UUKWANDONGO: The Ongandjera Traditional Authority and the royal family endorsed the nomination of 51-year-old Johannes Mupongolitha Tweuthigilwa yaJafet Mupiya as the new king of the Ongandjera tribe.

This followed the death of the popular king of Ongandjera, Jafet Malenga Munkundi, in the Windhoek Central Hospital of the Khomas Region at the age of 83 on 26 July this year.

Mupiya was an employee of the South African High Commission in Windhoek until his appointment immediately after the burial of the late Munkundi at the Ongandjera kings’ cemetery at Okahao last Saturday.

The chairperson of the Ongandjera Traditional Authority Council, Senior Headman Sakeus Shikongo told Nampa at ombala/palace of Ongandjera at the Uukwandongo village in the Omusati Region yesterday that the late Munkundi nominated Mupiya as his successor before his death.

The late King Munkundi nominated Mupiya to be the 25th king of Ongandjera well in advance, and he had been grooming him for several years.

He added that the Ongandjera royal family endorsed the nomination undisputed, and as such, Mupiya has already taken over the reins and started living in ombala since Saturday.

Namibia’s beef trade decreased with 28.8 per cent during the first six months of 2012, the Meat Board of Namibia revealed in its six-month review report issued on Monday.

The report said this negative performance was mainly due to a number of weaners exported, and worsened by lower slaughter numbers at export abattoirs, and various economic factors recently also had an impact on the producer prices.

These economic factors include Botswana not having market access to the European Union (EU) and selling its excess beef, creating an oversupply; high feed prices putting feedlots in South Africa under pressure; and consumers’ resistance to the high prices of meat due to the compressed disposable incomes of consumers.

The decrease in the exports of weaners is mainly attributed to the decline in weaner prices, while the increased cost of production and decreased demand for beef had a major impact on weaner prices.

Because of transport and other costs, Namibian weaner prices are normally lower than those of weaner prices in South Africa.