Blog – Page 835 – News Stand

14 Jan

Thousands of learners become pregnant during lockdown

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyCovid-19, Education Minister Anna Nghipondoka, Ministry of Education

Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Education has revealed that 3,629 school learners became pregnant since March last year when schools were forced to close due to COVID-19 lockdown regulations. Education Minister Anna Nghipondoka argued that this reality was partly the cause for the Ministry’s stance on the re-opening of schools. The figure is over two thousand more school learners than the entire 2019, which recorded 1,542 pregnancies of school going girls. “The number of learners who get pregnant within the time frame of closure and re-opening doubled the normal numbers. I'm just trying to re-emphaize the importance of reopening schools.…

13 Jan

Shoprite vs workers – a mixed bag of concerns

info_e12wt4csNational NewsCovid-19, Nafau, Namibia, Shoprite

There are arguments on all sides of the gap in the labour conflict at Shoprite. The solution will not be easy, and each side will end up feeling aggrieved. But, a resolution must be found. There is a need for clarification of ‘temporary’ worker. A part of the list of complaints by Nafau is that ‘temporary’ workers stay on staff for years as if they are permanent. They do the same jobs as ‘permanent’ employees. And yet, they have no benefits and no job security. There is a loophole being exploited. The call for a boycott and demonstrations should yield…

13 Jan

Shangula to address spike in COVID-19 cases

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyCovid-19, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Health Minister, president Hage Geingob

Staff Writer On Wednesday 13 January Health Minister, Dr Kalumbi Shangula will provide a COVID-19 public briefing on new or extended measures to contain the virus. The briefing comes as the country continues to record rising rates of infection, with 573 new cases recorded on Tuesday, bringing the country cumulative total to 27,255. President Hage Geingob has previously warned that he could reinstitute another State of Emergence if the current measures are not followed and COVID-19 cases continue to rise. According to the Ministry of Health figures, Windhoek (Khomas region) remains the epicentre of the second wave of the pandemic…

13 Jan

Nafau accuses Shoprite of ignoring judgement …as Thursday AR demonstrations loom

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyAffirmative Repositioning (AR), Checkers, Shoprite

Andrew Kathindi Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) Secretary General Jacob Penda has accused the Shoprite group of not complying with terms of a High Court judgement issued last week. In the case of Nafau vs Shoprite, Justice Shafimana Ueitele on 8 January ordered that the retail chain “not to hire so-called seasonal staff or "fixed term" employees for the purpose of performing, in whole or in part, the work of the employees who embarked on a strike as from 23 December 2020 onwards for the duration of the strike.” However, the company has allegedly continued to disobey the…

19 Dec

Couch Cat: You deserve a Merry Christmas

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedlast COVID Christmas (hopefully, Merry Christmas

Jackie Wilson Asheeke You should be staying at home or only going places with limited numbers of people because of this last COVID Christmas (hopefully). There is plenty of time to have some seasonal fun and treat yourself. For once, don’t worry about your size, waistline, jiggling thighs, wrinkles or a fat butt. Eat everything that you can afford to lay your hands on and feel wonderful doing it. Spoil yourself with that sweet cake or chocolate fantasy. Have great sex and giggle about it afterwards. This has been a horrible 2020 and you need a reward for making it…

19 Dec

Only a Socialist Namibia can fulfill critical needs of the working class

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedMarxist Group of Namibia, Only a Socialist Namibia can fulfill critical needs of the working class

Kae Mathundu Tjiparuro “The critical needs of the working class can only be fulfilled in a socialist Namibia,” wrote members of the Marxist Group of Namibia last Friday in a piece in the Namibian newspapers headlined: “The End of Swapo?” What a befitting parting shot to wind up the year with. But all same this is a wake up call for those genuinely aspiring towards a meaningful radical socio-economic transformation, not be lured into a false sense of hope and expectation that Socialism in Namibia shall be delivered on a sliver plate, and sooner rather than later. On the contrary,…

19 Dec

The Time Traveler: Embracing ‘yin and yang’ in 2021

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedEmbracing ‘yin and yang’ in 2021

Hugh Ellis Namibia is not an easy country in which to fight for change. Oftentimes we Namibians are more adept at explaining why new ideas can’t work than envisioning how they might. Namibia is also not an easy country for an individual to join the fight for change. Oftentimes an individual in Namibian society is simply consumed with keeping his or her head above water, with survival. Like almost everyone in the world, I guess, I’m hoping that 2021 will be a better year than 2020. Doubtless, Namibians who voted in November’s local elections, especially those who raised up the…

19 Dec

Don’t forget the pandemic

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedCOVID-19 is still here, Don’t forget the pandemic

KHANYISWA MOGOTSI We are about to enter the last two weeks of the year. Before we let our hair down, run to the beach and set aside our turn-up money for New Year’s Eve, we should all remember that COVID-19 is still here. Over the last three months, a lot of people have gone back to living life in a pre-pandemic way. Although that sounds like heaven (because wow, hand sanitiser stinks!) we are still knee-deep in a pandemic. There is a lot of talk about a vaccine and being one step closer to finding a solution but that does…

19 Dec

Best wishes for a new normal in a new year

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedBest wishes for a new normal in a new year

Jackie Wilson Asheeke This year has been a difficult one, not just for me personally, but for the world that is still reeling under the weight of COVID-19. 2021 will bring a new normal. We can survive that change if we face it with love and fortitude. Roll up your sleeves and prepare to work harder than you ever have before in 2021. Most families face New Year’s Day celebrations by saying what they are thankful for in the year that has passed. We all should do that to find the strength for the new normal. I thank God for…

19 Dec

What happens when temporary ends?

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedTunacor, What happens when temporary ends?

Monthly 'salaries' for over 600 workers at the Coast that have been absorbed into the employment ranks of Tunacor, is a double-edged sword. They are to be paid a monthly salary of N$2,500 for four months only. However, haste, pressure and slow development mean that most will be paid for staying at home. There is no work to be done and no facility in which to work. The monthly manna from heaven ends at the end of March. What is the plan when temporary money ends? A double-edged sword is a benefit that is also a liability. It is something…