Congratulations to the winners of our 2023 Wildlife Crime Comic Competition
1st place, Ontana Combined School from the Oshikoto Region, with its comic titled: “Water Smuggling: The borehole water business councillor” by Naftal Amupolo, winning 30.000,- N$ in kind for his school.
Naftal also created a video together with his school’s principal Mr Ifugula, to demonstrate how water is withdrawn from a borehole or well.
2nd place, Onguti Senior Secondary School, Oshikoto Region, with its comic titled: “Illegal fishing”; by Edward David and Johannes Jonas, winning 15.000,-N$ in kind. (Photos will be added.)
3rd place, Delta Secondary School Windhoek, from Khomas, with its comic titled “Save the Pangolins”, produced by the EcoClub of the school, winning 5000,- N$ in kind.
Announcing the winners, the director of the LAC, Ms Toni Hancox, stated:
“I want to congratulate the winning schools. I am very happy about the quality of entries received overall. We have seen a big improvement when compared to last year’s entries and it gives me great hope that our learners are indeed advancing in environmental education.
We thank all schools for participating in this important project, and I hope we can continue with this competition in the years to come.”
The LAC received overall 53 entries, from 28 different schools, representing ten regions.
A wide area of topics were covered, ranging from poaching of various animal species, illegal wildlife trade, illegal fishing, illegal dumping of waste in the ocean, water pollution, illegal sand mining, deforestation, illegal fires, and littering.
The winning comics were selected based on originality, art, character, storyline, and the presence of any legal components.
We thank each school for encouraging children to participate in the competition and more importantly for instilling a desire to protect our environment.
The competition was funded by the LAC and Bread for the World (BfdW).
Joint Press Statement: Supreme Court Judgment in the Same-sex couples’ immigration rights case
We, the partners of Afrikagrupperna, a Swedish solidarity organisation, are a group of diverse organisations from Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. We work in the areas of labour rights, sexual and reproductive health and rights, climate justice and food sovereignty and for the protection of human rights as a collective. Read more…
Awards
The Legal Assistance Centre has been honoured with the prestigeous Human Rights Excellence Award at the JP Karuaihe Trust and Law Society of Namibia Legal Excellence Awards.
The JP Karuaihe Foundation was launched on 25th of March 1999 by his Excellency Dr. Sam Nujoma in Windhoek. It was founded by the late Mrs. Nokokure Karuaihe and his sisters, with the assistance of friends and family.
JP Karuaihe Foundation is to facilitate education for Namibians who want to study law, in order to uplift and empower them through the acquisition of knowledge in the Legal Profession and also to assist in realizing the United Nations Millennium Goals as well as Namibia’s Vision 2030.
Since Judge Karuaihe died so early at the age of 39, the Fund was established to immortalize the ideas Judge Karuaihe stood for and to keep his legacy alive.
National Arbor day on 13 October
Countries around the world, including Namibia, actively participate in planting trees on Arbor Day. This national observance annually takes place in Namibia on the second Friday in October.With our comic we wish to highlight the damage and loss illegal harvesting can have and encourage all to plant and raise a tree today!
City of Windhoek has launched an initiative on donating a tree at UN-Plaza today in support of National Arbor day.
Tree of the Year 2023: Silver Cluster-leaf Terminalia sericea
Silver Cluster Leaf (E), Vaalboom (A), Gelbholz (D), Omuserasetu (H), Za’ò (J), ǀGāb (K), Tceree (Kx), Omugolo (O), Mugoro (R), Muhonono (S), Ghushosho (T).
PRESS RELEASE – following an article on Hyphen’s 24% stake offer
The statement by President Hage Geingob in The Namibian of 29 May 2023 warning locals not to interfere in the green hydrogen project being developed in Tsau//Khaeb National Park is deeply concerning to the Legal Assistance Centre.
Please read our full statement
PRESS RELEASE – APPEAL HEARING: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Ncumcara Community Forest and Others // Reconnaissance Africa (PTY) LTD and Others
On 26 April 2023 the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism reserved judgement after hearing arguments for and against the decision by the Environmental Commissioner (EC) to amend an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) 0091 held by Reconnaissance Energy Namibia (Pty) Ltd (REN). Read more…
Same-sex marriages concluded outside Namibia must be respected under the immigration laws
This consolidated appeal concerns two cases, both involving foreign nationals married to Namibians in same-sex marriages, which were jointly heard by a Full Bench of the High Court (the Full Bench) due to the similarity of the issues raised. The primary dispute revolves around the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration’s (the Ministry) refusal to recognise spouses in same-sex marriages validly concluded outside Namibia for immigration purposes (ie in terms of s 2(1)(c) of the Immigration Control Act 7 of 1993 (the Act)).
The Full Bench of the High Court determined that the Ministry’s practice violates the parties’ constitutional rights but found that it was bound by a decision of this Court in Immigration Selection Board v Frank 2001 NR 107 (SC) (Frank), which precluded it from granting relief to the appellants on constitutional grounds by reason of the doctrine of precedent reinforced by Art 81 of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court has overruled this decision and the Apeal Judgment, full ruling and grounds thereto may be read here.
More on this case also on the Southern Africa Litigation Centre’s website.
Appeal against RECON’s extention of Clearance Certificate lodged
Aggrieved parties have lodged an appeal on 22 June 2022, in terms of section 50 of the Environmental Management Act, Act 7 of 2007, against the decision of the Environmental Commissioner who amended and extended the environmental clearance certificate, ECC 0091, held by Reconnaissance Energy Namibia (Pty) Ltd (REN).
Read more…
