Observer

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Boarding, High schools fingered for spiking COVID-19 cases

Boarding, High schools fingered for spiking COVID-19 cases

Kandjemuni Kamuiiri Boarding and high schools have been fingered as the main culprits in the spread of Covid-19, amid a spike in learner cases, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has revealed. “We want to determine why there is such a high spike in the number of learners, because we find that it’s mostly in boarding schools. But we also want to see what it is that the schools are doing right and what it is that they need to improve,” the Ministry’s Executive Director (ED), Sanet Steenkamp, said adding that disregard for COVID-19 regulations was found to be…
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Venaani demands answers from Parliament

Venaani demands answers from Parliament

Andrew Kathindi Parliament's Privileges Committee Vice Chairperson and leader of the official opposition, McHenry Venaani, has accused Parliament of keeping him in the dark over what it plans to charge Landless People's Movement (LPM) leader, Bernardus Swartbooi, and the party's second-in-charge, Henny Seibeb. This comes as a meeting which was scheduled to discuss the fate of two lawmakers did not take place on Tuesday, with Venaani stating that he was not even informed about the postponement. "I find it very strange that two meetings are postponed and I am the Vice Chair of the meeting and I am not being…
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Quest for Inclusive Health Care Framework …as SADC MPs demand action on Intellectual Property, TRIPS flexibilities

Quest for Inclusive Health Care Framework …as SADC MPs demand action on Intellectual Property, TRIPS flexibilities

Moses Magadza WINDHOEK - The COVID-19 global pandemic has amplified the need to address issues related to Intellectual Property (IP) and human rights as well as for taking steps to benefit from TRIPS flexibilities to ensure access to medicines for all. As Least Developed Countries (LDCs) join the rest of the world in rolling out COVID-19 vaccines, there are concerns over access, transparency, equity and human rights violations. Against this backdrop, SADC Members of Parliament last week called for all hands on board to build the region’s capacity to produce medicines and to ensure that citizens benefit from their vast…
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Debmarine Namibia donates 2nd N$ 3.6m Covid-19 testing machine

Staff Writer Debmarine Namibia in partnership with the University of Namibia, in addition to the initial machine availed at the launch of the lab in August 2020, recently sponsored a second PCR machine in effort to accelerate the country’s Covid-19 testing capacity at cost of N$ 3.6 million. The PCR laboratory is based at the UNAM Hage Geingob Campus and managed by the School of Medicine. Apart from the PCR Covid-19 testing system, the additional laboratory testing kit comes with power protection equipment for the purpose of safeguarding the system against power surges, and also to protect computer equipment and…
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Same-sex couple loses court bid

Same-sex couple loses court bid

Rose-Mary Haufiku High Court Judge, Thomas Masuku, on Monday dismissed an urgent application by same-sex couple, Philip Lühl, and Guillermo Delgado, to have their recently born twin daughters, currently in South Africa, granted emergency travel documents. In their application, Lühl, Namibian, and Delgado, Mexican, were seeking an order compelling Minister of Home Affairs, Frans Kapofi, to grant the children travel documents to travel to Namibia. The Judge argued that the court would be overreaching if it were to grant the order. In the ruling, the High Court held that the applicant ought to have filed an application for the issuance…
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Katjavivi bars Swartbooi, Seibeb from Parliament

Katjavivi bars Swartbooi, Seibeb from Parliament

Andrew Kathindi Landless People’s Movement (LPM) Leader, Bernardus Swartbooi, and the party’s Parliamentary Chief Whip, Henny Seibeb, have been barred from attending Parliament by Speaker of the House, Peter Katjavivi after they were forcibly removed from the Chambers last week. Swartbooi and Seibeb were not in Parliament for Monday’s session. "In the meantime, the Speaker ruling of Thursday, 15 April, 2021, that the two Members of Parliament (MPs) are withdrawn from the Chamber remains in force until it is set aside on the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Standing Rules and Orders and Internal Arrangements. Further penalties will be…
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Because of a negotiated settlement Namibia is hostage to Capitalism?

Kae Matundu Tjiparuro Eventually, 31 years after independence, Socialism is coming under the microscope in Namibia as evidenced by the ongoing debate on Socialism within the Swapo Party of Namibia under the auspices of the party school. Understandably there’s WhatsApp group that has been established within the party to spearhead the debate on the issue. Any ideologue worth his/her salt cannot but appreciate and commend the Swapo ideologues for initiating such a debate within the party which is long overdue. Not for its own sake, and not for that matter for Swapo now saving its face and buying time as…
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FNB reports a 3.5% growth in the housing market  …..women first-time buyers on the rise

FNB reports a 3.5% growth in the housing market …..women first-time buyers on the rise

Staff Writer The FNB House Price Index posted an annual growth of 3.5 percent year-on- year (y/y) at the end of 2020 compared to -4.7 percent y/y recorded over the same period in 2019. “The housing market is surely making a much more pronounced recovery than most other segments of the economy. This points to the resilience of the housing market and economic importance of housing in general. The national weighted average house price ended the year at N$1 240 943 compared to N$1 154 468 recorded in 2019” said Frans Uusiku, FNB Market Research Manager. The review of Namibia’s…
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Special treatment claims swell around Harvey Boulter, Dennis Noa

Special treatment claims swell around Harvey Boulter, Dennis Noa

Maria Hamutenya and Rose- Mary Haufiku The recent transfer of rape accused Dennis Noa from Wanaheda Police Station to Seeis Police station on the outskirts of Windhoek has brought perceptions of special treatment for high profile suspects in Namibia. Dennis Noa, son of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Director, Paulus Noa, appeared on Wednesday for the first time at the Katutura Magistrate court on allegations of sexually violating an 18 years old male patient at Katutura Hospital. The patient is in Intensive Care Unity (ICU) after sustaining a head injury from a car accident. According to Deputy Commisioner Kupembona responsible for Investigation…
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COVID-19 deaths near 600 mark

COVID-19 deaths near 600 mark

Kandjemuni Kamuiiri Namibia’s COVID-19 death toll continues to grow at an exponential rate, with the country recording up to 125 deaths in one month. Since the outbreak of the virus, the country’s COVID-19 deaths are close to breaching the 600 mark, with a total of 599 deaths recorded to date, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS).“The Health Ministry has announced three new deaths in Windhoek district,” Minister of Health and Social Services, Kalumbi Shangula said. According to Shangula, 145 new Covid-19 cases have been confirmed from the 1253 results received from the…
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