Observer – Page 605 – Windhoek Observer

15 Jul

Noble ideas unfulfilled

ObserverNational NewsBernadus Swartbooi, Government, Hifikepunye Pohamba, Mass Housing Program (MHP), President

When we admire someone personally and recognize their achievements, objective political analysis of what they say is a challenge. Such is the case as we ponder the nbc interview by the distinguished Former President of Namibia, Hifikepunye Pohamba that aired on Monday. The Former President defended the Founding President. His defense regarding the startling adjectives used by Landless People’s Movement (LPM) leader Bernadus Swartbooi was not unexpected. There have been condemnations from a line of Swapo wings, supporters, and leaders. He gave one more. Pohamba emerged from retirement to defend power, but not the pleas of the poor. This is…

15 Jul

Namdeb commences COVID-19 testing

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Namdeb

Staff Writer Given the risk of the spread of COVID-19, Namdeb has now introduced its own COVID-19 testing capacity in Oranjemund. The company said the development is part of a comprehensive response plan to safeguard the health and safety of its employees and to support the local community. “As a responsible corporate citizen, and a long-term partner of the Namibian government, Namdeb is committed to support the efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. Namdeb has also been instrumental in availing and setting up isolation units in Oranjemund and Lüderitz, as well as procuring essential medical equipment such as…

15 Jul

Second COVID-19 death recorded

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

Staff Writer Namibia has recorded a second COVID-19 related death. Minister of Health and Social Services, Kalumbi Shangula announced on Tuesday that a 44-year old man who passed away on 11 July at home in Walvis Bay had tested positive for COVID-19 posthumously. This comes less than a week after Namibia recorded record its first death on Wednesday 8 July. “He was a known diabetic. He visited the hospital on the 7th of July 2020 at the state hospital where his blood sugar was found to be high and got stabilized. On the 10th of July 2020, he visited the…

15 Jul

Govt fails own tourism rescue deadline

ObserverObserver MoneyDigu //Naobeb, Namibia Tourism Board (NTB), NTB

Andrew Kathindi The government is yet to pronounce itself on the protocols for the tourism revival initiative, a day before the sector is supposed to open up. Last month, as part of measures to migrate to Stage 4 of the state of emergency and save the tourism sector, President Hage Geingob announced that Government in collaboration with the Tourism and Hospitality sector will conduct a targeted International Tourism revival initiative between 15 July to 15 August 2020. However, nearly a month on, and following detailed consultations with the industry, the government has yet to give the green light to open…

15 Jul

Venaani demands answers from Noa

ObserverObserver MoneyMcHenry Venaani, PDM, Popular Democratic Movement (PDM)

Staff Writer Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani has written to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) demanding to know why no action has been taken against high profile individuals who are alleged to have also played a key role in the Fishrot saga. This comes as the Windhoek Observer in April revealed that no extradition request had been sent for lawyer, Marén de Klerk, who is currently moving around freely in South Africa. De Klerk is alleged to have played a key role in the syphoning of funds to the tune of N$50 million from the National Fishing Corporation of…

13 Jul

Geingob takes the low road

ObserverNational NewsSophia Shaningwa, SWAPO, Swapo Party

On Sunday, we were expecting a firm, unequivocal refutation of accusations of any and all links to Swapo from the Fishrot scandal. We didn’t get it. Geingob took the low road. He presented defensive bluster and selective phrasing in his qualified denial that Swapo fingers are in the fish pie. The president of Swapo held his media conference on Sunday where he says people “will not see any money [in Swapo accounts] coming from Fishrot.” The notoriously media-hostile and inarticulate Swapo Party Secretary-General, Sophia Shaningwa, spoke up. She invited “anyone” to contact the Swapo office to access party financial records.…

13 Jul

2016 decision haunts transparency calls

ObserverObserver MoneyElectoral Act of 2014, Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN)

...as Swapo cites lack of regulations Andrew Kathindi It appears that a decision taken by political parties in 2016 not to reveal the source of their donations has come back to haunt them, four years later. This comes amid increased calls for the Swapo party to be transparent with its source of funds. The ruling party has been implicated in the Fishrot saga. In 2016, following the amendment of the Electoral Act of 2014, political parties unanimously decided to leave out the disclosing of the source of their donations exceeding a prescribed amount as per the Act, after a workshop…

13 Jul

DBN suspends three more over loans scandal

ObserverObserver MoneyDBN, Development Bank of Namibia (DBN)

Staff Writer The Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) has announced that three more employees have been suspended, bringing the total to seven employees that have been fingered for their involvement in a loans scandal that has rocked the bank. This comes as the DBN Spokesperson Di-Anna Grobler revealed that the bank was close to concluding its investigations. “If there are alleged irregularities, the Bank will follow through with investigation on the matter and take appropriate steps to ensure that the integrity of the Bank is preserved,” she said. The development at the bank comes after media reports revealed senior officials…

13 Jul

PDM to appeal High Court ruling

ObserverObserver MoneyElectoral Commission of Namibia (ECN’s), Popular Democratic Movement (PDM)

…as Venaani digs into judiciary Staff writer Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) has announced that it will appeal a Monday High Court ruling against the party and the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN’s) over their decision to remove candidates from the list of members to be sworn in the National Assembly. Charmaine Tjirare and Hidipo Hamata had challenged the ECN’s decision to accept a revised list of members to be sworn in the National Assembly after the November 2019 elections after the PDM submitted a new list, removing six candidates and replacing them with six who were not on the list…

10 Jul

Couch Kitten: Mediocre isn’t always bad

ObserverUncategorisedTikTok, Twitter, YouTube

Thandizo Kawerama I’ve recently gotten back into learning how to do makeup. Having not done a full face since 2015 means my skills are a little rusty, and all the looks I manage to muster up are off trend and honestly a little bit ashy. No matter the amount of YouTube tutorials, TikTok hacks and Twitter threads I go through, I’ve realised that my skills are just mediocre. I however still enjoy playing around with makeup palettes despite my mediocracy, and I think there should be a space for underachieving at activities if their sole purpose is to bring you…