Blog – Page 846 – News Stand

18 Nov

Botswana sends Cabinet team to border areas

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyBotswana, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, Namibia

Clifton Movirongo A Permanent Secretary from the Republic of Botswana, Andrew Sesinyi, revealed on Monday that Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi will dispatch a high level Cabinet Team to the border areas between Namibia and Botswana on Tuesday 17 November. The team according to Sesinyi will keep the Botswana communities in the areas abreast of the recent developments following the fatal shooting of the four unarmed Namibian fishermen that took place along the Chobe River near Kasane on 5 November. Sesinyi said the ministerial mission is to further enhance the spirit of good neighbourliness nurtured by the “excellent bilateral relations subsisting…

18 Nov

Ministry of Health spends N$3m on COVID-19 drug …as WHO cast doubt over its effectiveness

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyCovid-19, Ministry of Health and Social Services

Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Health and Social Services has spent N$3 million on procuring Remdesivir, the experimental drug used as a last ditch treatment for COVID-19 patients in extreme conditions. Although the ministry has announced that it will be halting further purchases stating that they have enough stock, Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula however, said the government would still purchase the drug should the need arise. “COVID-19 has not gone away, patients still need the medication,” he told Windhoek Observer. The minister’s position comes as a World Health Organization (WHO) study recently cast doubt on the effectiveness of the drug.…

18 Nov

Parliament still to discuss abortion …as matter is postponed to next year

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyAbortion, Covid-19, eputy Minister of Health, Esther Muinjangue, NUDO

Helena Johannes Parliament has blamed COVID-19 for its failure to debate the issue of legalizing abortion in Namibia despite the matter having been tabled for discussion during the pandemic. National Assembly spokesperson David Nahogandja said Parliament has received two petitions of which one is for and the other against abortion in June this year. “We only sat for two terms this year due to COVID-19, we have not sat as usual to discuss more about this,” he said. Nahogandja said the parliamentarian committee seized with the matter will sit early next year when parliament opens to look at both petition…

17 Nov

LEGALIZE IT – With immediate effect

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedCannabivarin (CBV), legalization of cannabis

It is ridiculous for Namibia to insist upon putting its head in the sand regarding the legalization of cannabis. Why are we pretending the world has not changed on this issue since 1970 or ‘80. Older decision-makers want to believe that the majority of the population thinks as conservatively as they do. They think that the judgemental social ideas that ruled society when they were young are the same in Namibia in 2020. They are wrong. Their conservative thinking is retrogressive. It is not representative of the thinking and ideas of the majority of the population affected by the decision…

17 Nov

MPs want coordinated action … as African Migratory Locusts threaten food security

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedAfrican Migratory Locusts(AML), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), SADC Region

Moses Magadza WINDHOEK- Members of Parliament from the SADC Region are calling for a concerted regional effort to prevent African Migratory Locusts (AML) exacerbating an already dire food security situation, amid reports that the destructive pests have become “smarter”. The locusts are already wreaking havoc in several SADC countries that include Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Angola, stoking fears of famine in a region in which nearly 44.5 million people are already food insecure. Dr Lewis Hove, the Resilience Team Leader at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s Sub Regional Office for Southern Africa last week told the lawmakers that…

17 Nov

Ministry dismisses COVID-19 second wave fears ..as country sees spike in cases

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedKalumbi Shangula, Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS), Second wave of COVID-19

Andrew Kahindi The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) has dismissed concerns about a second wave of COVID-19 in Namibia. This is in the wake of a rising number of cases in the past week with 200 new cases recorded since last Friday, 13 November. A second wave of COVID-19 has swept across Europe where most countries beginning to see a spike in numbers again. In France, a second lockdown was announced after daily COVID-19-related deaths reached their highest levels since April. Germany recorded 23,542 cases last Friday, a record high according to media while Portugal is currently experiencing…

17 Nov

Fishcor fires Nghipunya

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedMike Nghipunya, National Fishing Corporation (Fishcor)

Staff Writer The National Fishing Corporation (Fishcor) has announced the termination of the employment of Mike Nghipunya as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the corporation with immediate effect. “The Temporary Board of Directors has concluded an objective approach of the employer-employee relationship and on the assessment of the continuation or termination of Mr Mike Nghipunya employment as the suspended CEO. Specifically with reference to his inability to tender his services to ensure institutional continuity, stability and sustainability of the corporation and its subsidiaries in terms of the National Fishing Corporation of Namibia (Fishcor) Act 1991 and the Public Enterprise Governance…

17 Nov

Namandje takes on Nust over VC appointment

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedNamibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) Council, Professor Frednard Gideon, Sisa Namandje

Clifton Movirongo Lawyer Sisa Namandje has confirmed to the Windhoek Observer on Monday 16 November that an urgent application to High Court is being prepared. This is over Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) Council’s decision to overlook Professor Frednard Gideon for the post of Vice-Chancellor (VC) even though he outperformed Dr Erold Naomab. This comes after the Nust Council announced last Friday that Naomab is the new Nust VC for the next five years, effective January 2021. Namandje who will represent Gideon under his law firm, Sisa Namandje & Company, says the decision by Nust Council was invalid,…

16 Nov

Higher Education Minister is above the fray

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedDr Tjama Tjivikua, Higher Education Minister Itah Kandji-Murangi, NUST

Brian Doeseb This is a response to the media flurry and online comments about Higher Education Minister Itah Kandji-Murangi and unconfirmed speculations and assumptions regarding NUST in relation to the Honourable Minister. Please note these clarifications and contextual comments. Namibians from all walks of life and from all the regions of this nation, pride themselves in having successfully emerged from the yoke of apartheid, injustice and social divisions, into a peaceful and stable nation. Ours is a country governed by the rule of law. Anything that goes against our constitution, established laws, institutional systems, processes and procedures, must be subjected…

14 Nov

Freedom of speech is absolute

info_e12wt4csNational NewsBotswana Defence Force (BDF), Hage Geingob, State House Press Secretary Alfredo Hengari

State House Press Secretary Alfredo Hengari got it wrong when he decried legal plans for citizens to demonstrate against the killing of Namibians by the Botswana Defence Force (BDF). The best course of action for government officials regarding citizens expressing their constitutional right to demonstrate and express their opinions (following all regulations), was to say nothing. During an election campaign and any other time, the president should not be exposed in such a way. The statements articulated on this issue make Hage Geingob look as if he wants people to be silent just because he says so. The statements came…