Observer – Page 747 – Windhoek Observer

22 Apr

Parliament upholds Katjavivi’s LPM MPs ruling …as duo heads to court

ObserverObserver MoneyLandless People’s Movement (LPM), Parliament

Andrew Kathindi The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Standing Rules and Orders and Internal Arrangements (STROC) has upheld Speaker, Peter Katjavivi’s ruling to bar Landless People’s Movement (LPM) leader, Bernardus Swartbooi, and the party’s Chief Whip, Henny Seibeb, from the Parliament’s Chambers. “The Standing Rules and Order Committee met and the decision is that they decided to sustain the ruling of the Speaker and the members remain withdrawn from the chambers,” Parliament Spokesperson, David Nahogandja, told the Windhoek Observer. The decision was taken at a STROC meeting held on Wednesday afternoon. STROC committees are made up of chief whips of the…

22 Apr

Geingob appoints new ministers

ObserverObserver MoneyAlbert Kawana, Derek Klazen, Frans Kapofi, president Hage Geingob

Staff Writer President Hage Geingob has moved Home Affairs Minister, Frans Kapofi, to the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs as Minister replacing Peter Vilho who resigned from the position amid allegations of illicit proceeds in an undeclared Hong Kong bank account. Vilho served as minister for a year and a month, after he was appointed by Geingob in March 2020. Kapofi will be replaced by Albert Kawana as the new Home Affairs Minister. Urban and Rural Development Deputy Minister, Derek Klazen, has been promoted to head the Fisheries Ministry. Former Home Affairs Deputy Minister, Maureen Hinda-Mbuende, bounces back as…

21 Apr

Boarding, High schools fingered for spiking COVID-19 cases

ObserverObserver MoneyArts and Culture, Covid-19, Ministry of Education

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…

21 Apr

Venaani demands answers from Parliament

ObserverObserver MoneyBernardus Swartbooi, Henny Seibeb, McHenry Venaani, 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…

20 Apr

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

ObserverObserver MoneyBotswana, Covid-19, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, SADC Members of Parliament, Seychelles

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…

20 Apr

Debmarine Namibia donates 2nd N$ 3.6m Covid-19 testing machine

ObserverObserver MoneyDebmarine Namibia, Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP), UNAM Hage Geingob Campus, University of Namibia

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…

20 Apr

Same-sex couple loses court bid

ObserverObserver MoneyHigh Court Judge, Philip Lühl, Supreme Court, Thomas Masuku

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…

20 Apr

Katjavivi bars Swartbooi, Seibeb from Parliament

ObserverObserver MoneyBernardus Swartbooi, Henny Seibeb, Parliament, Peter Katjavivi

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…

17 Apr

Because of a negotiated settlement Namibia is hostage to Capitalism?

ObserverUncategorisedBecause of a negotiated settlement Namibia is hostage to Capitalism?, Swapo ideologues, Swapo Party of Namibia

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…

17 Apr

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

ObserverUncategorisedFNB House Price Index, FNB reports a 3.5% growth in the housing market, Frans Uusiku, 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…