National News

Poor performance of Ruacana hydropower plant hikes electricity costs

Poor performance of Ruacana hydropower plant hikes electricity costs

Martin Endjala The Electricity Control Board Chief Executive Officer Robert Kahimise blamed the underperformance of the Ruacana Hydro Power Plant as one of many contributing factors to the high cost of electricity imports, which leads to a higher tariff under-recovery. The CEO made this remark during the announcement of ECB’s revision of bulk electricity tariffs last week Friday in Windhoek. He said that the electricity that was not generated at Ruacana as anticipated during the previous period was replaced by imports at a higher cost. The Ministry of Mines and Energy and relevant government stakeholders will soon engage their Angolan…
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Collection of chronic medication made easier

Collection of chronic medication made easier

Martin Endjala Long queues and unbearable waiting hours are a thing of the past, as patients on chronic medication can now collect their medicines via Pelebox. The new service is available to all eligible patients with controlled viral loads for example, at the discretion of their health doctors or practitioners and will be accessible at 19 public health facilities countrywide. This is according to the Ministry of Health and Social Services Chief Clinical Mentor, Jacques Kamangu, during a talk show on National TV this week. The Pelebox will be officially launched next week Tuesday at the Katutura Intermediate State Hospital…
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Selfless sacrifice keeps the nation healthy

Selfless sacrifice keeps the nation healthy

Niël Terblanché Namibia joined the rest of the world in honouring nurses for their sacrifice and selfless dedication to the health and well-being of people everywhere. President Hage Geingob in a special message on behalf of all Namibians said that everyone recognises the extraordinary contributions of Namibian nurses in the national healthcare system. International Nurses Day was commemorated on Friday under the theme “Our Nurses. Our Future.” International Nurses Day is celebrated annually on 12 May to commemorate the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, who is widely considered the founder of modern nursing. The day recognises nurses’ contributions to healthcare…
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Seibeb says Uutoni has no mental capacity

Seibeb says Uutoni has no mental capacity

Stefanus Nashama Landless People’s Movement Member of Parliament, Henny Seibeb, says Urban and Rural Development Minister, Erastus Uutoni has no mental capacity to analyse and investigate before writing a letter to the Mayor of Keetmanshoop. The Parliamentarian made these remarks yesterday at a press conference in response to Minister Uutoni who apparently wrote a letter on 5 May to the Keetmanshoop Municipality, in which he allegedly claimed the Council has allocated unserviced land to the residents. Seibeb said the Minister has relied on rumours and gossip in writing a letter, “he has no evidence that unserviced land was distributed”. “Uutoni…
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PM given 25 days to resolve the mass housing conundrum

PM given 25 days to resolve the mass housing conundrum

The Popular Democratic Movement and Official Opposition leader, Mchenry Venaani, has given Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila 25 days to resolve the issue of 890 unoccupied houses that were built as part of the mass housing program dating back seven years ago. Venaani said yesterday that failure to respond to the letter issued on the of 20th July 2022, will prompt the PDM and other progressive forces to demonstrate and even to take up arms in solidarity. He said that not allocating these 890 vacant houses to families in dire need, warrants a direct violation of Article 8 (2) (b) of…
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Cloven-hoofed animals must be supplied south of the Red Line

Cloven-hoofed animals must be supplied south of the Red Line

Stefanus Nashama Popular Democratic Movement Leader, McHenry Venaani, has called on the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein to speed up the process of targeted interventions and modalities for cloven-hoofed animals to be supplied south of the veterinary cordon fence also known as the Red Line. Venaani said this is appropriate to ensure that veterinary facilities such as quarantine facilities and all related agricultural infrastructure and architecture are of the necessary quality to provide farmers north of the Red Line with the necessary access to the lucrative markets available to farmers to the south of the line.…
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Robust petroleum policy must benefit all Namibians

Robust petroleum policy must benefit all Namibians

Niël Terblanché The development of a sturdy National Upstream Petroleum Local Content Policy and eventual implementation thereof will enable Namibians from all walks of life to participate in the country’s exciting hydrocarbon future. Local Content Policies (LCP) have become a key priority of host governments and industry players alike. Increasingly more resource-rich developing countries are enacting local content legislation as a means of maximising the benefits to be gained from petroleum and other industries. Given this reality, the Namibian Government have equally decided to adopt this instrument with the objective to increase local participation in the value chain of goods…
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NWR records an increase in revenue

NWR records an increase in revenue

Staff Writer Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) recorded a revenue of N$290 million during 2022. This is according to the company’s annual report to the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises, Minister Ipumbu Shiimi. “During the year under review, NWR managed to cut its operating loss by 66%, from N$97 million in 2021 to N$33 million in 2022. Revenue improved by 74%, from N$167 million in 2021 to N$290 million,” said Nelson Muremi Ashipala, NWR Manager of Corporate Communications in the report. In addition, he said the company achieved a clean audit for the first time, indicating its commitment to effective…
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Financial injection will accelerate the repair of Walvis Bay streets

Financial injection will accelerate the repair of Walvis Bay streets

Niël Terblanché A new Memorandum of Agreement between the Walvis Bay Municipality, the Road Fund Administration (RFA), and the Road Authority (RA) will inject almost N$250 million into the project to repair and maintain the port city’s streets. In an announcement, the port city’s municipality said the RFA has committed N$248 million as part of the tripartite agreement over the next five years. During the signing ceremony the Chief Executive Officer of the RFA, Ali Ipinge said the N$248 million which is derived from the Road User Charges, will be used for the rehabilitation and widening of municipal roads leading…
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Property raffle announces bonus winners

Property raffle announces bonus winners

Niël Terblanché Two men from outside the borders of Namibia were the lucky winners of the bonus draw of the Namibia Property Raffle project. Alex Zavatoni from the United States won N$12 000 and a South African, Ruan Fourie, bagged N$8 000 in the draw barely five weeks after the launch of Namibia’s biggest ever raffle with an eventual prize with a combined value of a whopping N$29 million. The big pot is two valuable properties inside the Windhoek city boundaries. Basil Smit, owner of namibiapropertyraffle.com, said the integrity of the raffle was now demonstrated and the fact that two…
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