Here are the Zoom recordings of our latest presentations, if available. If you are looking for older recordings, please also have a look at our YouTube channel Archive.
Presentation recordings
Please note: The opinions expressed during presentations, films or events are not necessarily in accord with ours.
The new City of Windhoek Spatial Development Framework—an alternative proposal
Public talk by Winfried Holze, Urban Design Architecture on 1 November 2022
As per the latest town planning legislation, local authorities are now required to provide and implement future spatial development frameworks for their urban settlements. The City of Windhoek initiated this process in 2019, but apart from a preliminary findings report, no meaningful public participatory processes have taken place or anything in terms of proposals presented yet. The development of a spatial development framework (or structure plan in short) for Windhoek is of such high importance and complexity that it cannot be left to the city council politicians, the heads of departments and a single town planning firm with its team of consultants alone to develop a proposal and then to present a foregone conclusive plan to the public, expecting it to just nod its head in acceptance. However, knowing what we can expect, Winfried Holze of WH Urban Design Architecture has taken it upon himself to develop and present for discussion a more viable alternative solution for the future spatial development of Windhoek. Winfried Holze, born 1963 in Windhoek, is a qualified Urban Designer and Architect and is currently the principle architect at Winfried Holze Urban Design Architecture. After his studies at the University of Port Elizabeth (Nelson Mandela Bay) and the University of Cape Town, he spend a number of years in Germany in order to gain some international experience before returning to Namibia to open his practice here. Amongst a few architectural projects in Windhoek, Swakopmund and elsewhere, he has also done Urban design projects in Namibia and Lubango, Angola and Lubumbashi in Congo. He has been the urban design consultant on the Swakopmund Spatial Development Framework together with Gunther Stubenrauch Town Planners and presenter of various urban design master classes at NUST. His passion lies in the promotion of the ‘shop-house’ development concept as an alternative to the business and housing zoning categories.
Unraveling Carnivore Conflict in an Ecological Framework
Public talk by Dr Aletris M. Neils on 18 October 2022
In regions where carnivores and livestock coexist, conflicts are lamentably predictable. Throughout southern Africa, caracals (Caracal caracal) are regarded as vermin due to livestock predation. The goals of our research were to examine specific life history traits that render caracals susceptible to conflict with humans, to understand the impacts of human persecution on caracal ecology and to determine the ultimate foundation of this conflict with farmers. In the largest research project to date on this species, we amassed data from 242 caracals on working farms throughout Namibia. We calculated the relative frequencies of prey items in the caracal diet from an analysis of 202 caracal stomachs, 688 kill sites and 250 caracal scats (N=1140 samples). We recorded a total of 106 species consumed by Namibian caracals. While mammalian prey made up 83.2% of the diet, livestock comprised only 2.1% of the caracal diet despite their abundance throughout the study areas. Nevertheless, perceptions of caracals as livestock killers continually result in extensive persecution by farmers. The underlying causes of this persecution were investigated through 561 qualitative interviews with 367 Namibian farmers. Respondents indicated that drivers of conflict include drought, resource availability and a market-driven shift from pelt to mutton breeds whose husbandry and management strategies inherently led to increased problems with predators. To determine whether caracal populations on Namibian farmlands can withstand current high anthropogenic mortality, we assessed demographic parameters including survival and reproduction and generated life history schedules and Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Results indicate that southern Namibian stock farms likely represent an unstable mosaic of population sinks for caracals, relying on immigration from adjacent source areas to persist. Caracals on farmlands are highly skewed towards young dispersers more likely to be involved in conflicts. Caracal populations are projected to decline- in one of the last geographic strongholds of the species- if current rates of removal continue. Thus, the consequences of this extensive and nuanced conflict are not sustainable for stock producers or caracals in the long term. We offer alternative strategies for coexistence that work within the context of caracal natural history and the southern Namibian livestock industry.
How to increase forest cover of Namibia's landscapes
Public talk by Dr Chris Brown and
The future of Namibia’s forests
Public talk by Dipl. Des. Raphael Scriba on 6 September 2022
Download PowerPoint Slides by Dr Chris Brown • Download PowerPoint Slides by Dipl. Des. Raphael Scriba
Dr Chris Brown CEO, of the Namibian Chamber of Environment (NCE) referred to “The state of Namibia’s north-eastern forests and woodlands, and how to protect and restore forest cover”.
