of making her child(ren) feel spe-
cial and trying to provide for them to the best of her abilities. In light of
this, Consumer News is running a competition and we are searching for
Namibia’s Top Consumer Mom-of-the-Month. We want you to share your
consumer ideas and tips with other mom’s out there. Email us your story in
order to qualify for the Top Mom prize. The story should be about 50 words.
The lucky winners will receive shopping vouchers for their babies.
If you think you have what it takes to be our Top Consumer Mom, please
send us your story to consumernews@iway.na.
08 CN CN 21
paragus,
eese
all dente
and cut
sparagus,
about 5
e baby
amic
and stir
nd
bled feta
!
tit o!!
ape
oun
!!
cto?
ELECTRIC STOvE
• Use a pressure cooker when preparing
fRIDGE
food that normally takes a long time
to cook. • Don’t open fridge doors unnecessarily
• Consider buying a stove with a • Ensure that door seals are intact
convection oven. • Switch off the fridge when it is
• The size of the pot to match the size empty or when going on holiday
of the stove plate. • Let hot food cool down before
• Use cooking utensils with flat bottoms placing it in the refrigerator
and tight covers • Defrost the fridge regularly
• Do not use grill compartment to make • Leave space between items on
toast shelves, this allows cool air to
• Don’t use a stove to light a cigarette. circulate more easily.
• Never use the stove or hot plate as
heaters.
MICROWAvE DISHWASHER
• Defrost food before cooking in microwave.
• Only use a microwave to cook small to medium quantities of food • Run it only when it
• Compare cooking times on packaging and use the method that is full
takes the least time and power. • Turn it off before
the drying cycle
starts and dry
dishes manually.
• Connect the
machine to the cold
water supply
• Make sure that
all the filters stay
clean.
Tv/DvD/STEREO/
COMPUTERS
Why pay for 24
hours usage?
IRON • Standby-button
consumes en-
• Use a thermostastically controlled iron that switches itself ergy.
off when the correct temperature is reached. • Switch off the
• Switch an iron off once it has reached the correct power button.
temperature and complete the ironing on stored energy.
• Use distilled water in steam irons
• Iron low temperature fabrics first to reduce warm-up time
I
t is well known that the western media Give generously
sees Africa through a dark lens. What There is more to this story than just the overt or even latent
racism of westerners; though, to be sure, that is a part of it.
can a westerner learn of Africa from the There are economic reasons for the images. Children with
media? The short answer, probably, is bellies bloated from malnutrition looking forlornly into the
not much. This is not just a problem of the camera as some B-rated television personality does a voice
electronic era of images and information mov- over appealing for funds. Funds which are largely tied up in
ing at dizzying speed. It goes back to the age administration, salaries and overhead, rather than going to
help the individuals pictured on the screen. This is a busi-
of Conrad, of Africa as the ‘Dark Continent’ ness, Big Business. World Vision, a Christian NGO, rents a
and racist tropes of yesteryear. few hours of afternoon television programming per day in
many western countries pummeling viewers with these im-
Animal Planet ages over and over, to drive for donations. The more shock-
Africa is often represented as largely unpopulated, wide ing the image, the more donations get sent in and as there
open savannah, the Kalahari with animals migrating across
are several of these organisations competing with each other
the plains. If African people are pictured at all in the western
for money, so they also compete with imagery- which is bad
media, ouside of rebels adorned with bandoliers, they are ru-
ral villagers, with customs and manners of dress which seem news for Africa- with each of these organisations trying to
exotic to westerners. The Masai, or more locally, the Himba out-sensationalise each other in a dash for cash at the ex-
and San are a constant source of curiosity to be dissected pense of Africa.
and analysed. These ‘primitive cultures’ serve the purpose
of salving western guilt of their treatment of Africa, past and The problem with the news
present, as they advocate for the tribes and mourn the loss In a certain sense this is the nature of news programming in
of their way of life. It is a fetishisation, much of the type the west in general. ‘If it bleeds, it leads’ is a well-known
you can also see when you go to Swakopmund and see little maxim in the news business. This means that negative sto-
Himba and San figurines for sale in the windows of certain ries get the most prominent play and that media houses are
curio shops.
