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Govt ponders fishing quota auction decision …as committee drags its feet
26 Jan

Govt ponders fishing quota auction decision …as committee drags its feet

ObserverObserver Money,
Andrew Kathindi Government is pondering its next move with regards to the auctioning of its governmental fishing quotas after a paltry return and disorganized process in the previous effort held in August last year. This comes after the technical committee, which was set up by Finance Minister Iipumbu Shiimi, to guide the government on the possibility of future auctions, is still to offer its recommendation. The committee has not presented its findings nearly a month after the start of the horse mackerel season and three months after the start of the hake fishing season. “The technical committee is still finalizing…
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23 Jan

Confessions of a couch kitten: Anxiety tips & tricks for 2021

ObserverUncategorised
Khanyiswa Mogotsi We are in the first month of the new year and I have already experienced two anxiety attacks and I know for certain that I cannot be the only person with very shaky mental stability this early in the year. To be fair, this year started with quite a bang with talks of a civil war ready to break out, Kim and Kanye getting ready for a divorce, and me potentially coming out to my parents that the fact that I have only managed two anxiety attacks almost leaves me shocked. I am not the only person facing…
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Look back at Jackson
23 Jan

Look back at Jackson

ObserverUncategorised,
Jackie Wilson Asheeke I felt moved to see how Namibian musicians are situated on YouTube and other social media sites for no real reason or anniversary. I was surprised and pleased to find the great Namibian performer and musical artist's videos and music, the late Jackson Kaujeua (3 July 1953 – 27 May 2010). We’re all staying at home a lot more these days. Take some time and fill your mind with the sounds of Namibia through the talents of our musicians, artists and singers. Check out Jackson once again. I listened and watched the video of Jackson singing Kalahari.…
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23 Jan

Few of the homeless can dream of decent housing in their lifetime

ObserverUncategorised, ,
Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro The issue is not about with how much surgical precision anyone, let alone the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF), would wish to make us believe what and how much it is doing to help the government arrest the 300,000 housing backlog and/or shortage the country is experiencing. But that 300,000 housing units, by the government’s own assessment, are needed, and what can be done about this backlog by all and sundry, including the GIPF. Because acute shelter-less, homeless and roofless, is the norm in the housing sector in Namibia. Addressing this acute shortage is and cannot be the…
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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!

ObserverUncategorised,
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?

ObserverUncategorised,
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

ObserverUncategorised
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

ObserverUncategorised, ,
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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