The CEO of German WALDZERTIFIKATE INT. GmbH Dipl. Des. Raphael Scriba referred about “The Future of Namibia´s Forest—How to create additional income through CO2-Certification”. The worldwide climate crisis is a fact—our planet earth is heating up! This is widely realized and accumulates in international agreements from Kyoto to Paris. Their extended protocols demand drastic steps toward climate neutrality as soon as 2045. And Namibia has undersigned these as well! How can we reach this ambitious goal, what are the most efficient options to increase the Green House Gas (GHG) removals—on an international level but as well regional? What might be solutions for Namibia? WALDZERTIFIKATE INT. GmbH is a scientifically and internationally operating service provider for sustainable forest management including CO2-Certification for forest owners, enterprises and investors.
Laugh, Sob, Itch!
With Crispin Clay on 25 July 2022
The Namibia Scientific Society was pleased to invite everyone to a ‘50th Anniversary Reunion’ poetry reading social with Crispin Clay of Lüderitzbucht: Laugh, Sob, Itch! An evening of fun with some stories and poems before he’s done! Crispin Clay is certainly one of the people you won’t forget after you have met them! Not only is he the grandson of Lord Robert Baden-Powell who founded the Boy Scouts more than 100 years ago. He is an excellent entertainer, a “Buchter of passion”, an expert on Lüderitzbucht history, vice-chair of the Dias Bridge Committee and very much involved in all matters concerning Lüderitz. We celebrated his golden jubilee in Namibia! We invited all Butchers, friends and anyone with a soft spot for boy scouts, the southern coast, poetry, laughing and remembering to come and enjoy his poems and anecdotes.
Hominid Occupations of the Northern Sand Sea by Dr George Leader
Public talk by Dr George Leader on 14 July 2022
The Earlier Stone Age pan site of Namib IV was first investigated by Myra Shackley in 1978. Since that time, no further archaeological research has taken place. In 2021 a new archaeological project began to investigate the site. This talk discussed the stone tool assemblages, deposits, and fauna which demonstrate the presence of hominins at the site over the past 500,000 years. It discussed the on-going research and future plans. Dr George Leader is an archaeologist at The College of New Jersey. His research interests include hominid behaviour and cognitive abilities as found in the stone tool record of Southern Africa. He excavates sites in central South Africa and Namibia which yielded thousands of stone tools that display high levels of complexity in their manufacturing process. Looking at the technological changes through this long sequence of time gives insight as to how social traditions and cognitive abilities of these hominids transformed during this time period. Dr Leader holds a BA from Gettysburg College and an MSc and PhD. from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Khaudum Full Moon Waterhole Game Count 2022
Public talk by Leon Boye on 7 July 2022
The full moon game count is becoming ever popular in determining wildlife population distributed across a large semi-arid woodland devoid of natural surface water. Friends of Khaudum and those who have signed up to meet for a preparatory talk, thirteen artificial waterholes and one fountain are to be manned during each count. Each team consists of at least six people. Three waterholes are still to be manned/allocated in August and two in October. Should you want to become part of this exciting project, you are most welcome to join the preparatory talk.
Will Cryptocurrencies change the future of businesses?
Public talk by Kristian Hamutenya on 5 July 2022
Namibia Scientific Society and Financial Intelligence Center invited you to a public presentation on Cryptocurrency and Bitcoin. Will cryptocurrencies change the future of businesses? We have asked the experts to explain. Mr Kristian Hamutenya, Deputy Director Compliance of the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), will talk about the Crypto and Bitcoin. The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) is the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Government of the Republic of Namibia, statutorily mandated to assist with combatting money laundering, financing of terrorism and proliferation.
Game Count Conservation in Khaudum National Park
Public Talk by Novald Iiyambo on 21 June 2022
Game counts determine wildlife populations and provide a platform for understanding their dynamics in a protected area. Khaudum National Park's full moon 72 hours waterhole game count is an annual exercise, that gathers valuable information to guide conservation decisions in the park and helps evaluate wildlife responses toward management activities.
This presentation discussed the results of the 2021 full moon waterhole game count conducted over three months (August, September and October 2021).
It especially served as a feedback session for individuals participating in the activity.