>>
To comment on this article sms ‘CN’ and your comment to 1111 or email us at: info@consumernewsnamibia.com
12 CN
comparison shopping
Africa W
also competing with each other for the
most sensational images. When these edi-
tors and journalists think of Africa, they
want stories of coups, of rape, of AIDS, of
cholera and violence and the more despi-
cable the image the more it is coveted and
the more it is viewed and re-viewed.
and video from one country are often sub- B-rated television the influx of travellers and construction
stituted for another country. You would
never see Australian images being passed personality does a of infrastructure were all handled without
off as Canada, for example, so why is it major hiccups. The other place that the
ok to show Kenya on the screen while the voice over western media hurts with their coverage
story is about Zimbabwe? Why is it ok to
speak of Africa as one country instead of appealing for funds. of Africa is the westerners themselves;
a continent?
besides the, slightly inexpensive, obser-
There was much pessimism in the west vation that being ignorant is not a good
over whether South Africa could host the
sporting event successfully, whether it thing, they also miss on the economic op-
could build the infrastructure and organ-
portunities here. The racism that allows
ise all the intricate details that come with
hosting such a huge happening such as the Westeners to believe this is just a conti-
World Cup. Then there was endless specu-
lation about whether they could be ready nent of coups and plagues keeps them
on time, if they could meet the deadlines?
from seeing Africa as a viable market, a
Afro-pessimism is the name often used
for the phenomenon where westerners can place to invest and to visit and allows the
speculate openly whether Africans can
‘govern themselves’ or organise anything. balance of world power to tilt more and
To comment on this article sms ‘CN’ and your comment to 1111 or email us at: info@consumernewsnamibia.com
CN 13
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Short Changed...
A
recent article in the Namibian newspaper about
insurance providers in Namibia, quotes a study
titled “Regulators need to up their game”. The
study “expressed concern about the conduct of
the industry and has warned that the reputation of the Bank
of Namibia (BoN) and the Namibia Financial Institutions Milton Louw
Supervisory Authority (Namfisa) will suffer unless they step to him leaving the job that morning to go speak to his legal
up supervision.” In the study, mention is made of certain insurer. Yeah right. They do not cover the expenses for a labour
insurance companies that make use of misleading advertising case either.
when offering products as “free”.
WHAT is it with insurance companies that do not want to pay
This has to be a wake up call to us as consumers. claims? If you complain at NAMFISA they do very little to
As a lobby group, we have regularly been contacted by help.
customers who do not receive the service they expected when
they bought the products as advertised. A common complaint If I am going to buy legal insurance I expect:
is about the legal insurance product so widely advertised in
our newspapers, radio and television. In these adverts, the Bail Assistance
consumer is made to believe that a monthly premium will . Bail negotiations and applications on members’ behalf .
give them access to legal assistance should the need arise. A Depositing of the bail amount/issuing of bail guarantee on
typical example of how this insurance company works is what behalf of arrested member
happened to Marco H.
Civil Law
Marco was a client of “legal insurance” and was not worried . Bank and insurance matters
if something should go wrong. One morning, his employer . Blacklisting
informed him that there were suspicions of theft and the . Building and construction matters
employees had to each take a lie detector test. Marco called his . Contractual disputes
legal insurance company but was told that they do not cover . Debt collection
labour issues. he then reluctantly took the lie detector test. . Letters of demand
The employer decided to lay criminal charges with the police . Litigation
after the tests and the whole group of employees were taken . Personal injury claims, etc
to the Windhoek central police station and charged. He called
his legal insurance company, and was informed they could not Criminal Law
assist him in a criminal case. . Fraud, theft, robbery or assault
. Arrests
Luckily for Marco, he was able to call up a friend that could . Bail applications
get him bail arranged and he was thus not forced to spend . Consumer issues
the weekend in jail. On the Monday, he duly went to his legal . Driving under the influence
insurance company at their big headquarters building to get . Reckless driving
some assistance. After reporting at the reception, he was rather . Search warrants, etc.
rudely informed that his case did not meet the standards of a
claim. Family Law
. Ante-nuptial contracts
This was definitely a case of misleading advertising if not theft. . Custody disputes
BUT what can Marco really do? Very little. Even the institutions . Divorces
that are supposed to do something, cannot help. We once again . Family violence matters
point out that we need consumer laws, and consumer protection . Interdicts
agencies that have teeth to prevent these companies for abusing . Maintenance disputes, etc.
the Namibian consumer. The cost of taking legal action can
be prohibitive. Could you afford to claim compensation if you Labour Law
were injured in an accident, unfairly dismissed from work or . Dismissals
had a dispute with a business? . Disciplinary proceedings
. Pension payout disputes
A friend of mine has had legal insurance and believed he was . Restraint of trade agreements
covered. About a month ago, he was accused of being involved . Retrenchments
in a theft syndicate at his work. He immediately called his . Unpaid wages
legal insurance company, but was informed they do not cover . Working conditions
criminal cases. He was taken for a polygraph test (is that legal
in Namibia), and informed that he had failed the test. This led Surely this is not too much to ask?
