Opinions – Page 19 – Windhoek Observer

25 Aug

A joke of a thousand constitutional violations

ObserverOpinions

On Sunday, 26 February 2023, news broke that some employees at Rundu service station were beaten by their ‘boss’ in exchange for loans. Videos later emerged showing some employees getting whipped by one person, the apparent boss.Two of these employees were clearly elderly men. According to the Namibian of 27 February 2023, one employee anonymously said that being beaten was the only way to borrow the much-needed money to support his kids. The beatings were allegedly done daily to ‘put the employees’ hearts in the right place’ – from the buttocks to the chest. The employer in question denied these…

24 Aug

Bank of Namibia keeps repo rate unchanged: What does it mean to Namibians.

ObserverOpinionsBank of Namibia keeps repo rate unchanged: What does it mean to Namibians.

Josef Kefas Sheehama The annual inflation rate recorded for July 2023 was 4.50%, a steep decrease compared to 5.30% recorded in June 2023. Keeping the repo rate steady is particularly motivating for aspiring, first-time home buyers, whose appetite for home ownership remains consistent. The Bank of Namibia has left its key interest rate unchanged. The monetary policy committee (MPC), voted unanimously to keep the benchmark repurchase, or repo rate unchanged at 7.75 per cent. With no change in the policy rates there will be no immediate impact on the consumer monthly commitments such as home loan, car loan and personal…

23 Aug

Circular Economy: A Sustainability Promise

ObserverFeatured, OpinionsCircular Economy, Circular Economy: A Sustainability Promise

Vivian !Nou-/Gawaseb and McClay Thikusho The need of adopting the circular economy’s principles becomes evident when we try to reimagine a sustainable future for Namibia. The circular economy is an economic model that emphasises the recycling and repurposing of materials and goods, particularly as a strategy to maintain ecologically responsible or sustainable production.It offers a paradigmshifting strategy that not only encourages economic development but also ensures social advancement and preservation of the environment. Prioritising and allocating resources to theprogress of circularity is becoming more and more important, especially in the context of Namibia. This specifically applies to important industries including…

22 Aug

Rising Against Giants: The Essential Disruption in Namibia’s Business Landscape

ObserverFeatured, OpinionsHosea Kutako International Airport, Menzies, Paragon Aviation, Rising Against Giants: The Essential Disruption in Namibia's Business Landscape

Nrupesh Soni, Facilit8 Namibia The unfolding saga at Hosea Kutako International Airport is more than a mere corporate dispute—it encapsulates a broader issue that reverberates throughout Namibia and indeed, the wider African continent. The tension between Paragon Aviation, a local entity, and Menzies, an international behemoth, over the airport's ground handling tender , goes beyond a mere contractual disagreement. Instead, it sheds light on the uphill battle local businesses face when striving to navigate the labyrinth of corporate colonialism. A persistent, if paradoxical, sentiment exists in parts of Africa, including Namibia: the belief that local firms, by virtue of their…

11 Aug

Meaningful land acquisition, redistribution shall it ever transpire?

ObserverOpinionsMeaningful land acquisition, redistribution shall it ever transpire?

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro A draft progress report on the implementation of the 2018 Second National Land Conference resolutions is in circulation as has been leaked by the media recently. A good five years after the 2018 conference, the government seems only to awaken now, in the eyes of a cursory observation of an outsider, to the pretension fo wanting to eventually implement the said resolutions. How real such a reawakening is, only time will tell. But it would not be preposterous to think that the reawakening is only now on the eve of the country’s Presidential and National Assembly Elections next…

04 Jul

Why the City of Windhoek Councillors Repeatedly Fail us

ObserverFeatured, OpinionsWhy the City of Windhoek Councillors Repeatedly Fail us

Isaack Kambwa Municipalities in Namibia are mandated to deliver services that meet basic communal needs such as housing, water and sanitation, land, electricity and infrastructur. The municipality as an institution is considered an engine for local development and central to service delivery. The government has implemented an elaborate statutory framework which operationalise the Municipalities. The powers of Municipal councils are regulated within this statutory framework, despite the powers conferred upon the councilors, they tend to fail in running their Municipalities. In case study research on the performance of councillors in the South Africa by Stellen press highlighted a number of…

23 Jun

Approach your bank before defaulting on your payments

ObserverOpinionsApproach your bank before defaulting on your payments

Josef Kefas Sheehama This article will give you information and advice if you are behind with your monthly installments. From personal experience of 22 years as a Senior Credit, Credit Manager, and Bank Branch Manager, I have discovered that banks are always willing to take what they can get, giving you one last chance to get back on your feet. It is never too early or too late to contact your personal banker. You may be worried about talking to the bank. Hence, your first move should be to speak to your bank if you’re going through financial difficulties. It…

23 Jun

Quo vadis regions in Namibia?

ObserverOpinionsQuo vadis regions in Namibia?

Kae Matundu Tjiparuro Gobabis, known as the capital of the Cattle Country, as the region is popularly known whether the cap fits it or not, has lately been an atypical hustle and bustle. Inhabitants of the region, including the youth, converged on the town in what could turn out a pioneering initiative in creating for the youth in the region jobs. From which other regions could well take a leaf or two. Currently the region is said to be third on the entire country’s unemployment log. The scorch of unemployment in the country among the youth is well known with…

16 Jun

Genocide being no crimethen, no reparations, period!

ObserverOpinionsGenocide being no crimethen, no reparations

Kae Matundu- Tjiparuro “Under international law, the concept of reparation flows from the breach of an international obligation. However, today’s outlawing and prohibition of genocide under international law did not exist in the years 1904 to 1908. The Convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide of 9 December 1948, which entered into force for the founding signatories in 1951, and for Germany in 1955, does not apply retrospectively.” Reads the beginning of paragraph 23 of the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations in Geneva issued on the 1st of June,…

08 Jun

World Ocean Day: What every Namibian should know and how we can all commemorate it.

ObserverOpinionsWorld Ocean Day: What every Namibian should know and how we can all commemorate it.

Mutindi Lydia Jacobs World Ocean Day is celebrated every year on June 8th to raise awareness about the importance of oceans and marine life. The noble idea came about during the Earth summit held in Rio De Janeiro Brazil, when Canada as a member state to the Summit, proposed the concept of a “World Ocean Day”. The intention for marking this day was and is, to celebrate the interdependence we have on oceans and seas, whilst spreading awareness on the depleting standards of marine life and ocean water. The United Nations General Assembly officially recognised the 8th of June as…