Page 399 – News Stand

07 Apr

Katjavivi concerned by delayed petition responses

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Martin Endjala The Speaker of the National Assembly, Professor Peter Katjavivi expressed concern over the continued delays in responding to petitions by parliamentarians, labelling the situation as worrisome. Katjavivi highlighted this issue during his budget motivation speech last week in parliament, emphasizing that most petitions submitted to the National Assembly do not receive timely feedback. “We must continue to explore the speedy expedition of petitions, including the transmission of petitions directly to the relevant Standing Committee. Pursuant to the democratic culture of our parliamentary system, members introduced and extensively debated 41 motions on issues of their particular interest,” the Speaker…

07 Apr

Henties Bay set to accommodate N$6billion indoor fish farm

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Niël Terblanché Henties Bay, in an ambitious leap towards sustainable aquaculture and economic development, is all set to accommodate the world's largest indoor freshwater fish farm. This groundbreaking project was introduced to residents and representatives of the local authorities by Blue Ridge Aquaculture, Inc., headquartered in Martinsville, Virginia, USA, in partnership with its local affiliate Blue Ridge Aquaculture Africa (Pty) Ltd, during a public meeting on Thursday and promises to revolutionize fish farming in Namibia while focusing on sustainability and innovation. With a staggering investment of N$6 billion, the facility aims to produce up to 24 tons of fish daily.…

07 Apr

Voters are tired of empty election promises

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Martin Endjala and Ester Mbathera A resident of Mix informal settlement outside of Windhoek on Saturday slapped a Swapo party branch coordinator out of frustration for a lack of service delivery. The resident was attending a Swapo rally that was addressed by Member of Parliament, Tobie Aupindi. "I lived in Mix for 24 years but after elections, you will bring us nothing. Lies, Lies," said the resident before a fight broke out between him and branch coordinator, Bonifatius Munango. At the rally, Aupindi told the residents that there would be development at Mix settlement. "Surveying was done, the resident got…

07 Apr

N$47 million allocated to encourage youth participation in elections

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Erasmus Shalihaxwe A total of N$48 million has been earmarked for the Lead Youth Ambassador (LYA) program, which falls under the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), to encourage young people to participate in elections. The LYA program is an awareness campaign aimed at generating interest among young people to engage in the country's electoral process. This announcement was made last week by the speaker of the National Assembly Peter Katjavivi while explaining the allocation of over N$422 million for the ECN's annual budget for the 2023/24 financial year. Katjavivi said the LYA will employ around 200 Youth Ambassadors across the…

07 Apr

Gyrocopter aids police in apprehending suspected GBV perpetrator

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Niël Terblanché and Ester Mbathera The Namibian Police, with the aid of a local farmer's gyrocopter, successfully apprehended a 26-year-old man accused of the brutal murder of his girlfriend, Lena Williams, aged 29, on Saturday. According to the Namibian Police's report about the incident, the tragedy occurred in the early hours of Saturday in the Saamstaan Location of Usakos. According to the report, the suspect allegedly lay in wait for Williams at her residence after she spent the evening out with friends. Upon her return, she was attacked and fatally stabbed multiple times. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Williams…

05 Apr

Cross-border Governors’ Forum meets in Eenhana

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Niël Terblanché order to continue building stronger bilateral ties, the Governor's Forum of the bordering regions of Namibia and Angola was officially inaugurated in Eenhana earlier this week. The initiative is a crucial tool in the hands of the two neighbouring countries to address and surmount shared challenges along their borders through enhanced collaboration and strategic dialogue. The forum brings together key stakeholders from both Namibia and Angola, providing a vital platform for discussing a wide array of political, security, and commercial issues that affect both nations. The urgency of activating this forum has been accentuated by the pressing issue…

05 Apr

Fisheries Ministry dishes out more quotas for employment redress programme

info_e12wt4csNational NewsFisheries Ministry dishes out more quotas for employment redress programme

Ester Mbathera The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Derek Klazen on Friday signed the second designation agreement for the re-employment of fishermen who lost their jobs in the fishing sector in 2015. According to Klazen, the agreement is in line with the Cabinet Directives on the re-employment of fishermen under the Government Employment Redressing Programme (GERP). "We are busy trying to solve these issues. The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) since I became a minister in 2021, I have been faced with these workers' issues. This is a very busy ministry. I have to run the fisheries…

05 Apr

!Gawaxab cautions against Dutch Disease amidst oil and gas optimism

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Martin Endjala The Bank of Namibia’s (BoN) Governor, Johannes !Gawaxab has cautioned against the Dutch Disease stating that despite the oil and gas discoveries, growth is not guaranteed, due to the volatility of commodity prices. Dutch disease is a paradoxical situation where good news for one sector of the economy, such as the discovery of natural resources, negatively impacts the country's overall economy. He added that if the country has no long-term goal and vision for the future, it might succumb to Dutch Disease. He said this yesterday, during a stakeholder engagement in Lüderitz, //Karas Region, while highlighting key opportunities…

05 Apr

Farmers seek urgent drought relief measures

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Niël Terblanché In a desperate effort to mitigate the harsh impacts of the ongoing drought, representatives from the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), the Namibia National Farmers' Union (NNFU), and the Namibian Emerging Commercial Farmers Union (NECFU) convened with Calle Schlettwein, the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, on Thursday. The unions' visit was aimed at discussing a set of proposed emergency measures to address the drought conditions worsening in certain areas of Namibia, despite recent rains. The key proposals put forth during the meeting encompassed a wide range of initiatives intended to alleviate the drought's socio-economic effects on both…

05 Apr

Unregistered companies face N$50,000 fine

info_e12wt4csNational News000 fine, Unregistered companies face N$50

Martin Endjala The Business Intellectual Property Authority (Bipa) has recently issued directives regarding administrative sanctions against non-compliant companies and closed corporations with a financial year end in February 2024, pertaining to Beneficial Ownership (BO) lodgment. According to Bipa spokesperson Ockert Jansen, entities failing to comply with BO lodgment requirements face an initial administrative penalty of N$50,000, along with an additional daily penalty of N$1,000 for each day the contravention persists. Approximately 120,000 businesses are currently listed as inactive, with around 45,000 having met the necessary requirements. “All entities with February 2024 financial year end that have not lodged their beneficial…