National News – Page 348 – Windhoek Observer

23 Jul

Puma Energy revives youth comedy show

ObserverNational NewsBOOST UP, Free Your Mind, Puma Energy revives youth comedy show

Martin Endjala The popularly comedy show, free your mind, that was disrupted by Covid-19 close down measures have been revived by Puma Energy. The opening of the show this month drew a large number of fans, who described it as refreshing and finally bringing laughter to many. Artists and creatives are very proud of their work and are appreciated by the youth, but is not supported by the mainstream society, judging from the financial support they get from the wider society. The industry can provide opportunities and is accessible and can give meaningful livelihoods to artists and creatives. Puma Energy,…

Secret plan to evict Oshikoto farmers<br>….future of small stock farmers threatened

22 Jul

Secret plan to evict Oshikoto farmers
….future of small stock farmers threatened

ObserverNational NewsKing Nehale Conservancy, Okashana, Okashana woodlands in the Oshikoto Region, OTA, Secret plan to evict Oshikoto farmers ….future of small stock farmers threatened

Obrein Simasiku Nearly 150 small stock farmers in the Okashana woodlands in the Oshikoto Region fear eviction allegedly at the hands of the Ondonga Traditional Authority. About 10 farmers who spoke to the Windhoek Observer revealed that there was a meeting held a week ago by representatives of the traditional authority, who informed them that they are planning to establish an agricultural project where these farmers are currently settled. Against that backdrop, the OTA allegedly requested the farmers to move to an area that is about 20 kilometres away. Okashana is a free range grazing area stretching from Omuthiya all…

22 Jul

Namibia’s broken society needs reconstruction

ObserverNational NewsFirst Lady Monica Geingos, First National Bank’s headquarters in the Capital, Namibia’s broken society needs reconstruction, One Economy Foundation

Tujoromajo Kasuto Strong early childhood development is critical to repairing a broken society and as a country we cannot have a functional society if the children are broken. This concern was expressed by First Lady Monica Geingos at the official unveiling of the life size Africa’s Fearless Thinker and Lion Bench in front of the First National Bank’s headquarters in the Capital on Wednesday. ‘’We cannot have a functioning society if our children are broken; unfortunately, the victims of our broken homes are women and girls, as broken boys and men are to blame. We also need to talk to…

22 Jul

Lukato sues over family graves

ObserverNational NewsChisinzi village, Lukato sues over family graves, National Democratic Party leader Martin Lukato, phase 2 of the Katima Mulilo- Kongola Water Supply Project

Staff Writer National Democratic Party leader Martin Lukato, the head of Chisinzi village, has filed a lawsuit against EMS Contractors, a local construction company, for allegedly violating the graveyard where eight of his family members are buried. Lukato is suing the contractor for N$400,000 for disturbing his family graves in Chisinzi village, Zambezi region, in 2017. “It is on the foregoing premises that the defendant is liable to the plaintiff for the payment in the amount of N$400 000 for violating and damaging the plaintiff’s family graveyard,” reads Lukato’s court documents. “During the year 2015, the Defendant was contracted by…

22 Jul

Namfisa learnt from FIMA fiasco

ObserverNational NewsFinancial Institutions and Markets Act (FIMA), Matomola, Namfisa Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Matomola, Namfisa learnt from FIMA fiasco

Tujoromajo Kasuto After massive national backlash from affected stakeholders of the Financial Institutions and Markets Act (FIMA) pension preservation regulation, the new strategic plan for the Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (NAMFISA) will focus primarily on three overarching themes that will drive the organisational strategy, namely Stakeholder Engagement, Operational efficiency, and Innovation. According to Namfisa Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Matomola, the new plan also aims to have more grass root level engagements and the postponement of the implementation amid intense pressure from various stakeholders to drop the contentious clause on compulsory preservation of retirement benefits will have no effect on…

22 Jul

Mootu wants sports to be professionalised

ObserverNational NewsLandless People’s Movement member of Parliament Utaara Mootu, Ministry of Sport, Mootu wants sports to be professionalised

Martin Endjala Landless People’s Movement member of Parliament Utaara Mootu is calling on the government to professionalise sport in Namibia to improve the standard of athletes in the country for them to perform at the highest levels. Mootu says the country has an abundance of talent but the lack of well-structured scouting programs to discover youngsters across the country. She says LPM in its manifesto has a scouting program in place that will soon start looking for such talent in the country. She calls for more funds to be allocated to the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service to…

21 Jul

NSFAF: AG misrepresented facts …..uproar over N$148 million accountability

ObserverNational NewsActing Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Auditor General (AG), Kennedy Kanduma, Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF), NSFAF: AG misrepresented facts …..uproar over N$148 million accountability

Obrein Simasiku The Auditor General (AG) misrepresented facts, says the Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF), in retaliation to reports that about N$148 million in student funding at various tertiary institutions is unaccounted for. "We have it on record during our engagements with AG before the finalisation of the report in which we objected to some things, and we tried to put our inputs in it. However it seems the AG had his own version using his discretion based on powers vested in him. We are not disputing the report or what is contained [therein], but our facts were either…

21 Jul

Achievement of development goals depend on quality data

ObserverNational NewsAchievement of development goals depend on quality data, Data Management Systems and Skilled Statisticians in the NSS, Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) Sustainable Development, SDGs Baseline Report

Tujoromajo Kasuto The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) Sustainable Development Goals Indicator Framework report reveals that the absence of data management systems and skilled statisticians in the National Statistical System (NSS) remain a serious challenge in ensuring that data requested from data providers in the NSS is submitted in a timely and accurate manner. Thus, NSA is working towards the implementation of Data Management Systems and Skilled Statisticians in the NSS, which is the ensemble of statistical organizations and units within a country that jointly produce statistics on behalf of the national government. Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, today at the launch…

21 Jul

LPM launches youth development strategy

ObserverNational NewsIntegrated Youth Development Strategy (IYDS), Landless People’s Movement Youth Command Element, LPM launches youth development strategy, LPMYCE leader Duminga Ndala, Utara Mootu

Martin Endjala The Landless People’s Movement Youth Command Element will be launching a Comprehensive Integrated Youth Development Strategy aimed at enhancing the ability of young people to access opportunities and meaningfully participate in the broader economy. This is in response to the prevailing triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality especially among young people, who remain the biggest impediment to the economic emancipation of young people in Namibia. “The high unemployment rate especially among young people is not just numbers but an expression of the real conditions of the life our people are confronted with. Currently youth unemployment stands at…

21 Jul

Ruacana Town Council HR a mess

ObserverNational NewsAuditor General Junius Kandjeke, Ruacana Town Council's Human Resource (HR)

Obrein Simasiku The Ruacana Town Council's Human Resource (HR) is in a mess, with a poor filing system, as well as failure to prepare salary advises and staff records, the Auditor General Junius Kandjeke said, as he gave qualified audit opinion to the local authority for the financial year 2019/20. Meanwhile for the year 2018/19 council got an adverse opinion for misstatement of its finances. "The HR documents are not filed properly in the personnel files of respective staff members. Generally, the filing system is poor and not easily traceable. Also the department does not make advises for any changes…