Observer

8771 Posts
Preserve and get what you deserve in your golden years

Preserve and get what you deserve in your golden years

Patricia Olivier Chief Executive Officer Old Mutual Corporate Segment Did you know that retirement planning and its benefits is all up to you? There is no legislation for example, compelling you as a member of a retirement fund, to preserve your benefits when exiting the fund upon changing an employer. In fact, currently members of retirement funds may take 100% of their retirement savings in cash and most do. Doing so however will probably add to a series of obstacles standing between you and your retirement goals which may be to retire with financial independence. Perhaps you haven’t even given…
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Top 5 tips to achieve financial independence

Top 5 tips to achieve financial independence

There are no short cuts to attaining financial freedom; it requires discipline and proper financial planning. Elzita Beukes, FNB Communication Manager, said: “Financial independence is the ability to live a financially independent life that neither relies solely on debt as a form of survival or living expenses. The main reason most people grapple with the concept of financial independence is because of a lack of discipline. “There’s no truth in the belief that you can only achieve financial independence when you are wealthy, it all depends on developing good money management skills.” In order to see the full worth of…
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NMP claims Fishrot accused blocked phosphate mining

NMP claims Fishrot accused blocked phosphate mining

Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) spokesman Romeo Muyunda, on Wednesday dismissed claims by Namibia Phosphate Mining (NMP) that the ‘Fishrot’ files scandal and the individuals involved in it are responsible for stalling its Sandpiper phosphate mining project. The company is engaged in a protracted campaign which started over 10 years ago, to commence offshore mining for phosphates, an estimated 120km south-west of Walvis Bay. “It appears the objections to NMP’s phosphate project, as proposed and scientifically substantiated by independent environmental assessments, were spearheaded by individuals who are now implicated in, what is perhaps, Namibia’s biggest post-independence corruption scandal, the…
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SWAPO Party 2020 – A Portrait

SWAPO Party 2020 – A Portrait

Citizen Nahas Angula I have been asked to paint a portrait of SWAPO Party in 2020 for the February/March edition of the Observer Connect Magazine. At the outset I confess that I am not a good artist. In addition I am not privy to the current inner party thinking. The SWAPO Party is a legacy and heritage of all patriotic Namibians. We owe it to the Party that Namibia today is a proud nation, despite a myriad of challenges that we face. The current SWAPO Party image is best portrayed by the protagonists of the organization, especially its spokespersons. Let…
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Observatory: Show him the real deal

Clementine Tjameya President Geingob’s so-called ‘surprise’ visit to the Katutura Intermediate Hospital raised a number of frustrated and angry comments online and around town. People all over the country are wondering if it was really a surprise visit or just a staged visit. The public has been complaining about the hospital for as long as I can remember. Over the past few weeks the complaints got out of hand. There was even a petition going on social media which said, “Save Katutura Hospital”. People were, and are still, angry about the dilapidated state that of that hospital. However, after his…
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One country: three nations

Dr. Ngarikutuke Tjiriange Now that we are celebrating 30 years of independence of our country it may be important to just briefly reflect on some issues of those years, particularly what still persistently and disturbingly still haunts us. Our colonial history left Namibia economically split into three countries depending on their colour. The independence constitution was intended to build a bridge between the past divided society characterized by immeasurable misery and unequal distribution of wealth among different groups. The preamble of the constitution provides for the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human…
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Shout Out: This is the moment to turn to each other

Jackie Wilson Asheeke In my high school typing class, we used to memorize the keyboard by typing, “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.” Apparently, there is something about the keystrokes in this phrase that made it a perfect exercise. I would adapt that stanza by saying, “In Namibia, now is the time for all good people to come to each other’s aid.” It is time for us to turn TO each other in charity and not ON each other in panic. This state of emergency is disturbing. Many of us…
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The Time Traveler: The silver lining in the corona sky

Hugh Ellis I may have to ‘eat my words’ slightly this week. I had said that the global 2019 Corona Virus Disease (or Covid-19 for short) pandemic was not likely to be a big deal for Namibia. Obviously, with schools on semi-lockdown and international flights suspended, this is not the case. It is important we keep a sense of perspective, however. We may even find that in the long term, a lot of good may come out of the disruption and shock this crisis has caused. At the time of writing this column, no-one has died of Covid-19 in Namibia.…
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What happens the day after?

The CEO of the Government Insurance Pension Fund (GIPF), David Nuyoma made a comment this week that needs to be repeated. He said, “The GIPF will not be making any rushed investment decisions [due to the virus].” This wisdom needs to be injected into our Covid-19 mitigation ideas and plans right now. Programs must not be entered in a rush of ‘doing something’ about Covid-19. When the virus emergency passes, as it eventually will, the after crisis recovery could be worse for the already-stressed Namibian economy. When the Titanic hit the iceberg, the crew, in its haste to ‘save as…
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Namibian tourism industry hit hard by virus

Namibian tourism industry hit hard by virus

Clementine Tjameya The Namibian tourism industry is experiencing an unprecedented crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The country is now in virtual lockdown following the declaration of a State of Emergency this week by President Hage Geingob. This move became necessary after two Romanian tourists entered the country two weeks ago and brought Covid-19 with them. A near comprehensive travel ban is now in effect, including restrictions on some border posts with South Africa, the country’s main trading partner. The troubles experienced by the hospitality, tourism and travel industry are due to Namibia’s pre-emptive actions to protect public health as…
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