The Namibia Sport Commissionâ??s new premises in Omuramba road, Eros was officially inaugurated in front of about 50 guests on Tuesday, December 11.
The chairperson of the NSC, Stanley Simaata said it was a milestone in the history of the NSC.
â??The NSC used to conduct its affairs at the Independence Stadium, but today we are witnessing the culmination of forward planning by our predecessors,â? he said.
â??I hope that the quality and efficiency of the NSCâ??s service delivery will improve. I hope that the members of the sporting fraternity will continue to demand delivery and we want to ensure that this building is put to good use and that it does not become a white elephant,â? he said.
Acquisition of property
In his keynote address, the Minister of Sport, John Mutorwa said that the Sport Act of Namibia empowered the Namibia Sport Commission to acquire property to carry out its functions.
â??The law allows you to acquire property for the exercise of your functions, but these functions are entrusted to you by law and the property of sport in Namibia must not become alien to members of the sporting fraternity. This facility must assist the NSC to exercise its functions responsibly and with accountability,â? he said.
â??We have parastatals in Namibia who will deviate from the exercise of their mandate, but I donâ??t think the NSC will fall into that category â?? thus, stick to your mandate,â? he said.
Sport Development Fund
Mutorwa called on the NSC and members of the sporting fraternity to implement part three of the Sports Act, which dealt with financial provisions.
â??Part three makes provision for the establishment of a Sports Development Fund. Funds from the Directorate of Sport must be put into that fund, but the fund must also find other sources of income. It is our collective responsibility to help build up the fund,â? he said.
Mutorwa called on the NSC to work hard in 2008 and to finalise the revision of the national sport policy.
â??Our national sports policy needs some updating so that itâ??s in line with SADC and the rest of the world, while we must also put incentives in place for sports development,â? he said.
Mutorwa called on Namibiaâ??s various sport codes to start preparing for major events in 2008 which will include the African Cup of Nations soccer finals in Ghana, the SADC Youth Games in South Africa and the Olympic Games in China.
â??Our Olympic codes must have their plans ready on how they will prepare for the Olympics. You must please not come at the last minute, you must plan ahead,â? he said.