Observer – Page 701 – Windhoek Observer

02 Mar

The New Normal: Cyber Security During COVID-19

ObserverUncategorisedCovid-19, Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF)

Martin Hamukwaya The Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) has in recent years increased the shift and reliance in the use of information technology for our staff and members. When the COVID-19 pandemic reached Namibia and subsequently invoked the lockdown, it encouraged the use of many other effective ways the Fund can offer services to our members from the comfort of their homes. This effectively changed the way we operate at GIPF, which now translated into “The New Normal”. The “New Normal”, provides our members with assurance that they will be attended to without necessarily having to visit any of the…

02 Mar

Driving the value-add agenda on a budget

ObserverUncategorisedbudget, Driving

Eli Gentle After the deal closes, what next? Go create value! Depending on the context, you may suddenly find yourself behind the wheel of a large, urgently needed change program (e.g., digital transformation) or a small, targeted intervention that no one saw coming (e.g., salesforce incentives). In many small and emerging markets, the value creation agenda (be it wide or narrow in scope) must be delivered hands-on, while staying within a shoestring budget. Two things can help you deliver on budget while sparing a few precious hours in your packed days: 1. Invest in the capabilities of your portfolio company…

02 Mar

Shangula dismisses third wave concerns …as CDC cautions

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Health and Social Services (MoHS), Kalumbi Shangula

Andrew Kathindi Health and Social Services (MoHS) minister, Kalumbi Shangula, has downplayed the probability of a third wave of COVID-19 hitting Namibia anytime soon. This comes after South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, on Sunday warned that the, “threat of a third wave is constantly present, as is the threat of yet more new variants”. Shangula stated that he was not aware of Ramaphosa’s warning, but queried, “How can they talk about a third wave when they are relaxing all the control measures?” South Africa on Sunday relaxed some of its regulations in the control of the spread of COVID-19. The…

02 Mar

600 Seaflower workers set to lose jobs again

ObserverObserver MoneyTunacor

Andrew Kathindi and Kandjemuni Kamuiiri Altogether 597 factory workers under a government fishing quota for employment deal entered with Tunacor , are again set to lose their jobs when the existing agreement expires this month , it has emerged. Tunacor, awarded 4 000 tonnes worth of quota valued at over N$6 million by government in exchange for absorbing the Seaflower Pelagic Processing (SPP) retrenched workers, has revealed that it only has 50 openings in the company, which the employees were free to apply when the existing deal reached last December expires this month. The deal, struck between Fishcor’s board, the…

27 Feb

Air Namibia demise, SOEs privitisation Grandmaster plan of Capitalism

ObserverUncategorisedAir Namibia demise, Grandmaster plan of Capitalism, SOEs privitisation

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro With the country still reeling from the shock of the fait acompli of the liquidation of the national airline, the dust thereof shall yet to settle for now if ever, the country is now also reeling from another shock. The privitisation of a number of State Owned Enterprises(SOEs). It does not need a rocket scientist to see that the liquidation of Air Namibia, is part of a grandmaster plan of privatisation involving SOEs like the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport), Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP), Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR), Telecom Namibia and the Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco). The…

27 Feb

The Time Traveler: Gun culture

ObserverUncategorisedAnglo-Saxon, Gun culture

Hugh Ellis I had a weird experience on YouTube recently. I’m into music, so I had liked and watched several videos of a music instrument store in Texas called ‘Alamo Pianos’. It seems the Alamo - a Texan fort that a small group of white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant American settlers once defended against a horde of Mexican troops - is a touchstone word for US right-wing groups. Soon the YouTube algorithm flooded my recommendations with large, bearded white men taking about defending their homeland, family, traditions, and of course, their ‘right’ to own and shoot guns. Some YouTube gun content is…

27 Feb

We are not in crisis- Meatco CEO

ObserverUncategorisedMeatco, Mwilima Mushokabanji, Rainer Ritter, We are not in crisis

Kandjemuni Kamuiiri With the continued demise of public enterprises and a difficult operating environment, our Reporter Kandjemuni Kamuiiri’s interviewed Meatco’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mwilima Mushokabanji (MM), on the state and future of the company. Below is an extract of the interview. WO: Is Meatco under any threat that could see it fold in the short to medium term? MM: We were either going to adapt or perish and as management, we decided to adapt. For Meatco management we are not in a crisis, it’s something that we already saw into the future and we have put up systems, processes…

27 Feb

Dausab takes up sex offender’s registry legislation

ObserverUncategorisedsex offender’s registry legislation, Winnie Moongo, Yvonne Dausab

Andrew Kathindi Justice Minister Yvonne Dausab says a sex offender’s registry will be implemented by March next year, following up on a motion by Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) parliamentarian Winnie Moongo, which lapsed last year. Dausab told Windhoek Observer that her intent to take it up the matter, was to stop repeat offences. “The intention of such a proposed law is to protect our vulnerable communities, including adults from being subjected to future sexual assault and harassment. It is also meant to shame them, so that the victim is not the only one that carries that burden,” she said. “Whether…

27 Feb

Air Namibia’s troubles mount …as transportation commission seeks its license

ObserverUncategorisedAir Namibia’s troubles mount, Hage Geingob, National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW), Transportation Commission of Namibia (TCN)

Andrew Kathindi Air Namibia’s troubles could be compounded after a source at the Transportation Commission of Namibia (TCN), revealed that an application to revoke the airline’s license is still to go ahead. “A lot of events have overtaken everything, and that will be guided by that. But as it stands, the matter is still in court, it’s not done yet,” revealed the source. A court matter heard on 2 February to revoke Air Namibia’s license was postponed to 12 March. This is the second attempt by the commission to cancel the national flag carrier’s license over the last twelve months.…

26 Feb

Capricorn Group profits down N$118.8 million

ObserverUncategorisedCapricorn Group, Thinus Prinsloo

Staff Writer Capricorn Group released its interim financial results for the six months ended 31 December 2020 on Thursday, where it reported a N$118.8 million decrease in the group’s profit from continuing operations, relative to the pre-COVID-19 comparable period. “This year-on-year decrease is mainly due to interest margin compression and increased impairment provisions. Lower interest margins are a result of unprecedented interest rate decreases enacted by central banks to counter the slowdown in the economy. Increased impairment provisions resulted from the extremely challenging economic and market conditions in the wake of imposed lockdowns and other responses to the pandemic”, said…