To comment on this article sms ‘CN’ and your comment to 1111 or email us at: info@consumernewsnamibia.com
16 CN
?
!
editorial
T
and develop the strength and influence to protect and promote their interests.
he Namibian consumer is trapped in many ways on a daily basis through
counterfeit goods, credit agreements, quality and warranties on goods, Consumer rights defined
debt collecting, advertising with no form of recourse on the ground. With A framework of eight basic rights has been developed over the years to protect
that in mind, NCL was founded to defend consumers’ rights through the consumer welfare. These form the basis of legislation and advocacy worldwide.
provision of an advocacy platform that would make consumers’ voices heard, Every year on March 15, groups use World Consumer Rights Day to advocate
raise awareness of their rights, build consumer’s ability to claim their rights these principles.
and make markets accountable and more responsive to consumer’s needs and
interests. Bob Ziekenoppasser is the founder of the Namibian Consumer Lobby. • The right to the satisfaction of basic needs:
To have access to basic, essential goods and services, adequate
A brief history and background of NCL and nutritious food, clothing, shelter, health care, education and
The Namibian Consumer Lobby has its origins deeply rooted in a great and sanitation.
noble cause of protecting and empowering the consumers by monitoring product • The right to safety
quality and service to ensure total adherence to reasonably accepted standards. To be protected against products, production processes and services
The organisation justifiably stemmed from the need to watch against profiteering that are hazardous to health or life.
at the expense of the consumer. It all began in 1988 when the first positive steps • The right to be informed
were taken to institute the formation of the vigilant consumer activists, which To be given the facts needed to make an informed choice and to be
was aimed at meeting protective needs of the consumer and produce better protected against dishonest or misleading advertising and labeling.
understanding between producers and consumers. The present day Namibian • The right to choose
Consumer Lobby (NCL) has expanded and restructured its policies to meet the To be able to select from a range of products and services offered at
needs of today’s consumers. competitive prices with an assurance of satisfactory quality.
• The right to redress
The vision of NCL To receive a fair settlement of just claims, including compensation
To spearhead consumers’ rights through sustainable consumer awareness and for misrepresentation, shoddy goods or unsatisfactory services.
protection in the country. • The right to consumer education
What are main objectives of Namibian Consumer Lobby To acquire the knowledge and skills needed to make informed,
- To lobby and advocate for effective consumer protection, legislation confident choices about goods and services while being aware of
and policies basic consumer rights and responsibilities and how to act on them.
- To improve consumer rights awareness through education, • The right to healthy and sustainable environment
communication and advice To live and work in an environment that is non-threatening to the
- To provide research-based and focused services and information well-being of present and future generations.
- To increase the membership-base and focused services and
information
- To upgrade the human resource skills base through relevant in-house
and external training
- To improve the revenue base through targeted fund raising and
related activities
What are the functions and services of the Namibian Consumer Lobby
Education
The organisation plays a pivotal role in educating consumers on their rights
and responsibilities, it disseminates information through print media, electronic
media, panel discussions, workshops, seminars and meetings. We monitor the
quality of goods and services available to the public. Advise, educate and inform
consumers on their rights.
Referral services
The organisation also plays a pivotal role in referring consumers to the right
places were they can be assisted. This is done for areas which do not fall into the
organisation’s jurisdiction.
To comment on this article sms ‘CN’ and your comment to 1111 or email us at: info@consumernewsnamibia.com
CN 17
editorial
A consumer’s experience
in Chinatown By Raymond Isaac
I
t is Saturday afternoon at Windhoek’s bustling DVDs to fake washing powder and cigarettes.
