WINDHOEK: The Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) has revised the Lotteries’ Act, Act No 15 of 2002, and public consultations are commencing in Swakopmund, Erongo Region today.

The consultations will be conducted at a meeting set to take place at the Swakopmund Hotel and Entertainment Centre.

MET Director of Tourism and Gaming Sem Shikongo told Nampa in an interview yesterday that it is essential that schools, churches, charities, non-government organisations (NGO) and individuals attend the consultations.

He said this law covers all types of lotteries, scratch cards, short message services (SMS), lottos, private lotteries and the national lotteries, adding that many people may not be aware of the importance of this Bill and its relevance to society, as the profits to be generated by this law are to go for social welfare in the interests of society.

The Bill makes provision for the establishment of a Lotteries’ Board to monitor, regulate and control lotteries that are incidental to exempt entertainment, private lotteries, benevolent lotteries as well as any sports pools and promotional competitions as contemplated in the draft Bill.

2 (KAKI) – A one-year-old girl drowned in the Okavango River at the Kaki village, situated some 200 kilometres east of Rundu, on Friday.

The body of the deceased has not yet been recovered, and the police search continues.

Kavango regional Crime Coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Willie Bampton told Nampa yesterday that the deceased had been at the river with her mother.

According to the Deputy Commissioner, the child was allegedly playing near the river while her mother washed clothes, and the mother only realised later that her child was missing, and when they followed the footprints, it led into the river.

The incident was only reported to the Divundu police checkpoint yesterday morning, and no particulars of the deceased were provided to the police yet.