Blog

06 Jun

I’m not singing any more

ObserverUncategorised
Jackie Wilson Asheeke The rebellion during a pandemic which has started in the USA is not to overthrow the government. It is to attack institutional racism. It is not to destroy the constitution, it is to make sure it is applied to everyone equally. Those screaming for justice, love the USA; their home. But, the USA they love does not believe it is ok to murder a man with your knee on his neck. Last week, President Hage Geingob made his announcement regarding the beginning of Stage 3 of the State of Emergency phase-out plan and included a brilliantly worded…
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06 Jun

The Time Traveler: One will always get through

ObserverUncategorised
Hugh Ellis Recent revelations in the fight against Covid-19 - that some truck drivers allegedly broke quarantine to visit their families, transact at banks, or sleep over with their girlfriends, not to mention the sailor who spent days on shore after his Coronavirus infection was not diagnosed – are saddening but not surprising. The government has done a great job in keeping our borders closed and people with suspected Covid-19 infections in quarantine. But there will always be loopholes. I’m no epidemiologist or doctor (well, no doctor of medicine, anyway), and my only public health experience was brief stint as…
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06 Jun

SONA shout-backs are the new normal

ObserverNational News,
We watched the State of the Nation speech delivered by President Hage Geingob. We want to focus on the shout-backs during his speech by a few members of the parliament. With the change in the Swapo over-dominance in the previous parliament, there are now more voices of elected parties that have much to say. And, they will most definitely say it. Many of these voices are younger and might be new to public politics. Others have different experiences and agendas and will be ready to ‘take on’ the mighty Swapo Party in a den it previously controlled. Regardless of the…
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AgriBank provides billions in funding
06 Jun

AgriBank provides billions in funding

ObserverUncategorised, , ,
Staff writer Finance minister, Iipumbu Shiimi says AgriBank has extended up to N$1 billion in loans to farmers in various regions of the country over the past three years. “Equally commercial bank loans to agriculture over the past five years have averaged in excess of N$4 billion, indicating a healthy flow of funds to this sector. Drought relief disbursements amounting to N$245 million has also been provided by AgriBank over the past year,” he said in his reply on matters raised during the Second Reading of the 2020/21 Appropriation Bill in Parliament. He, however, warned AgriBank loan beneficiaries to repay…
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Don’t worry about my age – Kanime
06 Jun

Don’t worry about my age – Kanime

ObserverObserver Money,
Andrew Kathindi City Police chief, Abraham Kanime, who, this week, started his duties under a new three-year contract, informed Windhoek Observer that his age should not be an issue as he is not the only public servant above the retirement threshold. Kanime, who already turned 60, last month, resumed his duties following a much-publicized conflict between himself and City of Windhoek Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Robert Kahimise, over the renewal of his contract. The age of retirement for public servants in Namibia is 60. “You want to say I'm the only person who is in a government service, or in…
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Churches eye govt bailout
06 Jun

Churches eye govt bailout

ObserverObserver Money, ,
… lament cap on church attendance numbers Andrew Kathindi Churches are crying for their share of the N$700 million COVID-19 related stimulus package announced by the Social Security Commission (SSC) and the Ministry of Finance in April. Secretary-General of the Council of Churches of Namibia (CCN), Ludwig Beukes, said he is disappointed that no provisions were made for the church despite the fact that the church employs around 5,000-10,000 people countrywide that depend on the income that has been lost in the last few months since churches closed their doors on 17 March. “It’s a whole thing about how state…
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05 Jun

Offer solutions, not drama

ObserverUncategorised, ,
Comments by Landless People’s Movement (LPM) leader Bernadus Swartbooi calling for monthly $750 income grants for two years are unnecessary. Such pronouncements offer no solution, they only increase the drama. The new voices in the Parliament are the will of the Namibian people as democratically expressed at the ballot box last November. That vote was for increased debate and new ideas. The voters wanted competent challenges to the status quo of Swapo dominance in law-making that was not working. In light of the Finance Minister’s recent budget speech and statistics, anyone seriously demanding two years of N$750 per month payments…
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05 Jun

SONA in a time of crisis is a challenge

ObserverNational News,
What can any leader really say during the worse time in the history of the country he was elected to lead? President Geingob’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) rehashed the drips and drops of positive news that have already been in headlines. The speech tries to convince the nation that the glass is half full; many will still see it as half empty. In our view, the Finance Minister’s budget speech presents the real SONA. The president stated the disturbingly high unemployment statistics for Namibia that we already knew, (i.e., 33 percent in general with youth unemployment at 46.1…
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Trustco secures N$345m loan
05 Jun

Trustco secures N$345m loan

ObserverUncategorised, , , ,
Staff Writer Trustco Finance, a subsidiary of Trustco Group Holdings Limited has secured a US$20 million (approximately N$345 million) loan from Deutsche Investitions Und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, a German development finance institution. The loan approval is, however, subject to a final agreement currently being drafted. The bulk of the facility will be used to provide student financing, offered by Trustco Finance, as well as enhancing the educational facilities offered by the Institute for Open Learning (Pty) Ltd (“IOL”), while funding will also be made available to existing students to restructure and refinance their existing obligations as part of the group’s COVID-19 relief…
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Germany continues support for COVID-19 testing in Namibia
05 Jun

Germany continues support for COVID-19 testing in Namibia

ObserverObserver Money, , ,
Staff Writer Rapidly identifying infections with the novel corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) is crucial to enable immediate outbreak management and to initiate public health interventions. Germany therefore supports the development of testing capacities for COVID-19 in Namibia. After a first diagnostic laboratory training in Windhoek in the beginning of March the German partners continue to provide critical testing materials like swabs and reagents. This has enabled the Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP) to conduct more than 2,000 tests in Namibia so far. This support is based on a recently established working relationship as part of a twinning project between the Robert…
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