Observer

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Pensioners owe CoW over N$200million in unpaid rates and taxes

Pensioners owe CoW over N$200million in unpaid rates and taxes

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Households owned by pensioners in the City of Windhoek (CoW) owe the municipality a total of N$255 million in unpaid rates and taxes. The outstanding amount is part of the total amount of N$1.2 billion owed by residents to the city. This was revealed by Abel Isaaks, who works in the city’s finance department This comes in the wake of a protest by the Katutura Residents’ Committee (KRC) outside the city’s offices, who demanded swift action from both the city management and the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, regarding their grievances over the use of…
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Psychiatric ward with 60 bed capacity accommodates 200 patients

Psychiatric ward with 60 bed capacity accommodates 200 patients

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Oshakati Intermediate Hospital’s psychiatric ward 16, which is designed to accommodate 60 patients with mental health problems, is consistently accommodating up to 200 patients at a time. The Executive Director of the Ministry of Health and Social Services Ben Nangombe, confirmed this yesterday. In an interview with the Windhoek Observer, Nangombe highlighted the urgent need to establish mental health wards at various health facilities across the country. He said Namibia currently has only two institutions providing mental health services, which are the Windhoek Central Hospital Mental Health Unit with a capacity of 220 beds and the one in…
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Amoomo frustrated after the police take Amushelelo to the wrong court

Amoomo frustrated after the police take Amushelelo to the wrong court

Stefanus Nashama Michael Amushelelo’s lawyer Kadhila Amoomo, has expressed frustration and disappointment in the Namibian Police Force after they took his client to the wrong court yesterday. Amoomo said the police have frustrated him for not making sure his client attended court on time, which resulted in his client’s case being postponed to 11 October 2023. “The police are just frustrating us, and wasting our time to go to court. This is not right. We will fight for the release of our client no matter how the police try to make it hard for him,” he stated. He noted that…
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NSA and ECN agree to enhance systems and operations

NSA and ECN agree to enhance systems and operations

Stefanus Nashama Namibia Statistics Agency and the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), have yesterday entered into a collaboration to promote and develop areas of mutual interest in field-related operations. According to the Memorandum of Understanding, the parties will cooperate in information systems and data analysis management, institutional resources sharing, exchange of knowledge and other electoral and statistical-related matters. The agreements were signed by Statistician General, Alex Shimuafeni and Chief Electoral Officer, Peter Shaama in Windhoek yesterday. Shimuafeni highlighted that the NSA will share knowledge and methods on the recruitment of field staff with ECN. Additionally, he said the NSA will…
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Deaf community feels left out of Green Hydrogen

Deaf community feels left out of Green Hydrogen

Martin Endjala Members of the deaf community have expressed their disappointment with the Green Hydrogen project because they feel excluded from the ongoing engagements and discussions. “Namibia is home to many deaf persons and we are scattered around the vast part of Namibia, however, there is little information coming to the deaf community about the GH2. We are not informed at the moment and do not know much about the projects”. These were the words of Namibia National Association of the Deaf National Director Linekela Paul Nanyeni while responding to questions sent to him by this publication on how well…
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Namfisa to host 46th SADC non-banking authorities meeting

Namfisa to host 46th SADC non-banking authorities meeting

Martin Endjala Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa), will host the 46th meeting of the Committee of Insurance, Securities and Non-Banking Financial Authority (CISNA) of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Swakopmund from 1-6 October 2023. Namfisa Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Matomola, who also serves as CISNA Chairperson, reiterated yesterday that the committee is committed to achieving SADC’s objectives by translating the objectives into actionable programmes and projects to ensure that they are attained within a specified timeframe. He said the key focus area of the convening meeting includes harmonisation of the legislative and supervisory framework, capacity building, marketing…
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Listen Up – Up-close with Jossy Joss

Listen Up – Up-close with Jossy Joss

Take us through your journey a musician and what has inspired you to become a singer?I started out in the 90’s as young boy inspired by Tupac Shakur and R Kelly. I started writing raps and blending them with RnB but in 1999, I started an RnB group with DJ Maxi-B called 2/4U which then became Reality. The group disbanded and then I started another group called Preachaz in 2000, which was a gospel Hip hop/RnB group with DJ MO and Immo.The group then got incorporated into Dungeon Family which was Hip Hop/RnB group consisting of different groups and solo…
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Energy transition challenges might hamper economic development

Energy transition challenges might hamper economic development

Niël Terblanché Namibia is currently grappling with the complex dynamics of the global energy transition, as its substantial oil reserves beckon investors while international pressure mounts for renewable energy adoption. Namibia’s Petroleum Commissioner, Maggy Shino, emphasized the importance of winning the “energy transition war” during a committee meeting. She noted that unless Namibia can construct a compelling narrative to navigate the energy transition, its oil resources may remain untapped due to international calls for renewable energy adoption. Shino explained that the energy transition agenda encourages developing countries to preserve their oil reserves and rely solely on renewable energy sources. This…
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SADC Central Bank Governors will address economic challenges

SADC Central Bank Governors will address economic challenges

Niël Terblanché There currently exists a critical need for coordinated efforts between governments and central banks to support economic growth and employment creation in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). While officially opening the 57th SADC Committee of Central Bank Governors’ Meeting (CCBGM) in Swakopmund, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila highlighted the importance of monetary and macroeconomic stability in achieving future economic success. “The issue of fiscal dominance has been topical in many of our jurisdictions in the region. But as political leaders, we have a fair appreciation of the delicacy of that independence and that the power to spend money…
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Suicide is a major public health concern: Shangula

Suicide is a major public health concern: Shangula

Stefanus Nashama Minister of Health and Social Service, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, noted that suicide has become a major public health concern and that urgent action is vital to prevent a further increase in the trend in Namibia “Mental health conditions like depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are associated with an increased risk of suicide,” he said. Shangula was speaking at the commemoration of the 2023 World Suicide Prevention Day in Windhoek yesterday. The Minister said the prevention of suicide has not been actively addressed due to a lack of awareness, which is shockingly a major public health concern across the…
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