Windhoek Observer – Page 1149

08 Sep

COVID 19: treatments, experiments and maybes

National NewsCovid-19

The Ministry of Health must be meticulously transparent about trial drugs. The media also must be responsible as it prints headlines announcing the existence of ‘treatments’ for COVID-19. This is not the time to raise false hopes. This is a time for treatments, experiments and maybes. We all want a cure, vaccine or effective treatments for COVID-19. The pressure for this is huge. The drug company that develops a vaccine or cure first will win the billion-dollar lottery. We must always be aware of the huge profits on the table and the unethical steps that may be taken around the…

08 Sep

Fishcor looks to cut ties with Seaflower Pelagic Processing

Observer Money

Andrew Kathindi The National Fishing Corporation of Namibia (Fishcor) board led by Heinrich Mihe Gaomab II has threatened to terminate agreements entered into by the company, including its investment into Seaflower Pelagic Processing (SPP). The decision by the company comes after a damning judgment delivered by Deputy Judge President Hosea Angula in which it described SPP’s relationship with Fishcor as cozy and parasitic, while terms of their 15 year agreement was only going to be possible “under a corrupt environment.” “Having acknowledged judgment outcome and in full and unequivocal support of it, we wish to state that while the judgment…

08 Sep

Tourism initiative records zero arrivals . . . as sector raises practicality concerns

Observer MoneyFederation of Namibian Tourism Associations (FENATA), Namibia, Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta

Clifton Movirongo Namibia has failed to record a single tourist arrival, a week after it opened its borders to tourist arrivals under the international tourism revival initiative. Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta said the industry was banking on the resumption of international flights into the country, with some airlines expected to resume on Friday. “Nothing has really happened in the first official week of the government’s tourism revival plan since the proclamation. However, about five airlines have confirmed that they are landing in Namibia within this month, with the first one scheduled for Friday, 11 September and more coming after that.”…

05 Sep

Couch Cat: Liberate your hair on lockdown

UncategorisedCouch Cat, lockdown

Jackie Wilson Asheeke I have been wearing braid extensions since I was 21. Current articles on natural hair care say that I have done irreparable damage to my natural hair. They are right. The pulling, braiding, and twisting has weakened, thinned and broken off my hair. But, then again, I have had decades of loving my braided look. Life is all about trade-offs. That said, working remote at home in these pandemic days, there is no need to go out as much. So, I wear no braids most of the time. It was weird at first – I look so…

05 Sep

New political formations, how ideological are they?

UncategorisedUN-supervised elections, Yours Truly Ideologically

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro In the last edition, Yours Truly Ideologically compared the ideological position of the various political formations, during the First Phase of the Namibian Revolution. That is from the war of resistance against colonial penetration to the liberation war against colonial occupation, and even during the country’s first ever democratic elections, the 1989 UN-supervised elections. Despite some of the political parties initially gimmicking and posturing socialist positions, it transpired that in their manifestos for the 1989 elections, there was little difference in their economic policies, or their economic blue prints for the radical transformation of the country’s economy. Thirty…

05 Sep

The King is dead; long live the king!

UncategorisedBlack Panther, King

The Time Traveler: Hugh Ellis Chadwick Boseman, who died of cancer last weekend, will forever be known as the actor who brought the Black Panther, King T’Challa of Wakanda, to life. I used to want to be the Black Panther. Wait a minute. Hear me out. I read the comics as a kid in the 80s and 90s, long before Black Panther was mainstream ‘cool’ and African Sci-Fi was the flavor of the month. As it was for many others, the story of the shadowy justice-fighter and the secret country of Wakanda lit up my humdrum existence. It may seem…

05 Sep

I’ve hit a wall

UncategorisedMichelle Obama, USA

Jackie Wilson Asheeke For months I have avoided writing my personal feelings about the beginnings of a race war in the USA. I have been too irrational and furious on this subject. But, now with the new shooting of a black man in his back seven times, I’ve hit a wall. I cannot see a way forward and I cannot move backwards. I was already reeling when I saw a black man killed with a white cop’s knee on his neck. Though I was enraged that yet another black man lost his life to a racist policeman, I was also…

05 Sep

Youth leaders are fighting the wrong fight

National NewsNamibia National Students Organisation (NANSO), Students Union of Namibia (SUN)

The NSFAF announced some time ago that it plans to spend N$180 million to buy laptops needed by many students to access e-learning platforms. Student unions and youth political bodies claiming to speak for ‘the students’, object to this expenditure. These young leaders are fighting the wrong fight. The Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso), the Students Union of Namibia (SUN), the National Africa Students Association, the Landless People's Movement Student Command and the Popular Democratic Movement Youth League have all condemned NSFAF's laptop purchase plan as unreasonable. We fail to see what is so unreasonable? E-learning is going to happen;…

05 Sep

Meatco to revamp NCA operations

UncategorisedMeatco, Northern Communal Area Subsidiary (Pty) Ltd

Staff Writer Recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of Meatco’s Northern Communal Area Subsidiary (Pty) Ltd, Kingsley Kwenani, has announced that the company, has come up with a short-term turnaround strategy to ensure the viability of the business based in the northern communal areas. The development comes as the Meatco subsidiary, has been a loss-making operation attributed to its business environment, factors which needed to be addressed for the long term survival of the unit. "I needed to find out what exactly we can do to turn the situation around. I did this by developing the Meatco NCA strategic policy. One…

05 Sep

CDC dismisses clinical trial claims

Observer MoneyCenter for Disease Control (CDC), Covid-19, Remdesivir

Andrew Kathindi As the debate rages on, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has dismissed claims that Remdesivir, a drug being used to treat COVID-19 patients, is being used in Namibia on a clinical trial basis. This comes as the drug, which has been approved only on an emergency basis by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has divided opinions over its safety and the intentions of its circulation in the country, with some doctors claiming that the drug is under clinical trial to see if it can officially be registered for the treatment of COVID-19. “The FDA approval…