Women have come a long way, but are still the punching bags of society – literally and figuratively. In this edition of Watts On, we pay more attention to women than we normally do, as Women’s Day was celebrated on 8 March 2005. While NamPower ladies did not celebrate the day per se, we pay tribute to them on page 15 with a photo collage and a message from the Managing Director, Dr Leake Hangala.
Women fulfil many roles in modern society, and we have our share of brilliant lawyers, engineers and managers. Personally, I identify with the quote on the Backchat page by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. She said: “I am a woman above everything else.” Men, on the other hand, should remember that “Life on the planet is born of woman” – attributed to Adrienne Rich.
Life at NamPower is about a series of rebirths. Construction projects ultimately lead us to planning and financing desk, and the growth and completion of every project that brings power to previously uncharted terrain can be compared to the joy of a new baby. The Ghanzi/Omaere Project is one of those, and although I will concede to the engineers and technical component of NamPower that a project can probably not be compared to a baby, I CAN say with conviction that our technical business units look after these projects like they would look after a baby. From the planning stages right up to the execution of a project, they nurse this baby to adulthood.
One of the big babies of the company is the Kudu Project. A visit from top officials from ESBI of Ireland underlined the necessity of skills transfer and exchange in the process leading up to the final financial decision about the feasibility of the project at the end of this year.
In a series of articles, Watts On will introduce the new (and existing) NamPower Board members. In this edition, the planner and economist, Mr Penda Kiiyala, the legal fundi, Mr Gerson Narib, and the dynamic auditor, Mr Koos du Toit, will share the limelight.
A real NamPower baby, Petrus Ngooli, stole our hearts and those of a lot of sponsors who contributed towards airfare and accommodation for him and his parents when he had to have heart surgery in Cape Town late last year.
Loss of life is a part of the life experience as a whole, but we cried with when one of our employees lost her niece and her house in a disastrous fire. Hope triumphs, though. Today, Teopolina has a new house and the NamPower Family had an opportunity to assist.
Today, as I write this, Independence Day is days away, and Easter Weekend not much further. I wish all of you a wonderful break over the Independence Weekend, and may you have a truly blessed Easter.
Best wishes
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