Observer Money – Page 229

24 Jul

Omaheke CRO suspension lifted

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyChief Regional Officer (CRFO) Maria Vaendwanawa, Omaheke Regional Council

Staff Writer This week, the Omaheke Regional Council lifted the suspension of Chief Regional Officer (CRFO) Maria Vaendwanawa. She will resume her duties on 3 August. Vaendwanawa was suspended last year. This followed allegations of corruption and mismanagement at the regional council. According to the regional council's chairperson, Ignatius Kariseb, the decision to lift the suspension was taken on 22 July. This followed a labour commission hearing. “I can confirm that her suspension has been lifted. We still await the ministry’s investigation to be finalized. Since the investigation was done by the ministry, we still need to see the report…

24 Jul

Foreign trained medical graduates fail again

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyMedical and Dental Councils Board Exams, MoHSS

Andrew Kathindi Most of the foreign-trained medical graduates who took exams for internships earlier this year failed. This re-assessment was taken two years after only two out of 240 foreign-trained Namibian graduates passed the earlier Medical and Dental Councils Board Exams. “433 foreign-trained medical graduates sat for the internship exam in 2020; 27 passed,” Director of Human Resources in the Health Ministry, Joyce Shatilwe, confirmed to Windhoek Observer. She further noted that “those who failed registered with the MoHSS for an orientation program that the Ministry has initiated. So far 277 have registered and we are anticipating kicking off in…

24 Jul

Local venture uplifts Nauaspoort, Groot Aub communities

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyCrewfield Investments, Groot Aub, Nauaspoort

Staff Writer A local business entity, Crewfield Investments has pledged to establish community gardening projects and a medical centre which will uplift the Nauaspoort and Groot Aub communities. Crewfield Investments Chief Operating Officer, Honest Madzivadondo speaking after meeting Windhoek Rural Constituency Councillor Penina Inga-Iita on Wednesday to discuss the two projects, said him and his partners plan to construct a health centre in Groot Aub area as well as encourage food production in Nauaspoort through gardening projects. “It is so painful to observe that millions of dollars are being spent on food imports in the process thus tempering with employment…

24 Jul

Cabinet announces EDs reshuffle

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyDr Moses Maurihungirire, George Simataa, Secretary to the Cabinet

...as Uiras is removed after less than four months Staff Writer Secretary to the Cabinet, George Simataa has announced the appointment of new Executive Directors and transferal of some to other government offices, ministries and agencies. Of note is the removal of Dr Moses Maurihungirire as Executive Director of the Ministry of Fisheries and transferred to the Office of the Prime Minister, assigned to the Public Service Commission Secretariat. Maurihungirire is a former Fishcor board member and was Executive Director during the tenure of former Fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau when cases of corruption are alleged to have occurred. Wilhencia Uiras…

24 Jul

Namibia investigates 5G rollout

info_e12wt4csObserver Money5G, City of Windhoek, Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN), Namibia

Staff Writer Namibia has started the process of investigating the possibility of rolling out 5G technology in the country, with cabinet recently directing the environment ministry to conduct a thorough environmental assessment. “Cabinet directed the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism to ensure that a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is undertaken and that proper assessment is made, prior to the possible introduction of 5G technology in Namibia,” information minister Peya Mushelenga said. A strategic environmental assessment is a systematic decision support process, aiming to ensure that environmental and possibly other sustainability aspects are considered effectively in policy, plan and program…

21 Jul

SADC-PF lawmakers fret over elusive Electoral Justice

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneySADC Model Law, SADC MPs, SADC-PF

Moses Magadza WINDHOEK – A call has been made for Members of Parliament to support efforts to bring about fair and credible elections that deliver electoral justice. The call comes in the wake of increasingly tightly-contested elections and electoral disputes in the SADC Region. Victor Shale, the Principal Consultant at Shalestone Elections & Governance Consultants made the call when he addressed parliamentarians. The MPs represented their countries on the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Standing Committee on Democratisation Governance and Human Rights, last week. He said electoral contests in the SADC region and Africa had become “highly competitive and often followed by…

21 Jul

Be mindful of your mental health

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyFirstRand Namibia’s Employee Wellbeing Specialist, Marjolize Scholtz, mental health

Marjolize Scholtz Our world has been turned upside-down – and this is affecting your wellbeing more than you might realize. FirstRand Employee Wellbeing Specialist, Marjolize Scholtz shares advice for managing anxiety and practicing self-care. There’s a lot to be stressed out about these days. If it’s not the pandemic, it’s the alarming state of the economy, the uncertainty around lockdown regulations, or the grind of being stuck at home and trying to balance work and life (and, in many cases, home schooling as well). It’s normal to experience anxiety, fear, depression, loneliness, hopelessness and mental fatigue. ‘In a way, we…

21 Jul

SADC MPs want value from region’s vast resources

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyAfrica, Members of Parliament, SADC Parliamentary Forum

Moses Magadza WINDHOEK – Africa is the richest continent on earth in terms of extractive resources, but until Members of Parliament up their game and demand meaningfully beneficial deals, their citizens will continue to wallow in abject poverty. Parliamentarians who represent their countries on the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Standing Committee on Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources, came to this conclusion when they held a virtual meeting last week. South African lawmaker Tshitereke Baldwin Matibe chaired the meeting. The continent is awash with massive deposits of extractive resources that include iron ore, petroleum and natural gas, crude oil, diamonds, gold, uranium,…

16 Jul

Reflections on Singapore: Lessons for Namibia

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyNamibia, Singapore

Metusalem Nakale (DSocSci) Singapore’s economic transformation is the envy of many countries around the world. From 1967 to 1989, the real gross domestic product of Singapore increased six-fold, growing at 8.8 % a year. But how did Singapore do it? And what lessons can Namibia draw from Singapore’s experiences? Upon independence, in 1965, Singapore adopted a developmental state model of economic development. In this type of economic model, the state plays a significant role in directing economic activities. This model is contrasted with the free-market. The latter regards state intervention as detrimental to economic development. Supporters of the free-market ideology…

16 Jul

Walvis Bay allocates 60 state-built houses

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyImmanuel Wilfred, Walvis Bay Mayor

…only those qualifying for bank loans are recipients Andrew Kathindi The Walvis Bay Municipality has finally allocated 60 houses that had remained unoccupied in the coastal town. The properties were earmarked only for those qualifying for bank loans who were already on the waiting list. Some of those receiving the properties were formerly backyard settlers. The allocation of the houses comes as President Hage Geingob had announced that government will decide on what to do with the vacant houses. “These houses are for people to stay because there is too much congestion in the informal settlement. There are too many…