National News

Grandmother’s intuitions come true

Grandmother’s intuitions come true

Martin Endjala Keemunda, which means helping and caring for others, is the name given by the grandmother.Little did she know that she will become just that.Immagine Shikomba, who holds a Bachelors Degree in computer science from the Namibia University of Science and Technology formed a civil society organization eight years ago called Keemunda Foundation.The name Keemunda comes from Psalms 121, “my help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth”.Shikomba in her reminiscences of her late grandmother, told Windhoek Observer in an interviewthat she never knew what Keemunda meant. When she one day asked her grandmother, she was…
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PDMYL hits back at SPYL

PDMYL hits back at SPYL

Staff Writer The Popular Democratic Movement Youth League (PDMYL) has fired back at the statements made by Swapo Party Youth League secretary for Kavango East region, Anselm Marungu in interview with a local newspaper, The Namibian. PDMYL acting secretary general Yvette Araes said the statement made by Marungu ignore the critical role that opposition political parties play in a functioning democracy. “Healthy, resilient democracies are based on inclusiveness, in which all political parties big or small, representatives of institutions are in key positions to safeguard our democracy. When groups perpetuate the exclusion of individuals from the democratic process or the…
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Fourth Industrial Revolution report ready for submission

Fourth Industrial Revolution report ready for submission

Tujoromajo Kasuto The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Task Force, which has been tasked with conducting a country assessment to determine Namibia’s readiness for 4IR and making recommendations for a coordinated and coherent policy and legislative framework, is expected to submit its report to Cabinet by the end of July 2022. According to 4IR Task Force Chair, Anicia Peters the assessment has been completed and is ready for submission. I don’t know when exactly the report will be released to the public but around the end of July we will hand in the final report. However, when those recommendations will be…
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Omuthiya Festival started<br>…council ignores legal threats

Omuthiya Festival started
…council ignores legal threats

Obrein Simasiku The Omuthiya Town Council has steamed ahead with the idea of hosting the Omuthiya Othithiya despite legal threats from someone who claimed intellectual rights to the festival. There was uncertainty whether the event would materialise following a legal tussle between, an aspirant host of a similar event, Samuel Shinedima, who threatened to litigation in the High Court, claiming that council had copied his idea, after he had initially made a presentation back in 2019, to which the local authority went mute on him. Regardless of the threats, the town mayor Johannes Ndeutepo who has been championing the festival,…
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Experts call for local business growth

Experts call for local business growth

Martin Endjala Experts attending the 4th Africa Youth in Tourism Summit have called on local businesses to partner with international companies for the growth of local products. The local business industry has for many years lived in the shadows of multinationals, with experts stressing that the Africa Youth in Tourism needs to start finding new solutions in reinvigorating a normal buy-stander into buying locally made products particularly in the tourism sector that has been heavily impacted by Covid-19. Virtual and online businesses are seen as fast emerging options that local business needs to start considering in order to grow and…
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Shifeta appointed first SoN patron

Shifeta appointed first SoN patron

Staff Writer Minister of Environment and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta became the first Patron of Scouts of Namibia (SoN).In a ceremony held at his office in Windhoek, Shifeta received a framed appointment certificate, terms of reference for the patron position, and a national Scout scarf from SoN’s president and Ministry of Information, Communication and Techonology executive director Audrin Mathe. SoN that serves more than 4000 scouts, is the national scouting organisation of Namibia.Shifeta who is an advocate for youth involvement and empowerment since 1988, welcomed the opportunity to support youth development, youth citizenship and nation-building through Scouting.He noted that two of…
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Schools shut for strike ballot…voting over two days

Schools shut for strike ballot…voting over two days

Tujoromajo Kasuto and O’Brien Simasiku The Ministry of Education Arts and Culture has closed schools for tomorrow and Friday to allow civil servants to take part in a vote to decide on whether to strike after the government, NAPWU and NANTU, reached a deadlock in wage negotiations. The government states that it has no fiscal space to manoeuvre to increase cash salaries, while unions demand raises in line with skyrocketing costs of living. The transparent balloting process is set to begin tomorrow, July 28th, and will last until July 29th, 2022, at 150 polling stations across the country in places…
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African countries urged to champion energy solutions

African countries urged to champion energy solutions

Martin Endjala President Hage Geingob has urged fellow African leaders to champion solutions for African problems by collaborating with each other for it to be successful and realize the ambitions of the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) to achieve the objective of creating additional 300 Gigawatts renewable energy. Geingob was speaking virtually yesterday at the opening of the African renewable energy forum underway in Cairo, Egypt, where he pointed out that policy convergence and regulatory reforms in the African energy governance architecture is crucial to unlock the potential of renewable technologies in green hydrogen, wind projects, solar power and other…
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Grootfontein municipality sued by contractor

Grootfontein municipality sued by contractor

Tujoromajo Kasuto Grootfontein Town Council is being sued by Otjomuise Construction for allegedly failing to pay over N$1.4 million for the resealing and maintenance of selected roads in the town this year. According to court documents, the construction company is suing for payment in the amount of N$878,940.53 and interest calculated from 18 March 2022 to date of final payment. Additionally, payment in the amount of N$ 647 095.83 and Interest, calculated from 8 April 2022 to date of final payment. According to court papers, the council issued a public invitation for bids for the award of the contract for…
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Kawana irked by unscrupulous senior officers

Kawana irked by unscrupulous senior officers

Obrein Simasiku The Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Albert Kawana is seriously concerned about what he observes as an unscrupulous behaviour among senior police officers who engage in criminal activities by stealing and aiding criminals to steal firearms and other government properties. Kawana castigated the officers for running to the media to air their grievances deliberately avoiding existing internal channels, which have set rules of how to deal with any such concerns. “I am concerned about the deteriorating level of discipline among members of the Namibian Police Force, regrettably including some senior officers. Although these elements are…
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