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Isaack, Katjiua to spearhead NTLA/OTA genocide reparation operations

Isaack, Katjiua to spearhead NTLA/OTA genocide reparation operations

Tujoromajo Kasuto The Nama Traditional Leaders' Association (NTLA) and the Ovaherero Traditional Authority (OTA) through its Transitional Committee (TC),has appointed Nama Traditional Leaders' Association( NTLA) Chief and Chairman, Gaob Johannes Isaack, as a substantive litigant and Chairperson in the Ovaherero - Nama joint genocide reparation campaign and litigation, with OTAs Secretary, Mutjinde Katjiua deputising him. “Professor Mutjinde Katjiua is appointed and endorsed as the Co-Litigant and Deputy Chairperson on behalf of the Ovaherero community, thus will henceforth deputize Gaob isaack in all matters of genocide reparation campaign and litigation,” a joint NTLA and OTA statement reads. In the statement, the…
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Three-horse race for top Agribank job

Three-horse race for top Agribank job

Staff Writer THREE candidates emerged front runners for the top job at the Agricultural Bank of Namibia (Agribank) after last week’s interviews. Although eight candidates were interviewed by a panel that ironically included former Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sakararia Nghikembua, only three – Kenandei Tjivikua, Gottlieb Hinda and Ndeulipula Hamutumwa – are said to have excelled and are the top favourites to land the job. Other candidates also interviewed for the job are Titus Ndove, Mpingana Kalimba-Msimuko, Nicholas Mukasa, Emmanuel Masule and Raphael Karuaihe. This is the second time Hinda is gunning for the job. The Windhoek Observer has it…
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Botswana loses out on TRIPS flexibilities

Botswana loses out on TRIPS flexibilities

Soraya Mentoor and Tebogo Gareitsanye COVID-19 has highlighted and exacerbated pre-existing inequalities including poverty, unemployment and struggling public health care systems between rich and poor countries. With many countries in Africa struggling with high levels of HIV, TB and other chronic conditions (regarded as comorbidities), the UNAIDS Global AIDS Update shows that people living with HIV are at a higher risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, yet many cannot access life-saving vaccines. Lack of access to affordable essential medicine has been, and continues to afflict many people in developing countries due to monopoly and high pharmaceutical prices driven by patents…
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Reparations towards what end?

Reparations towards what end? Yours Truly Ideologically cannot shake off an innate fixation and intuition with this pertinent question. Amidst the debate within the reparations movement currently, whither to now with and in the reparations cause? A question that lately has been and is in the uppermost minds of most affected communities, and on their lips, be they Ovambanderu, Ovaherero and Nama. Prompted by the recent avowed Joint Declaration and Agreement between the Namibian government, and its counterpart of the Federal Republic of Germany on Genocide, Apology and Reparations (GAR). A Joint Declaration and Agreement, which apparent from the reactions…
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Get the vaccine

Let the cosmopolitan, distracted, and politically intolerant outside world fight over not taking the COVID for their strange reasons; here in Namibia, we don’t have that luxury. Everyone eligible must get the vaccine if they are available. Namibia is one of the most sparsely populated countries globally. We have relatively passable roads infrastructure and a small number of available vaccines versus the number of eligible and available recipients. One would think there would be a stampede on vaccination sites. People desperate to avoid sickness and death at the hands of COVID should be clamoring for their shots. There are not…
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Marginalised Batswana women struggle to access cancer treatment

Marginalised Batswana women struggle to access cancer treatment

Soraya Mentoor and Tebogo Gareitsanye The Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA) has implemented a programme which includes the Development of a Preliminary National Intellectual Property (IP) policy to strengthen its advocacy on IP and case studies on access to cervical cancer medicines. The latter focused on women living in three districts of South East - Gaborone, Boteti Sub- District and Tutume Sub - District. The programme was implemented from 2019 to 2020. Furthermore, in order to inform advocacy, BONELA conducted case studies on the experiences of women living with HIV when accessing cervical cancer medicine in the…
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Erongo leads in unpredictable Covid-19 cases

Erongo leads in unpredictable Covid-19 cases

Staff Writer The unpredictable daily Covid-19 figures has seen Erongo region taking top spot with 64 cases and accounting for 23,4 percent of the 274 confirmed cases announced on Thursday. Erongo replaced Oshana and Zambezi who were joint leaders the previous day when the country recorded 237 new cases, with each region registering 42 cases. The composition of Thursday’s cases is 141 females and 133 males with ages ranging from five months to 100 years. According to an update by the Minister of Health and Social Service, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, on Thursday, 5 August, Walvis Bay recorded 41 new cases…
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Criminals try their luck amid the pandemic – FIC

Criminals try their luck amid the pandemic – FIC

TUJOROMAJO KASUTO THE Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) says Suspicious Transactions Reporting detected a 36 percent increase in fraudulent activity from members of the public and a 15,8 percent decrease from financial institutions. This was revealed by the director of the centre, Leonie Dunn, in the institution’s financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2021 in which he said the review had underlined the significance of the FIC’s intelligence services as unscrupulous entrepreneurs consistently tested the environment for opportunities to take advantage of the pandemic to enrich themselves, expand and advance their enterprises through crime. “FIC’s intelligence disclosures are being…
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Oshakati, Katima top in new Covid-19 cases

Oshakati, Katima top in new Covid-19 cases

Staff Writer Going by the figures released by the Minister of Health and Social Servives, Dr Kalumba Shangula, on Wednesday, Oshakati and Katima Mulilo appear to becoming the epicentres of the Covid-19 virus. From a total of 237 confirmed new cases, the two towns in Oshana and Zambezi regions had 42 new cases each, relegating the capital Windhoek and Khomas region, which recorded 36 new cases for the day, to third spot. The new distribution pattern could be attributed to the more stringent measures imposed on Windhoek during July. Nankudu in Kavango West recorded only one new case as did…
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Lühl’s citizenship court case postponed

Lühl’s citizenship court case postponed

Tujoromajo Kasuto Judgment in the case of a Namibian citizen, Phillip Lühl, against the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security (MHAISS) on the discrimination of the right to citizenship for children of LGBTQ+ parents, has been post postponed to 13 October 2021. Lühl is requesting the High Court to declare that his son, born in 2019, through surrogacy in South Africa, a Namibian citizen by descent. However, the MHAISS is denying citizenship without proof of genetic linkage. Lühl states that, “the only reason why the Ministry of Home Affairs [is] refusing to accept the birth certificate is the…
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