National News

N$40m spent on infrastructure development in Oshikoto

N$40m spent on infrastructure development in Oshikoto

Martin Endjala The Oshikoto Regional Council used N$40 million from its budgeted N$46 million for the development of infrastructure in the region during the past year while the execution rate for infrastructure development stood at 88 percent. Penda Ya Ndakolo the Oshikoto Regional Governor during his State of the Region Address, said that the region focused on the provision of clean drinking water, electrification of rural areas, settlements and growth centres, surveying of settlements, implementation of the sanitation program, and the construction of roads and offices. During the year under review, the Oshikoto Regional Council budgeted for 17 areas to…
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Women are key in combating desertification

Women are key in combating desertification

Niël Terblanché The Deputy Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Heather Sibungo says women are major global actors in reducing and reversing land degradation. She also noted that despite women making up half of the global population, they have unequal and limited access to and control over land in most countries while being regarded as the vital element in the combat against desertification. Sibungo was speaking at the commemoration of Desertification and Drought Day. “We cannot achieve land degradation neutrality without gender equality, and we cannot exclude half of the world’s population from land management decisions because of their gender,”…
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Tutaleni location gets new Police Station

Tutaleni location gets new Police Station

Niël Terblanché The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security officially inaugurated a new Police Station in the Tutaleni neighborhood of Walvis Bay on Wednesday. Albert Kawana, the Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, while officiating at the inauguration of the new Police Station called on the residents of Tutaleni to assist the Namibian Police to maintain peace and stability. The new police station has a charge office, eight holding cells, a boardroom and 23 offices. Accommodation for officers consists of two blocks of barracks with 40 bedrooms. There are also three three-bedroom houses that have garages,…
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Adequate financing will revolutionise education in Namibia

Adequate financing will revolutionise education in Namibia

Niël Terblanché Eduvision Online Learning’s (EOL) initiative which aims to provide accessible online learning to all learners in Namibia through its Adopt-a-School project received a huge financial injection from the Gondwana Care Trust. The trust in collaboration with Eduvision announced that a recent networking and fundraising evening, held on the 15th of June 2023 raised more than N$2 million for the initiative. Eduvision, a Non-Profit Association Incorporated Section 21 company, was founded in 2017. The company has its roots in the Edugate Academy in Otjiwarongo. It was started after one of the founding members, Frikkie Louw, paid a visit to…
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Illegal lottery facilitators to face N$ 4 million fine

Illegal lottery facilitators to face N$ 4 million fine

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta yesterday said people or media houses that are participating, promoting or facilitating lottery activities as defined within their publications or platforms without first confirming with the Lottery Board whether such activities are legal, will be liable to a fine of not more than N$4 million or a prison sentence of not more than 20 years. “A person who participates in or conducts, facilitates, promotes or derives any benefit from a lottery, promotional competition or sports pool, conducts or organises, facilitates, promotes or derives any benefit from a lottery, promotional competition…
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Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever no longer pose any danger to Namibians

Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever no longer pose any danger to Namibians

Niël Terblanché The danger level of Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in Namibia has been reduced after no new cases of the disease were reported over the past four weeks. Dr Kalumbi Shangula, the Minister of Health and Social Services, announced that the Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever outbreak is officially over following an intensive 28-day surveillance of contacts of a man that passed late in May as a result of the disease. “A suspected case of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever was reported to the Ministry of Health and Social Services on the 17th of May 2023. Unfortunately, the patient succumbed to the…
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Free Visas for Chinese nationals couldnegatively impact Marginalised Namibians-LPM

Free Visas for Chinese nationals couldnegatively impact Marginalised Namibians-LPM

Martin Endjala The issuing of free visas to Chinese nationals is seen as a negative move by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security because it will disadvantage the already unemployed youth in the country. Namibia is currently facing an unemployment rate of over 55 percent. It is a staggering figure that highlights the urgent need for job creation and opportunities for youth. Considering this challenging situation, the decision to provide free visas to Chinese nationals is said to raise concerns among the youth population. This is according to a letter submitted to the office of the Executive…
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Otjiwarongo sits on unallocated deposits

Otjiwarongo sits on unallocated deposits

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Auditor General Junias Kandjeke said he was not able to provide a basis for the municipality of Otjiwarongo’s audit report as he was not able to obtain enough audit evidence from the municipality’s financial statements for the 2021/22 financial year. He said this is due to the fact that the municipality has numerous unresolved audit findings from his previoa In addition to these, the municipality also has unallocated deposits amounting to N$4 507 615 and could not obtain audit evidence to prove the unallocated deposits “The submitted listing consists of debit entries amounting to N$15 558 338…
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Informal settlements to be powered by the sun

Informal settlements to be powered by the sun

Niël Terblanché The African Development Bank’s (AFDB) Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF) approved a grant of N$9.7 million for an urban solar electricity project that will eventually power 50 000 households in the informal settlements of the City of Windhoek (CoW). The AFDB in a statement said that the Informal Settlement Renewable Electrification and Upgrading Programme will directly benefit around 200 000 residents of the Namibian capital once completed. The Municipal Council of Windhoek requested the AFDB’s support to upgrade services in informal settlements. The delivery of services is a key priority under the CoW’s Strategic Plan and the…
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The inability to avert corruption is killing the country-Venaani

The inability to avert corruption is killing the country-Venaani

Martin Endjala The Popular Democratic Movement Leader, Mchenry Venaani is of the opinion that the government’s inability to curb corruption is killing the country and that the matter must be addressed urgently to protect against state capture. He said this yesterday during a Parliament session while motivating a motion calling for an assessment of power struggles in corporate governance in terms of corruption in the country particularly in the state-owned enterprises such as NAMCOR, which of late has come under fire while its Managing Director, Immanuel Mulunga is currently on suspension and reports of disputes amongst its board members. Venanni…
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