Blog – Page 798 – Windhoek Observer

04 Nov

PDM expelled candidate digs into party…As ECN decides on candidature withdrawal

ObserverObserver MoneyPopular Democratic Movement (PDM), SWAPO

Helena Johannes The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) former regional council candidate Hafeni Mafita has refused to apologize over racial remarks he made on his Facebook page and accused the opposition party of throwing him under the bus. This comes as PDM expelled Mafita as a member of the party on Tuesday morning, with immediate effect. The opposition party has also withdrawn him as a candidate for the John Pandeni constituency in the upcoming elections for which he was set to contest. “I have not done anything wrong. This is revenge. I am not going to apologize before the man from…

04 Nov

CoW appoints Acting CEO

ObserverObserver MoneyCity of Windhoek (CoW), George Mayumbelo

Andrew Kathindi The City of Windhoek (CoW) management committee has appointed its Human Capital and Corporate Services Executive, George Mayumbelo as the interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the city. "Yes, they appointed Mayumbelo as acting (CEO)," Windhoek spokesperson Harold Akwenye told Windhoek Observer. This comes as former CEO Robert Kahimise has left the city’s employ after a rocky four years in charge. Robert Kahimise handed in his resignation earlier this year following a contentious relationship with councilors at the municipality. He also was engaged in many clashes with City Police Chief Abraham Kanime. The conflict between the two often…

04 Nov

Walvis Bay CEO blames banking error for ‘missing millions’

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Walvis Bay Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Muronga Haingura

Andrew Kathindi The Walvis Bay municipality has blamed an error by banks as the reason why millions were allegedly flagged as ‘missing’ from a June 2018 financial report. This comes as Walvis Bay Constituency Councilor Knowledge Iipinge in September threatened to take legal action if around N$24 million, which was part of the massive urban land servicing initiative, never reached the municipality account and is not accounted for. Walvis Bay Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Muronga Haingura told the Windhoek Observer an amount of around N$18 million for 68 houses was paid to the municipality account by banks for clients who…

04 Nov

Profile appoints Deputy MD

ObserverUncategorisedElia Erastus, Profile Investment Holdings (PIH), Vaino Nghipondoka

Staff Writer Profile Investment Holdings (PIH) has announced the appointment of former Air Namibia Chief Human Resources Officer and acting CEO, Elia Erastus as its Deputy Managing Director. Erastus has over two decades of experience in various industries such as mining, energy, finance, agriculture, aviation, and construction at management and executive level. His appointment will be effective from the 1st of December 2020. PIH Executive Chairperson, Vaino Nghipondoka said the appointment is aimed at strengthening the group’s leadership ahead of new planned investments. “With other exciting business in the pipeline, there is need to strengthen the strategic input to ensure…

03 Nov

State funds must build Namibia first

ObserverNational NewsECN, Namibia, SADC, South Africa

The contract for printing Namibian ballots is now farmed out to South Africa. This is a mistake during this unique, crisis situation in Namibia. How can this country hope to revive if state funds, i.e., taxpayer money, are going to secure South African jobs? The government must invest at home, even if it seems to cost more (on the surface) to kick start the economy and save local jobs, businesses and families. In this terrible economic crisis, the government must ensure that Namibia revives. The bottom line is that we need different avenues to invest at home to inject money…

03 Nov

The name is Bond; James Bond

ObserverUncategorised

Jackie Wilson Asheeke Sir Sean Connery, the original (and arguably the BEST) James Bond died over the weekend at the age of 90. He is best known for his portrayal of James Bond, 007 in a series of seven of the films. He first hit the silver screen in Dr No (1962). Author Ian Flemming’s books and main character are forever alive and captured the imagination of the world then and now- Connery was a large part of that success. My siblings and I went back and forth on Messenger this weekend when we heard about Sean Connery’s death. We…

03 Nov

The Benefits of Mulching

ObserverUncategorisedMulching

Hanks Saisai In Arid and semi-arid countries such as Namibia where water is a scarce resource it is always advisable for farmers to engage in water conserving practices. The tillage or cultivation of land for the purpose of crop or vegetable production often exposes the soil to scorching sunlight which speeds up evaporation and depletes moisture. A common method that has been used to ensure water retention in fields or gardens is mulching. Simply defined, mulching is the practice of covering the surface of the soil (seedbed) between growing crops or vegetables with a layer of material. Mulching has several…

03 Nov

PDM urges ECN to play fair in the upcoming election…as political parties are upbeat

ObserverObserver MoneyPopular Democratic Movement (PDM)

Helena Johannes The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) has urged the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) to ensure fair play in the upcoming election. This comes as the country is set to hold Regional Council and Local Authority Elections on the 25th of November and use ballot papers, a process which was phased out in 2014 following the introduction of Electronic Voting Machine (EVMs). Due to the outcome of a court challenge about the legality of EVMs without a verifiable paper trail for each vote cast, the machines will not be used in the upcoming elections. “I never trusted EVMs without…

03 Nov

Business demands Govt pays up…as only N$2.5 billion is paid

ObserverObserver MoneyNamibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI)

Clifton Movirongo The Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) says seven months on, some of its members are yet to be paid by government since the Minister of Finance, Iipumbu Shiimi, announced on April 1, 2020, a N$3.8 billion accelerated value-added tax (VAT) refunds and payments for goods and services supplied to Government. The funds were part of an Economic Stimulus and Relief Package to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in Namibia. Government in collaboration with Social Security Commission (SSC) and other development partners adopted a Stimulus and Relief Package amounting to N$8.1 billion in total in April. It…

30 Oct

SME bank – yet another money-loss debacle . . .when will we learn?

ObserverNational NewsBank of Namibia, Enoch Kamushinda, SME Bank, Zimbabwe

When will Namibia learn to guard its wallet better? We allow ourselves to be pick-pocketed far too often. This time, the named culprit is Enoch Kamushinda, a director of the now-defunct SME Bank. But, the real culprits are all who ignored a Bank of Namibia (BoN) warning and still allowed a man with shaky business histories in several countries to have the keys to a bank full of Namibian taxpayer dollars. These people must be named, shamed, held accountable. They should be in the dock alongside their criminal buddy. All who took quiet ‘loans’ from Kamushinda or smoothed the way…