Observer – Page 762 – Windhoek Observer

30 Mar

The basics of grazing management

ObserverUncategorised

Erastus Ngaruka The grazing value and capacity of the land is a factor of certain attributes such as the soil condition, grass species composition, density, and abundance amongst others. These attributes are further influenced by rainfall activities and the intensity of utilization of the grazing materials. Grazing management refers to the approaches that farmers use to ensure that their livestock have controlled access to a grazing area. This is basically done to prevent overgrazing and to ensure seasonal availability of grazing materials for their livestock. Many areas in Namibia have lost their grazing values and capacities over the years principally…

30 Mar

Covid-19: Judge calls for parliamentary oversight & democratic accountability

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Professor Justice Oagile Bethuel Key Dingake, SADC

Moses Magadza WINDHOEK - A widely-acclaimed judge, Professor Justice Oagile Bethuel Key Dingake, has implored legislative functionaries in the SADC region to “ensure the observance of parliamentary oversight and scrutiny, democratic accountability, transparency, legitimacy” at all stages in the legislative process as the world grapples with Covid-19. Dingake is a former Judge of the High Court of Botswana. He is now a Justice of the Residual Special Court of Sierra Leone, the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea and the Court of Appeal of Seychelles. He made the call when he virtually addressed Clerks of national Parliaments affiliated to the…

30 Mar

Vaccine arrival delayed again

ObserverObserver MoneyCOVAX Facility, Covid-19, Kalumbi Shangula, MoHSS Minister

Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has bemoaned the delay in the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines which it purchased through the COVAX Facility. This comes as the latest communication from the Facility coordinators, which came last week, stated that the vaccines will only arrive in the country in the next three weeks. This is the third time that the vaccine arrival date has been announced, after an email in January from the COVAX Facility, had informed MoHSS Minister, Kalumbi Shangula, that the vaccine would arrive in mid or end of February, and later shifted to…

30 Mar

Taxi fare increase set for Wednesday

ObserverObserver MoneyNamibia Transport and Taxi Union (NTTU), NTTU, Werner Januarie

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…

27 Mar

NEEEF cannot be empowering the masses but only the economic elite

ObserverUncategorisedNational Equitable Economic Empowerment Framework(NEEEF)., Team Namibia

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…

27 Mar

The Time Traveler: All families belong together

ObserverUncategorisedAll 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…

27 Mar

Air Namibia officially liquidated

ObserverUncategorisedAdvocate Jesse Schickerling, Air Namibia officially liquidated, Lawyer Norman Tjombe, Namibia Airports Company (NAC)

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…

27 Mar

Govt eyes N$105 million from new quotas auction

ObserverUncategorisedEricah Shafudah, Ministry of Finance, N$105 million, 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…

26 Mar

MUMI appointed to GIPF incubator program

ObserverUncategorisedGovernment Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF), Investment and Asset Management, MUMI, MUMI Investment Managers (Pty) LTD

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…

26 Mar

Low turnout marks COVID vaccination

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Khomas, Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS), Sinopharm

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…