Blog – Page 871 – News Stand

12 Sep

Watch your money or lose it

info_e12wt4csNational NewsGovernment, money, Namibians

All too often Namibians as individuals, businesses and the government itself have been the victim of con artists and thieves. It is easy to conclude that someone wearing the ‘right’ clothes, with the ‘right’ introduction and with the ‘right’ deferential behaviour can lay a web of dodgy promises. It is a concern that too many people accept promised from business partners without vetting, follow-up, constant monitoring, contracts with penalties, milestone check-ins and random spot checks. The old adage remains the truth: If you don’t watch your money, you will lose it. The latest embarrassing episode of yet another conman cheating…

12 Sep

Fish quotas’ auctioning bad omen for radical socio-economic transformation

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedFish quotas, socio-economic, transformation

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro Yours Truly Ideologically lately has been postulating that the independence of the country, achieved on March 21, 1990, was merely the Democratic Phase of the Namibian Revolution.. The Second Phase of the revolution, is the economic emancipation of the people. Meaning from an ideological perspective a situation ultimately where the people, foremost the workers, the real owners of the means of production of the country, would in real fact own the natural resources of their country. This is as opposed to being alienated from such, as was the case during the colonial era under a capitalist mode of…

12 Sep

The word ‘corruption’ is being abused

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedcorruption, SMS

Jackie Wilson Asheeke SMS pages, letters to the editor and social media conversations give great insight into public points of view. Through these avenues, I have seen an alarming misuse of word ‘corruption.’ When people label everything as 'corrupt', it is like crying wolf. After a while, no one listens to the cry of alarm anymore – that powerful word loses value and impact. Look at how people have killed the impact of the terms ‘terrorist’ or ‘fake news.’ These loaded words had solid meanings once upon a time. But, now, they have been co-opted by people on the left…

12 Sep

The Tour de France

info_e12wt4csUncategorised

The Time Traveler: Hugh Ellis One sporting event that I’m delighted has not become a total casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic is the Tour de France. Imagine riding a bicycle up to 200 kilometers a day, every day, for three straight weeks, over mountain passes and along windswept coasts, clocking maximum speeds in excess of 60 kilometers an hour? That’s the kind of feat these athletes deliver, year on year. As someone who takes a bike out for a 10-kilometer spin on Saturdays and Sundays, I’ve always thought it completely out of this world. Of course, the reputation of the…

12 Sep

A Special Tribute to Phillip Shiimi – A True Champion of our Time

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedNdangi Katoma, NUST, Phillip Shiimi, University of Namibia

Ndangi Katoma I first met him at the yellow benches, in the present day NUST campus in Windhoek, while we were both queuing up for registration to commence our tertiary education at the University of Namibia, two years after Namibia’s independence. We immediately connected and bonded well, in a journey of solid friendship and camaraderie that lasted for a good solid twenty three years, when he departed from this earth, on that fateful day, 12 September 2015, in a tragic car accident, about 68 kilometres from Otjiwarongo to Otavi. Born on 21 November 1972 at Ondangwa in Oshikoto Region, the…

12 Sep

FirstRand Namibia profit down 23.7 percent

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedFirstRand Namibia, FirstRand Namibia Chief Financial Officer Oscar Capelao

Staff Writer FirstRand Namibia released its financial results for the year ending 30 June 2020 where its profit before tax decreased by 23.7 percent to N$1.21 billion compared to N$1.58 billion recorded prior year. “FirstRand Namibia entered this crisis in a position of strength in terms of capital, liquidity, technology and, importantly, talent. Considering the repo rate and prime rate reduction during the reporting period of 275bps, net interest income remained flat, N$2 013.4 million (2019: N$2 012.2 million). Interest expense decreased by 0.4 percent while interest income decreased by 0.2 percent,” FirstRand Namibia Chief Financial Officer Oscar Capelao said.…

12 Sep

Shivute lands NamRA top job

info_e12wt4csObserver Moneyamibia Revenue Agency (NamRA), Bank of Namibia (BoN), NamRA, president Hage Geingob

Staff Writer Bank of Namibia (BoN) Director of Banking Services, Sam Shivute is set to be appointed the inaugural head of the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) after cabinet chaired by President Hage Geingob approved his appointment. The last hurdle in the unveiling of Shivute now lies with the Public Service Commission, which is widely expected to approve his appointment as Commissioner of NamRA following cabinet’s nod. Shivute will ascend to head the revenue body amid allegations that recruitment procedures were violated to ensure that he emerges as the preferred candidate, with the finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi as the key driver…

12 Sep

Stage 3 lockdown extended for 5 days

info_e12wt4csObserver Money//Kharas Region, Hardap Region, president Hage Geingob

Andrew Kathindi President Hage Geingob has once again extended the current stage three state of emergency lockdown to all 14 regions of the country. The extension is set to last for an additional five days. The existing state of emergency was supposed to lapse at midnight on Thursday 17 September, coinciding with the end of the six-month state of emergency period. “Regions which previously recorded lower cases, are now recording rising rates of infection. This is a matter of concern. New cases increased in the Kavango East Region by 138 percent, 78 percent in Otjozonjupa Region, 69 percent in //Kharas…

11 Sep

The Sports Minister misses the point

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedHon Agnes Tjongarero, Minister of Sports, Youth and National Service

Jefta Mcgregor Gaoab The Minister of Sports, Youth and National Service (MSYNS), [Hon. Agnes Tjongarero] hijacked and postponed the initially planned media press conference by Namibia Sports Commission (NSC), which was slated for Monday, 31 August 2020. This was done because the Minister was not receptive nor in favour of the interventions by the very NSC that is entrusted with the administrative task of National Sports Federation and national sports umbrella bodies. The issue of the application of NPL’s federation status was not resolved as the Minister intervened and halted it. Mind you the reader, irrespective of which body you…

11 Sep

Land/home ownership dreams are equally valid

info_e12wt4csNational NewsLand

Land and home ownership is a dream of people who have it and those who don’t. This is a reality rarely reflected in conversations, articles and social media. The tragic stories about families being evicted paint the legal land/home owner as the perpetual bad guy. In fact, the anger over evictions of poor families is misdirected. The ‘bad guy’ in this reality is successive governments that have failed to provide enough quality, low cost housing. We have masses of people who can never buy a home and will never earn enough to consistently pay rent. They need free or subsidized…