As current as May this year, former Veterans Affairs minister Ngari-
China Town complex. A few customers are still kutuke Tjiriange went on a public tirade in a local weekly over an
rushing to get inside the security gates, much apparent argument with security guards at China Town’s gates. They
like at any random shop when closing time is had apparently refused to let him drive his car onto the premises to
load some items he’d bought from there. The retired former minis-
just announced. Entering one of the many crowded ter said he’d wanted to lay a complaint with an authority figure at
shops on the premises, Consumer News grabs a the complex, but could find no official channel to vent to, leading
pack of dolls laying in a basket marked at N$10. A to strong words of ‘our own people being paid by the Chinese to
harass us’. Are all these complaints just an indication of Namibians’
bargain, given that we’re looking at a mother doll intolerance for outsiders? A xenophobic culture specifically targeting
and her two proportionally smaller daughters with Chinese nationals? Is resentment brewing in many parts of the SADC
accessories. The shop owner, a middle-aged Chi- region, as suggested by human rights watchdogs like the National
Society for Human Rights (NSHR)’s director Phil ya Nangoloh?
nese man is sharing a joke with his female Namib-
ian employee. He moves in behind the till as he sees After all, it has long been held that, and confirmed in a 2008 Poly-
the pending sale. technic of Namibia (Public Management Department) study, that
Chinese shops cater for a section of the public not often kept in mind
He takes the N$20 note handed to him, and fiddles with the cash reg- by pricier western chains. And that Chinese construction companies,
ister until it pops open. “Receipt please?”, he is reminded as he hands another thorn in the flesh for local competitors, often tender 15 to 20
over the change, and laughs at his obvious forgetfulness. per cent lower than local companies, while further slashing prices by
importing construction material like steel for cheaper from China.
He tears off the slip, squints at it quickly, and grabs a pen on the coun-
ter to scribble a few notes before he hands it over with a smile. It’s all Or is all this indication of a need for stronger regulations to keep
there - the price of the goods, the amount tendered and the change he Chinese businesses, the majority of whom don’t have any agreements
owed, in blue pen over an inkless print-out. with trade unions, in check and in line with global consumer stan-
dards? “Relations are improving. Obviously there have been some
Chinese businesses in Namibia and controversy have seemingly gone instances of traders being rude to customers and the customers have
hand-in-hand since their very entry into the local market. If not for fought back with the law so to speak,” says Bruce Lee, whose family
the quality of the often cheap and bootleg versions of internation- are the landlords of China Town in Windhoek.
al brands sold at complexes such as China Town and corner shops
across the country, then for reported short-cuts in service provision, He notes that, while a contact with the Chinese Chamber of Com-
of rude behaviour towards their clientele, and in some cases even merce referred the magazine to him, the family in fact has no busi-
because of police raids that have uncovered everything from pirated ness ties with their tenants as is often assumed by complainants
>>
20 CN
Chinatown
There are trained officers at Customs who check that counterfeit goods
don’t seep into the country, but our capacity to act is very limited.
against some of the traders. “As long as they’re not giving us trouble, in Beijing, renowned for battles with intellectual property defend-
we don’t bother them,” he says, adding that even his family has had ers. Asked about Namibia’s stance on the sale of counterfeit goods,
heated arguments with some of the traders when buying from them. Edward Kamboua, Under Secretary for Trade and Commerce in the
Nevertheless, Lee insists Namibians should look at the cultural as- Trade ministry, was adamant it is not condoned. Namibia has a num-
pects that brought many of these Chinese traders to Namibia in the ber of own laws, and is also signatory to a number of international
first place, as well as the current trend when considering solutions. protocols which outlaw counterfeits such as is being sold at the China
shops, he says.
“There’s a misconception that most Chinese who come to Namibia
reside in Windhoek. That’s not the case. In fact, many of our ten- “But the trouble is in enforcing these laws. There are trained offi-
ants have started to move out and now live around Oshikango (near cers at Customs who check that counterfeit goods don’t seep into the
the Angolan border). That’s actually where the biggest concentration country, but our capacity to act is very limited. Of course, anyone
of Chinese in Namibia is currently,” he says. This is explained by who takes offense against such counterfeit goods, like the registered
the more preferred trade in US dollars at the border and specifically trademark holder, is welcome to sue in order to get compensation,”
with Angolan nationals, as well as increased investment in Namibia’s he says.
northern border since its emergence from civil war in 2002. One ex-
ample is the Chinese Exim Bank’s approval in 2004 of a N$2 billion Another problem for authorities, he says, is that sometimes the coun-
line of credit to Angola to rebuild its infrastructure, and which has had terfeit goods appear to be produced inside of the country’s borders,
the added spin-off of buildings housing and more Chinese businesses making searches at the border ineffective and warranting raids.
in that part of the country and further up north.
