Opinions – Page 23 – Windhoek Observer

30 Aug

Set aside by sjambok: labour law onviolence and harassment in the workplace

ObserverOpinionsSet aside by sjambok: labour law onviolence and harassment in the workplace

Fedden Mainga In my preceding opinion piece (volume 27), I addressed the constitutional violations of the practical joke involving some employees at Rundu service station who were beaten for loans. In the employment context, this ‘joke’ brought to the fore some worrisome realities of the state of labour laws because the Labour Act 11 of 2007 only provides for sexual harassment. Even though the Ministry of Labour is reportedly busy with amendments that will include violence and harassment in the workplace, the current Labour Act does not provide for incidents like the one in question. According to Ohms Kayama, an…

29 Aug

Mining Industry Has Potential to Drive Namibia’s Economic Fortunes

ObserverOpinionsMining Industry Has Potential to Drive Namibia’s Economic Fortunes

Josef Kefas Sheehama The mining sector of Namibia remains a key driver of sustainable economic development. Indeed, this sector contributes a lot to exports as well as having crucial inter-linkages with other sectors of the economy. The mining sector is critical for carrying out mineral exploration, extraction, processing, and marketing because Namibia lacks enough capital and technological resources to finance such capital-intensive large-scale. It is noteworthy that in 2023, the sector contributed about 12% of GDP. Namibia’s mining sector recorded a year of strong growth of 21.6% in 2022 compared to 11% in 2021, on the back of good performance…

28 Aug

BRICS: New Dynamics and Global Governance Reform

ObserverOpinions

Patience Masua The landscape of global governance is undergoing a seismic shift as the BRICS bloc welcomes six new members: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This expansion underscores the BRICS’ commitment to reshaping the international order, challenging Western dominance, and reforming global institutions. As these new entrants join the ranks of emerging economies, a comprehensive analysis is crucial to unveiling the potential implications of this transformation and how it aligns with the BRICS’ reformative ambitions, particularly in fortifying the voice of multilateralism. At its core, BRICS was conceived as a platform to champion…

25 Aug

Indigenous’ initiative to indigenise must Fully, purposefully applauded, supported

ObserverOpinionsIndigenous’ initiative to indigenise must Fully, purposefully applauded, supported

YOURS Truly Ideologically in last week’s column raised the pertinent question as to what extent regions like Omaheke and Otjozondjupa, hailed and praised for being cattle rearing regions, if not meat producing ones, actually in any way meaningfully benefit from cattle rearing (husbandry)? Lest this columnist is misconstrued and misinterpreted if not altogether misunderstood and not understood at all, reference here is not with regard to both regions generally but specifically to the rural areas of these two regions, and many others who may be in the same boat. Like Erongo and Kunene, some parts thereof of which are known…

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…