National News – Page 436 – Windhoek Observer

01 Sep

We have met the enemy and face defeat

ObserverNational NewsCovid-19

Namibia is waging the best fight it can against COVID-19. This is as good as it gets. But, death and infection rates are not going down. Perhaps, it is time to greatly reduce containment efforts and shift to prioritizing care for those who are symptomatic. The long-time substandard state of the public healthcare system has been exposed by this pandemic. Attempts to force citizens to set aside cultural norms and practice social distancing will not work. We are on the brink of economic collapse and cannot withstand any more restrictions. The spectre of hopelessness, mass unemployment, undernourishment, poor government service…

29 Aug

‘Good Riddance’ is not the appropriate response

ObserverNational NewsSecretary-General Sophia Shaningwa, Swapo Party

Swapo Party Secretary-General Sophia Shaningwa was quoted as saying that the resignation of Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leaders and members from the party on Heroes’ Day was a relief. She said they never supported Swapo anyway. The details around that entire chapter are extensive. But, a glaring issue that remains on the table is that members of the party who disagree with the leadership are a burden to be joyfully shed. There is no internal Swapo platform to work through differences; there is only the exit door. Nowhere in the world does everyone agree with everything. That standard cannot be reached.…

28 Aug

Robert Mugabe Clinic is the weakest link

ObserverNational NewsCovid-19, Robert Mugabe Clinic

Employers sending their staff to be tested for COVID-19 may be unwittingly responsible for spreading it further. Anyone driving by the Robert Mugabe Clinic has seen the tightly packed lines of people waiting to be tested. Some are waiting for their COVID-19 results. There is no social spacing and most have their noses uncovered as they improperly wear masks. There are those who are there who have been called in to collect their written results. A few of those results are positive. Those who are positive are standing amongst those who are negative or those waiting for results. This is…

26 Aug

Don’t blame education failures on COVID-19

ObserverNational NewsCOVID, Education, Namibia

The pandemic has slammed Namibia’s already weak educational system. The victims of this are the students. Many learners have lost time in their climb towards degrees or advancement from one grade to another. But, no one can credibly blame the failures of Namibia’s ability to uplift its learners, on the pandemic. The massive problems and alarmingly bad test results existed long before that. During apartheid, Bantu education systematically, purposefully and deliberately buried minds and creativity. Oppression can never work if people expose lies, embrace new ideas and lose all fear of anyone calling themselves superior. But, after independence, those minds…

25 Aug

With no money, choices are limited

ObserverNational NewsNamibian, Namibianise, South African Rand

There is no doubt that auctioning fishing quotas is a step backwards in the government’s stated commitment since independence to Namibianise utilization of natural resources. Selling fishing quotas to the highest bidder regardless of where that bidder comes from, is not the optimal solution, but right now, it might be one of the only solutions left. With no money, choices are limited. Aspirations of complete black empowerment and national self-sufficiency have been overtaken by realities. Money is needed now. One can point to many causes that have led the country to this point. Drought, recession, the falling South African Rand,…

21 Aug

Public financial disclosures a mixed bag

ObserverNational NewsCalle Schlettwein, Minister of Agriculture, water and land reform

The minister of agriculture, water and land reform, Calle Schlettwein is to be applauded for his financial disclosures. He followed the rules with integrity and good intentions. However, we question how democracy is strengthened in Namibia by one member making such a detailed disclosure. The rules of financial disclosure by ALL in Parliament are not being followed. And, financial information is being reported salaciously. This is not the reason behind disclosure. Financial disclosure of assets is only useful in deciding if legislation before the Parliament is in conflict with the personal assets of MPs. How the minister financed the renovation…

20 Aug

Namibia can only survive if it is unified

ObserverNational NewsNamibia, Twaloloka, Walvis Bay

The recent back-and-forth between burned out ‘residents’ of Twaloloka and a landless group claiming to be born in Walvis Bay, shows the ugly spectre of disunity. The latter group is angry. They purport to have been waiting for land without results. They object to the fire victims who are supposedly not originally from Walvis Bay and yet are set to receive plots. Times are tough; the worst breakdown is where groups begin to compare their poverty and stubbornly claim that theirs is worse. Two groups of landless, impoverished people fighting each other solves nothing. It does not address the root…

19 Aug

Directive: Decongest the ghettos right now . . . But how? – The devil is in the details

ObserverNational NewsCOVID, Erastus Uutoni

A letter from the minister of urban and rural development, Erastus Uutoni to mayors and regional governors announced a ‘directive’ to develop urgent decongestion plans. This is a part of the fight against the spread of COVID-19. Local political officials and appointees, likely without technical skills, must now do the job of the ministry. Assuming there are funds available, they must decongest (undefined) the impoverished peri-urban residential areas. This is easier said than done. The fact that land for residences can materialize out of nowhere in haste, points to something disturbing. If the ministry could provide basic land to house…

18 Aug

We have less than two weeks to get it right

ObserverNational News

The Stage 3 state of emergency rules in play in Windhoek and other areas gives the nation a chance to get it right. Masks, sign-in at stores, hand sanitizing, staying at home, closure of public places (to varying degrees) are all difficult. But, we have 16 days to buckle down and get it right. Let’s do it. Resisting the rules, scoffing at common sense (i.e., going to parties when COVID test results are pending), avoiding quarantine, or moving around without a mask, will prolong the problem. The public must accept that the pandemic is here to stay. Stop resisting the…

14 Aug

Affected communities reject government efforts

ObserverNational NewsGermans, Namibia, president Hage Geingob

The most emotive and sensitive issues in Namibia are the genocide of 1904-1908 and reparations. This week, President Hage Geingob rejected a monetary offer by Germany as ‘reparations’ for genocide. Colonial Germany specifically targeted and killed tens of thousands of people. They stole everything these people owned. They engaged in a vicious military action that permanently drove thousands out of the country of their birth. Deutsche Welle (DW) announced the proposed amount was 10 million euros. Geingob declared the amount, “insulting.” But inside Namibia this issue runs deep. Communities of people directly affected by the genocide are not a part…