Re-invigorating Ubuntu Through Water: A Human Right to Water under the Namibian Constitution
Book Discussion by Dr Ndjodi Ndeunyema on 2 March 2022
The subject matter of water is of self-evident critical importance in Namibia, Africa and globally. Namibian born Dr Ndjodi Ndeunyema completed his law doctoral studies at the University of Oxford. He was recently awarded the Dr Surya Subedi Prize for 2019/2020 for the best University of Oxford law doctoral thesis. Dr Ndeunyema will share an overview of the contents of his book which is based on his doctoral work with Namibia Scientific Society and argue for the existence of a court-enforceable human right to water that is implied from the right to life in Article 6 of the Namibian Constitution while invoking the African value of ubuntu as the normative basis.
Dr Ndeunyema will be joined as a discussant by Advocate Bience Gawanas, former under the Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General (2018-2020), former Ombudsman of Namibian and former African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs.
Issues, Challenges & Opportunities to Develop Green Hydrogen in Namibia
Panel discussion by Margaret Mutschler and Dr Tobias Bischof-Niemz on 23 February 2022
Download PowerPoint Slides by Margaret Mutschler • Download PowerPoint Slides by Dr Tobias Bischof-Niemz
Representatives of Hyphen, Hydrogen Energy, Dr Tobias Bischof-Niemz and Margaret Mutschler of Namibian Green Hydrogen Association (NamGHA) discussed financial implications, energy and infrastructure issues and legal requirements relating to the development of Green Hydrogen in Namibia. Hyphen Hydrogen Energy (Pty) Ltd (“Hyphen”) is a project development company established with the objective of developing, constructing and operating Green Hydrogen production facilities in Namibia to supply international and regional markets.
Dr Tobias Bischof-Niemz is Head of Division: New Energy Solutions at ENERTRAG, Director at ENERTRAG South Africa and one of the ENERTRAG appointed directors of Hyphen. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) on energy and renewables policies from Columbia University, New York, USA and studies Mechanical Engineering at Technical University of Darmstadt and UC Berkeley, Dr-Ing. and Dipl.-Ing. degrees. Dr Tobias Bischof-Niemz is also the author of the book “South Africa’s Energy Transition” which outlines a roadmap for a low-cost, decarbonised and job-rich future for South Africa’s energy sector.
Margaret Mutschler serves as the inaugural chairperson of Namibian Green Hydrogen Association (NamGHA). She has vast experience in the packaging, negotiating and managing of complex infrastructure projects, focusing on environmental sustainability, technical feasibility, commercial viability, legal architecture and financial bankability. She is a partner in Mutschler Consulting Services (MCS), a Namibia-owned cross-sectoral consultancy providing engineering, management and development solutions on sustainable projects, across different sectors. Since July 2019 MCS is supporting CWP H1 Energy in developing PtX projects and recently joined their international Green Hydrogen development team
Issues, Challenges & Opportunities to Develop Green Hydrogen in Namibia
Panel discussion by Dr Detlof von Oertzen, Jacky Scholtz and Robert McGregor on 8 February 2022
Download PowerPoint Slides by Robert McGregor • Download PowerPoint Slides by Detlof von Oertzen • Paper by Detlof von Oertzen published by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Experts Dr Detlof von Oertzen, Jacky Scholtz, two representatives of the Legal Assistance Centre and Robert McGregor discussed financial implications, energy and infrastructure issues and legal requirements relating to the development of Green Hydrogen in Namibia.
