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Erasmus Shalihaxwe The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Natural Resources has recommended increasing Agribank’s funding scheme for resettled farmers to at least N$1 million. This recommendation follows a study by the committee, conducted between May and August 2023, which highlighted the financial challenges faced by resettled farmers.  The committee’s report, released last week, found that many resettled farmers struggle to run their farms productively due to insufficient start-up capital. The committee also recommended that the resettlement policy consider issuing farmers with title deeds, which could be used as collateral to access loans from financial institutions. Currently, resettled farmers do not…

Allexer Namundjembo  Supreme Court judge Shafimana Ueitele was granted a land tax exemption by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform on the basis that he falls within the category of a former disadvantaged person as articulated under Article 23 of the Constitution. This explanation was given by the agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein in parliament last week when he was responding to questions posed to him by Popular Democratic Movement parliamentarian, Hidipo Hamata. “Secondly, it is justified as the implementation of policies and programmes aimed at redressing social, economic, or educational imbalances in Namibian society arising out of past…

Niël Terblanché The newly inaugurated DRC Police Station in Swakopmund’s DRC informal settlement is set to stand as a beacon of safety and justice, bringing essential law enforcement services closer to the people who reside in the sprawling informal settlement.  Officially opened on Thursday by Albert Kawana, Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, the facility will also increase security in the growing community. Kawana said that the new facility was constructed in just six months. “The state-of-the-art police station is a result of a public-private partnership, with Rössing Uranium Limited funding the project and the Swakopmund Municipality donating…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja  The country’s 50/50 gender policy has been praised as a model for representation in governance, but questions persist about its impact beyond numerical achievements. Speaking at the #GapZero Manifesto on Gender Equality in Public Leadership event in Monrovia on Saturday, former First Lady Monica Geingos acknowledged the policy’s success in placing women in leadership roles but highlighted the ongoing challenge of achieving real influence.  “When women break barriers to assume leadership roles, they often face a surprising challenge—a lack of support from their female counterparts,” Geingos said, underscoring the need for solidarity in the fight for gender parity.…