National News – Page 244 – Windhoek Observer

26 Jun

Joint military exercise aimed at enhancing peacekeeping abilities

ObserverNational NewsHanganee II, Joint military exercise aimed at enhancing peacekeeping abilities

Niël Terblanché A joint military exercise by the national defence forces of Namibia and Botswana will hone the peacekeeping skills of both nations in the international arena. The joint military exercise, known as Hanganee II, is the first since the Covid-19 pandemic came to an end and the second where the defence forces of both nations have the opportunity to enhance their skills. Air Marshall Martin Pinehas, the Chief of the Namibian Defence Force while officially launching Exercise Hanganee II at Tsjaka in the Omaheke Region said that Namibia will continue to enhance its efforts to contribute to international peace,…

26 Jun

Oshana Region makes strides in availing low-cost houses

ObserverFeatured, National NewsElia Irimari, Oshana Region makes strides in availing low-cost houses, Oshana Regional Council

Martin Endjala In its pursuit of availing urban and low-cost housing, the Oshana Regional Council has made big strides in ensuring that residents have access to affordable land and houses. This comes after the three towns of Ongwediva, Ondangwa and Oshakati serviced and allocated 863 plots for housing development in Oshana Region during the 2022/2023 Financial Year. During his State of the Region Address on Friday, Oshana Governor Elia Irimari said that the increasing pace of rural-urban migration continues to escalate the demand for residential and business properties in urban areas in the region. During the year under review, Irimari…

26 Jun

Teen girls raped in Ohangwena

ObserverNational NewsOshikunde Village, Teen girls raped in Ohangwena

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Police in the Ohangwen Region reported that two teenage girls were raped over the past weekend. On Friday at Oshikunde Village it is alleged that the arrested suspect, a 46-year-old Angolan man raped a 15-year-old girl in his room. The suspect is employed as a domestic worker at a neighbour’s house. “The suspect called the victim to his room, locked the door and removed the key. It is further alleged that the suspect then instructed the victim to undress herself, while he undressed himself, laid her down on her back and had sexual intercourse with her by force,”…

26 Jun

Four commit suicide during weekend

ObserverNational NewsFour commit suicide during weekend, Nkurenkuru

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Four cases of people who committed suicide over the past weekend were reported to the Namibian Police. According to the head of the Namibian Police’s Public Relations Division, Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, one incident was reported on Saturday at around 12:30 at Nkurenkuru. “It is alleged that the 41-year-old Aino Magano Andreas, who resides in the Shoprite flats overdosed on pills and died instantly,” she said. The bottle of pills was found at the scene and her next of kin were informed. Police investigation continues. On the same day, the 28-year-old Shapumba Jacob Shipingana hung himself with a…

23 Jun

PM wants Namibians to take ownership of NDP6

ObserverNational NewsPM wants Namibians to take ownership of NDP6

Martin Endjala Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has urged all Namibians to take ownership of the Sixth National Development Plan, stating that it should be a rallying call for all Namibians to achieve what they want. She made these remarks yesterday during the Launch of the NDP6 formulation process in Windhoek, which will be officially launched in March 2025. The first consultative conference is slated for May next year and the second conference with the wider public is slated for September next year. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila emphasized that the NDP6 serves as the developmental goal framework which creates great significance to Namibia’s planning,…

23 Jun

Kandjeke declares Zambezi CRO’s employment illegal

ObserverNational News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The extension of the employment contract of the Zambezi Chief Regional Officer, Regina Ndopu-Libunda which was effective from March 2016 until February 2021 was unlawful, Auditor General, Junias Kandjeke found. Kandjeke made the finding in a report on the accounts of the Zambezi Regional Council for the financial year which ended in March 2020. The report was submitted in parliament this week. Ndopu-Lupinda is still employed as the Chief Regional Officer of the region. According to Kandjeke, the extension of the contract was not recommended by the Public Service Commission and there was no evidence to provide if…

23 Jun

Current export value of agronomy product at N$311.3

ObserverNational News

Stefanus Nashama The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), in its statistical bulletin, says during the first quarter of 2023, the total export of agronomy products was valued at N$311.3 million, while the import bill for the same period amounted to N$518.3 million. NSA Statistician-General and Chief Executive Officer, Alex Shimuafeni released this in the quarterly agriculture, and fishing indicators statistical bulletin, this month. According to him, the NSA indicates that Maize was exported to the value of N$311.1 during the review quarter, mainly for export. In terms of import of agronomy products, Maize and Wheat contributed the highest to the import…

23 Jun

Close corporation amendment bill tabled

ObserverNational NewsClose corporation amendment bill tabled

Martin Endjala The Minister of Industrialization and Trade Lucia Iipumbu yesterday tabled an Amendment Bill to the Close Corporation Amendment Act No. 26 of 1998 in parliament after Namibia underwent her second peer-review evaluation by the Eastern and Southern African Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The outcomes of the peer review necessitate a piecemeal amendment of the Act to avoid Namibia from being greylisted. She said that while the government is prioritizing the findings from the peer review, the government is also cognizant of the fact that the review of the law should be…

23 Jun

Namibia must change laws to avert food insecurity

ObserverNational NewsNamibia must change laws to avert food insecurity

Niël Terblanché The Meat Industry Act of 1981 should be amended to include poultry, dairy and pork to foster growth in production and to protect producers of all meat and related products. In this regard, certain amendments to the act have already enabled the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform to rename the Meat Board of Namibia as the Livestock and Livestock Products Namibia Board. New amendments tabled in Parliament by the agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein aim to regulate pork, dairy and poultry. “The inclusion of dairy and dairy-related products as well as the poultry and poultry-related products including…

23 Jun

Occupancy rate slowed to one percentage point

ObserverNational NewsOccupancy rate slowed to one percentage point

Martin Endjala The Occupancy Rate which is referred to as the percentage of occupied rooms in a house at any given time has slowed by a meagre one percentage point in May 2023, from 51.8 percent in April to 50.8 percent in May 2023. However, on an annual basis, occupancy rates have improved by 11.4 percentage points from 39.4 percent in May 2022, still indicative of a recovery in the sector. This is according to the May 2023 Simonis Storm Economist Theo Klein. He said that Namibians have been facing a notable surge in travel expenses, with prices nearly doubling…