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The three musketeers jammin’ with beats

The three musketeers jammin’ with beats

Jackie Wilson Asheeke Namibians will not let COVID-19 destroy creativity and the need to jam. A new group with hot beats just formed in 2020. They are called: The Musketeers. In the midst of a pandemic and lockdown, they are making music. Even if we dance alone in our homes or in socially-distanced venues, check out their new release, titled LOST featuring Azaria. Radio stations need to get on board with this music as well. Their new album has 10 tracks all exclusively written, recorded and mastered by The Musketeers and Azaria, a female artist new on the scene from…
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Can the ideologically disinclined deliver us from exploitative system?

Yours Truly Ideologically- Fourth Installment: Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro Has independence heralded the Second Phase of the Namibian Revolution and what is the nature and character of this Revolution? Last time this columnist ended with this pertinent question. A question that Namibians must continue to ponder and unpack if her avowed developmental trajectory has to assume real revolutionary meaning. Underlining this question is another one whether there has been anything akin to a Namibian Revolution, at any point ever, pre-liberation war, during the war itself and after, when the radical transformation of the pre-independence socio-economic system must have been contemplated, let alone idealised…
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God Bless the child that’s got his own

Jackie Wilson Asheeke Namibia needs to wake up. No one will help us, but us. The country, communities and families are under unprecedented pressure. Looking to donor countries, the government, the president, a political party or a church to ‘solve’ individual problems is a waste of time. The new normal means increased self-sufficiency. It is time for Namibians to do more for themselves. The government is broke. Many who are in power are insecure in their positions. Businesses are reeling from the pandemic, but also three years of drought and economic depression before the virus hit. Families are uncertain about…
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Namibian Winter Time

The Time Traveler: Hugh Ellis Have you noticed how hard it is to get out of bed, these winter mornings? How it’s dark and cold and windy when most of us have to get up? How, in many parts of the country, those learners who’ve been allowed to go back to school are going to school in the cold and the dark? That for many workers living at the far side of Katutura, winter means waiting for buses and taxis in the freezing dark? If only there was a solution? Oh, wait, there is! Or was. The sun rises ‘objectively’…
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Recommit to being COVID-19 aware

It is human nature that doing something repetitively makes us numb. We begin to slip on the details, cut corners and take things for granted. We think that with seven Namibians dead due to the pandemic and our confirmed active cases skyrocketing, it is time to recommit to protective measures to battle COVID-19. We must jolt ourselves awake again and be alert and aware about keeping safe and making sure others around us are safe too. Protective measures against a pandemic require diligence. It is easy to be on alert for a few days or even a few weeks, but…
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Be aware of the latest trickster trends

Be aware of the latest trickster trends

Staff Writer The reduction in physical shopping, together with social distancing and a heightened awareness of personal safety, have made online shopping our go-to place for retail therapy in recent months. Fraudsters were quick to spot the opportunity and have increased their attempts to defraud consumers through Card Not Present shopping activity. Fraudsters are after your one-time PIN ‘The latest modus operandi is that criminals contact consumers to deceive them into willingly compromising their card details and one-time PIN (OTP),’ says Ingrid Kahona-Katjiukua, FNB Namibia Forensics. “Criminals call pretending to be from your bank, informing you that there’s been fraud…
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TN expands mobile network coverage

TN expands mobile network coverage

Staff Writer Telecom Namibia has announced that it has further extended its 3G and 4G mobile services to both urban and rural areas across the country, with the upgrade of 63 sites and the erection of 10 new base stations in various parts of the country between December 2019 and April 2020. The move by the telecoms company comes as Telecom Namibia has invested in infrastructure development as part of its network modernisation programme, focusing on two key areas: the expansion and the enhancement of its networks. “On network enhancement, the company is reviewing the network architecture to optimise its…
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Shipena’s transfer backlash unfounded – Noa

Shipena’s transfer backlash unfounded – Noa

Andrew Kathindi Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Director General, Paulus Noa says that backlash over the transfer of its Executive Director, Hannu Shipena, is misplaced. This week’s surprise reassignment is the prerogative of the appointing authority says Noa. It has nothing to do with the substantive work of the corruption watchdog. Secretary to the Cabinet, George Simataa announced yesterday the appointment of new Executive Directors and the transfer of others to new posts. Those involved included Tylvas Shilongo from the Namibia Central Intelligence Service who was appointed Executive Director of the ACC, replacing Shipena. The decision was met with criticism by Popular…
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Omaheke CRO suspension lifted

Omaheke CRO suspension lifted

Staff Writer This week, the Omaheke Regional Council lifted the suspension of Chief Regional Officer (CRFO) Maria Vaendwanawa. She will resume her duties on 3 August. Vaendwanawa was suspended last year. This followed allegations of corruption and mismanagement at the regional council. According to the regional council's chairperson, Ignatius Kariseb, the decision to lift the suspension was taken on 22 July. This followed a labour commission hearing. “I can confirm that her suspension has been lifted. We still await the ministry’s investigation to be finalized. Since the investigation was done by the ministry, we still need to see the report…
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Foreign trained medical graduates fail again

Foreign trained medical graduates fail again

Andrew Kathindi Most of the foreign-trained medical graduates who took exams for internships earlier this year failed. This re-assessment was taken two years after only two out of 240 foreign-trained Namibian graduates passed the earlier Medical and Dental Councils Board Exams. “433 foreign-trained medical graduates sat for the internship exam in 2020; 27 passed,” Director of Human Resources in the Health Ministry, Joyce Shatilwe, confirmed to Windhoek Observer. She further noted that “those who failed registered with the MoHSS for an orientation program that the Ministry has initiated. So far 277 have registered and we are anticipating kicking off in…
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