Blog – Page 834 – Windhoek Observer

22 Jul

Introspection: Will the Swapo party recognize its mirror image?

ObserverUncategorisedCentral Committee, Opposition Parties, Swapo Party

Citizen Nahas Angula The Central Committee of the SWAPO-Party joined by leaders from the structures is due to meet in Windhoek from 25-26 July 2020 to conduct what President Hage Geingob describes as an introspection of its own conduct. The Party will examine itself with the view of finding out whether it still represents the interest of the broad masses of the Namibian people. The Presidential and National Assembly election results of 2019 clearly demonstrated that there is widespread feeling of disillusionment, especially among the youth, in the way the Party is running the affairs of the country. Many voters…

22 Jul

Banning alcohol solves nothing

ObserverNational Newsalcohol, Church, Police

Ever since South Africa re-banned alcohol in their country, noises about doing the same in Namibia are louder. We disagree with the clamor. Bans are not solutions; they only reveal your fears. Banning anything is the lazy man’s governance path. It is harder to investigate a problem from the bottom-up and delve into the ugly side of life; so, people avoid doing it. And, empty state coffers make such programs nearly impossible these days. Prohibition will not work; it has already been tried and failed over and over again. And yet, the police and church groups keep demanding that everyone…

22 Jul

Erongo teachers, learners defy ministry directive

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Ministry of Education, NANTU

Andrew Kathindi Teachers and learners in the towns of Walvis Bay, Arandis and Swakopmund have defied the Ministry of Education’s directive for schools to reopen this week for face-to-face learning for grades 11 and 12. This comes after Windhoek Observer reported that schools in the regions were unlikely to open after the Education ministry and the Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU) failed to reach a consensus on the modalities of returning to schools, due to concerns over the rising cases of COVID-19 in the region. It appears the Ministry may have overestimated the level of united positions amongst all schools…

22 Jul

We could have prevented this – Haufiku

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Walvis Bay

Andrew Kathindi The situation Namibia is in, and in particular, Walvis Bay, could have been avoided had preparations been done earlier, this according to former Health Minister, Dr Bernard Haufiku. The former minister, who at the beginning of the pandemic in Namibia was appointed as the National Coordinator for COVID-19, a decision that was later rescinded, told Windhoek Observer that he presented several scenarios to curb the spread of COVID-19 in April however all fell on deaf ears. This comes as the country has recorded 36 new cases on Wednesday, taking the tally to 1,402 positive cases and seven deaths.…

21 Jul

SADC-PF lawmakers fret over elusive Electoral Justice

ObserverObserver MoneySADC Model Law, SADC MPs, SADC-PF

Moses Magadza WINDHOEK – A call has been made for Members of Parliament to support efforts to bring about fair and credible elections that deliver electoral justice. The call comes in the wake of increasingly tightly-contested elections and electoral disputes in the SADC Region. Victor Shale, the Principal Consultant at Shalestone Elections & Governance Consultants made the call when he addressed parliamentarians. The MPs represented their countries on the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Standing Committee on Democratisation Governance and Human Rights, last week. He said electoral contests in the SADC region and Africa had become “highly competitive and often followed by…

21 Jul

Haste makes waste

ObserverNational NewsNamibia, The Mass Housing Project (MHP)

… houses hurriedly produced are done poorly Namibia has a shameful housing backlog. Tens of thousands of people want to buy small homes, but cannot - there are none in the market in their price range. The Mass Housing Project (MHP) that crashed five years ago was supposed to address this. However, houses remain incomplete or not built at all. Some are finished but remain unoccupied. And now, complaints are coming from those who bought low-cost houses that foreshadow an unpleasant backstory. Houses completed in haste due to political pressure may have been built poorly. According to complaints, many of…

21 Jul

Be mindful of your mental health

ObserverObserver MoneyFirstRand Namibia’s Employee Wellbeing Specialist, Marjolize Scholtz, mental health

Marjolize Scholtz Our world has been turned upside-down – and this is affecting your wellbeing more than you might realize. FirstRand Employee Wellbeing Specialist, Marjolize Scholtz shares advice for managing anxiety and practicing self-care. There’s a lot to be stressed out about these days. If it’s not the pandemic, it’s the alarming state of the economy, the uncertainty around lockdown regulations, or the grind of being stuck at home and trying to balance work and life (and, in many cases, home schooling as well). It’s normal to experience anxiety, fear, depression, loneliness, hopelessness and mental fatigue. ‘In a way, we…

21 Jul

Erongo schools reopening in the balance

ObserverObserver MoneyErongo region, Loide Shaanika, NANTU Secretary General

Andrew Kathindi The return to face-to-face teaching scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday) in the Erongo region for grade 11 and 12 students hangs in the balance as Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU) has stated it has reached an impasse in its consultations with the education ministry. This comes after the education ministry Executive Director Sanet Steenkamp was forced to postpone the resumption of classes for grade 11 and 12 in the Erongo region to 22 July after they were initially scheduled to resume on Monday 20 July due to none consultations with sector stakeholders. However, it has emerged that the likelihood…

21 Jul

Geingob rules out Erongo trip

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Erongo region, president Hage Geingob

….as deaths toll rises Staff Writer President Hage Geingob has ruled out any planned trip for himself and members of his executive, including Health minister, Kalumbi Shangula to the Erongo region, but will instead dispatch four deputy ministers to access the impact of COVID-19 on the community. The four, Deputy minister of Health, Esther Muinjangue, Deputy minister of Labour, Hafeni Ndemula, Deputy minister of Urban and Rural Development, Derek Klazen and Deputy minister of Safety and Security, Daniel Kashikola, will be the first high level government delegation to visit the region which has become the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak…

21 Jul

Make minimalist habits the new normal

ObserverUncategorisedlockdown

...declutter and be minimalist to keep it that way Jackie Wilson Asheeke Last year, I wrote about my decision to de-clutter my life. After a year, I can report that I have reached most of my goals. I have taken up minimalism to keep from sliding back into the bad ‘ol days of consumerism and directionless living. I have saved lots of money; I feel free of ‘stuff’; and I feel that everything near me is what I choose to have in my life. You can achieve that too. My previously jam-packed storage rooms are neatly organized and nearly empty,…