Blog – Page 800 – News Stand

03 Sep

Covid-19 impacts mining devastatingly

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyChamber of Mines, Covid-19

THE Covid-19 pandemic had a devastating operational impact on the Namibian mining industry particularly reduced production due to logistical changes, supply disruptions and suppressed global demand for mineral commodities. In addition to trade restriction on non-essential items, sourcing specialised skills was a challenge due to border restrictions, shortage of staff and increased Covid-19 cases. According to a presentation at the Chamber of Mines 2021 virtual Mining Conference, as at 27 August, there were 3 179 confirmed cases for Chamber of Mines members, although 3113 recovered leaving 28 active cases. A total of 38 deaths due to the virus were reported.…

03 Sep

Ndjarakana dumps SWAPO over genocide

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyMbeuta Ua-Ndjarakana, Ovaherero, Sophia Shaningwa, Swapo Party of Namibia

STAFF WRITER THE Executive Director in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), Mbeuta Ua-Ndjarakana, has resigned from the Swapo Party of Namibia. In a letter addressed to party Secretary General, Sophia Shaningwa, Ua-Ndjarakana says he was dumping the ruling party because Swapo has turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the plight of the descendants of the victims of the 1904-1908 genocide in which they lost everything including ancestral land. An estimated 100 000 Ovaherero, 10 000 Nama and an undisclosed number of San people were annihilated in the brutal aggression unleashed on them by German colonisers.…

03 Sep

President appoints Ombudsman, ECN members

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyBasilius Dyakugh, Ombudsman, president Hage Geingob

Staff Writer PRESIDENT Hage Geingob has appointed Basilius Dyakugha as Ombudsman with effect from 01 October. The president also appointed Joram R. Rukambe, Elsie T. Nghikembwa and Emmerencia Leonardas members of the Electoral Commission of Namibia for five years, with effect from 16 September. According to a statement from the president’s office, the three members of the Electoral Commission were appointed in terms of subsection (21) of section 6 of the Electoral Act, 2014(Act No. 5 of 2014), under the powers vested in the President by subsection (1) of that section. “In terms of Article 90(1) of the Namibian Constitution…

02 Sep

LPM wants Otjiwarongo top official booted out

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyHenny Seibeb, Landless People’s Movement (LPM), SWAPO

Staff Writer THE Landless People’s Movement (LPM) wants the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, to nullify the election of the Chairperson of Management Committee of the Otjiwarongo municipality, Gothard Hoko. In a strongly worded statement, LPM’s Deputy Leader and Chief Strategist, Henny Seibeb, says the election of Hoko (Swapo) was not procedural as his nomination was not seconded. He also urges the Ministry’s Executive Director, Daniel Nghidinua and Chairperson of the Magistrates’ Commission, Philanda Christiaan, to investigate and nullify “the illegal self-appointed and imposed" Chairperson of Otjiwarongo municipality's Management Committee.’ Hoko was nominated by Hilde Noreses (Swapo)…

01 Sep

Safari hotel comes under Accor wing

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyAccor Group, Safari hotels and Conference Centre

Staff Writer THE Accor Group has taken over the management of the Safari hotels and Conference Centre in Windhoek. The iconic city resort located next to Eros Airport and just ten minutes from the city centre, features the 215-room Safari Court Hotel, the 199-room Safari Hotel, and the country’s most prominent conference centre, with 16 venues including a 1 600-square-metre ballroom catering to 2 400 delegates. This expansive hotel complex, considered the capital’s premier leisure and business destination, also offers swimming pools amid landscaped gardens, a selection of dining venues, a modern fitness centre, and a relaxed atmosphere, enhanced by…

01 Sep

Ministry to lift mineral rights ban

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyMinister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo

Staff Writer Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, has announced the lifting of the suspension on the application for mineral rights. These includes a proposal to amend the mineral rights law, would give the Minister power to auction certain mineral rights in line with the recommendations of the High Level Economic Panel on the Presidency. A Ministry’s statement on Monday places a temporary suspension on the application for mineral rights on 6 November, 2020, with the suspension/moratorium having expired on 31 August, as per the Government Gazette No.308. “The law will be amended to allow the Minister to determine…

31 Aug

Hausiku declared national hero

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyMarco Hausiku, Namibia, Swapo Party

STAFF WRITER THE fact that Marco Hausiku died on Heroes Day, 26 August 2021 is not a coincidence but a clear marker of his outstanding contributions to the liberation struggle and the development of an independent Namibia. This was said by President Hage Geingob when he visited Hausiku’s residence to pay his condolences to the family on Monday. Geingob told the family the government had decided to confer on Haufiku the honour of a hero’s funeral. The family accepted the honour. “Under the powers vested in the President by article 32(3)(h) of the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia, read…

31 Aug

Rietquelle High School has highest cases in Omaheke

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyCovid-19, Dr Kalumbi Shangula

TUJOROMAJO KASUTO OMAHEKE region has reported a surge in Covid-19 cases over the past few weeks with 230 recorded last week. According Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, the region recorded most cases, with 62 recorded yesterday, representing 34 percent of all confirmed cases, 90 percent thereof pupils. Shangula says the majority of cases in the Omaheke region were from the Rietquelle High School, in Gobabis District, where more cases were also reported since last week. “It is a transfer from the community to the school, as it only requires one case from home to come infect…

31 Aug

NamPower starts 287km transmission line

info_e12wt4csObserver Money, UncategorisedGridOnline, NamPower

Staff Writer THE country’s power utility, NamPower, has started constructing a 287km long 400 kV Auas-Gerus transmission line. This is part of the N$3,5 billion 833 kilometre expansion programme involving three projects. The line to run from Auas substation near Dordabis to Gerus substation near Otjiwarongo, is part of the company’s investment in expanding its 400kV transmission infrastructure backbone, by more than 800 kilometres. “The construction of the transmission line is a testament of NamPower’s ambition to deliver sustainable security of supply and a least-cost tariff path that will support economic growth and maintain the company’s financial sustainability,” reads a…

27 Aug

NEEEF no panacea but promises an incremental socio-economic reform

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedNamibia, NEEEF

MID-TERM through his second and last term, the clock is no doubt ticking fast for incumbent President, His Excellency Hage Geingob, to establish a governance legacy, foremost for himself, and the country. After 30 years plus of independence, freedom and sovereignty, for any incumbent president the colonial legacy can no longer serve as an excuse for non-performance and non-delivery on the promises of independence. That is why the incumbent president is in the unenviable position that he can no longer hide behind the colonial legacy if unable to deliver. Thirty plus years is enough a time for the necessary foundation…