Blog – Page 764 – Windhoek Observer

01 Apr

COVID-19 restrictions extended …as Namibia passes COVID-19 death estimates

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, president Hage Geingob

Andrew Kathindi President Hage Geingob on Wednesday extended the current COVID-19 regulations, with minor changes to the measures. Under the current dispensation, which will last until 30 April, restriction on movement will remain in place from 22h00 until 04h00, daily. Restaurants, bars and shebeens will be permitted to extend the trading hours for liquor up to 22h00, Mondays to Saturdays. The sale of alcohol on Sundays will remain prohibited, while attendance at public gatherings have been increased from the current number of 50 to 100 persons per event, whether the event is held indoor and outdoor. Minister of Health and…

31 Mar

The Dollar-Rand Peg: Time to Decouple?

ObserverUncategorisedCommon Monetary Area (CMA), Covid-19, Namibia, RMB

Carel Jordaan Namibia’s sophisticated and liquid foreign exchange market plays a crucial role in its economy. Notwithstanding the country’s size, we have a very liquid market. Banks, like FirstRand Namibia, have been playing a key role in establishing this market. Equally, banks are instrumental in developing, capacitating and growing its potential. Although the Namibian Dollar replaced the South African Rand in 1993, following Namibia’s independence from its neighbour, the rand remains widely used in Namibia. Moreover, the dollar has been pegged to the rand at one to one as Namibia is a member of the Common Monetary Area (CMA). The…

31 Mar

Windhoek budgets N$350m for cycle lanes … Electric cars not a priority

ObserverObserver MoneyCity of Windhoek, City Spokesperson, Harold Akwenye, Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, Ministry of Works and Transport (MWT)

Kandjemuni Kamuiiri The City of Windhoek plans to implement bicycle lanes within the City at an estimated cost of N$350 million for Phase 1. The Windhoek Observer can reveal the development will now make bicycle lanes compulsory for all newly constructed roads moving forward. “Since the City developed the non-motorised transport (NMT) strategy, there is a condition that says ensure that NMT requirements are incorporated in all new developments; private sector and public sector projects alike. Each road within the City should include cycling lanes, going forward,” City Spokesperson, Harold Akwenye, said. The plan, which falls in line with plans…

31 Mar

New 213 applicants awarded fishing quota

ObserverObserver MoneyAlbert Kawana, Erongo, Kavango East, Kavango West, Khomas, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources

Andrew Kathindi The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Albert Kawana, has announced that 213 new applications for fishing quotas were approved by the Government. This number represents 71 percent of all the successful applicants. According to the ministry, 298 applications were successful out of the initial 5, 176 submitted in 2018. The main beneficiaries for the quotas are applicants in the Khomas region with 11 percent with Erongo with 9,9 percent. Kavango East and Kavango West regions were the lowest with 0,6 percent and 0,4 percent applications approved respectively. "It will also be shown that, unfortunately, some regions did…

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…