[meteorite-list] Namibia: So Much Potential But Not Enough Funds (Hoba Meteorite)

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 10:54:45 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <200701181854.KAA12661_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://allafrica.com/stories/200701170803.html

Namibia: So Much Potential But Not Enough Funds
Kuvee Kangueehi
January 17, 2007

The Deputy Mayor of Grootfontein, Paulus Hangula, has revealed that the
residents of his town owe the Town Council over N$26 million in water
and electricity debts.

Speaking to New Era over the weekend, Hangula said the Town Council is
fighting a losing battle trying to recover the money, as many of the
residents are unemployed and struggling with accumulated debts.

The deputy mayor said that, apart from the high unemployment rate which
is the primary factor behind the debts, alcohol and drug abuse is also
rife. He noted that there are very few employment opportunities at the
town, and most of the employed residents are members of the Namibia
Defence Force

(NDF) and are stationed at the military base.

Hangula said other residents employed are civil servants, people working
at the local shops and farm workers employed on the surrounding farms.

"Since the mining operations at Kombat and Tsumeb were scaled down, this
has affected the town's cash flow."

He complained that most of the commercial farmers in the area invest
little money in the town and spend their money instead at
privately-owned businesses, resulting in the majority of the town's
residents not benefiting from it. He noted, however, that everything is
not all doom and gloom, as town has the great potential of becoming a
big tourist attraction.

Hangula said Grootfontein lies on the main roads, which connects
Windhoek to the north-eastern part of Namibia including the Okavango and
Caprivi regions. He stressed that, like Otavi and Tsumeb, Grootfontein
is very green and during spring provides spectacular viewing.

"Grootfontein is really an ideal overnight stop if you are travelling to
the Caprivi and Tsumkwe."

Hangula pointed out that a special tourist attraction is the meteorite,
which can be found on the farm Hoba, some 24 kilometres outside the
town. One of the world's largest meteorites ever found, it is 3 metres
long and one metre wide, weighs 50 tons, has a volume of 9 cubic metres,
and hit the ground here some 80000 years ago. The meteorite in Hoba
consists of 82% iron, 16% nickel, 1% cobalt and various trace elements.

With the passing of the years, the Hoba Meteorite has been somewhat
reduced in size by visitors breaking off pieces to take home as souvenirs.

The deputy mayor revealed that, despite the fact that many organizations
educate people on HIV/Aids, the disease is still very rife at the town.
He called on these organizations to intensify their campaigns and to
apply different strategies in order to make them more effective.

He said that although the rate of violent crimes is not very high at the
town, vandalism is rife especially at schools, churches and other public
places.

Grootfontein has a population of approximately 10000 people.
Received on Thu 18 Jan 2007 01:54:45 PM PST