Observer Money – Page 293 – Windhoek Observer

20 Jan

No guarantee on Pfizer drug: Shangula

Observer MoneyMinistry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS), Pfizer

Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) said there is no guarantee that no one will die after receiving the Pfizer vaccine. Shangula said this after 33 people in Norway died after receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine last week. “Each body reacts in its own way according to its makeup, it’s not something which you can predict,” Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula told Windhoek Observer. “You can have a completely healthy person without anything, get injected and immediately a reaction starts. It’s just like an allergic reaction to Penicillin or any other drug.” The Pfizer vaccine, which is…

19 Jan

Namibia in record COVID deaths

Observer MoneyCovid-19, Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS), Oshakati, Rundu, Swakopmund

Staff Writer A record eight people died from COVID-19 in one day, bringing the country’s related deaths to 293, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) announced on Monday. According to the ministry, four of the deaths announced, are from Oshakati district, two from Windhoek district, and one each from the districts pf Swakopmund and Rundu. New 390 COVID-19 cases were confirmed from 2 034 results received from the laboratories in the last twenty-four (24) hours, a position that saw the country cumulative confirmed cases breaching the 30 000 mark at 30 753. In the confirmed cases, 29 are…

19 Jan

Affidavit does not link Geingob to ‘Fishrot’ scandal: former Acting Judge

Observer MoneyMarén de Klerk, president Hage Geingob, Sacky Shanghala

Staff reporter Windhoek-based lawyer and former Acting High Court Judge, Kaijata Kangueehi, has said that President Hage Geingob’s name being mentioned in Maren de Klerk’s affidavit does not link the head of state to the ‘Fishrot’ scandal. This comes after President Hage Geingob was named in lawyer Maren de Klerk’s affidavit, when he was referred to by James Hatuikulipi and former minister of justice Sacky Shanghala, as the “Boss” for whom certain payments were to be processed. “The whole affidavit is riddled with a lot of hearsay evidence. The investigating authority failed to seek confirmatory affidavits, which renders this affidavit…

15 Jan

Hardap prisoners, officers in jailhouse battle

Observer MoneyCommissioner General Raphael Tuhafeni Hamunyela, Covid-19, Namibian Correctional Services (NCS), Namibian Police Force

Details have emerged how the Namibian Police Force on Tuesday had to be called in to assist the Namibian Correctional Services (NCS) quell a prison fight that had broken out between inmates and prison officials at the Hardap correctional facility. According to insiders, it took more than six hours for the police and correctional officers to bring back order to the prison facility that houses over 250 inmates. The commotion is alleged to have been caused by demands by the correctional officers to carry out a routine search while prisoners were in the yard, where they converge when released from…

15 Jan

PM roped into Shoprite saga

Observer MoneyCheckers, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation Utoni Nujoma, Minister of Labour, Nafau, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa, Shoprite, USave

Andrew Kathindi The Prime Minister, Saara Kuugongelwa has been dragged into the on-going Shoprite saga after Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (NAFAU) leadership has been in consultation with the Prime Minister over the matter, Windhoek Observer can reveal According to sources close to the matter, the NAFAU leadership have been in meetings over the last two days with the Prime Minister along with the Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation Utoni Nujoma, to try and resolve the matter. The development forced the Shoprite representative and NAFAU to meet on Thursday 14 January at the office of the…

14 Jan

COVID regulations extended . . .as virus variant suspicions surge

Observer MoneyCovid-19, Minister of Health and Social Services Kalumbi Shangula

Andrew Kathindi The government has extended the date for enactment of measures currently in place to control the spread of COVID-19 to 3 February. Minister of Health and Social Services Kalumbi Shangula admitted that the situation has worsened since his last address to the nation on 23 December 2020. In the Tuesday address, restrictions such as the daily curfew from 9pm to 4am, public gatherings being limited to a maximum of 50 were retained. Public gatherings are now, however, are not allowed to go beyond two hours and shall not continue beyond 8pm. The minister also revealed that there is…

14 Jan

Thousands of learners become pregnant during lockdown

Observer MoneyCovid-19, Education Minister Anna Nghipondoka, Ministry of Education

Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Education has revealed that 3,629 school learners became pregnant since March last year when schools were forced to close due to COVID-19 lockdown regulations. Education Minister Anna Nghipondoka argued that this reality was partly the cause for the Ministry’s stance on the re-opening of schools. The figure is over two thousand more school learners than the entire 2019, which recorded 1,542 pregnancies of school going girls. “The number of learners who get pregnant within the time frame of closure and re-opening doubled the normal numbers. I'm just trying to re-emphaize the importance of reopening schools.…

13 Jan

Shangula to address spike in COVID-19 cases

Observer MoneyCovid-19, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Health Minister, president Hage Geingob

Staff Writer On Wednesday 13 January Health Minister, Dr Kalumbi Shangula will provide a COVID-19 public briefing on new or extended measures to contain the virus. The briefing comes as the country continues to record rising rates of infection, with 573 new cases recorded on Tuesday, bringing the country cumulative total to 27,255. President Hage Geingob has previously warned that he could reinstitute another State of Emergence if the current measures are not followed and COVID-19 cases continue to rise. According to the Ministry of Health figures, Windhoek (Khomas region) remains the epicentre of the second wave of the pandemic…

13 Jan

Nafau accuses Shoprite of ignoring judgement …as Thursday AR demonstrations loom

Observer MoneyAffirmative Repositioning (AR), Checkers, Shoprite

Andrew Kathindi Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) Secretary General Jacob Penda has accused the Shoprite group of not complying with terms of a High Court judgement issued last week. In the case of Nafau vs Shoprite, Justice Shafimana Ueitele on 8 January ordered that the retail chain “not to hire so-called seasonal staff or "fixed term" employees for the purpose of performing, in whole or in part, the work of the employees who embarked on a strike as from 23 December 2020 onwards for the duration of the strike.” However, the company has allegedly continued to disobey the…

18 Dec

CPBN Board Chairperson fingered in recruitment irregularities

Observer MoneyCentral Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN)

Andrew Kathindi The Office of the Ombudsman has fingered Board Chairperson of the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) Patrick Swartz in the “irregular, unfair and prejudicial” recruitment of 14 employees. The majority of those employed irregularly are Oshiwambo speakers. According to the Ombudsman, John Walter’s report, Leonard Tsheehama, Aune K Ndeutapo, Zambwe Manyando, Twenty-One-March Kangonga and Daphney Meutudhana did not meet the advertised requirements, while Kristof Shiwalo failed the interview pass rate of 65 percent and obtained only a rate of 62.5 percent. According to Walters, Swartz contradicted the Office of the Ombudsman’s finding that Ms Ndeutepo does not…