Observer – Page 524 – Windhoek Observer

17 Mar

Katjavivi to step down

ObserverMainKatjavivi to step down

Steve Nashama The retirement of Professor Peter Katjavivi from active government service will not only leave a luminous legacy but will also create an opportunity for his successor to build on the strong foundation he has laid in the building of Namibia as an independent country. “However, a compatriot never retires because he can at any time be delegated to serve his country in another capacity wherever the need arises, be it in advisory or active service,” the veteran politician and current Speaker of the National Assembly said in the announcement of his retirement. Prof Katjavivi, who is one of…

17 Mar

Security Cluster to create 2800 jobs in 2023, Geingob promises

ObserverNational NewsGeingob promises, Security Cluster to create 2800 jobs in 2023

Martin Endjala In an effort to combat the high unemployment rate in Namibia, the government is set to create about 2800 jobs in the Namibian Correctional Services, Namibian Police and the Namibian Defense Force this year. The Namibian Police will recruit 1000 people, to significantly relieve the human resource constraints currently being experienced while the Namibia Correction Services has already commenced with its intake of 300 recruits. The Namibian Defense Force will recruit 1500 soldiers as part of the effort. President Hage Geingob made this revelation during the State of the Nation Address in the Namibian Parliament. The Namibia Defense…

17 Mar

National protest planned against unemployment

ObserverNational NewsNational protest planned against unemployment

Steve Nashama Frustrated young Namibians have chosen Independence Day to protest against the hopelessness of their prospect to be gainfully employed. Michael Amushelelo will spearhead the protest and the activist confirmed that preparations for the national mass action is well under way and that the police were alerted about the youth’s plan. “We are just waiting for the 21 of March so that we go to the streets and hand over our petition to the relevant authority,” Amushelelo said. He said that people should understand that the police do not have the authority to disallow any protest action. “We don’t…

17 Mar

Do not dramatize things for your own benefit – Shiimi

ObserverFeaturedDo not dramatize things for your own benefit - Shiimi

Martin Endjala Opposition parties must not dramatize situations for their own benefit at the expense of the Namibian people. Iipumbu Shiimi, the Minister of Finance and Public Enterprise called on Members of Parliament to keep the interest of Namibians in their hearts at all times. “When we dramatize things, it must be situations concerning our people and not ourselves”, Shiimi said during the conclusion of the debate of the Appropriation Bill. Shiimi made the statement in reference to last year’s budget which saw the legislative body’s budget heavily cut leading to many members of parliament being unhappy because they felt…

17 Mar

Miracle birth in the middle of the bush

ObserverNational News

Martin Endjala THE help of two men, who has no medical experience, enabled a young San woman from the Kavango East Region, Dominga Nxharu Hausiku, to give birth to a little baby girl in the middle of the bush. The 26-year-old mother was able to deliver the baby on 6 March this year when the driver of a Recon Africa vehicle, Jonas Siteketa (35) saw the expression of excruciating pain on her face while he passed by her on the road. Siteketa who was accompanied by the 23-year-old Junion Balzar stopped along the road to find out if the can…

17 Mar

Ward contractors threaten to strike again

ObserverNational NewsWard contractors threaten to strike again

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Close 500 ward cleaners employed by the City of Windhoek who went on strike in February to demand better working conditions and an end to their undefined employment contracts from the municipal council, have threatened to go on strike once more. The group gave the Windhoek municipality until 15 March to respond to the demands of their previous petition. According to group spokesperson Mbenda Immanuel, the group will hold a meeting in town on Saturday to determine when exactly they will approach the city’s management structures and also when to carry out another strike in order to have…

16 Mar

“We have done all that we could”-Smith

ObserverMain“We have done all that we could”-Smith

Steve Nashama TransNamib Chief Executive Officer, Johny Smith yesterday confirmed that he rejected an offer to extend his stay at the troubled parastatal and that he is pursuing other ventures. Smith, who tendered his resignation earlier this year and is expected to leave the company at the end of this month said in an interview that the old and deteriorating state of TransNamib railway infrastructure hampers operations, resulting in bottlenecks, and has the potential to cause derailments, which can lead to a loss of life, environmental harm and damage to expensive equipment at any given time. “Some of our locomotives…

16 Mar

Passports, Visa applications now online

ObserverNational NewsPassports

Steve Nashama With the launch of online applications for Passports and short-term Employment Permits yesterday, the Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Albert Kawana said cases of corruption pertaining to the issuance of work visas and passports will be minimized.Kawana yesterday introduced online applications for short-term employment permits and passports. “No more corruption, agents or paying money behind the doors. The online documents application system requires clients to make an online payment for their service straight to government coffers, through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT),” says the minister. The Minister indicated that there has been many instances happening inside…

16 Mar

OBSERVER SPOTLIGHT: Mulunga Interview

ObserverNational NewsImmanuel Mulunga, OBSERVER SPOTLIGHT: Mulunga Interview

Every Thursday the Windhoek Observer puts a spotlight on Namibian making news and shifting the needle. This week we feature Immanuel Mulunga, Managing Director of National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR). Mulunga started his career at NAMCOR in 2015 where he served as a Managing Director. He previously served as the Petroleum Inspector in the Ministry of Mines and Energy. OS: Can you please give us a brief synopsis of your educational background?Mulunga: I grew up in the dusty streets of Katutura, during the last decade of apartheid where I attended Mandume Junior Primary School (Grade 2-4) and later went…

16 Mar

IPPR calls for Public Procurement Policy Unit’s independence

ObserverNational NewsIPPR calls for Public Procurement Policy Unit’s independence

Martin Endjala The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is calling for full autonomy to be accorded to the Procurement Policy Unit in order for it to have the power in holding individuals and entities accountable. The current limitations when it comes to accountability, according to IPPR Researcher Frederico Links have caused a spike in abnormalities and the unit is proving to be weak as far as holding entities, particularly in the procurement industry accountable. Links was speaking at the launch of the Procurement Tracker Namibia today in Windhoek, where he said that following the occurrences on the public procurement…