National News – Page 324 – Windhoek Observer

19 May

Legal and policy reforms needed

ObserverNational NewsLegal and policy reforms needed

Martin Endjala With the discovery of oil and gas offshore of Namibia, the country will need effective, practical, fair and transparent legal policies to evade the curse of other African countries like Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This was emphasized by the Institute for Public Policy Research Executive Director, Graham Hopwood last week as he took a swipe at the upstream Petroleum sector in the country, amidst the discovery of oil and gas as well as the recent announcement by the Mines and Energy Minister, Tom Alweendo, that a revision of the Petroleum Act which is long…

19 May

NEFF condemns Supreme Court judgment on same-sex marriages

ObserverNational NewsNEFF condemns Supreme Court judgment on same-sex marriages

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) has condemned the ruling of the Supreme Court of Namibia that would recognize marriages between persons of the same sex, concluded outside the borders of Namibia. The landmark ruling, delivered by a full bench of Judges including Chief Justice Peter Shivute last week overturned a high court ruling from last year, which did not officially recognize same-sex marriages in Namibia. NEFF Deputy President, Kalimbo Iipumbu , said the Supreme Court alone cannot legislate on this matter. “It was indeed a majority judgment in that it was passed by a greater number of…

19 May

LPM distances itself from election protest

ObserverNational NewsLPM distances itself from election protest

Stefanus Nashama The Landless People’s Movement has distanced itself from the group of Keetmanshoop residents that held a protest to demand the removal of Keetmanshoop Urban Constituency Councillor Joseph Isaack on Wednesday while claiming to be members of the party. The party’s National Spokesperson, Lifalaza Simataa, yesterday told the Windhoek Observer that LPM does not have any knowledge of the group protesting against Councillor Isaack. “Therefore, the party is not in support of such a protest,” Simataa said. He said that the protesters acted in their own private capacity without the support, acknowledgement and permission of the party and any…

19 May

Ineptitude delays disciplinary hearing

ObserverNational NewsIneptitude delays disciplinary hearing

Niël Terblanché Flagrant ineptitude is blamed for the delay of almost two and half years of a disciplinary hearing of two senior Walvis Bay Municipality officials. General Manager, Agostinho Victor, and Properties Manager, Jack Manale, through their lawyer, Richard Metcalfe, made it clear that they intend to approach the Labour Commissioner for relief if the municipality continues with its unfair labour practices that are occasioned by ineptitude. The duo was suspended in December 2020 to pave the way for an investigation into the alleged disappearance of N$24 million through the mass land servicing project. The Walvis Bay Municipality, however, resolved…

19 May

Namibia aims to strengthen transboundary water management

ObserverNational NewsNamibia aims to strengthen transboundary water management

Niël Terblanché Namibia must search for opportunities to effectively manage rivers that stretch over international boundaries because it could be a very sensitive political issue. The country currently is a party to six shared watercourse agreements and a signatory to two international legal instruments aimed at fostering transboundary water resources management and promoting cooperation. To further strengthen transboundary water management, in 2021, Namibia expressed interest in acceding to the 1992 UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. In order to achieve the goals, set out to strengthen transboundary water management the country through the…

19 May

Vandalism damages world heritage site

ObserverNational NewsVandalism damages world heritage site

Niël Terblanché Senseless acts of vandalism are threatening Namibia’s viability as one of the top tourism destinations in the world. A recent absurd act of vandalism defaced and damaged the serene dune landscape of Sossusvlei in the Namib Naukluft Park. The act was perpetrated by people who drove quadbikes or dune buggies. Visitors to one of Namibia’s best-known tourist attractions and a world heritage site found tire tracks and spinning marks in one of the valleys amongst the dunes. Initially, it was reported that the marks were found in the world-renowned Deadvlei but closer investigation revealed that the sensitive areas…

17 May

Haulofu clarifies NamPower’s Debt Collection Plan

ObserverNational NewsHaulofu clarifies NamPower’s Debt Collection Plan

Niël Terblanché The close relationship that many Namibians have with residents of South Africa often leads to confusion about terms used by the public when it comes to the precarious situation of electricity supply south of the Orange River. The Managing Director of the Namibia Power Corporation, Kahenge Haulofu, with regard to the bulk electricity supplier’s announcement of debt collection plans about a week ago, said that a lot of misinterpretation of terms occurred. We would like to clarify this, once again, by providing the correct definitions of the terms that are continuously misused,” Haulofu said. According to Haulofu, the…

17 May

Effective transport systems to increase road safety

ObserverNational NewsEffective transport systems to increase road safety

Martin Endjala Jonas Sheelongo, the Executive Director of the Ministry of Works and Transport says that effective transport systems are needed to adequately and effectively manage road safety in the country. Sheelongo spoke at the 7th United Nations Global Road Safety Week held in Windhoek yesterday. The UN event is used to advocate for transport systems around the world to be made safe, healthy, and sustainable for the well-being of all people. To achieve this, Sheelongo said, there is a need for a paradigm shift that will see increased investments being made in non-motorized transport such as walking and cycling…

17 May

Defaulters were given enough time-MD

ObserverNational News

Martin Endjala The country’s National Power Utility Nampower Managing Director Kahenge Haulofu has reiterated that defaulters were accorded ample time to settle their debts but failed to do so, as a result, the utility had no other choice but to constitute power disconnection if accounts are not settled by 31 May 2023. “This was not the first time Nampower communicated on its debt collection, to sensitise its customers and the public at large, about what is owed to us by our customers, we issued a similar communication in 2021 and despite this, most have not bothered to heed our pleas…

16 May

Kavango regions feeling left out on drought relief

ObserverNational NewsKavango regions feeling left out on drought relief

Martin Endjala The Rundu Constituency Councillor in the Kavango East region Paulus Mbangu has cited the drought assessment as biased and discriminatory, saying that the assessments are only conducted in areas that are not in dire need of drought relief. According to Mbangu, a number of rural areas are left out on the drought relief roll-out. “Yes, the assessments carried out by the Office of the Prime Ministet often aid regions which have been affected by the drought, floods and so forth, but who says these are the only regions suffering from this? This region occasionally has its budget drastically…