info_e12wt4cs – Page 925

21 Aug

Church tax still under consideration

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyCouncil of Churches of Namibia (CCN), Finance Minister Iipumbu Shiimi, Ministry of Finance

Andrew Kathindi Ministry of Finance says plans to tax churches remains under considering two years on, with Finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi still to pronounce himself on the way forward. This comes after then finance minister Calle Schlettwein had stated in 2018 during his Budget Speech plans to probe Section 16 of the Income Tax Act to include taxing religious organisations such as churches. “The proposal is still on the cards but not yet tabled to parliament as consultation with the new Minister on this particular amendment is yet to be done,” finance ministry spokesperson, Tonateni Shidhudhu told the Windhoek Observer.…

21 Aug

Asset manager courts GIPF for Ohorongo buy . . . as IDC plans exit

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyGovernment Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF), NaCC, Namibia Competition Commission (NaCC), Ohorongo Cement, Schwenk Namibia (Pty) Ltd

Staff Writer The Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) has received an unsolicited proposal from one its asset managers seeking financial backing for its plans to acquire Schwenk Namibia (Pty) Ltd, the company which owns and operates the Ohorongo Cement factory. The cement company is now back on the market after the Namibia Competition Commission (NaCC) this month blocked West China Cement Limited from acquiring the business for N$1.5 billion citing the proposed acquisition could be uncompetitive since West China Cement Limited is a majority shareholder in Cheetah Cement, a move which could enable possible collusion and price fixing to the…

20 Aug

Namibia can only survive if it is unified

info_e12wt4csNational NewsNamibia, Twaloloka, Walvis Bay

The recent back-and-forth between burned out ‘residents’ of Twaloloka and a landless group claiming to be born in Walvis Bay, shows the ugly spectre of disunity. The latter group is angry. They purport to have been waiting for land without results. They object to the fire victims who are supposedly not originally from Walvis Bay and yet are set to receive plots. Times are tough; the worst breakdown is where groups begin to compare their poverty and stubbornly claim that theirs is worse. Two groups of landless, impoverished people fighting each other solves nothing. It does not address the root…

20 Aug

BoN forecast 7.8% domestic economy contraction

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyBank of Namibia, BoN Governor Johannes !Gawaxab, Covid-19

Staff Writer Bank of Namibia (BoN) has forecasted the domestic economy to contract by 7.8 percent in 2020 before a moderate recovery of 2.1 percent in 2021. “The COVID-19 pandemic has caused domestic economic activity to contract severely during the first six months of 2020. The slump was reflected in sectors such as mining, agriculture, manufacturing, construction, tourism, wholesale and retail trade as well as transport and storage. Activity in the telecommunication and local electricity generation subsectors, however, showed some improvements in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019,” BoN Governor Johannes !Gawaxab announced on…

20 Aug

Education Ministry consults on next step . . . As ED rules out full e-learning

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyCovid-19, education executive director Sanet Steenkamp, Ministry of Education Arts and Culture

Andrew Kathindi After several failed attempts to restart the school year for all levels, the Ministry of Education Arts and Culture has begun consulting schools and unions on the way forward ahead of all grades reopening on 31 August 2020. This comes as the Ministry has posed several questions to schools, unions, parents, community members and stakeholders in a survey as part of an attempt to get a better understanding of where everyone stands regarding the issue of school re-openings. “We looked at what happens after August 31 in terms of school resumption for face-to-face learning. What is it that…

19 Aug

The Hair and Beauty Charity sees 78% increase in support requests during Covid-19

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedCovid-19, Hair and Beauty Charity

Amanda Pauley The Hair and Beauty Charity has experienced a 78% increase in requests for financial support from beauty and hair professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic – the largest surge since the charity was established in 1853. Despite suffering a “major loss of income” due to the cancellation of several fundraising activities, the charity has been able to support beneficiaries through a relief fund that has currently raised £30,000 during the crisis. In the first month of lockdown, the charity saw its monthly expenditure rise by 105%. The charity had distributed more than £60,000 to beneficiaries between April and June;…

19 Aug

Book Reviews – Jackie’s recent reading list

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedBook Reviews

Staying at home more these days has allowed me the time to do what I have been doing since I was four years old. That is: Reading books. I love leaving my reality and entering a world created by authors. I love a good story. Amazon.com and Audible.com have massive sales these days. I got into the .99 cent and 2-for-1 sale and came away with great reads. Here are three that I just finished. Lila by Naima Coster – This is supposed to be an intimate true story about the complexities of female friendship and the way two girls…

19 Aug

How to protect yourself against cybercrime

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedCovid-19, cybercrime, Johnny Truter

Johnny Truter Worldwide studies indicate that approximately five billion people were active internet users in July 2020. This comprises 59 percent of the global population. These numbers, accompanied by COVID-19’s preventative measures such as social distancing, has led to an increase in cyber-crime attacks. The responsibility is on us as individuals and businesses to strengthen our defences, and mitigate the risks by taking the essential precautions. Here are a variety of ways on how to protect yourself against cyber-crime - wrongdoing that involves a computer and a network: Use unique and robust passwords: You should use long, unique, and cryptic…

19 Aug

Directive: Decongest the ghettos right now . . . But how? – The devil is in the details

info_e12wt4csNational NewsCOVID, Erastus Uutoni

A letter from the minister of urban and rural development, Erastus Uutoni to mayors and regional governors announced a ‘directive’ to develop urgent decongestion plans. This is a part of the fight against the spread of COVID-19. Local political officials and appointees, likely without technical skills, must now do the job of the ministry. Assuming there are funds available, they must decongest (undefined) the impoverished peri-urban residential areas. This is easier said than done. The fact that land for residences can materialize out of nowhere in haste, points to something disturbing. If the ministry could provide basic land to house…

19 Aug

Government to honor bonuses

info_e12wt4csObserver 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…