“Many of our tenants are from the same part of China, from (the
city of) Fujin, and as such look out for one another while being very Your Number One Department Store
closed off from everyone else,” Lee says further. “I do think relations
have improved with time though, especially between the owners and
employees,” he says noting to some of the complaints raised in the
past, including ill treatment of workers and workers being paid below
minimum wage rates. Attempts to gain comment from the Chinese
Chamber of Commerce on what channels of recourse customers to
Chinese businesses have when confronted with bad service, or when
trying to return goods found to be non-satisfactory, were unsuccess-
ful. Consumer News sent questions to spokesperson Angela Feng, but
after a week of waiting on a reply, she said the chamber would not
have time to respond.
Lies or Levi’s?
Besides the service complaints, Chinese retail businesses are also
notorious for stocking knock-offs of big international retail brands. Opening Hours
When the Consumer News visited China Town recently, we found
ample examples - ranging from Levi’s and Nike jeans and sneakers Mon - Fri / 08:00 - 17:30
to Diesel, Ray-Ban and Gucci sunglasses priced at N$20 each. Adi- Sat / 08:00 - 13:00
das and Puma track suits are also on proud display at about N$100 a Sun / 09:00 - 13:00
piece, among others. Internationally, the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) have it that the share of coun-
terfeit and pirated goods in world trade stands at 1.95 per cent, or a adriane@weckevoigts.com.na
figure of U$ 250 billion. Locally though, accurate statistics on not
Wecke & Voigts (Pty) Ltd
only counterfeit goods, but Chinese investment overall are not avail-
able. Most China shops operating in the country are owned and run by Gustav Voigts Centre
private business people, and, according to a study done by the Labour Independence Avenue
Resource and Research Centre (LaRRI), many are not registered with Fax: (061) 224 982
the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
“Some set up their shops after obtaining a work permit for Namibia
and have little contact with the Chinese Embassy, which does not
encourage the setting up of small Chinese shops as they have little
impact on employment creation,” the study reads. TEL+264 61 377 000
These traders usually buy from China, either from large wholesalers THE ORIGINAL LEVI AVAILABLE AT WECKE & VOIGTS.
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CN 21
FNB Consumer Watch!
CruelCopycats
IN THE NEW BUSINESS REALITY YOU NEED A BANK Thanks for banking with us
THAT GIVES YOU MORE grammatical and text spacing errors must instantly
ring warning bells!
Cyber fraud is on the increase – and online banking users
are its prime focus.
IMPORTANT
FNB Namibia warns customers to be vigilant about 'Phishing' Be aware of the “PROCEED” link that you our customers need to
scams. “Phishing is a form of fraud where criminals attempt to check as this link diverts you to the “Phishing site” which is
access your confidential information. This is done via an email different from the real/valid site.
request, by luring customers to a fake website or by infecting their
personal computers with criminal software. When a link appears hold your “mouse device” over this
link and you will notice a totally different site than that of the valid
bank site.
A typical example:
NOTE
From: First National Bank <incontact.customer@fnb.co.za> Fraud attempts of this sort are only successful once online
a clear representative's name would be given banking users respond to the (typically) email messages as
Date: April 3, 2010 6:03:40 PM GMT+02:00 illustrated above and thereby compromise their sensitive
To: aticraft@iway.na information in the process.
Subject: FNB :-) Account Reference: (0x3d.0x38.0x4e.0xcf)...
Reply-To: First National Bank <incontact.customer@fnb.co.za>
We constantly introduce new security measures that are aimed at
curbing the threat of “identity theft”. We however still advise that to
Dear Value Customer: We offer personalized service and further counter these threats, our customers should not interact
make it a point to know our client's names with the sender of the email.
Following a request we received online, by
phone or at a FNB branch ??
“We are a reputable and responsible financial service provider
We Therefore has placed your account on and we adopted 'zero tolerance' to fraud and crime in our
restricted access. business”.
Due to wrong information provided during If you suspect that your confidential information has been
interrogation we had all rights to believe compromised, don't hesitate to immediately contact our 24 hour
that your account has been authorized by a fraud line at (061) 299 7266 for assistance – do not wait a minute
third-party user. longer.
In other to protect you which is our utmost
concern we have blocked your account.
Click On Proceed to FNB Online to retrieve
and unlock
[*PROCEED*]
O
ngoing email scams such as phishing remain a While certain banking security systems offer protection only while
problem for all internet and online banking users. In logged onto an online banking site, Prevx SafeOnline™
the past, FNB Namibia has sought to address this constantly monitors and protects user information on all websites
issue with customer education and to offer protection with from being stolen by phishing or malware. The software can also
behind-the-scenes software. determine if the user has logged onto a hoax banking site used for
phishing.
