Tanzania Introduces Value-Added Tax to Tourism Services

Tanzania Ejected Over 7,400 University Students

The government has announced that it has re-admitted only 382 out of 8000 suspended students at the University of Dodoma's science teachers training programme.

Students at University of Dodoma.

Hardly five per cent of the entire batch of about 8,000 students who were recently suspended from the University of Dodoma had the required qualifications to pursue the Special Diploma in Science Education at the public university.

The Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Prof Joyce Ndalichako, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the 1,471 students, constituting about 19 per cent of the total number, lacked even the qualifications for the certificate course. Prof Ndalichako said the students have been disqualified, with the other 5,952 students relocated to other teaching colleges to continue with their studies.

Namibia: Lack of Documents Force Three Siblings to Stay Home

By Tuyeimo Haidula

THREE siblings aged between five and 12 cannot go to school because they do not have national documents.

The oldest, Lukas Daniel (12), sits quietly on a water container in the shade. Dressed in grey pants, yellow T-shirt and wearing shoes which both have holes, he moves his legs back and forth, unfazed by our presence.

His siblings, Tita Mukupa (7) and Ndapandera Tjaveondja (5), sit not too far from him where they play in the sand. It is school time, but the three, who live with their unemployed aunt Lita Paulus in Ongulumbashe, Katutura, are at home this morning (yesterday).

Paulus told The Namibian that these are her sister's children she is looking after.

She brought them to Windhoek from a farm about two years ago with the hope of enrolling them in a school, but the lack of identity documents has derailed her efforts.

She said the children were born on a farm in the Otjombinde constituency of the Omaheke region, and grew up there with their mother, who works on a farm.

"I decided to bring them to Windhoek and enrol them in school. Getting national documents is a challenge because home affairs asked for their birth details, which I do not have," Paulus stated.

She said even the parents of the children do not have any records of when they were born as they were delivered at home, and not in a hospital. "They only know the years." Paulus said she has also tried to enrol the children at nearby schools, but to no avail.

Lukas told The Namibian that he wants to go to school. He is evidently bored at home and unhappy with his situation, and his mood changes when he talks about how he helplessly watches other children go to school.

"I feel bad. I have nothing to do at home, and I wish I could go to school. Maybe one day I will get the birth certificate," he said. The three children can also not access social grants for vulnerable children from the ministry of gender equality.

Ministry of education spokesperson Johanna Absalom told The Namibian yesterday that there is unfortunately no exception, and schools need national identification documents to be able to enrol children.

Head of the Namibia Red Cross Society's Khomas branch, Abia Uhongora, was in the area when The Namibian was doing the interview, and promised to help the children.

Uhongora said his organisation will contact the councillor of the Tobias Hainyeko constituency, Christopher Likuwa, to find out how many other children with similar ciurcumstances are in his area.

"We will then get their full names to assist with getting them identification documents before approaching schools to have them enrolled," he said, adding that they will also solicit funds for school uniforms.

Likuwa could not be reached for comment.

Home affairs spokesperson Salome Kambala also did not answer her phone, nor did she reply to a text message sent to her.

Bill Gates Presents 14th Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture

Delivering the 2016 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture at the University of Pretoria, philanthropist and entrepreneur Bill Gates has said he was optimistic about the future of the continent.

The law society has joined calls by the opposition to investigate how the late President Bingu wa Mutharika accumulated billions.

The law society has joined calls by the opposition to investigate how the late President Bingu wa Mutharika accumulated billions.

The late Bingu Wa Mutharika

Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority Marks 40th Anniversary

The firm has pledged to boost operations to benefict the two countries.

TAZARA Railway train halts at a station in Dar es Salaam.

Nigeria: Dog Saves Family From Cobra Attack in Bayelsa

A dog on Sunday saved a family in Otuasega Community, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa from cobra attack.

Mrs Catherine Isiki, who spoke in an interview on Tuesday in Yenagoa, described the attack as a "mystery to the family."

Isiki said that the cobra 'invaded' their home at about 1 a.m. on Sunday.

" I woke up as a result of alarm raised by my grand-daughter who was the first person to see the snake.

"I am alive today because of a dog that saved me and my family; neighbours could not kill the cobra due its size.

"Some of our neighbours could not even come near our compound due to fear; the Mastiff (dog) was awakened by the noise.

"It was the dog that went straight to the room where the snake was and began to fight the cobra until it killed it.

"I do not know how the snake managed to gain entry to our house because everywhere is tiled.

"In fact, it would have been a tragic story if we did not have the dog as a pet in the house; yes, the dog finally killed the snake, but it was God's intervention," she said.

Isiki appreciated God for sparing her family and encouraged people to keep dogs as pets.

"Dogs can save you from any untold danger, just as my entire family was saved because I have a pet dog in my house," Isiki said.