Government – Page 2 – Windhoek Observer

17 Dec

Hospitals must be first in the money line

ObserverNational NewsCOVAX, Government, Katutura Hospital, Ministry of Health, Namibia

When hospitals run out of vital supplies, the government does not have its spending priorities straight. No matter what excuses are offered by the Executive Director of the Ministry of Health about why vital medicines are missing, they are insufficient. The reason medicines and supplies have run out in hospitals is not an error or a mix-up. Saying they are aware and "looking into it" falls short of the credibility mark. Let us stop saying that hospitals ran out of medicine or supplies. Let us speak the truth. Government has not provided funds so that state medical facilities can serve…

14 Nov

Things the US Presidential Election showed me

ObserverUncategorisedGovernment, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, US President

The Time Traveler: Hugh Ellis Joe Biden has squeezed through to become US President, and Kamala Harris will be the first-ever US Vice-President of Asian and African descent. This should be good news, but much of the TV and internet feed out of the world’s most economically and militarily powerful country in the past week does not leave me optimistic about the nature of humankind. For one thing, there have been the Donald Trump ‘sore loser’ press conferences, where he whined about this and that, claimed that an election his government organized was somehow rigged, against him, while providing no…

27 Oct

NWR gets N$40m boost

ObserverUncategorisedCovid-19, Government, Namibia Wildlife Resorts Limited (NWR)

Staff Writer Government has availed N$40 million in financial support to Namibia Wildlife Resorts Limited (NWR). The funds were allocated to the company in the FY2020/21 Mid-Year Budget Review and Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement. This comes as the tourism company’s board and management had engaged the Ministry of Public Enterprises) to find ways of mitigating the effects of COVID-19 on the business, ensuring the sustainability of the company. “The past six months have been the most challenging for most Namibian companies in Namibia. The Covid-19 pandemic has and is still having, an enormous impact on the tourism and aviation-dependent organisations…

23 Oct

Govt lacks will for rent controls – Job

ObserverObserver MoneyAffirmative Repositioning Movement (AR) leader Job Amupanda, Government

Clifton Movirongo Affirmative Repositioning Movement (AR) leader Job Amupanda, who advocates for the establishment of rent control in the country amid concerns about high home rental costs, says government has no plans to implement the proposal, five years after officials agreed to it. Amupanda told the Windhoek Observer that he is still pushing for the implementation of a viable Rent Control Board with the authority to reduce rental rates. The youthful leader complained that no action has yet been taken by government. “Of course, they never wanted to implement rent control regulations in the first place and that is not…

03 Oct

The embarrassment over the fish auction

ObserverNational Newsfish auction, fisheries, Government

The happy dances being done some weeks ago about N$628 million supposedly ‘earned’ in a government fish auction were grossly premature. There were statements made that "now we know the value of our fish stocks." Comparisons to the over-played investor conferences that generated similar glowingly huge numbers of investments "received" (but were not), are apt. No matter how embarrassing it all has been, it is not the whole story. The first win on this, the egg-on-the-face notwithstanding, is that auctioning the fisheries quotas is a good idea. It should be done permanently. The rules for such auctions, however, must change.…

26 Sep

State assets valued at N$11.9 billion…as Shiimi admits non-compliance

ObserverObserver MoneyFinance Minister Iipumbu Shiimi, Government

Andrew Kathindi The Namibian government has assets worth N$11.9 billion as of 16 September, Finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi has revealed. Of this, the state has movable assets amounting to N$3.9 billion, which include stock, equipment, furniture and vehicles while immovable assets, including land, plants (factories) and buildings stand at N$7.9 billion. The combined total value of movable and immovable assets is N$11.9 billion. The government’s value of immovable asset consists of 692 farming units and 744 housing units. “With regards to resettlement farms, to date Government has spent about N$2.3 billion to acquire about 558 farming units measuring about 3,376,965…

24 Sep

Unaffordable, decongested tool sheds

ObserverNational NewsGovernment

The government has launched an ill-advised decongestion plan. This plan is supposed to curb COVID-19 infections by moving some people out of the overpopulated tin shack suburbs. Human beings are supposed to be shoved into these quickly built, un-serviced structures that are little more than large tool sheds. Now, we learn that there is no money to continue building them – the ‘emergency’ decongestion plan is without funds. The minister of rural and urban housing has sent a letter to local authorities. He is asking them to find money to take up the decongestion project on top of finding land…

15 Sep

Rip off the plaster

ObserverNational NewsGovernment

Government has talked subtly about reducing the civil service wage bill for years. But, this has long been a sacred cow. The time for whispers about this issue has passed. We have too many people on the government payroll; we cannot afford it. In the new normal as we adjust to the realities of the pandemic, there can be no more sacred cows. For the survival of the majority and the country itself as a sovereign nation, everything must be up for serious review with the goal of cutting costs severely. Rather than incrementally dropping hints about the need to…

12 Sep

Watch your money or lose it

ObserverNational NewsGovernment, money, Namibians

All too often Namibians as individuals, businesses and the government itself have been the victim of con artists and thieves. It is easy to conclude that someone wearing the ‘right’ clothes, with the ‘right’ introduction and with the ‘right’ deferential behaviour can lay a web of dodgy promises. It is a concern that too many people accept promised from business partners without vetting, follow-up, constant monitoring, contracts with penalties, milestone check-ins and random spot checks. The old adage remains the truth: If you don’t watch your money, you will lose it. The latest embarrassing episode of yet another conman cheating…

19 Aug

Government to honor bonuses

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Government

Andrew Kathindi Public service workers will breathe a sigh of relief as government stated that it still plans to honour birthday bonuses for its employees despite revenue pressures intensified by COVID-19. Despite hundreds of private sector workers being retrenched on a monthly basis due to economic pressures, with many companies cancelling the 13th cheque as part of cost containment measures, government maintains it will continue to pay bonuses to its employees. “The pay structure of government employees did not change, all conditions of employment, as per the contract of employment each employee has signed with their respective employer, remain applicable…