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Namibia Telecom extends 3G+, 4G network to Tsumeb

Tuesday 1 April 2014 | 11:48 CET | News

Telecom Namibia's mobile unit, tn mobile, has extended its 3G+ and 4G (LTE) services to Tsumeb in the Oshikoto region. Overall tn mobile's 3G+ and 4G LTE network is now available in 10 major towns across the country. Towns covered by the same network are the capital city of Windhoek and surrounding areas, as well as Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Langstrand and Henties Bay in the Erongo Region. Other towns are Ondangwa, Ongwediva and Oshakati in Oshana Region, as well as Ohangwena and Oshikango in Ohangwena Region. Omuthiya, the regional capital of Oshikoto Region, was connected to tn mobile's 3G+ service on 20 March. The four new LTE and six new 3G+ sites will be commissioned by the second week of April.

Tsumeb builds 300 houses

TSUMEB – The Tsumeb Town Council has constructed 300 low-cost houses for its inhabitants, while council has enlisted the services of property developers to speed up housing delivery.

Re-elected Tsumeb mayor Ndangi Linekela Shetekela revealed this on Tuesday when he was sworn-in for another term in office in accordance with Section 11 and Section 21 of the Local Authorities Act (Act No. 23 of 1992). “The construction of low-cost housing spearheaded by the Shack Dwellers Association of Namibia remains a major success and has so far managed to build about 300 houses for low-income groups in our community,” he said. “The council has also allocated more tasks to various developers to construct low-, semi-, as well as high-income housing in order to address the housing backlog at the town. The projects will commence as soon as standard procedures have been completed,” Shetekela said. The Tsumeb municipality on Tuesday held its annual swearing-in ceremony for office bearers where six of the seven office bearers took the oath of office. Speaking at the event Shetekela remarked on the overall performance of the municipality, as well as the challenges and achievements recorded during the period under review. According to Shetekela as elected leaders the councillors committed themselves to the principles of participatory democracy, good governance, sustainable socio-economic development, justice and peace. “I want to [acknowledge] the hard work shown by our council and the residents of Tsumeb who [worked] together diligently to bring about improvements in their surroundings, and as a council we hope that we can still work together to achieve more successes in 2014 and beyond,” Shetekela further said. He outlined the importance of achieving the goals that the council has set for itself, as well as the importance of remaining united in its purpose to create an industrialized, stable and peaceful Tsumeb and Namibia at large. He said the progress achieved so far in Tsumeb is largely due to the new and innovative ideas that the elected political office bearers have put in motion.

The Tsumeb mayor said the 2013 Tsumeb Copper Festival, which witnessed the introduction of the new element of diversity was a great success. “The festival-cum-trade fair is our annual calendar event that is being organized primarily to unite all the residents of the town and visitors, whilst at the same time creating opportunities for SME’s and business enterprises to market and showcase their products,” he explained. The council also managed to successfully lure various long-overdue investments to render much needed services to residents, according to the mayor. The big investment by Dundee Precious Metals, the new prospects of mining by Weatherly Mining, the N$107 million Tsumeb Mall and a modern Tsumeb Airport are all new opportunities for job creation and for economic growth he said. Shetekela conceded that the town is not a utopia and faces challenges, including the influx of many people seeking economic opportunities and prosperity and other developmental constraints, such as inadequate infrastructure, which the town council is prepared to face head on in its quest to improve service delivery. He said some of the infrastructure developments in the pipeline include the tarring of more roads and the development of housing and business spaces, as well as the need for sanitation in informal settlements like Kuvuki. “Local stakeholders such as Dundee Precious Metals through its community trust continue to make a positive contribution to the development of our SMEs, schools and the social welfare of our town in general. As chairperson of the council I would like to advise the council and management to expedite the development of a municipal company that will engage strategic partners for further economic development in order to allow us to provide much needed services to our people,” Shetekela said.

By John Travolter Matali

Construction News

The single level shopping mall will be covered.  Selected areas will be semi-covered to embrace the culture of protecting the native indigenous trees that are synonymous with the region.

Artist Impression

Artist Impression of the centre.

Namibia: Major Investments in Tsumeb As Population Grows

Namibia: Major Investments in Tsumeb As Population Grows

By Edgar Brandt, 1 July 2013

Tsumeb — More than N$110 million is being invested in three separate projects in developing an area in the centre of Tsumeb, as the first steps are taken to breathe life back into the mining town. The town council hopes the new investments, together with the just completed tar road linking the town to Katwitwi in Rundu, will boost the town's spending power.

Besides the multi-million investments, the town council is in the process of delineating one of the town's most impoverished settlements, Kuvukiland. This settlement is estimated to house as much as 10 percent of the entire Tsumeb's 34 000 residents. And the settlement is expected to will burst at the seams with over 4 000 residents in the near future, due to the ever-present influx of people seeking work.

The land on which the developments are to take place belonged to Weatherly copper mining company, but the council is currently transferring it back into council's books. "Once this is complete we can start with providing services to the land," said the Tsumeb Municipality's Economic Development Officer, Lemmy Geingob.

Construction has already started on the N$100 million shopping complex in an area that has been lying idle for many years, an area that Tsumeb residents have baptised as 'Donkey Vlakte.' The shopping complex will have tenants such as Pick n Pay, Edgars Active and Woolworths, and there is also an investment of a multi-million dollar trade centre that will host light industries and small and medium size enterprises as well an N$8 million office for the electricity distributor Cenored - the electricity distributor for the central, east and northern regions of the country.

Years ago many Tsumeb residents were of the opinion that the 'Donkey Vlakte' area was not safe due to minerals in the area that reportedly attracted excessive lightning. However, Geingob denied these claims, citing a feasibility study conducted in the area. According to Geingob, the study indicated that the area is indeed safe provided any buildings constructed are no higher than a single-storey structure.

Numerous businesses will soon occupy this space, including local companies and international chain shops. Geingob says the town of Tsumeb, which was once thought to be in danger of turning into a ghost town, is again flourishing as residents' spending power has increased. The new developments are also expected to create at least a few hundred jobs in the town that will soon also see the opening of the Tschunde copper mine. "I trust that any tenants of the new developments will work with us to alleviate the unemployment in the town, the region and the country," added Geingob.

The Economic Development Officer added that the town, in conjunction with major employers in the area, is working to alleviate the huge demand for housing. "Most of the land in the town belongs to the mine. We, as the municipality, are engaged with the mine to transfer the land over to the municipality for development," mentioned Geingob.

Another factor that is expected to contribute to Tsumeb's economy, and will likely see its population and spending power increase even further, is the recently completed road linking the town to Katwitwi. This road, which is yet to be commissioned, is a shorter and more cost effective option for many transporters to Angola.

 

Layout of Centre

Now Leasing the following stores;

·         Shop 02 365.00m²

·         Shop 03 100.00m²

·         Shop 13 81.00m²

·         Shop 21 97.00m²

·         Shop 23A 152.00m²

·         Shop 25 373.00m²

·         Shop 26 100.00m²

·         Shop 27 100.00m²

·         Shop 28 298.00m²

 

Rentals average on N$ 140.00/m² depending on the area.

Should you be interested in opening a store in Tsumeb Mall, kindly contact Michelle Small on +27 12 365 0760 or send an email to msmall@eris.co.za