Windhoek Observer – Page 491 – Windhoek Observer

20 Jun

Elon Musk’s Starlink eyes Namibia

National News

Chamwe Kaira Elon Musk’s Starlink, the satellite internet company, has applied for a licence to enter the Namibian market, Chief Executive Officer of the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) Emilia Nghikembua said in an interview. “Starlink has submitted an application for licences to the Authority, and the application is being processed and considered in terms of the provisions of the Communications Act (No. 8 of 2009) and relevant regulations,” she said. Last month, Botswana granted an operating licence to Starlink, which is owned by SpaceX, three weeks after a government delegation met with the SpaceX team in the US.…

20 Jun

Soldiers fear victimisation at polling stations in military bases

National News

Stefanus Nashama The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) is proposing that military personnel vote on the same day as the rest of the country to avoid victimisation. The LPM, in a letter to the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) dated 20 June and signed by the party’s representative, Ivan Skrywer, also requested that the military personnel vote at public polling stations. “Our military personnel have on many occasions complained about the way they are expected to cast their votes. Given the nature of their service, the commission has over the years made efforts to place the voting stations uniquely at the…

20 Jun

Bad roads hamper access to health services in Ndiyona

National NewsBad roads

Martin Endjala Mukoya Laurentius, the Ndiyona constituency councillor says that residents are struggling to access health services due to poor road infrastructure. Laurentius told the Windhoek Observer that many residents are unable to access the necessary health services because the distance to Rundu State Hospital is too far to walk. He said many residents who fall sick are left to care for themselves, a situation that has resulted in several deaths. “The road issue in Ndiyona is a big problem. Residents cannot walk long distances because it is just too far," he said. Laurentius said he alerted the Office of…

20 Jun

Unemployed people will make things uncomfortable for government

National News

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Social justice activist, Michael Amushelelo has warned that if the government fails to address the unemployment situation on time, unemployed people, especially the youth, will make things uncomfortable. Amushelelo was addressing the parliamentary committee on constitutional and legal affairs during a consultative meeting at parliament on Thursday. “Crime is a result of people not having an income, and if we keep ignoring unemployment, we will face serious danger. You should bear in mind that unemployed people have nothing to lose; you as members of Parliament and politicians, have your nice cars and live a comfortable life with your…

20 Jun

Presidential neighbourhood is a crime hotspot

National News

Martin Endjala Auasblick, the State House's neighbourhood, has become a hub for crimes such as robbery and hijacking. Many health enthusiasts use the area for exercise because of the hills and lack of traffic. The latest crime incident involved Matthias Ngwangwama, the managing director of Namibia Wildlife Resorts. On Wednesday night, robbers stole Ngwangwama's car and cell phone. Alfred Hengari, the spokesperson of State House, said that there is an investigation into the matter and assured the public that the presidential residence is secured and its safety has not been compromised. “I can assure you that the precinct of the…

20 Jun

Dippenaar convicted on six counts of murder

Main

Niël Terblanché “I have been waiting for a long time. Justice was served.” These were the words of Antonia Joschko on the steps of the Swakopmund Magistrate’s Court after Jandre Dippenaar was found guilty of, amongst others, six counts of murder. Besides Dippenaar, she is the only other survivor of a horrific car crash between a Ford Ranger and a Toyota FJ Cruiser near Henties Bay on 29 December 2014. The crash claimed the lives of her father, mother and sister, along with the lives of three young Namibians. The people who died in the horrific crash were German nationals…

20 Jun

Not much in South African GNU given colonial project of capitalism

Opinions

CAN any one coming from the background of the colonial project of the West put any premium on the much vaunted developments in South Africa, which are very much still work in progress if not very much fantasies of white liberalism as well as opportunists and liberation pretenders running out of ideas and their grands schemes being shown for what they really are and have been. Very much a neo-colonial project that it is and has been, which is part of the grand colonial project which is part of the global capitalist imperial project, which has seen the South being…

20 Jun

Shifeta to appoint environmental officers

Latest

The minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, is expected to appoint environmental officers on Friday at the ministry's headquarters in Windhoek.This is in accordance with the Environmental Management Act (EMA), Act no. 7 of 2007, which promotes the sustainable management of the environment and the use of natural resources.“Given the growing number of environmental crimes regulated under Section 27 of the EMA and the limited staff complement of the Directorate of Environmental Affairs (DEA), the is activating Section 18 of EMA which gives the minister powers to appoint Environmental Officers as he or she considers necessary to carry…

20 Jun

GIPF debt swap, a possibility

Observer MoneyGIPF debt swap

CHAMWE KAIRA Moody’s Investment Services expect the government to meet the upcoming Eurobond maturity without significantly drawing down the economy's foreign reserves, including by partially refinancing the bond in international capital market by resorting to a debt-for-asset swap operation with the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) akin to the transaction performed with the US$500 million in November 2021 Eurobond maturity in the face of disrupted international capital markets. The stock of international reserves stood higher at N$55,6 billion as at 31 May, up from N$54,3 billion on 31 March supported by higher SACU receipts. According to a document shared with…

20 Jun

Demand for SA maize grows

Observer Money

CHAMWE KAIRA Namibia is on list of countries that are expected to depend on maize imports from South Africa due to the impact of the El Nino on other Southern African countries including Zimbabwe, Zambia Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique. The Namibian Agronomic Board said in March that Namibia expects to import 162 000 tonnes of white maize in the 2023/24 season, given that the country expects to produce about 38 000 tonnes in locally. Equity analyst, Vikhyat Sharma said in a report he prepared for the Rainbow Chicken Limited that although the current year’s expected maize crop is estimated to…