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Swapo grapples with 2/3 majority loss …As state of emergency extension requires parliamentary approval
17 Sep

Swapo grapples with 2/3 majority loss …As state of emergency extension requires parliamentary approval

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Andrew Kathindi Swapo has for the first time felt the impact of losing the 2/3 majority in Parliament as the decision over extending the state of emergency looms. This comes as President Hage Geingob would need a two/third majority (66 members of the 95 voting members) in order to extend state of emergency which lapses on Thursday. Geingob will address the nation tomorrow to pronounce himself on the matter. Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader, McHenry Venaani last week said that his party will not support any extension of the state of emergency. “That 2/3 majority allows the [ruling] party that…
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Taxi union want N$14 retained …as Ministry declines N$15.40 increase
16 Sep

Taxi union want N$14 retained …as Ministry declines N$15.40 increase

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Andrew Kathindi The Namibia Transport and Taxi Union (NTTU) is calling for the N$14 taxi fare to remain in place whether or not the state of emergency is lifted on Thursday at midnight. This comes after the union’s attempt to increase the going taxi rate to N$15.40 for 1 September, citing an increase in the price for petrol was rejected by Ministry of Works and Transport. NTTU leader Werner Januarie said the union is looking at the situation on the ground and is considering a demonstration in this regard. “We did make a request previously, which was turned down by…
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Education ministry still in repetition conundrum
16 Sep

Education ministry still in repetition conundrum

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Helena Johannes The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture is yet to pronounce itself on the matter of learners repeating their grades next year should they fail their end of the year assessments. This comes after certain learners, particularly those in Khomas region, have not received any face-to-face teaching since schools were first closed during the state of emergency proclaimed by President Hage Geingob in March, with classes having only resumed this week. Acting Director of Programmes and Quality Assurance at the Education Ministry, Ayesha Wentworth said the constant U-turns made by the Ministry since the beginning of the pandemic…
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Fish Trust awaits board appointments
15 Sep

Fish Trust awaits board appointments

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Andrew Kathindi Public Enterprise Minister, Leon Jooste has said that the process of recruiting a new Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust (NFCPT) Board has been derailed by COVID-19. “The process to identify the candidates is ongoing. The entity has not been operating as a result of COVID-19 and the pandemic has also affected our program to recruit,” he told Windhoek Observer. This comes after the terms of the last Board, which served from 2017 lapsed in September 2019. The board was chaired by Suzan Ndjaleka. NFCPT was established with a mandate to promote fish consumption throughout the country, through the…
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Govt still to deliver Cuba student parcels …as students plead for President’s intervention
15 Sep

Govt still to deliver Cuba student parcels …as students plead for President’s intervention

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Andrew Kathindi Namibian medical students in Cuba are pleading with President Hage Geingob to assist with the delivery of parcels organized by the relatives, amid claims some of the items are spoiling in the Health Ministry’s facility storage. This comes two months after a South African Airways plane which was scheduled to travel to Cuba on 3 July with the said parcels left with only Namibian Ambassador to Cuba, Samuel /Gôagoseb, without the packages. The students have now accused the Health Ministry of abandoning them and leaving their items to rot, after no progress has been made on delivering their…
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COVID saves Gvt millions in allowances
15 Sep

COVID saves Gvt millions in allowances

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Staff Writer The restriction on travel by government officials due to the outbreak of COVID-19 has saved government million in travel allowances, amid revelation only 7.1 percent of the allocated amount of N$222. 8 million for the 2020/21 financial year has been spent. According to Ministry of Finance figures, Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) has only gobbled N$15.8 million for the period April 2020 to August 2020, compared to N$116.9 million for the same period last year. This comes as it emerged that most of the travel conducted during the period was COVID-19 related, with the bulk of the allowances paid…
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Shivute lands NamRA top job
12 Sep

Shivute lands NamRA top job

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Staff Writer Bank of Namibia (BoN) Director of Banking Services, Sam Shivute is set to be appointed the inaugural head of the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) after cabinet chaired by President Hage Geingob approved his appointment. The last hurdle in the unveiling of Shivute now lies with the Public Service Commission, which is widely expected to approve his appointment as Commissioner of NamRA following cabinet’s nod. Shivute will ascend to head the revenue body amid allegations that recruitment procedures were violated to ensure that he emerges as the preferred candidate, with the finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi as the key driver…
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Stage 3 lockdown extended for 5 days
12 Sep

Stage 3 lockdown extended for 5 days

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Andrew Kathindi President Hage Geingob has once again extended the current stage three state of emergency lockdown to all 14 regions of the country. The extension is set to last for an additional five days. The existing state of emergency was supposed to lapse at midnight on Thursday 17 September, coinciding with the end of the six-month state of emergency period. “Regions which previously recorded lower cases, are now recording rising rates of infection. This is a matter of concern. New cases increased in the Kavango East Region by 138 percent, 78 percent in Otjozonjupa Region, 69 percent in //Kharas…
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Marginal growth recorded in 2019 – NSA …as GDP contracted by 1.6 percent
11 Sep

Marginal growth recorded in 2019 – NSA …as GDP contracted by 1.6 percent

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Staff Writer The size of the Namibian economy is estimated to have grown by N$225 million, from N$181.0 billion in 2018 to N$ 181.2 billion in 2019, the latest Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) annual national accounts estimates show. This comes as Namibia’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 1.6 percent in 2019 compared to a growth of 1.1 percent recorded in 2018. “The contractionary performance of the economy in 2019 was mainly due to the Primary industries that declined by 8.9 percent. The contraction in the Primary industries was observed across all sectors namely ‘Mining and quarrying’ (-11.1 percent) and…
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Namibia records spike in suicide cases
11 Sep

Namibia records spike in suicide cases

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Helena Johannes According to the Ministry of Health and Social Services, suicide cases in Namibia have spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Although the current statistic of people who have committed suicide this year is unknown, the ministry says suicide cases reported this far during the pandemic is worrisome significant numbers of people are choosing to end their lives due to different unbearable situations. According to Ministry of Health Social Worker Jenifer Lifasi, cases of minors committing suicide in the country are on the rise, with Namibia ranked 11th in the world for these tragic cases according to an international…
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