Author: Helmke Sartorius von Bach

By Helmke Sartorius von Bach Many water stressed cities located in arid areas are classified as economic hubs or administrative centres. However, a critical difference between most of them and Windhoek is the altitude above sea level. Part 2 provides some further insights of Mexico City and Lima, which might provide some lessons for Namibia. The case of Mexico City Mexico City’s water originally depended on groundwater, but to supply water for approximately 20 million people, a system consisting of 7 reservoirs, a 127km long aqueduct with 21 km of tunnels, a 7.5km open canal, and a water treatment...

By Helmke Sartorius von Bach (First part in a series of two) When Namibia became independent, there was no reason to migrate the capital city with its 230,000 inhabitants elsewhere as was done with Brasilia in 1960. In 1956, the then Brazilian president Kubitschek ordered the construction of a new capital city based on the country’s constitution dating back to 1891, stating that the capital should be moved from Rio de Janeiro to a place close to the centre of Brazil. At that time Windhoek required many post-independence reforms where necessary, such as institutional reforms in the water sector...

By Dr HJ Sartorius von Bach Consulting agricultural economist For the past decades, Namibian livestock farmers (red meat, mutton and game) have been experiencing a profitability decline in real terms, often referred to as the cost price squeeze effect, and highlighted in many popular articles. The farmers’ revenue did not respond to global changes. It is alarming to observe that livestock production had to continue at the cost of the natural environment, which affected the economy, job creation, and other downstream activities. However, the financial decline of the livestock sector is the result of many factors, which should not...