Observer – Page 489 – Windhoek Observer

12 May

Financial injection will accelerate the repair of Walvis Bay streets

ObserverNational News

Niël Terblanché A new Memorandum of Agreement between the Walvis Bay Municipality, the Road Fund Administration (RFA), and the Road Authority (RA) will inject almost N$250 million into the project to repair and maintain the port city’s streets. In an announcement, the port city’s municipality said the RFA has committed N$248 million as part of the tripartite agreement over the next five years. During the signing ceremony the Chief Executive Officer of the RFA, Ali Ipinge said the N$248 million which is derived from the Road User Charges, will be used for the rehabilitation and widening of municipal roads leading…

12 May

Property raffle announces bonus winners

ObserverNational News

Niël Terblanché Two men from outside the borders of Namibia were the lucky winners of the bonus draw of the Namibia Property Raffle project. Alex Zavatoni from the United States won N$12 000 and a South African, Ruan Fourie, bagged N$8 000 in the draw barely five weeks after the launch of Namibia’s biggest ever raffle with an eventual prize with a combined value of a whopping N$29 million. The big pot is two valuable properties inside the Windhoek city boundaries. Basil Smit, owner of namibiapropertyraffle.com, said the integrity of the raffle was now demonstrated and the fact that two…

12 May

The race is on for the Keetmanshoop by-election

ObserverNational News

Martin Endjala The pressure is on for the five candidates contesting in the Keetmanshoop Rural Constituency by-election that will take place on Monday. The fate of the candidates will be decided when the electorate will go to the polling stations to vote for a suitable new representative on the constituency council. The seat became vacant after the Landless People’s Movement expelled Gerrit Witbooi on 14 February. The country’s election laws dictate that a by-election must be held within 90 days after a vacancy occurs. Witbooi fell out of favour with LPM when he reportedly refused to follow the party’s directive…

12 May

Labour Ministry hits back at Prisons boss on tattoos

ObserverNational News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation has pronounced itself on the recent remarks by the General Commissioner of the Namibia Correctional Services, who said that persons with visible tattoos may not be employed in the Service. Reacting to this, Labour Spokesperson Maria Hedimbi said that generally, in terms of labour and employment, such policies should be applied with due diligence, to avoid an element of discrimination in employment decisions. NCS Commissioner-General Raphael Hamunyela also said that officers with visible tattoos bear a risk to the prison community. “The Labour Act prohibits discrimination in any employment…

12 May

Okahandja escapes NamPower disconnection plans

ObserverMain

Martin Endjala The joint venture between the Central North Regional Electricity Distributor (CenoRED) and the Okahandja Town Council has managed to dodge the plans of NamPower to disconnect clients in arrears from the national power grid after agreeing to N$2 million in outstanding debt. The successful talks were held yesterday in the capital. The new agreement was confirmed by Gabriel Awaseb, the CenoRED Acting Chief Executive Officer during a media briefing yesterday. Awaseb said that the initial report earlier this week created a fuzz in the public with many residents reporting that they were shocked and in panic upon seeing…

11 May

Appropriate mitigation needed to manage human-wildlife conflicts

ObserverNational NewsAppropriate mitigation needed to manage human-wildlife conflicts

Staff Writer The Vice President of Namibia, Nangolo Mbumba says that there is a need to develop appropriate mitigation and monitoring methods and capacitate all stakeholders to effectively manage human-wildlife conflicts.In order to achieve this, Mbumba said that there is a need to manage human-wildlife conflict in a way that recognizes the rights and development needs of local communities, recognizes the need to promote biodiversity conservation and self-reliance and ensures that decision-making is quick, efficient and based on the best available information.The Vice President said this during the official opening of the National Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict Management organized by…

11 May

Desalination is key to future water supply

ObserverNational News

Niël Terblanché The scarcity of water especially in the rural areas of the Erongo Region was again highlighted by Neville Andre, the Regional Governor. He said that the supply of potable water to rural communities continues to be a challenge for authorities. While officiating at the opening of a new visitor’s centre at the Orano Erongo Desalination Plant Andre urged the mining company to work with the government to alleviate water scarcity in rural areas. He said that nothing is more essential to life on earth than water. “Yet there’s a global water crisis and people in rural areas are…

11 May

Killing of rhinos remains illegal

ObserverNational NewsKilling of rhinos remains illegal

Stefanus Nashama The Ministry of Environment, Tourism and Forestry has reiterated it’s position on the illegal killing of rhinos, saying poachers will face the full wrath of the law. The Ministry’s Spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, said all black rhinos in Namibia are state-owned while white rhinos are not part of the custodianship program because they can be privately owned. Various public members aired their frustrations on a National radio, complaining about the strict regulations surrounding the ownership of rhinos and the hunting of rhinos for commercial purposes. “Why can’t Namibians buy rhinos for meat and production purposes”?, a caller questioned. Muyunda…

11 May

Second Men’s conference slated for Friday in Swakopmund

ObserverFeatured, National NewsSecond Men’s conference slated for Friday in Swakopmund

Niël Terblanché Information and education about mental health issues among the men of Namibia along with gender-based violence is desperately needed to reduce instances of avoidable deaths and violent crime. In this regard, men from all walks of life have been invited to attend the second annual Namibia National Men’s Conference in Swakopmund this Friday. The conference will be presented with the theme: ‘’Stop suffering in silence and speak out for a solution’’. The event, among other things, aims to create a platform for men to discuss issues affecting them, such as suicide, mental health, and financial literacy, promote positive…

11 May

Lover maims older girlfriend

ObserverNational NewsLover maims older girlfriend

Niël Terblanché A 64-year-old woman was rushed to the clinic for emergency medical treatment after she was attacked with a panga by her 40-year-old lover. According to the incident report provided by the Namibian Police in the Oshikoto Region, the vicious attack occurred on Monday evening at the King Kauluma Village after the two were involved in a fight at the Ombili Cucu Shops. “It is alleged that both the victim and the suspect were drinking at Ombili Cuca Shops before the attack. At one stage the man requested the woman to follow him outside in order for him to…