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13 Oct

Fly Etosha is coming and there is no way of stopping it: Ekandjo…new airline to start operating next month

info_e12wt4csMainCaptain William Ekandjo, Fly Etosha is coming and there is no way of stopping it: Ekandjo…new airline to start operating next month

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Fly Etosha accounts manager Captain William Ekandjo, is upbeat that Fly Etosha Airways will take to the sky in mid-November this year to revolutionise the aviation business and nobody can stop it. During an interview with the Windhoek Observer yesterday, Ekandjo said Fly Etosha could have been flying already was it not for the sabotage and organised interference the airline suffered. Earlier this year, Fly Namibia Aviation objected to the granting of air transport service licence of Fly Etosha Airways, however, the objection was later withdrawn after public criticism of Fly Namibia. Ekandjo told this publication yesterday that…

12 Oct

Government allocates millions to subsidise shelters

info_e12wt4csMainGovernment allocates millions to subsidise shelters

Martin Endjala Doreen Sioka, the Minister of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare, announced that the ministry has allocated N$2 million annually to subsidise 18 residential child-care shelters and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) facilities across eight regions. She emphasized that the ministry, by court orders, places children requiring care and protection in these essential facilities. Such facilities play an indispensable role in safeguarding the well-being of the country’s most vulnerable children. Addressing the parliament on Tuesday, regarding the operations of government-owned GBV shelters, Sioka responded to recent reports about staffing shortages in these facilities. She acknowledged the gravity of GBV…

11 Oct

Four Namibians might be trapped in Gaza conflict

info_e12wt4csMainFour Namibians might be traped in Gaza conflict

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Four Namibian citizens might be caught in the crossfire of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, Executive Director Penda Naanda, stated that the ministry received an anonymous email suggesting that two adults and two children are currently in Tel Aviv a city in Israel. Naanda noted that they were in the process of confirming the accuracy of this information. “We were recently informed about two adults and two children who travelled to Tel Aviv for a medical operation. The email states that…

10 Oct

Illegally employed CRO arrested on charges of corruption

info_e12wt4csMainIllegally employed CRO arrested on charges of corruption

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Zambezi Chief Regional Officer, Regina Ndopu-Lubinda, along with three other individuals, have been arrested for alleged corrupt practices and misuse of their positions, violating Section 43 of the Anti-Corruption Act. Auditor General Junias Kandjeke reported in 2020 that Ndopu-Lubinda’s employment was illegal as the extension of her contract was not approved by the Public Service Commission. The arrest was part of a joint operation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Namibian Police in Katima Mulilo yesterday. The individuals arrested alongside her are Beaven Walubita, the Regional Director of Planning and Rural Development, as well as Cletius…

09 Oct

Cyber fraud syndicate busted in Auasblick

info_e12wt4csMainCyber fraud syndicate busted in Auasblick, f 11 Chinese, five Zimbabweans, one Singaporean, two Namibians

Niël Terblanché In a significant blow to cybercriminal activities, the Namibian Police apprehended 20 individuals, primarily foreign nationals, on a slew of charges that encompass human trafficking, cyber fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion. The mass arrest follows a raid on a house in the affluent Windhoek neighbourhood of Auasblick. The individuals in custody consist of 11 Chinese, five Zimbabweans, two Namibians, one Singaporean, and one Cuban. Major General Elias Mutota, the Deputy Inspector General of the Namibian Police, during a special briefing on Friday, elaborated on the details of this intricate operation. It has been discovered that this syndicate…

06 Oct

Education Ministry to regulate entry requirements for teaching profession

info_e12wt4csMainEducation Ministry to regulate entry requirements for teaching profession

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture is drafting an Act of Parliament intended to elevate the status of teaching in Namibia. This Act will set the professional prerequisites for entry into the teaching profession and outline the standards to which all teachers must adhere. During the World Teachers’ Day celebrations in Outapi, themed “The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage,” Education Minister Anna Nghipondoka announced this initiative. She also shed more light on the numerous challenges confronting the teaching sector while stressing the need for decisive action.…

05 Oct

Meatco owes farmers up to N$ 350 million

info_e12wt4csMain

Niël Terblanché The financial distress of the Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) was placed in the lime light after it was revealed that the state-owned enterprise currently owes cattle producers between N$300 million and N$350 million and that it is even lagging behind on certain payments to farmers by up to 88 days. This alarming information was exposed by Thinus Pretorius, the chairman of the Livestock Producers Organization (LPO), during its annual congress in Windhoek earlier this week. “We are now facing the problem the LPO has warned about for 15 years,” Pretorius said while echoing the sentiment that the…

04 Oct

Menzies Aviation suffers another catastrophic court defeat

info_e12wt4csMainMenzies Aviation suffers another catastrophic court defeat

Niël Terblanché In a blow to Menzies Aviation Namibia, Judge Shafimana Ueitele of the Namibian High Court once again ruled against the company, ordering it to pay the respondent’s legal fees and denying its plea to return to Hosea Kutako International Airport (HKIA) as the ground handling services provider. The judgment adds to the legal woes the United Kingdom-based company has faced in its battle to reclaim its position at the airport. Judge Ueitele’s decision came after Menzies Aviation made multiple attempts to gain a legal footing to continue its operations at HKIA. The Namibia Airports Company had previously raised…

03 Oct

Karasburg Mayor and Council members arrested by the ACC

info_e12wt4csMainKarasburg Mayor and Council members arrested by the ACC

Martin Endjala The Director General of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Paulus Noah, confirmed yesterday the arrest of Karasburg Town Council Mayor Maria Veldskoen, Acting Chief Executive Officer Hansina Isaaks, Franciskus Skeyer, and other council members for allegedly defying local authority governing law. “Yes, it is true. Some Councillors and their cohorts are acting in defiance of the law governing local authorities. They believe their decisions must be implemented, no matter how unlawful,” Noah stated. He said the accused persons allegedly fired administrative officers who refused to implement unlawful council decisions while claiming that they conducted themselves with “absolute impunity,” a…

02 Oct

Government debt now N$ 145 billion

info_e12wt4csMainGovernment debt now N$ 145 billion

Martin Endjala The Bank of Namibia has revealed that the total Central Government debt has risen on a yearly basis by 11.4 percent to N$145.6 billion at the end of June 2023, driven by an increase in both domestic and external debt. As a percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), total debt stood at 64.2 percent, representing an annual decline of 1.8 percent during the period under review, compared to the corresponding period in the previous year, which is 4.2 percentage points above the Southern African Development Community benchmark of 60 percent. This is according to BoN latest Quarterly September…