Covid-19 – Page 10 – Windhoek Observer

02 Feb

Govt seeks legal opinion over Air Namibia deal

ObserverObserver MoneyAir Namibia, Challenge Air, Covid-19

Staff Writer Ministry of Public Enterprises has requested a legal opinion regarding Air Namibia’s last minute settlement agreement reached with Belgian company, Challenge Air, which is alleged to have been concluded without its approval. The government is considering the consequences of the agreement, which might require treasury to fund the multimillion dollar deal or provide guarantees. “I have requested a legal opinion and we are looking into what transpired last week. We will only be able to pronounce ourselves once this is concluded,” Public Enterprises minister, Leon Jooste told the Windhoek Observer. This is amid concern that the airline, which…

29 Jan

Should the court decide employee work orders?

ObserverNational NewsCovid-19, Shoprite, State of Emergency

The Shoprite strike is a sign of a healthy democracy. Workers have the right to organize and insist on their priorities. When a legal dispute is declared there are laws in play that must be respected by all sides. The concern is the initial ruling of Judge Shafima Ueitele. He interdicted Shoprite from redeploying existing employees to do the work of an employee who was out on strike. Such a sweeping decision is rightfully under appeal. Its ramifications for all businesses in Namibia are severe. Firing workers legally on strike and then hiring outside ‘scab’ labour is illegal. The unclear…

27 Jan

Schools get N$70m for sanitisers

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Executive Director, Sanet Steenkamp

Maria Hamutenya Public and private schools have benefited from N$70 million availed by the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture for the acquisition of sanitisers ahead of school opening this week, Executive Director, Sanet Steenkamp has revealed. N$14 million was availed to private schools last December as a once-off grant, with N$56 million dispersed to the ministry’s regional offices this year to assist public schools in implementing COVID-19 measures. “Almost N$ 70 million was allocated by the Ministry of Education to different schools to help fight the spread of Covid-19,” Steenkamp said. The ministry will, however, no longer avail masks…

22 Jan

MTC to finally list

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC), MTC Chief Executive Officer Dr Licky Erastus, Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX)

Staff Writer Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) on Wednesday announced that it will finally list on the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) before the 5th of September 2021 after its initial plans were derailed by the outbreak of COVID-19. This comes as government approved the process in November 2017. According to its initially announced timelines, MTC was expected to be listed on the bourse by July last year, after having submitted its listing application to the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) in February 2020. The opening date for its public offer was set for March 2020 and closing in June 2020. “We are…

21 Jan

COVID deaths surpass 300

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Kalumbi Shangula

Staff Writer Namibia has now surpassed the 300 mark for COVID-19 related deaths after five more people succumbed to the virus. Health and Social Services (MOHSS) minister, Kalumbi Shangula, announced the latest figures on Wednesday. The five fatalities were recorded in Windhoek, Oshakati, Otjiwarongo and Walvis Bay, becoming the second highest number of deaths ever recorded in the country in a single day since the outbreak of COVID-19 last year. The increase in fatalities, comes as positive cases continue to spike, with 258 new COVID-19 confirmed cases from 1 793 results received from the laboratories in the last 24 hours.…

19 Jan

Namibia in record COVID deaths

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS), Oshakati, Rundu, Swakopmund

Staff Writer A record eight people died from COVID-19 in one day, bringing the country’s related deaths to 293, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) announced on Monday. According to the ministry, four of the deaths announced, are from Oshakati district, two from Windhoek district, and one each from the districts pf Swakopmund and Rundu. New 390 COVID-19 cases were confirmed from 2 034 results received from the laboratories in the last twenty-four (24) hours, a position that saw the country cumulative confirmed cases breaching the 30 000 mark at 30 753. In the confirmed cases, 29 are…

15 Jan

COVID-19 vaccines are arriving soon; are we ready?

ObserverNational NewsCOVAX, Covid-19, Namibia

The rich countries of the world are already receiving their COVID-19 vaccines. Many have inoculated millions of their citizens so far. That won’t happen here; we can’t afford it, and we are not producing the vaccine locally. The ministry of health's announcement indicated that vaccine doses for 20 percent of the population (or about 508,000 people) could start in February. Namibia must handle the entire process with effectiveness, fastidiousness, trained workers, and discipline. We cannot afford to mess this up. We assume that our health officials are conquering the logistics of maintaining the extreme cold required for the doses' storage.…

15 Jan

Hardap prisoners, officers in jailhouse battle

ObserverObserver MoneyCommissioner General Raphael Tuhafeni Hamunyela, Covid-19, Namibian Correctional Services (NCS), Namibian Police Force

Details have emerged how the Namibian Police Force on Tuesday had to be called in to assist the Namibian Correctional Services (NCS) quell a prison fight that had broken out between inmates and prison officials at the Hardap correctional facility. According to insiders, it took more than six hours for the police and correctional officers to bring back order to the prison facility that houses over 250 inmates. The commotion is alleged to have been caused by demands by the correctional officers to carry out a routine search while prisoners were in the yard, where they converge when released from…

14 Jan

Education versus Development in Namibia

ObserverUncategorisedCovid-19

Fritz H Dausab “Education is both a tool of social justice as well as a fundamental driver of economic development.” - Kevin Rudd Let’s face it Namibians…COVID-19 just condemned our prospects of economic development to the gutters of soon to be Zimbabwean dictatorship chronicles. In national budgets for the past 30 years, Namibia has given billions upon billions of Namibian Dollars to the education sector. Nothing bad about it…if we believe that those billions is an investment into our human capital, I guess. But as they say, the proof is in the pudding! Which means that for the past thirty…

14 Jan

COVID regulations extended . . .as virus variant suspicions surge

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Minister of Health and Social Services Kalumbi Shangula

Andrew Kathindi The government has extended the date for enactment of measures currently in place to control the spread of COVID-19 to 3 February. Minister of Health and Social Services Kalumbi Shangula admitted that the situation has worsened since his last address to the nation on 23 December 2020. In the Tuesday address, restrictions such as the daily curfew from 9pm to 4am, public gatherings being limited to a maximum of 50 were retained. Public gatherings are now, however, are not allowed to go beyond two hours and shall not continue beyond 8pm. The minister also revealed that there is…