Page 27 – News Stand

24 Jun

High travel costs cut DACH tourist arrivals

info_e12wt4csObserver Money

Justicia Shipena The Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) attributes the decline in tourist arrivals from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland to increased travel costs. This includes airfare and visa fees, which discourage long-haul travel. The DACH region, which is made up of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, traditionally represents Namibia’s largest middle-market segment. HAN also pointed to global political uncertainty and geopolitical tensions as key factors weighing on international travel sentiment, particularly from European markets. This comes as the latest hospitality report by Simonis Storm shows that the country's national occupancy rate slightly decreased from 54.94% in April to 54.90% in May. …

24 Jun

BoN urges MPs to tackle investment scams

info_e12wt4csObserver Money

Justicia Shipena The governor of the Bank of Namibia (BoN), Johannes !Gawaxab, says many Namibians continue to fall victim to investment scams. Despite ongoing financial literacy efforts by the central bank, he said Namibians often fall victim to scams commonly known as Ponzi schemes. !Gawaxab made the remarks while briefing the parliamentary standing committee on economy and industry, public administration and planning on Tuesday. During the meeting, he urged lawmakers to educate their constituents about the risks of illegal investment schemes. The BoN has previously warned about investment scams. In October of last year, BoN issued an alert in which…

24 Jun

Hochobeb to drive risk strategy at Letshego

info_e12wt4csFeatured, Observer Money

Staff Writer Letshego Holdings Namibia has appointed Kgomotso Hochobeb as its new head of internal audit. Hochobeb brings nearly 20 years of experience in auditing, risk management, and forensics. In her new role, she will lead Letshego Namibia’s internal audit function, advising on the company’s control environment and risk management practices. She will also develop auditing strategies and implement audit programs to strengthen internal oversight. “It has always been one of my milestones to contribute to the success of a commercial bank, specifically Letshego Namibia, an organisation renowned for its commitment to innovation,” said Hochobeb. She began her career at…

24 Jun

Palms For Life gets 20 seedlings for Tsumkwe greening

info_e12wt4csNational News

Allexer Namundjebo The Palms For Life campaign on Tuesday received 20 seedlings donated by the Nyae-Nyae Development Foundation to support its greening efforts in Tsumkwe. The campaign thanked the foundation for its support and confirmed that full cleaning operations will resume next week. The new seedlings will be included in upcoming tree-planting activities. Gabriel Hipandulwa, manager of the Nyae-Nyae Development Foundation, said he is willing to continue supporting the initiative with more seedlings. Paulus Ndara, head of Palms For Life, said the tree-planting effort aims to beautify the area using indigenous species and raise awareness about reforestation. Four seedlings have…

24 Jun

Capricorn Eagles gear up for 7-match SA clash

info_e12wt4csFeatured, Sports

Justicia Shipena Cricket Namibia, in partnership with Cricket South Africa (CSA), has announced a white-ball tour featuring the CSA Emerging Women’s Academy and Namibia’s national women’s team, the Capricorn Eagles. The series will be held from 2 to 12 July in Windhoek, with all matches taking place at the High Performance Oval. The tour includes four T20s and three 50-over games, giving both squads valuable match experience. For the Capricorn Eagles, the series is a key part of their build-up to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, which Namibia will host at the end of August. Namibia will…

24 Jun

Botha quits as Welwitschias head coach

info_e12wt4csSports

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Namibia’s national rugby team head coach, Chrysander Botha, has stepped down from this position due to increasing job commitments that require his full attention. Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) president, Petri Theron, confirmed the resignation on Tuesday. He said the union respects Botha’s decision and thanked him for his dedication and contributions to Namibian rugby. “In alignment with its high-performance strategy, NRU has acted swiftly to ensure continuity and effective preparations ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup by appointing Darryl de la Harpe as technical assistant to the national team,” said Theron. “A former Namibian international with a wealth…

24 Jun

UN Plaza gets a fresh look ahead of Region 5 Games

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Erasmus Shalihaxwe Renovations are underway at the City of Windhoek’s United Nations (UN) Plaza park in Soweto, Katutura, in preparation for the Region 5 Youth Games. Namibia will host the games for the first time from 4 to 13 July in Windhoek and Swakopmund. Organisers are finalising several venues in both cities, including UN Plaza. The event will bring together around 2,552 athletes and officials from 10 Southern African countries. Competitions will take place across 12 sports codes, including basketball, tennis, volleyball, football, and boxing. On Tuesday morning, a City of Windhoek team led by Sidney Goagoseb, section head for…

24 Jun

Letting go to lead better

info_e12wt4csFeatured, Opinions

Mufaro Nesongano Letting go is hard. Whether in life or leadership, most of us wrestle with it. We hold on to stories, memories, and familiar ways of doing things, especially when those things once brought us success or comfort. But there comes a time when we must recognise that what once helped us grow might now be holding us back. As someone who has spent more than two decades in media, public relations and strategic communication, I have come to appreciate the power of storytelling not just outwardly, but inwardly too. A recent conversation with a friend made me reflect…

23 Jun

N$21.5m returned to state coffers

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Allexer Namundjebo The Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises has returned N$21.5 million to the state treasury after underspending its budget for the 2023/2024 financial year. This is revealed in the latest audit report by Auditor General Junias Kandjeke, who said the funds could have been used for other urgent national needs. While the ministry received an unqualified audit opinion for the year, Kandjeke raised several concerns. One was the failure to allocate or disclose revenue of more than N$2.44 billion in the revenue ledger. “This means that all the revenue received and deposited from the revenue collected, amounting to…

23 Jun

Govt clueless about Namibians in conflict-hit Iran

info_e12wt4csNational News

Justicia Shipena The Ministry of International Relations says it has not received any reports of Namibian nationals currently in Iran or struggling to leave the country. The ministry's executive director, Ambassador Penda Naanda, said no individuals or families have come forward to notify the ministry regarding people stuck in Iran. “We are not aware of Namibians in Iran because nobody has come to us to tell us they are in Iran,” Naanda said in an interview with Windhoek Observer when asked about contingency plans in the event of stranded nationals. This follows U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, Fordow,…