The problem will always remain that should an online banking
customer give away their user names, logon codes and other This is the first time that this software will be offered in Africa.
information, they will expose themselves to fraud. The number of
The system requires a small initial download of less than 1MB and
customers who do this is relatively small and we can see that
takes less than 1 minute to install, following which the user is fully
education drives by FNB, other industry groups and other banks
protected. The software updates itself automatically to ensure
have achieved a great deal.
that the latest protection measures are applied. The download is
We have, however, noted the early signs of a new and more offered to FNB Online Banking and Online Banking Enterprise™
important threat. Malware designed to steal a user's confidential users once they login with easy-to-follow guidelines.
banking information may be embedded in unsolicited email and
The service is available to both our personal banking and our
may be triggered by simply opening an email. In addition,
commercial banking clients.
malware may also be hidden on websites.
The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA Fund) is a statutory body The following benefits may be claimed for:
established to design, develop, promote and implement motor
vehicle accident and injury prevention measures. The Fund provides • Medical Benefits:
assistance and benefits to all people injured and dependants of those Any person involved in a motor vehicle accident is entitled to an
killed in motor vehicle accidents in accordance with the MVA Fund undertaking amounting to N$ 1,500,000.00 which provides for
Act 10 of 2007. medical treatment, injury management, rehabilitation and life
enhancement. Please take note that any payments made by the
What is the process of reporting motor vehicle accidents? Fund in respect of treatment will be paid directly to the
service provider.
All motor vehicle accidents should be reported via the MVA Fund
Accident Response Number, which is 0819682. • Injury grant
The Fund provides an injury grant of up to the value of N$100
How does the Fund respond to motor vehicle accidents? 000.00. This is a cash grant that serves as compensation for
injury in respect of any one injured person.
Upon the Fund’s call centre receiving a report of a motor vehicle
accident, the Fund will take reasonable steps to ensure that: • Funeral Grant
The Fund pays a funeral benefit to the value of N$ 7500.00 in
• An ambulance is dispatched to the accident scene without respect of any person who died in a motor vehicle accident on
delay. Namibian roads.
• The injured person or persons are conveyed to a hospital or
other medical treatment facility. • Loss of Income
• The injured person or persons are stabilized and out of The Fund pays out Loss of Income to the value to N$ 100 000.00
immediate danger before determining liability. per year in respect of any one injured person where there is
proof that the person paid income tax for the year prior to
Can foreigners claim from the Fund? the injury or for most of a five year period immediately preced
ing the injury.
Any person who is in Namibia in accordance with a valid permit
under the Immigration Control Act, and Section 14 of the Namibia • Loss of support
Refugees Act, is limited to providing medical treatment and injury Loss of Support may be claimed by a depended of a deceased
management for the period such person is in Namibia. in the case where there is proof that the deceased paid tax
on income for the tax year preceding the injury or a five year pe
In respect of a person killed in a motor vehicle accident and who is riod immediately preceding death, to a share calculated on in
not granted right of residence in Namibia or either has the right to come assured to be no more than N$ 100 000.00 per annum – in
remain in Namibia in accordance with the Namibia Refugees Act, all other cases, a share calculated on income assumed to be no
assistance is limited to providing the funeral benefit of N$ 7500.00. more than the amount set as a tax threshold per annum.
MVA Fund Service Centre Ongwediva MVA Fund Service Centre Windhoek MVA Fund Service Centre Rundu
ERF: 6325, 6326, P.O. BOX 3669 8495 Church Street, P.O. BOX 25158, Eugene Kakukuru Road, North Gate Building, Shop No.11
Tel: +264 65 234 060/1, Fax: +264 65 231 613 Tel: +264 61 289 7000, Fax: +264 61 241142 P.O. BOX 899, Tel: +264 66 255 826, Fax: +264 66 256 859
Visit our website: www.mvafund.com.na
entertainment
"Well, one of our objectives for the event was to blend cultural and modern ele-
ments. If you look at the Himba themselves you can see that their culture does
not remain stagnant. There is a large copper bracelet that women wear only
after menopause. Generations back that was not the case - culture evolves."
In The Beginning interest we received, it is clear that the event spoke to many Namibians.
