Covid-19 – Page 29

24 Apr

Bank Windhoek launches Hey Jude Rider Service

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedBank Windhoek, Covid-19, Hey Jude Rider Service

Staff Writer With the current COVID-19 pandemic, leaving home to get groceries and essentials has become a daunting task for many. However, Bank Windhoek customers can now comfortably stay in their homes while the new Hey Jude Rider Service shops on their behalf and delivers groceries and other essentials on their doorstep free of charge. The Rider Service was launched on Thursday, 16 April 2020 and is an add-on service to the Hey Jude for Bank Windhoek App, an exclusive mobile application for Bank Windhoek customers that connects them to their very own Personal Assistant available 24 hours a day,…

24 Apr

Government must not over-promise

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedCovid-19, Government

…credibility is legal tender in an emergency Government must stop over-promising and under-delivering. People are taking the government at its word. They are cheering for the great pronouncements about support for the people in this new Covid-19 world. Then, the promises can’t stand the light of day in terms of implementation. It is glaringly apparent that announcements of bailout packages were intentions and not programs. A drowning person desperately grabs for anything that looks like a lifeline, even if it is not. Those offering possibilities, therefore, must be very careful that what they throw out there is the real deal.…

24 Apr

How socially responsible are corporates during COVID-19?

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedCovid-19, World Health Organization (WHO)

Jefta Gaoab Corporate social responsibility (CSR) helps a company be socially accountable—to itself, its stakeholders, and the public. By practicing corporate social responsibility, also called corporate citizenship, companies can be conscious of the kind of impact they have on all aspects of society, including economic, social, and environmental. Essentially, it is about listening and responding to the needs of a company’s stakeholders. COVID-19 has been declared as a global health pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). It not only has caused massive economic knocks but greatly impacted the health and wellbeing of many citizens globally and Namibia is not…

23 Apr

This is not the time for a party

info_e12wt4csNational NewsCovid-19, National Broadcaster (nbc), SWAPO

…it is a time to be sensitive and sincere We are disappointed at the ill-considered ‘party’ that was held to celebrate the SWAPO 60th birthday. We are fine with the ruling party rightfully applauding its 60-year history and its future in power in Namibia. But, during a COVID-19 pandemic, a state of emergency and an extended lockdown where people are being herded into their homes, forced to stand distances apart in queues to buy bread, and watch their financial futures crumble, the ruling party -led by the President himself- is having a grand old time, at a party with a…

23 Apr

Utoni clueless on COVID-19 labour impacts

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyCovid-19

Andrew Kathindi Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, Utoni Nujoma is clueless on the number of jobs that have been lost during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’m not in a position to give figures on lost jobs. You will have to get those details from the regions,” said the minister, whose ministry is key towards providing guidance to employers and employees affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Despite admitting that the labour market was in turmoil even before the COVID-19 outbreak, the minister failed to provide estimated job loses post-outbreak and what measures were being implemented to…

23 Apr

SSC plans N$3,000 payout

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyCovid-19, Social Security Commission (SSC)

Andrew Kathindi The Social Security Commission (SSC) is set to pay N$1,000 per month for three months to employees from sectors hard-hit by the impact of the coronavirus. SSC Executive Officer Milka Mungunda said sectors to be covered by the grant to be administered by the fund include construction, farming, transport, manufacturing, retail, domestic workers and entertainment among others. “Vulnerable employees in the formal sector who are paid up SSC members will also receive a grant of N$1,000 a month during this period provided that they do not earn more than N$50,000 per annum,” said Mungunda said. Assuming all legal…

22 Apr

FNB Namibia provides relief to SMEs impacted by COVID-19

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedCovid-19, First National Bank Namibia, FNB, Namibia

Staff Writer Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, First National Bank Namibia has been closely monitoring developments, with the view of provisionally restructuring its operations and solutions to meet the changing demands and minimising the impact of the pandemic. FNB Namibia commends the Government of Namibia on its decision to invoke extreme social distancing (lockdown) and believes that the decision is a major step in the right direction towards containing the spread on the COVID-19, and drastically minimising its impact on our society and economy. Philip Chapman, FNB Executive Officer for Commercial assured customers that in addition to putting…

22 Apr

Sanlam pledges N$3.5 million

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedCovid-19, Namibia, Sanlam Group, Sanlam Namibia, SMEs

. . . to support various initiatives to combat the spread and the impact of the COVID-19 virus in an effort to “flatten the curve” The Sanlam Group has thrown its weight behind the fight against the spread of the Coronavirus in Africa and other territories where it has a business presence outside of South Africa by donating R45 million (about USD2,3 million) to support various initiatives to fight the pandemic. In response to the spread of COVID-19 in our country, Sanlam Namibia and its subsidiaries Welwitschia Insurance Brokers and Sanlam Investments today pledges N$3.5 million to support various initiatives…

21 Apr

Vivo Energy Namibia boosts COVID-19 Fight with fuel donation

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedCovid-19, Ministry of Health and Social Service, Vivo Energy Namibia

Vivo Energy Namibia, the distributor and marketer of Shell branded fuels and lubricants in Namibia, has contributed N$150,000 worth of fuel (about 13,200 litres) to support the mobility of the Ministry of Health and Social Service’s Emergency response teams countrywide in a bid to further mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The company has also pledged to use selected Shell retail sites around the country; to provide free softdrinks to members of emergency response services on duty during the extended lockdown period. This contribution is worth N$48,000, and brings the total donation to the Ministry of Health and…

20 Apr

The Time Traveler: Fake news!

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedChinese, Covid-19

Hugh Ellis In this Covid-19 crisis, it was only a matter of time before fake news would rear its ugly head. No, a brand-new vaccine is not on the market in France (at bare minimum, another 18 months of research to make sure it is safe and it works, lie ahead). That picture you may have seen, supposedly of French doctors and policemen celebrating the new vaccine, was actually taken in Spain some years ago. Bananas are a nutritious fruit, but there’s no proof that eating them dramatically reduces your risk of contracting Covid-19. There is no evidence Covid-19 was…