Dr Detlof von Oertzen is an independent scientific and technical consultant, holding a PhD in high-energy nuclear physics and an MBA (Advanced) with a focus on finance. Dr von Oertzen is the director of VO Consulting, which is a specialist consulting firm active in the energy, environment and radiation protection sectors. In his consulting career spanning across more than 25 years, he has worked in numerous multi-disciplinary teams and as member of international expert groups, including for international bodies such as the UNDP, World Bank, GEF, GIZ and IAEA, numerous African authorities and institutions (ministries, regulators and development agencies), as well as major mining (e.g. AREVA, Bannerman, CGNPC, Deep Yellow, Reptile Uranium and Swakop Uranium) and energy sector players, such as the Australian Greenhouse Office, NamPower, Electricity Control Board and various Rural Electrification Agencies, where he has led and/or participated in specialist studies and assessments in his fields of expertise. Jacky Scholz is a legal consultant with more than 20 years of experience. She holds a B.Iuris, LLB and LLM degree from the University of Pretoria. Jacky has mainly specialised in regulated industries with focus on the energy, petroleum and communication sectors. She is a multi-skilled consultant and has worked on a great variety of projects. She is also familiar with the industries in various SADC countries due to the interaction of her clients in this region. From 2004 to 2007, Jacky was Manager: Corporate and Legal Services with the ECB and she continues to consult for the ECB on a variety of energy matters. During her employment with the ECB, Jacky was intimately involved with the establishment of Erongo RED and CENORED and attended all stakeholder meetings of these two REDs. She was also responsible for drafting the 2007-Electricity Act and drafted the Namibia Energy Regulatory Authority and Electricity Bills. In the past five years, Jacky was extensively involved in a number of projects relating to enforcement mechanisms (Swaziland’s electricity regulator, CRAN and ECB). This experience provides her with a thorough understanding of the role regulatory instruments (such as acts, regulations, rules and licence conditions) within the broader context of regulated industries. During the implementation of the REFIT programme, Jacky assisted in the drafting of standard PPA and TCA. Since then she has drafted and advised on a number of PPAs in Namibia giving her a thorough understanding of IPP contractual arrangements within the regulatory framework. Being intimately familiar with the Namibian electricity regulatory framework, Jacky is ideally positioned to develop and advise on policy development and a future regulatory framework for mini-grids, smart grids and home systems. Robert Mc Gregor attended Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, where he completed a B.Com (Honours) in Economics. He began his career at the Economic Association of Namibia, where he was involved in socio-economic research and policy analysis. In July 2017 he joined financial services company Cirrus Capital, where he was employed as an economist. He has conducted extensive work on the Namibian economy, including economic impact assessments covering sectors such as agriculture and electricity generation. In June 2021, he was promoted to Head of Research. He is currently completing an LLB through UNISA. The Legal Assistance Centre, being a public interest law centre, collectively strives to make the law accessible to those with the least access, through education, law reform, research, litigation, legal advice, representation and lobbying, with the ultimate aim of creating and maintaining a human rights culture in Namibia.
Preventative Parenting – Restorative Parenting
Talk by Flip Brink on 1 February 2022
Download PowerPoint Slides • Download Child abduction experiment video clip
After many years of sticking plasters to the wounds, Flip Brink decided to devote his time rather to the prevention of child abuse (including but not limited to human trafficking). He gave informative presentations to parents, grandparents, teachers and any other interested persons about the various faces and appearances of child abuse, the tactics used by abusers, the vulnerability of children in specific age groups and many related aspects. Most important is the advice he gave for prevention and early intervention. He believes our future is as safe as our children and will do as much as he can to promote safe parenting. He also worked on a programme called Restorative Parenting where he aimed to help children who have been abused or trafficked and their parents/guardians to deal with the situation correctly and to get out of it with minimum damage.
Flip Brink is a retired state advocate who served for 25 years. Because of his personal background, he dedicated most of his career to child protection and has received specialized training in the legal, emotional, practical and psychological aspects thereof. In Namibia’s legal circles, he is known as the Child Witness expert, as he has been Head of the Child Witness training programme for many years.
Namibia and Green Energy
Backyard talk by Prof. Anicia Peters on 27 January 2022
The Green Hydrogen Research Institute of the University of Namibia (UNAM), was founded upon Senate approval on 2 September 2021. It is the first institution of this kind in Namibia. The Institute has been serving as a national research and capacity building hub under the University with the aim of conducting local research and development and provide innovative solutions as well as upskill and reskill Namibians and develop local businesses across the value chain of Green Hydrogen. This development came at a prudent time as Namibia developed into a hub of Green Hydrogen in Africa. A prospect made possible by Namibia’s 1,500 kilometres of coastline desert with sunlight exposure totalling over 3,500 hours a year – conditions ideal for producing solar and wind power at high availabilities. The institute’s focus area ranges from desalination, wind and solar energy, electrolysis, fuel cell technologies, community and societal impact, and emerging technologies – areas that UNAM has successful run pilot projects on.
Prof. Anicia Peters is the Head of UNAM’s Namibia Green Hydrogen Research Institute, the pro-vice-chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development and an associate professor at the University of Namibia.
We apologise for the poor sound quality at the beginning of the recording. After a few minutes, we were able to solve the problem.