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I’m not singing any more

Jackie Wilson Asheeke The rebellion during a pandemic which has started in the USA is not to overthrow the government. It is to attack institutional racism. It is not to destroy the constitution, it is to make sure it is applied to everyone equally. Those screaming for justice, love the USA; their home. But, the USA they love does not believe it is ok to murder a man with your knee on his neck. Last week, President Hage Geingob made his announcement regarding the beginning of Stage 3 of the State of Emergency phase-out plan and included a brilliantly worded…
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The Time Traveler: One will always get through

Hugh Ellis Recent revelations in the fight against Covid-19 - that some truck drivers allegedly broke quarantine to visit their families, transact at banks, or sleep over with their girlfriends, not to mention the sailor who spent days on shore after his Coronavirus infection was not diagnosed – are saddening but not surprising. The government has done a great job in keeping our borders closed and people with suspected Covid-19 infections in quarantine. But there will always be loopholes. I’m no epidemiologist or doctor (well, no doctor of medicine, anyway), and my only public health experience was brief stint as…
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AgriBank provides billions in funding

AgriBank provides billions in funding

Staff writer Finance minister, Iipumbu Shiimi says AgriBank has extended up to N$1 billion in loans to farmers in various regions of the country over the past three years. “Equally commercial bank loans to agriculture over the past five years have averaged in excess of N$4 billion, indicating a healthy flow of funds to this sector. Drought relief disbursements amounting to N$245 million has also been provided by AgriBank over the past year,” he said in his reply on matters raised during the Second Reading of the 2020/21 Appropriation Bill in Parliament. He, however, warned AgriBank loan beneficiaries to repay…
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Offer solutions, not drama

Comments by Landless People’s Movement (LPM) leader Bernadus Swartbooi calling for monthly $750 income grants for two years are unnecessary. Such pronouncements offer no solution, they only increase the drama. The new voices in the Parliament are the will of the Namibian people as democratically expressed at the ballot box last November. That vote was for increased debate and new ideas. The voters wanted competent challenges to the status quo of Swapo dominance in law-making that was not working. In light of the Finance Minister’s recent budget speech and statistics, anyone seriously demanding two years of N$750 per month payments…
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Trustco secures N$345m loan

Trustco secures N$345m loan

Staff Writer Trustco Finance, a subsidiary of Trustco Group Holdings Limited has secured a US$20 million (approximately N$345 million) loan from Deutsche Investitions Und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, a German development finance institution. The loan approval is, however, subject to a final agreement currently being drafted. The bulk of the facility will be used to provide student financing, offered by Trustco Finance, as well as enhancing the educational facilities offered by the Institute for Open Learning (Pty) Ltd (“IOL”), while funding will also be made available to existing students to restructure and refinance their existing obligations as part of the group’s COVID-19 relief…
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Get Deezer – put together your own playlist

Get Deezer – put together your own playlist

…spend time singing to yourself Jackie Wilson Asheeke Even though things are opening up again, the down time on our own should have taught us ways to have fun at home, in our own gardens, with our family members and for less money than we otherwise would have spent. Check out the music service called: “#Deezer”. Since I found it, I have been singing different songs in the shower and to my pets. My 2 dogs and 2 cats told me they love hearing the updated music (they were getting tired of hearing the same old songs). Deezer has nearly…
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Business leadership during a crisis

Business leadership during a crisis

Mbo Mena Luvindao Merriam-Webster defines a crisis as "an unstable or difficult time or state of affairs". It is unplanned or uncontrolled change. During times of crisis, leadership is critical. While the existing economic crisis caused by COVID-19 is unprecedented, small businesses have historically proved themselves to be flexible and resilient. The crisis has led to paradigm shifts in the way we view and conduct our business - don’t bury your head in the sand, but consider new ways of doing things as an entrepreneur. COVID-19 has changed the way we work, and in some industries, it has forced companies…
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!Gawaxab starts work at BoN

!Gawaxab starts work at BoN

Staff Writer Johannes !Gawaxab officially started duty on Monday as third Namibian Governor of the Bank of Namibia following his surprise appointment by President Hage Geingob on 21 April 2020. As Governor,!Gawaxab will also serve as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Bank. On assuming duty,!Gawaxab said that he believes the central bank’s mandate is more than delivering on traditional roles such as monetary policy, and financial stability, but it is also about delivering on an economy that provides prosperity to Namibia. “Therefore, I aim to look at how best do we complement the collaborations between the monetary…
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NCE launches two new websites

NCE launches two new websites

Staff writer On Friday 29 May, the Namibia Chamber of Environment will launch two Namibian Environmental websites: The Environmental Information Service (EIS) and Conservation Namibia. Information about these sites will be spread widely via social media. The EIS has been in the works for more than 15 years. It is now the most comprehensive single source of information on environmental issues in Namibia. The NCE announced a detailed revamp and modernisation of the EIS. It has a new home page to quickly direct the public to different parts of the site, a new fast and easy search engine for the…
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Couch Cat: Clean, red, chapped hands

Jackie Wilson Asheeke I ‘get it’ that we have to wash our hands or have ‘sanitizers’ sprayed onto our hands before we enter every store or building. But, here is the thing. ‘Sanitizers’ is too general; it is not defined. We have some places spending the money to use actual alcohol-based hand sanitizers. The majority are cutting corners. They are using floor cleaners, bathroom disinfectants and industrial detergents mixed with an undefined amount of water and spraying our hands with it. I have the chapped, red and peeling hands to prove it. A visit to the mall may mean entering…
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