This story began in 2007, in the minds of two University of Namibia gradu- It has tickled their fancy." He says with a smile.
ates by the names of Rhingo Mutamba and Jonathan Swartz. Although
Pambili, well-known local fashion gurus, helped them polish up the idea Fashion Forward
for "Himba in the Mix", for two years the struggle of realising their dream At present our fashion industry is quite small. A unique event like this
ensued: "sponsors want to sponsor existing projects," explains Rhingo in struck a chord because every aspect of it was home-grown. "A lot of
a functionary conference room with plush black leather chairs, "we lacked information went out and hopefully many a consumer got word. The re-
that. You submit your proposal and people reject it or just keep quiet." sponse helped us see that it had an impact." Indeed it helped to highlight
Luckily, a friend told them that the National Arts Council was sponsoring culture and the fact that there is unsung talent; and with continued sup-
different artists and they applied. They were able to secure half the funds port, great things can be achieved. In fact, as fate would have it, a Ger-
needed and the rest, as well as various other forms of assistance, came man crew filming in Namibia got wind of the event and recorded the whole
from the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre. They had a place to rehearse process from rehearsals to the final show. With all the local coverage,
and they also managed to engage up-and-coming designers; and with all positive response from Namibians abroad and the footage captured by
this, inspired them to put together a very unique show. the German crew, there has to be more to come. What is next? I ask. "It is
part of our plan to make this a reoccurring event", enthuses Rhingo. "The
The Journey sponsors were impressed and now other organisations want to work with
Once the funding was secured, word reached many designers. The ones us. We want to create a brand." What is to stop them? After all, they are
whose sketches were approved had a few meetings where they were told contributing to the developing of Namibia's image in a way. "We want to
about the show and exhibition concept. "We prepared a powerpoint pre- make it bigger." Concludes Rhingo and I have a good feeling they will.
sentation for the designers to give them some background on the Himba"
says Rhingo. "We [the designers] didn't know a lot about Himba culture," See more pictures and extras on consumernewsnamibia.com
said Nicoline, one of the event's designers, "so they gave us inspiration.
We drew sketches and took them back to them so we could see if we
were on the right track." In addition, the designers were given materials to
work with as well as extra cash to source whatever else they needed for
their individual designs. For Nicoline and Meresia the event has been a
blessing. "Seeing the models on the catwalk wearing my creations and for
me receiving recognition for my work, was the best feeling ever!" exclaims
Meresia. The two designers, who are business partners, appreciated the
media coverage and exposure they have been receiving. In fact, they had
both received some media attention prior to this, but " not like this. This
has been overwhelming." I am assured by both ladies.
Evolving Culture
"The idea is broad. We want to preserve and educate people about in-
digenous fashion and culture", explains Rhingo in response to what the
inspiration behind the event was. I was curious to know, considering the
gap between modern fashion trends which tends to be dominated by
Western influence. And indigenous fashion is quite large; not to men-
tion that, especially on our continent, fashion has not so much to do with
fabric as it is with jewellery, body paint, tribal markings and ornamental
hairstyling. In today's world, how could the two be bridged without the
loss of culture?
"Well, one of our objectives for the event was to blend cultural and mod-
ern elements. If you look at the Himba themselves you can see that their
culture does not remain stagnant. There is a large copper bracelet that
women wear only after menopause. Generations back that was not the
case - culture evolves." And he is right. Culture is a fluid concept that
tends to reflect what members of a society hold true at the time. Besides,
in the last decade we have witnessed an explosion of African fashion all
over the continent with world-class labels like Jewel By Lisa and Tiffany
Amber (Nigeria), and talented designers like David Tlale (South Africa)
and Mustafa Hassanali (Tanzania). Why not promote unknown talent in
Namibia to help redefine and re-examine culture and create pride and a
new understanding for younger generations? "From the coverage and
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CN 29
Opinion
H
ow does commodity speculation in New York and So now, with this no-rules casino capitalism, there was a situa-
London affect us here in Windhoek or Oshakati? tion where mortgages were being pushed on people who could not
Does the deregulation of financial services in the possibly afford to pay for them, who having always been told that
west contribute to the high cost of maize meal? In real estate is a sound investment, jumped at the chance to own a
the past decade we have seen many major bubbles home. These ‘toxic mortgages’ were pushed by firms with zero
caused by speculators and heinous investment banks such as Gold- ethics such as Countrywide, and then packaged into investment ve-
man Sachs; The real estate, the internet, oil and the mortgage bub- hicles called CDO’s. Investors were sold on the idea that, because
bles. some of the mortgages were above board - there was no reason to
fret about the sketchy ones and thus bound-to-fail garbage loans
All of these bubbles have their root in the deregulation of the fi- were sold as AAA-rated investments. Goldman used AIG to insure
nancial services industry, in other words, removing all the rules. these toxic funds while there were fully aware these were bound
Investment banks, for example, were able to leverage themselves to fail. This was to the detriment and eventual downfall of AIG.
