Observer

8219 Posts
Taxi fare increase set for Wednesday

Taxi fare increase set for Wednesday

Maria Hamutenya Taxi fares will increase from N$12 to N$ 13.20 as of 31 March, Namibia Transport and Taxi Union (NTTU) leader, Werner Januarie, announced on Monday. According to Januarie, the increment is in line with the law, section 12 of the Road Transportation Act of 1977, which states that when there is any fuel increment, unions are allowed to give notice for taxi fare increment. “It is only in subsequent section where board’s approval is sought and only in instances where the increase requested is above the threshold of ten percent, thus the NTTU pricelist is now finalised and…
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NEEEF cannot be empowering the masses but only the economic elite

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro Recently Yours Truly Ideologically threw a broadside at Team Namibia’s criticism of the National Equitable Economic Empowerment Bill (NEEEB), which is to see the implementation of the National Equitable Economic Empowerment Framework(NEEEF). Criticising Team Namibia for being against NEEEB does not mean that Yours Truly Ideologically agrees in anyway with the principles of NEEEF and what the NEEEB would ultimately instrumentalise if not only symbolise. But the intent was to show and reveal the true nature and character of Team Namibia, which is while pretending to be patriotic and nationalistic, in and out, it is indeed opposed to…
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The Time Traveler: All families belong together

Hugh Ellis The Ministry of Home Affairs has denied entry to two Namibian children born in South Africa, rendering them effectively stateless. The twin girls’ parents are a same-sex couple, married in South Africa six years ago. The girls were born through a surrogate pregnancy. In terms of the surrogacy agreement, legal in South Africa, the couple have been registered as fathers on the babies’ South African birth certificates. At the time of writing this column, one of the fathers, Namibian citizen Phillip Lühl, was suing the Minister of Home Affairs in an effort to have him compelled to issue…
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Air Namibia officially liquidated

Air Namibia officially liquidated

By Maria Hamutenya Acting High Court judge, Kobus Miller, on Friday pronounced the official liquidation of Air Namibia after converting its provisional liquidation into full liquidation. This comes after Air Namibia’s biggest creditor, Namibia Airports Company (NAC) had applied for the liquidation of Air Namibia in the Windhoek High Court in February. The NAC filed an urgent application stating that the national airline owes it close to N$714 million. According to Advocate Jesse Schickerling, who assisted Advocate Raymond Heathcote in court on behalf of Namibia Airports Company (NAC), the next step after the High Court judgement would be holding the…
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Govt eyes N$105 million from new quotas auction

Govt eyes N$105 million from new quotas auction

Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Finance together with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources are expected to raise around N$105 million in a new round of governmental objective fishing quotas auctions. The auction, which is meant to raise revenue for Government expenditure with a deadline for the 16th of April, has set a minimum price of N$6,000 per metric tonne. According to the Ministry of Finance, the bids will be placed on 11,164 metric tonnes of Wet Hake and 4,784 metric tonnes of Freezer Hake, both of which are targeted at 50 percent for Namibians, and the remaining 50…
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MUMI appointed to GIPF incubator program

MUMI appointed to GIPF incubator program

Staff Writer MUMI Investment Managers (Pty) LTD has been appointed by the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) as one of its six incubator asset managers. The Asset Management Incubation programme is being implemented by the GIPF to provide an opportunity for previously disadvantaged individuals to participate in the mainstream asset management industry, and in doing so create Namibian based skills in the field of Investment and Asset Management. MUMI Investment Managers which officially commenced operations in 2019, possesses combined experience of over 20 years in portfolio research and investment management and currently manages about N$880 million of GIPF assets as…
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Low turnout marks COVID vaccination

Low turnout marks COVID vaccination

Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has expressed concern at the low turnout of people being vaccinated for COVID-19. Only 218 people have so far been vaccinated with the Sinopharm vaccine under the first phase of the of the ministry roll out plan which ends on the 16th of April. “There is still low uptake of the COVID-19 vaccines, we encourage the target population groups, especially health care workers to get vaccinated,” said Health minister, Kalumbi Shangula. He argued, “Studies continue to show that COVID-19 vaccines work very well at keeping you from getting COVID-19 and…
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Namibia’s unemployed graduates’ crisis

Namibia’s unemployed graduates’ crisis

Rose-Mary Haufiku Amid rising numbers of unemployed graduates in the country, questions have begun to be raised on whether the country’s top universities are offering relevant courses to the country’s existing socio and economic conditions. The latest university survey shows that approximately 7 383 students graduated from the country’s top three universities, namely University of Namibia (Unam), Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) and International University of Management (IUM) in 2020, with majority eyeing to be absorbed into the job market. According to the Ministry of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation (MHETI) there are over 67 000 unemployed graduates…
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Sweat pants and baggy shirts for me please, the tales of a young entrepreneur

Sweat pants and baggy shirts for me please, the tales of a young entrepreneur

I believe there is a big misconception with regards to what a business owner/entrepreneur is. Many have been sold the suit and tie symbolic status with regards to what it means to be a business owner. Rarely have I seen the highlights on the brutal truths on what the business market entails. Sleepless nights, financial constraints and may I never live to forget the anxiety, fear and doubt that never leaves the minds of those who decide to venture into the unpredictable world of the business market. Hi, my name is Nelago Johannes, I am 23-years-old and I run a…
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96 succumb to COVID in one month …As Namibia surpasses the 500 mark in deaths

96 succumb to COVID in one month …As Namibia surpasses the 500 mark in deaths

Rose-Mary Haufiku and Maria Hamutenya Namibia’s COVID-19 death toll continues to grow at an exponential rate, with the country recording over 96 deaths in one month. Since the outbreak of the virus, the country’s COVID-19 deaths have now surpassed the 500 mark according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), with a total of 502 deaths recorded. This comes after four deaths were announced from Omuthiya, Tsumeb, Gobabis and Mariental districts. Namibia began its first roll-out of the Chinese manufactured Sinopharm vaccine last Friday after receiving 100 000 doses from China, and an additional…
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