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The Time Traveler: Fixing social media

Hugh Ellis At one time of my life I had four social media accounts. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn. Oh, and Tumblr for a brief while, and Tinder for a whole five days. Now I only have one, Instagram, and one is the right number of my mental health. Also WhatsApp, maybe, if you call that a social medium, but I only use the message service part of it - a glorified email, really. Unless your profession depends upon it (and many now do), I’d advise one social medium, for one hour a day maximum, is the right amount for most…
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Using COVID for a marketing gimmick?

Jackie Wilson Asheeke I went to Woolworths and Donna Claire in Maerua Mall the other day and was shocked to be harassed at the door by security guards demanding that I ‘sign-in’ before entering the store. What sort of nonsense is that? Why is my name, date of birth, ID number and telephone number needed to enter a store? What has that information to do with blocking the spread of COVID-19? I must receive the numbered tag that ensures the store is not overcrowded, but why is my birthdate a prerequisite for getting that number? And it is selective. I…
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Observatory: Is there hope for 2020 graduates?

Clementine Tjameya Ask any 2020 graduate how they imagined their graduation to be. I don’t know about the rest but I would have wanted to make mine memorable. I would love for my parents to witness me get the qualification I have been working for all these years. But, with the current state of emergency, graduation ceremonies will remain only a figment of my imagination. Worse, job openings for recent graduates are virtually non-existent. Not only is there no celebration of our achievement, we have almost no careers ahead of us where we can use all that we have learned.…
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ANIREP makes acquisitions

ANIREP makes acquisitions

Staff Writer Namibia Stock Exchange listed Alpha Namibia Industries Renewable Power Limited (ANIREP) has announced that it’s in the process of acquiring stakes in two renewable energy projects in Namibia. The company has targeted a 70 percent stake in a 10 MW solar power plant commissioned in 2015 and 2016 connected to the national grid through two 5MW solar PV with a 25 year power purchase agreement contract. The company’s second planned acquisition is an 80 percent stake in a contracting company which has installed about 100 MW of the 150 MW solar PV in Namibia. “In February 2020, shareholders…
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MTC voted Most Admired Brand in Namibia

MTC voted Most Admired Brand in Namibia

Staff Writer MTC has been voted the Most Admired Brand in Namibia in a survey to determine which companies are held in high regard by the public. The announcement, which included Namibia for the first time, was made by Brand Africa. MTC leads the local listing that included Mshasho at #2 and Top Score at #3. Namibia Breweries Limited was recognised as the most admired brand listed on the Namibian Stock Exchange. Mshasho was recognized as the #1 African brand in Namibia ahead of South Africa’s MTN and DSTV, with local stalwart brands Windhoek Lager and MTC rounding off the…
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Bank Windhoek donates 500 Reagent Testing Kits

Bank Windhoek donates 500 Reagent Testing Kits

Staff writer Bank Windhoek has donated 500 Reagent Testing Kits and Nasopharyngeal Swab Collection Kits to the Namibian Government in support of its fight against COVID-19. The Bank’s Executive Officer of Marketing and Corporate Communication Services, Jacquiline Pack, handed over the donation to the Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Kalumbi Shalunga, at the Namibia Institute of Pathology’s (NIP) head office in Windhoek. Through the Analytical Technology and Chemical Supply, the Bank, in collaboration with NIP, was able to procure the material despite logistical challenges posed by the pandemic. “Since COVID-19 reached our borders, we realised that there was…
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A voice against re-opening schools

Yes, we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place with regard to the school re-opening conundrum. I think restarting schools will prove to be more dangerous than keeping them closed for this academic year. As many have correctly pointed out, if anything went wrong, children can be super-spreaders of the pandemic as many (particularly the younger ones) may not have the self-conscious capacity to police themselves [utilize the mandatory methods to slow pandemic spread like self-spacing, washing hands with soap for 20 seconds and other actions], unlike adults who do not police themselves by choice. Besides, order and…
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Mushokobanji shares his 100 days in office

Mushokobanji shares his 100 days in office

Staff Writer Having now served his 100 days in office since his appointment on the 1st of February 2020, the Windhoek Observer (WO) caught up with youthfull Meatco Chief Executive Officer, Mwilima Mushokobanji (MM) to share his experiences and plans for the meat processor and below is an extract of the interview: WO) It's been more than 100 days since your appointment, kindly share with us what you had set-out to do and if you achieved it? MM) It’s been busy, I have been doing familiarization tours around the various departments, realigned EXCO for better efficiency and some business units…
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Couch Cat: Power is too expensive, embrace the dark!

Jackie Wilson Asheeke My electricity bill has long been climbing for unknown reasons and it is putting me into the poor house fast. In a few more months, we will be using candles for light at night, grilling our food and heating water outside on the braai. With earning prospects dimmed, looking hard at every expenditure is no longer an option. For years now, I have reduced power drains severely. There is no more swimming pool pump, no more dishwasher, the geyser is off during the day and most of the night, and no more dryer. And yet, my bill…
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Materialist conception of history context of the National Resistance

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro One may agree or disagree that the National Resistance which eventually on March 21, 1990, heralded Namibian independence, freedom, liberty and sovereignty, was not an end and could not have been an end in itself. But imperative as a first step towards the end, this end being the Second Phase of the African (Namibian) Revolution. But the question that must have been bugging and begging is, if indeed Namibia, with the attainment of her freedom and independence on March 21, 1990, is whether actually Namibia has embarked on the Second Phase of her National Revolution? And if, what…
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