CABINET has approved setting up an ad hoc committee, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Nahas Angula, to study the technical details regarding the alleged illegal operation of a mobile telecommunications service by Telecom Namibia and the resulting unlawful use of the frequency spectrum.
Telecom recently started a mobile communications service called SWITCH. The Namibian Communications Commission alerted the Ministry of Information about the matter.The ad hoc Cabinet committee is composed of the Ministers of Justice and the Attorney General; Information and Broadcasting and Works, Transport and Communication.Telecom surprised the two other cellphone operators MTC and newcomer Cell’ One,with the SWITCH service.SWITCH operates with a cellphone device which can read two Sim cards, that of SWITCH and any other commercial mobile communications operator.*The Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication is making progress creating and implementing a proper asset management system for State assets and property.A consultant has been appointed, in association with a competent information communication technology (ICT) consultant, to assist the Ministry to prepare tender documentation, evaluate tenders and supervise during the implementation and commissioning of the system.Works Minister Joel Kaapanda informed Cabinet about the progress made so far at last week’s final meeting of this year.He told Cabinet about the Ministry’s intention to outsource the assets management by creating a Property Management Company that will operate on a commercial basis.A technical sub-committee on database solutions was also established to study the best possible database solutions for a functional and comprehensive property management system.Shortcomings that were identified include allocating official government accommodation, collecting rentals, leasing and letting contracts, settling rates and taxes with local authorities and the alienation process of properties.The Ministry further identified outdated or inadequate information on properties as a problem as well as the identification of illegal occupants of official quarters and the poor condition of Government properties.Although a manual asset register was kept until Independence, the Department of Works does not have a proper fixed register of Government assets that is comprehensive, flexible and can be easily updated.The Ministry commissioned a team of unemployed youth from all 13 regions, between March to July 2006, to collect data on Government properties all over Namibia.They visited nearly 14 000 government institutions, residences and official buildings during the survey to obtain relevant information on these assets, their location and the tenants occupying the facilities.Due to financial constraints and the high cost of transport, not all properties were assessed and follow-up visits need to be undertaken to some regions.To date data for eight regions has been successfully captured in electronic format and it is anticipated that the process will be completed by the end of this month.The Namibian Communications Commission alerted the Ministry of Information about the matter.The ad hoc Cabinet committee is composed of the Ministers of Justice and the Attorney General; Information and Broadcasting and Works, Transport and Communication.Telecom surprised the two other cellphone operators MTC and newcomer Cell’ One,with the SWITCH service.SWITCH operates with a cellphone device which can read two Sim cards, that of SWITCH and any other commercial mobile communications operator.*The Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication is making progress creating and implementing a proper asset management system for State assets and property.A consultant has been appointed, in association with a competent information communication technology (ICT) consultant, to assist the Ministry to prepare tender documentation, evaluate tenders and supervise during the implementation and commissioning of the system.Works Minister Joel Kaapanda informed Cabinet about the progress made so far at last week’s final meeting of this year.He told Cabinet about the Ministry’s intention to outsource the assets management by creating a Property Management Company that will operate on a commercial basis.A technical sub-committee on database solutions was also established to study the best possible database solutions for a functional and comprehensive property management system.Shortcomings that were identified include allocating official government accommodation, collecting rentals, leasing and letting contracts, settling rates and taxes with local authorities and the alienation process of properties.The Ministry further identified outdated or inadequate information on properties as a problem as well as the identification of illegal occupants of official quarters and the poor condition of Government properties.Although a manual asset register was kept until Independence, the Department of Works does not have a proper fixed register of Government assets that is comprehensive, flexible and can be easily updated.The Ministry commissioned a team of unemployed youth from all 13 regions, between March to July 2006, to collect data on Government properties all over Namibia.They visited nearly 14 000 government institutions, residences and official buildings during the survey to obtain relevant information on these assets, their location and the tenants occupying the facilities.Due to financial constraints and the high cost of transport, not all properties were assessed and follow-up visits need to be undertaken to some regions.To date data for eight regions has been successfully captured in electronic format and it is anticipated that the process will be completed by the end of this month.
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