Observer

8771 Posts
23 Jan

Abortion rights must be expanded

ObserverUncategorised
Khanyiswa Mogotsi As a country plagued with tragic baby dumping stories and nightmare tales of unwanted pregnancies, I still do not understand why terminating a pregnancy in all cases is not yet a legal health service option in Namibia. I have always been in support of reproductive rights. The biggest reason is that every person (man and woman) should have the right to decide what they will and will not do with their body and their lives. If they want to get a tattoo covering the entire lower half of their face, they should be allowed to because it is…
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23 Jan

The Time Traveler: Let’s get the vaccine!

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Hugh Ellis I recently watched a press conference by the UK medicines regulatory authority, announcing their approval of the new Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine for Covid-19. The presentation went into some detail, going step-by-step through the data from the trials of the vaccine in the UK, USA, Brazil and South Africa, showing how it had been reviewed by independent scientists and shown to be safe and broadly effective. The panel presenting the data consisted of a white British woman, a Chinese man, and a man of Middle-Eastern descent. They spent more than an hour answering questions from the media. It did…
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23 Jan

How do you stuff evil back into its hole?

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Jackie Wilson Asheeke I drove through Washington, DC two days before the inauguration of President Joe Biden. I had flashbacks to a drive through DC when I was in pre-school, two days after Dr Martin Luther King's assassination. The soldiers, tanks, sirens, and flashing lights were everywhere then and now. I shuddered at seeing weapons in plain sight. The scrutinizing eyes of armed white men made my blood run cold as a child and now as an adult. I know intellectually that the massive show of force was needed to keep the extremist right-wing lunatic fringe from easily acting out…
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23 Jan

Cutting diplomats too deeply is a risk

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The financial crisis faced by Namibia is severe. Budget cuts are required. The cuts recently announced will hit Namibian diplomats abroad too hard. There is a huge risk, and it should be done with extreme care. Horror stories abound of financially challenged countries that cannot support their diplomats abroad. It is a disgrace to any country with its diplomats, embassies and missions with water and electricity disconnected. It is shameful to have local staff suing for unpaid salaries. National humiliation ensues when diplomats are evicted from their homes. The trauma and shame of children sent home from schools for non-payment…
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American embassy staff get COVID-19 vaccine
23 Jan

American embassy staff get COVID-19 vaccine

ObserverUncategorised,
Maria Hamutenya American Embassy Namibia staff have become the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the country, the Windhoek Observer can reveal. This comes after doses where made available to staff recently including locals. It is, however, not clear if family members of staff, including locals were included as part of the inoculation. “Protecting and promoting the health, safety, and security of the Department of State’s workforce is our top priority so that we can continue to carry out our mission on behalf of the American people,” said the U.S. Embassy Spokesperson Walter Parrs when contacted by the Windhoek…
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Only 56 submissions from cannabis consultations
23 Jan

Only 56 submissions from cannabis consultations

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Andrew Kathindi The road to cannabis legalization in Namibia may be longer after the Ministry of Health and Social Services only received 56 submissions from consultations on the possibility of the regulation and controlled use of cannabis. “We received in total about 70, but when we went through them, there were some repeats and submissions in one document, so when one removes the repeats and resubmissions, we ended up with 56,” Registrar of Medicine in the Health Ministry, Johannes Gaeseb said. “We had questions in our public notice, so we’ll collate the answers to those questions and then make a…
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22 Jan

Board fees are not the issue

ObserverNational News, ,
It is long overdue that boards of directors be held accountable when they do not meet expectations. But penalties cannot be extracted without a regulatory framework and definitions. The Ministry of Public Enterprise must demand that potential board members agree to listed performance requirements. Those requirements must be given in advance and in writing. They should state upfront that board fees are payable only with approved performance ratings each quarter. Until this is done in Namibia, no one can arrive after the fact and declare that (undefined) ‘poor performance’ means that board fees must be returned. This is not a…
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MTC to finally list
22 Jan

MTC to finally list

ObserverObserver Money, , ,
Staff Writer Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) on Wednesday announced that it will finally list on the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) before the 5th of September 2021 after its initial plans were derailed by the outbreak of COVID-19. This comes as government approved the process in November 2017. According to its initially announced timelines, MTC was expected to be listed on the bourse by July last year, after having submitted its listing application to the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) in February 2020. The opening date for its public offer was set for March 2020 and closing in June 2020. “We are…
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Labour Commission powerless on Shoprite non-compliance
22 Jan

Labour Commission powerless on Shoprite non-compliance

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Andrew Kathindi Labour Commissioner Henri Kassen said his office’s hands are tied when it comes to enforcing a Labour Court ruling which unions and Shoprite group employees have accused the retail giant of contravening, as it is outside his jurisdiction. According to the court order delivered on 8 January, Shoprite is not permitted to employ seasonal workers or let other employees do the work of those that are on strike. However, Shoprite has hired seasonal employees, according to a spokesperson from the employee’s group. “The Labour Commissioner's office is not an enforcer for compliance of the law or the court…
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COVID deaths surpass 300
21 Jan

COVID deaths surpass 300

ObserverObserver Money,
Staff Writer Namibia has now surpassed the 300 mark for COVID-19 related deaths after five more people succumbed to the virus. Health and Social Services (MOHSS) minister, Kalumbi Shangula, announced the latest figures on Wednesday. The five fatalities were recorded in Windhoek, Oshakati, Otjiwarongo and Walvis Bay, becoming the second highest number of deaths ever recorded in the country in a single day since the outbreak of COVID-19 last year. The increase in fatalities, comes as positive cases continue to spike, with 258 new COVID-19 confirmed cases from 1 793 results received from the laboratories in the last 24 hours.…
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