info_e12wt4cs – Page 923

29 Aug

Gvt suspends solidarity, wealth tax plans

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyCovid-19, Solidarity Tax, sovereign wealth fund, wealth tax

Andrew Kathindi The solidarity wealth tax which was proposed over two years ago by then Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein has been dropped due to lack of support, the Agriculture, Water and Land Minister has revealed. In its place, a “proper” wealth tax was proposed before his change in portfolio; however that too was met with opposition and has since been put on the back burner due to COVID-19. Finance Ministry spokesperson Tonateni Shidhudhu said the wealth tax has been set aside to focus on other options. “The Wealth Tax and the Solidarity Tax were just ideas to augment the revenue…

29 Aug

Namibia placed under national curfew ..as the country opens borders to tourists

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyArandis, president Hage Geingob, STAGE 3, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay

Andrew Kathindi President Hage Geingob has extended stage 3 lockdown measures currently in place across the country’s 14 regions for an additional period of 14 days. The President has also extended the curfew, which was introduced on 13 August and currently being enforced in Erongo and Khomas regions, between 8PM and 5AM daily, to all 14 regions across the country. This comes as Geingob announced that Namibia has recorded five more COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the national death toll to 65. Namibia currently has the highest rate of new infections per population on the continent, and there are now confirmed…

28 Aug

Eggplant Mixed Grill

info_e12wt4csUncategorised

Jackie Wilson Asheeke Namibians love to Braai. It is getting a bit warmer these days and now is the time to dust of the grill and get some Saturday afternoon action underway. This recipe is about eggplant (aubergines) and other veggies, but you can as well add good ‘ol Namibian meat to the grill and stuff your face with proteins provided in the Land of the Brave. I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I will this weekend. I worry about grilling aubergines because they fall apart and make a mess on the grill that has to be scrubbed off…

28 Aug

Robert Mugabe Clinic is the weakest link

info_e12wt4csNational NewsCovid-19, Robert Mugabe Clinic

Employers sending their staff to be tested for COVID-19 may be unwittingly responsible for spreading it further. Anyone driving by the Robert Mugabe Clinic has seen the tightly packed lines of people waiting to be tested. Some are waiting for their COVID-19 results. There is no social spacing and most have their noses uncovered as they improperly wear masks. There are those who are there who have been called in to collect their written results. A few of those results are positive. Those who are positive are standing amongst those who are negative or those waiting for results. This is…

28 Aug

Fish quota auction raises N$630m

info_e12wt4csObserver Money

Staff Writer The government has raised N$628 million from the auction of its fishing quota as part of efforts to generate income to fund COVID-19 related expenditure, the Ministry of Finance announced on Thursday. Finance minister, Iipumbu Shiimi said the auction had attracted increased scrutiny amid transparency concerns after it was announced. He said, “Section 3(3) of the Marine Resources Act, Act No 27 of 2000 as amended, makes provision for the State to utilize or harvest marine resources to advance any social economic, cultural or other governmental objectives in the public interest.” The minister reiterated that government had managed…

28 Aug

‘Good riddance’: Shaningwa on resignations

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyAffirmative Repositioning (AR), Job Amupanda, Knowledge Iipinge, Panduleni Iitula, SWAPO

Andrew Kathindi Swapo party Secretary General (SG) Sophia Shaningwa has said good riddance after a number of opinionated, outspoken youthful members, including Job Amupanda, officially resigned as members of the ruling party on Wednesday. The Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader along with a number of former Swapo party youth league members, including Walvis Bay constituency councilor Knowledge Iipinge, officially left the party in a coordinated effort on Heroes’ Day, attributing their decision to not wanting to be associated with the “corrupt” Swapo party. Shaningwa, however, welcomed their departure, stating that it was a “headache off her shoulders as a Secretary General…

26 Aug

Slow cooker meatballs in tomato sauce

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedNamibia, tomato sauce

Jackie Wilson Asheeke Simple recipes are the best. I like this one for slow cooker meatballs in tomato sauce. My sister Susan turned me on to the meatballs as she usually makes them when I am home in the USA for the holidays. I stole her idea and used it for family meals when I returned to Namibia. It was a hit! I played around with the directions below and found combinations that work for Namibia and for me. A lot of these recipes on line are geared for what is available in US or European stores. A few of…

26 Aug

Don’t blame education failures on COVID-19

info_e12wt4csNational NewsCOVID, Education, Namibia

The pandemic has slammed Namibia’s already weak educational system. The victims of this are the students. Many learners have lost time in their climb towards degrees or advancement from one grade to another. But, no one can credibly blame the failures of Namibia’s ability to uplift its learners, on the pandemic. The massive problems and alarmingly bad test results existed long before that. During apartheid, Bantu education systematically, purposefully and deliberately buried minds and creativity. Oppression can never work if people expose lies, embrace new ideas and lose all fear of anyone calling themselves superior. But, after independence, those minds…

26 Aug

Tourism revival measures announced

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyCovid-19, Forestry and Tourism, Immigration, Minister of Health and Social Services, Minister of Home Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Safety and Security

Staff Writer The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has announced protocols guiding the international tourism revival initiative which comes into effect next month. The initiative is a government plan aimed at providing a lifeline to the country’s tourism sector which is on the verge of collapse due to the closure of the borders as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. This announcement comes after two failed attempts by government to open the borders to international tourist arrivals due to increases in infection rates in different parts of the country. In addition, the working group of the…

26 Aug

No special treatment for Fishrot seven . . . as Windhoek Central Prison cases break 100

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyCommissioner General, COVID, Erongo, Henties Bay, Raphael Hamunyela, Windhoek Central Prison

Andrew Kathindi Head of the Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) Commissioner General, Raphael Hamunyela has ruled out any special treatment for the Fishrot seven amid rising COVID-19 cases at Windhoek Central Prison where they are currently incarcerated. “Our mandate is to ensure the safe, secure and humane custody of inmates. We do not mistreat any person. And we also do not offer special treatment to any intimate. All the people, when they come to the correctional service are treated equally. You are just an inmate; you are not given any other title,” Hamunyela told Windhoek Observer. He added that the high-profile…