Observer – Page 791 – Windhoek Observer

11 Jun

Localizing native languages …the key to economic upliftment

ObserverUncategorisedMonica Geingos, Namibia

Festus Commodore Tshirumbu "Some of our policies are great, but when it comes to translating them to the people who must interact with them, they must make sense." - Monica Geingos, the First Lady of Namibia. She explained that when she speaks of an afrocentric approach, it means policies must be able to accommodate those who utilize them without them having difficulties. Madam Geingos could have not said it any better. This remark triggered a spark of thought within me that our government spends millions of dollars printing and publishing tender documents and not one is printed in our local…

11 Jun

Grandstanding Geingob sinks Air Namibia

ObserverNational NewsAir Namibia, president Hage Geingob

President Hage Geingob stood up in the Parliament and dropped an attention-grabbing bomb. He stated that Air Namibia would be liquidated. Statesmanship and studied leadership was not his goal with that precipitous statement. Self-aggrandisement was. Our esteemed president holds an earned PhD and has 60 years of world experience and exposure to the way things work. He makes statements not from ignorance but with calculation. It is the self-serving side of his personality that is a fatal flaw in his otherwise reasonable leadership persona. When asked in that same parliamentary session about Fishrot, Geingob was demure and coquettish. He said…

11 Jun

Kalahari Holdings donates school furniture

ObserverObserver MoneyKalahari Holdings, Katima Mulilo

Staff Writer Kalahari Holdings has donated of 650 desks and 650 chairs to the Tobias Hainyeko Project School in Katima Mulilo as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative and efforts to assist Government. The school furniture was handed over to the school management by Kalahari Holdings Director, Ephraim Nekongo. Since the school was established in 2018, learners have had to carry chairs from their homes to school and the donation is set to have a positive impact on teaching and learning in the school.

11 Jun

Bank Windhoek, NUST, B360 partner

ObserverUncategorisedB360 Education Partnerships, Bank Windhoek, Career Starter Programme, Covid-19, Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST)

Staff Writer Bank Windhoek, in partnership with the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and B360 Education Partnerships, have decided to host an online Career Starter Programme in compliance with social distancing measures and to combat the spread of COVID-19, Designed to provide a sequential path through career development, knowledge, and skills essential for success in the job search, the online Career Starter Programme will see a total of twelve graduates, divided into groups of four, take part in the initiative. The programme will be spread over six weeks, during which each group will have online contact sessions with…

11 Jun

Pupkewitz to retrench

ObserverObserver MoneyPupkewitz Group, Pupkewitz Holdings

Staff Writer Pupkewitz Group plans to retrench part of its workforce as part of an on-going restructuring of the company. Although details remain sketchy as to how many employees will be affected by the group’s decision, a voluntary retrenchment offer has been put on the table for all employees of the diversified group to take up. “All employees of the Pupkewitz Group have been offered a voluntary separation package with a redundancy process to follow by the end of June. We believe that this decision will allow us to serve the greater good by securing the jobs of the vast…

11 Jun

City Police splashes millions on bakkies

ObserverObserver MoneyCity Police, Road Fund Administration (RFA)

Andrew Kathindi The Windhoek City Police has splashed N$13 million on the acquisition of new vehicles at time when government has advocated for spending cuts, while residents have complained of poor service delivery by the municipality. City Police Chief, Abraham Kanime confirmed the acquisition of the vehicles which were purchased from funds availed by the Road Fund Administration (RFA). “Even as we’re talking, we are still trying to see whether we can get money to buy more. We need mobility for us to deal with high road accidents. The vehicles that we are talking about are just for road safety.…

10 Jun

Red beans and rice – good food for po’ folks

ObserverUncategorisedbeans, food, rice

Jackie Wilson Asheeke If you are like me, you are scrambling around for inexpensive meals that can feed larger numbers of people because you’re broke. But, you still need to think about nutrition and full bellies. It is not as easy. Reaching back to my black American roots and hard times from the slave and segregation days, there are foods that my people put on the table that didn’t break the bank. Red beans and rice is one of those meals. You can feed six or seven people with about N$80-$100. I like it because I can make it when…

10 Jun

Take it seriously and let’s finish

ObserverNational NewsErongo, Namibia, State of Emergency, Walvis Bay

The expansion of the Stage One regulations for the current State of Emergency to the Erongo region is a nightmare. But, it has been bought on by the people of that area not taking the government’s declaration on June 1st for Walvis Bay seriously. If you were warned that a huge pride of lions is in the area, why hold an outside braai and then cry foul when they come running towards the smell of your meat? Let the rest of us in Namibia get tough with ourselves, our friends, family members and those in our communities regarding this pandemic.…

10 Jun

Role of an HR Business Partner during COVID-19

ObserverUncategorisedCovid-19, HR Business Partner

Agnes Yeboah As a people and change champion, the role of the human resource business partner (HRBP) is critical in these unprecedented times. COVID-19 has disrupted how we do things; from how we conduct business, to how we play with our children, how we shop and stay connected with one another. The effect of this global pandemic has been felt by all and the ramifications will continue for a long time. HRBPs are strategic partners to business and act as the primary contact for the human capital department. This strategic role necessitates that they share, advocate and facilitate the implementation…

10 Jun

Full fees unfair – Kandjii-Murangi

ObserverObserver MoneyDr Itah Kandjii-Murangi, Minister of Higher Education, Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), Training and Innovation, University of Namibia (UNAM)

Andrew Kathindi Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi has said although educational institutions may be within their rights to charge full fees, from a moral point of view, it is unfair. “It's quite a very tricky situation for them and very difficult as well. If you speak from the moral side of things, it’s not fair to ask someone who has not been on your campus, who has not received any teaching, for full fees for the whole term. The best that these institutions could do is to work out the amount of teaching that was…