Uncategorised – Page 53 – Windhoek Observer

06 Mar

LPM to face High Court challenge over recall

UncategorisedDaniel Gariseb, Landless People Movement (LPM), LPM to face High Court challenge over recall, Rogetta Haak

Maria Hamutenya The Landless People Movement (LPM) is set to be dragged before the High Court by two former Mariental town councillors, Daniel Gariseb and Rogetta Haak. This is after their calls to be reinstated by the opposition party went in vein. The former councillors, through their lawyer, Richard Metcalfe, on Thursday demanded to be reinstated by the party or they will drag the party to court and report them to the Anti-Corruption Commission for corruption. “We gave them till the end of business day on Thursday and until now, we have not received any response from LPM, so we…

06 Mar

NPS rules out condoms, conjugal rights in prison

UncategorisedCommissioner Sam Shalulange, conjugal rights in prison, John Walters, Namibian Prison Service (NPS)

Maria Hamutenya The Namibian Prison Service (NPS) has ruled out distributing condoms and offering conjugal rights to prisoners despite allegations of sexual abuse and activity among inmates. Commissioner Sam Shalulange of the NPS said condoms cannot be issued to inmates as long as sodomy remains a crime in Namibia. “Issuing condoms to inmates will thus seem to be promoting sodomy in correctional facilities.” Shalulange’s justification for ruling out the distribution of condoms to prisoners to prevent the spread of HIV is that since consensual sodomy is illegal, “providing condoms might make prison officials accessories to crime.” About cases of sexual…

05 Mar

NWR offers independence discount

UncategorisedNamibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR)

Staff Writer Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) has announced that it will be offering a 70 percent Independence discount during weekdays for March 2021 in commemoration of Namibia's 31st Independence anniversary. The discount according to the hospitality company, will be running at all its operational facilities spread across Namibia. Mufaro Nesongano, NWR Corporate Communications, Online Media and Sponsorships Manager, said, "our travelling public can look forward to paying low rates during the week to visit our resorts. Resorts such as Gross Barmen, Namutoni and Terrace Bay will cost as low as N$ 234, excluding meals. Dolomite, Onkoshi, Popa Falls and Sossus…

05 Mar

Skorpion Zinc starts process to refine SA zinc

UncategorisedSkorpion Zinc

CHAMWE KAIRA Skorpion Zinc in the !Karas Region has started the process to start refining zinc imported from South Africa at its plant at Rosh Pinah. Vedanta Zinc International, the mother company of Skorpion Zinc plans to modify its refinery at Rosh Pinah to enable the treatment of zinc sulphide concentrate, which the company intends to transport from sister company, Black Mountain Mining’s Gamsberg Zinc, and Lead Mine in the Northern Cape, South Africa. Skorpion Zinc has been processing local zinc only since it opened in 2003 but now plans refining imported zinc as well. Skorpion Zinc is now proposing…

04 Mar

Sustainable finance, a catalyst for Namibia’s recovery

UncategorisedCovid-19, Standard Bank

Marco Triebner The Covid-19 pandemic has heightened the focus on climate change and financial instruments that promote sustainable economic development. The pandemic has impeded Namibia’s growth and demanded new approaches to economic development. It has also highlighted the importance of sustainability and environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues. It is noted that pressure is building on financial institutions and non-banking financial institutions, asset managers and corporates to give more attention to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in their day-to-day operations. We believe that Namibia is primed for a sustainable finance boom, given its potential in the renewable energy…

04 Mar

FNB Klein Windhoek to close, other great opportunities for customers

UncategorisedFNB Namibia

FNB Namibia has announced it would close the Klein Windhoek branch, effective 13 March 2021. “After examining branch profitability through our strategic planning review, we decided it was prudent to close a number of our branches throughout 2021. This approach is based on branches becoming less profitable, while the offer of additional electronic services has enhanced operating efficiencies. Our customers have adapted to all our electronic options and we are optimistic that we will retain our customer relationships because of these online and mobile banking services,” said Rodney Forbes, FNB Executive Officer: Points of Presence. Forbes added that there was…

02 Mar

The New Normal: Cyber Security During COVID-19

UncategorisedCovid-19, Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF)

Martin Hamukwaya The Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) has in recent years increased the shift and reliance in the use of information technology for our staff and members. When the COVID-19 pandemic reached Namibia and subsequently invoked the lockdown, it encouraged the use of many other effective ways the Fund can offer services to our members from the comfort of their homes. This effectively changed the way we operate at GIPF, which now translated into “The New Normal”. The “New Normal”, provides our members with assurance that they will be attended to without necessarily having to visit any of the…

02 Mar

Driving the value-add agenda on a budget

Uncategorisedbudget, Driving

Eli Gentle After the deal closes, what next? Go create value! Depending on the context, you may suddenly find yourself behind the wheel of a large, urgently needed change program (e.g., digital transformation) or a small, targeted intervention that no one saw coming (e.g., salesforce incentives). In many small and emerging markets, the value creation agenda (be it wide or narrow in scope) must be delivered hands-on, while staying within a shoestring budget. Two things can help you deliver on budget while sparing a few precious hours in your packed days: 1. Invest in the capabilities of your portfolio company…

27 Feb

Air Namibia demise, SOEs privitisation Grandmaster plan of Capitalism

UncategorisedAir Namibia demise, Grandmaster plan of Capitalism, SOEs privitisation

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro With the country still reeling from the shock of the fait acompli of the liquidation of the national airline, the dust thereof shall yet to settle for now if ever, the country is now also reeling from another shock. The privitisation of a number of State Owned Enterprises(SOEs). It does not need a rocket scientist to see that the liquidation of Air Namibia, is part of a grandmaster plan of privatisation involving SOEs like the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport), Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP), Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR), Telecom Namibia and the Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco). The…

27 Feb

The Time Traveler: Gun culture

UncategorisedAnglo-Saxon, Gun culture

Hugh Ellis I had a weird experience on YouTube recently. I’m into music, so I had liked and watched several videos of a music instrument store in Texas called ‘Alamo Pianos’. It seems the Alamo - a Texan fort that a small group of white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant American settlers once defended against a horde of Mexican troops - is a touchstone word for US right-wing groups. Soon the YouTube algorithm flooded my recommendations with large, bearded white men taking about defending their homeland, family, traditions, and of course, their ‘right’ to own and shoot guns. Some YouTube gun content is…