National News – Page 359

10 Jul

Rössing Uranium phase 4 set to start in 2027

info_e12wt4csNational NewsRössing Uranium phase 4 set to start in 2027

Martin Endjala Phase 4 of the Rössing Uranium mine near Swakopmund will be fully operational in 2027 following a 13-year contract agreement signed in May this year with Biefang Mining Technology Services after the board approved it in February. This agreement will extend the life of the mine to 2036. The mine has been in existence since its inception in 1976 and has been mining on phase 2 and phase 3 pits which will reach its end in 2026. The 13-year contract is matched with the ten-year life cycle of the mining equipment. “After a feasibility study, we conducted which…

10 Jul

Oshakati finally gets a new fire station

info_e12wt4csNational NewsOshakati finally gets a new fire station

Martin Endjala Service delivery by the Oshakati Town Council to its residents has been boosted by the finalisation of the construction of a brand new fire station at a cost of N$8.8 million. The Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni inaugurated the fire station in Oshakati last Thursday. The town has been without a properly fixed functioning fire station for some time now and only used to operate from a temporary station. The completion of the new fire station will enable the Town Council to conveniently take care of fire incidents within the town. This is the first…

10 Jul

New drug commission must protect communities

info_e12wt4csNational NewsNew drug commission must protect communities

Niël Terblanché The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has inaugurated a new National Drug Control Commission (NDCC). Namibia ratified and acceded to the UN Convention against Illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 in 2009. Namibia also joined the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, as well as the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971. Dr Kalumbi Shangula, the Minister of Health and Social Services, during the inauguration of the commission, said that Namibia had experienced an increase in the usage of illicit drugs since 2021. He mentioned that cannabis is the most commonly…

07 Jul

NSFAF management grilled over ‘wasted’ N$15 million

info_e12wt4csNational NewsNSFAF management grilled over ‘wasted’ N$15 million

Stefanus Nashama The Namibia Students Financial Assistant Fund (NSFAF) said it paid a total N$15 million to Onecall Solutions, a company that failed to deliver services to the fund for a period of four years. Appearing before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts yesterday, NSFAF’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Kennedy Kandume said upon investigating, it was found that OneCall Solutions was failing to deliver as per the agreement. Kandume who became the Acting CEO of NSFAF in April 2018 said they paid the company and had to terminate the contract with the company after it had failed to honour…

07 Jul

Calls for Amushelelo’s release increase

info_e12wt4csNational News

Stefanus Nashama Calls for the immediate release of arrested activist and member of Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEEF), Michael Amushelelo have gradually increased on social media, with many young people warning of another mass action at national level. Many young people expressed that they are uncomfortable with the way the Magistrate Court is handling and dealing with Amushelelos’ criminal cases. According to social media comments associated with the call for Amushelelo’s immediate release, the youth believe that Amushelelo’s continued incarceration is a ‘planned hidden agenda’ that prevents him from opening the public’s eyes to the many things he knows while…

07 Jul

Over 100 000 stateless people live in Namibia

info_e12wt4csNational NewsOver 100 000 stateless people live in Namibia

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Namibian Government estimates that there are at least 141 048 stateless and undocumented people residing in Namibia. This was revealed by the Minster of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security, Albert Kawana this week during the tenth Cabinet decisions announcement, where the executive body approved four bills for the regularization of the status of stateless and undocumented people in Namibia. Currently, the country does not have a law that deals with stateless individuals.The Namibian citizenship amendment bill, regularization of the status of certain residents of Namibia and their descendants’ bill, and statelessness determination and protection bill have…

07 Jul

Empowering women through fishery operations

info_e12wt4csNational NewsEmpowering women through fishery operations

Niël Terblanché In an effort to address gender disparities and promote women’s empowerment within the small-scale fisheries sector in Namibia, a pioneering training workshop was held under the banner “Achieving Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Small-Scale Fisheries.” The workshop was hosted in Mariental three days and saw the attendance of 23 women, including fisherwomen, fish processors, and fish traders from across Namibia’s 14 regions. The attendees are members of the Namibia Women’s Fisheries Network (NAMFISHNET). NAMFISHNET is a non-governmental organisation that is independent of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Fisheries…

07 Jul

Olufuko festival kicks off with a bang

info_e12wt4csNational NewsOlufuko festival kicks off with a bang

Martin Endjala Founding President Sam Nujoma has called on Namibians to uphold their culture and never abandon their values to simply conform to Western cultures. “We must learn from our past to inform our future because a nation without culture is like a tree without roots,” he said. He said that Namibians should resolve, among other things, to preserve their history, and write the country’s present account. The Founding Father also advocated for the erasure of distortions about the African people from the literature. “We should do historical research, interpret and record the historical and contemporary knowledge into new conceptions…

07 Jul

Covid-19 burials torment Kavango East Regional Council

info_e12wt4csNational NewsCovid-19 burials torment Kavango East Regional Council

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Kavango East Regional Council has been dragged to court by a construction company that dug graves that were to be utilized for burial by persons whose loved ones succumbed to the Covid-19 virus. WFA Construction CC is claiming that the Regional Council owes them a total N$641 820 for the rental and use of a Tractor-Loader Backhoe (TLB), for the digging of the graves, and the rental and use of a bulldozer for the clearing and cleaning of 20 hectares of land in September 2020. According to documents filed at the Windhoek High Court, the Regional Council…

07 Jul

Elevated prices and interest rates weigh on private consumption

info_e12wt4csNational NewsElevated prices and interest rates weigh on private consumption

Martin Endjala Namibians have not been spared by the rapidly rising inflation and interest rates experienced across the globe over the past year and a half. Undue pressure on disposable incomes has raised concerns about household consumption dynamics. “Weakening household consumption spending bodes ill for overall economic growth as consumer spending constitutes 78 percent of GDP,” economist,”Economist Ruusa Nandago said. Nandago says weaker consumer spending is expected to persist based on various economic indicators such as elevated inflation and interest rates, high unsecured credit uptake growth, high levels of indebtedness and residential property weakness. Nandago pointed out that the 2022…