in ways never previously possible. Many did not have the assets to So Goldman made money both when selling the crap mortgages
back up the money they lent out, some were leveraged 33 to 1 as and collecting the insurance when the funds inevitably imploded,
the ratio of their liabilities to their assets. Simple common sense taking a good chunk of the economy with it. Those debts from AIG
will tell you that this is a bad idea, but this is what happens when were eventually paid to Goldman by the taxpayer at 100 cents on
well financed powerful market fundamentalism meets logic. Logic the dollar.
loses. The mortgage bubble illustrates this very well.
By the second term of silver spoon trust fund baby-cum cowboy
Banks had always been careful whom they allowed to take out a George Walker Bush, Wall Street, led by business crimminals
mortgage and the mortgage market had always included checks such as AIG, Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns and Goldman Sachs,
and balances. These were basic underwriting procedures that were were no longer involved in things like investing in legitimate busi-
for the protection of everyone, you had to produce a down payment nesses or contributing to an actual economy or, say, employment;
of 10 percent or more, show a steady income and good credit rat- they were too busy creating new asset-stripping scams and ponzi
ing, and possess a real first and last name. This was so that banks schemes, and generally doing their level best to eradicate the mid-
would not be stuck with bad loans on their own books. The ad- dle class. Innovations like credit default swaps and collateralised
vent of CDOs, Collateralised Debt Obligations, meant that those debt obligations were invented to create revenue streams where
mortgages could now be chopped up into bits and repackaged as none existed and since the, once famed, American manufacturing
investment vehicles. This opened the doors to rampant abuse, as sector was shipped off to China and Mexico in search of nimble-
the banks and mortgage companies had someone further down the fingered children in sweatshops, it was one final way for the al-
line to pass on their dodgy mortgages to. Companies like Goldman ready affluent to bleed the rest of us. The effects of the mortgage
Sachs went further than just selling toxic mortgages to unsuspect- bubble were huge and this soon spiralled further out into the global
ing ‘clients’. They also bet against those same mortgages to fail. economy. Titans such as Bear Sterns, AIG and Lehman Brothers
Goldman was selling products they knew were defective and then were among the casualties when the bubble finally burst. These
betting against them. This is at the very heart of securities fraud. giants took with them the portfolios of millions of Americans, pen-
sion funds, teachers’ unions retirements and wiping out jobs across
the country.
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30 CN
Commodity bubble er the equally useless response of, then candidate, Barack Obama
After the real estate, the Internet and the mortgage bubbles burst, who touted hybrid cars as the answer to
Wall Street, with Goldman Sachs once again at the center of the
action, wasted little time in moving on to their next abomination
which was commodity speculation. After having blown up these
markets, there was precious little left to speculate on so they
moved on to actual physical commodities.
bubble
kamma, speculators need protection too. As a result of the heady unchecked Wall Street speculation (keeping in mind of course that
Ayn Rand-ism of the time this specious argument gained some if his opponents had won the election, America would be carpet-
traction and fifty years of stability vanished overnight. The law bombing Canada right now and would be using shiny buttons as
was originally intended to protect farmers against exactly this kind currency) .
of speculation, but this singular piece of sanity in the regulatory
framework was also tossed, opening the door to manipulation and Africa, trickle down.
speculation of commodities once again. Suddenly, if you are Joe teacher or Jane doctor in the USA and
your pension fund has been wiped out overnight by a few dozen
Do you remember when the price of petrol suddenly began to rise lantern-jawed alpha males in Italian loafers and headsets, that Af-
and then kept going and going? A barrel of oil was being traded as rican safari holiday you were planning gets put on the back burner
many as 27 times before it was finally sold and any relationship to and seems unaffordable now. In times of uncertainty, people invest
actual oil had been severed. in things with intrinsic value, potatoes and maybe some oonyama,
but a car or house will be the extent of investments. Suddenly a
diamond becomes just a stone from the ground or a stage name
for a stripper.
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CN 31
Boxing
By Staff Reporter
a non-title fight in Germany recently. The muscular but extremely tactical Meroro will of time. << CN
Btv
Conatct Mike on 081 128 2217 / 081 226 1933/ 0855 655539
Sky News
Tech Office: 061-265 569. Visit us at Mike Fan Bed & Breakfast, Erf 2526, Otjikere street
next to Wanaheda Police Station.
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