National News – Page 445 – Windhoek Observer

10 May

Regulate teachers for better performance – Caley

National News

Stefanus Nashama The Deputy Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Faustina Caley has called on the establishment of a teachers’ regulatory authority in Namibia, as it would conceptualize and professionalize the teaching profession and regulate matters like teachers’ conduct. “The regulator would also regulate teachers’ preparations, the recruitment process, career advancement and continuous professional development,” she said. Caley was speaking at the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA)’s 10th International Conference hosted by the Ministry of Education, Art and Culture and the Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU) in Windhoek. She said while hosting the conference, Namibia should learn from…

10 May

Political analyst welcomes women vying for high office

National News

Stefanus Nashama Political Analyst, Ndumba Kamwayah says Namibia faces a surprising and mature political challenge, with more women intending to run for president, in the 2024 national elections. Kamwanyah says this is the first time in the political history of Namibia, that women are announcing their intention to run for the high office. Kamwanyah’s remarks came after Social Activist and Women’s Solidarity Namibia Director, Rosa Namises said she is willing to run for president. She also publicly encouraged more women to run for president in the 2024 elections. Namises said anyone can become president, regardless of their popularity. Last week,…

10 May

LPM unhappy with Lithium mining suspension

National News

Martin Endjala The Landless People’s Movement Party Deputy Leader Henny Seibeb has appealed to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources to summon the Mines and Energy Minister Tom Alweendo, to answer and provide evidence in support of his decision to revoke the lithium license of Xinfeng Investment in the Daures Constituency. According to Seibeb, it is suspicious that the Minister’s decision to revoke the lithium license of Xinfeng Investment happened on the eve of the standing committee’s investigations and public hearing with leaders and community members on the matter. “This is sabotage to the standing committee’s work. In fact, I…

10 May

Man slits throat with Kitchen knife

National News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja A 49 year-old man from Onandjila village in Omusati region brutally killed himself by slitting his throat with a kitchen knife last Sunday. The deceased, Jonas Iilonga, committed suicide in his shack at his mother’s homestead, according to Omusati Regional Commander, Commissioner Ismael Basson. “It is alleged that the deceased used a kitchen knife, to cut his throat, while he was in his sleeping shack. His mother found him and rushed him to the Okahao state hospital, together with their neighbors,” Basson explained. The deceased succumbed to his injuries hours later. Basson said no suicide note was left…

10 May

Namibia places well on the FDI map

National News

Niël Terblanché Namibia scooped the first runner-up award in the ‘Best FDI Project’ category of the Investment Awards, hosted at the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) 2023 currently underway in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The award was presented to the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), the investment promotion agency for Namibia for its work with the Kelp Blue investment project. The AIM bestows awards for the best FDI projects in each region of the world to recognize the accomplishment of the country in attracting sizable and beneficial investment projects and thus contributing to the economic growth and development…

09 May

Chinese Lithium miners labeledfrauds as Minister revokes license

National NewsChinese Lithium miners labeledfrauds as Minister revokes license

Niël Terblanché The process of awarding a lithium mining license to Xinfeng Investment (Pty) Ltd was flawed from the start while allegations of corruption and other fraudulent dealings eventually led to the complete revocation of the company’s right to mine and export lithium from Namibia’s shores. The Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, in a letter to lithium miner, Zhou Hao informed of his decision to revoke Mining License 243 situated in the Exclusive Prospecting License (EPL) 7228 area near the small desert settlement of Uis. Alweendo said that during the application for ML 243, Xinfeng deliberately included misleading,…

09 May

WHO declares COVID-19 emergency as something of the past

National NewsWHO declares COVID-19 emergency as something of the past

Niël Terblanché Despite the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring that Covid-19 no longer represents a global health emergency, Namibians might still get infected with the latest evolution of the SARS-CoV2 virus. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Kalumbi Shangula, has warned Namibians that although the danger of the illness brought on by the virus has waned, infection is still possible and that immune-compromised individuals might still experience adverse effects from it. “Because of all the steps we took in concert with the international community, Namibia moved out of the health emergency status in July 2022 already. Other countries in…

09 May

Police hunting for armed robbers

National NewsPolice hunting for armed robbers

Niël Terblanché Officers from both the Namibian Police and the Windhoek City Police have requested members of the public to assist them in apprehending a gang of armed robbers who yesterday morning held up and robbed the owner of the Gammams Shell Service Station in Khomasdal. According to reports, the robbers were watching the movements of the service station owner. They punctured his car’s tyre with a knife and when he left the service station with a laptop computer bag, they swarmed him and threatened to kill him with a knife before grabbing the bag and fleeing in a silver…

09 May

Windhoek informal settlement residents fed up

National NewsWindhoek informal settlement residents fed up

Stefanus Nashama Residents of informal settlements in Windhoek are appealing to the Government for what they say is a mess they find themselves in. They have cited unhygienic environments, a lack of sufficient water and electricity as the main concern for communities. A number of community leaders who spoke to the Windhoek Observer expressed that people walk long distances to fetch water, risking their lives. They also expressed concern over the rising cases of shack fires, leaving many families homeless. Silas Shipindo, a community leader in Goreangab said it is not a secret that people in the informal settlements are…

09 May

Trade Ministry launches micro-business simulation training

National NewsTrade Ministry launches micro-business simulation training

Stefanus Nashama The Ministry of Industrialization and Trade in partnership with the German Sparkassenstiftung for International Cooperation yesterday kicked off its micro business simulation trainings. Trade Minister, Lucia Iipumbu in her speech said that the training is aimed at helping entrepreneurs to manage their businesses successfully. “The training will focus mainly on financial management aspects such as business planning, forecasting, record keeping, budgeting, and financial statements to enable entrepreneurs to get the know-how of business financial,”Iipumbu said. She added that the partnership further aims to enhance entrepreneurship development and deliver entrepreneurial training interventions. The participants to be trained through this…