Page 677 – News Stand

15 May

Poor performance of Ruacana hydropower plant hikes electricity costs

info_e12wt4csNational NewsPoor performance of Ruacana hydropower plant hikes electricity costs

Martin Endjala The Electricity Control Board Chief Executive Officer Robert Kahimise blamed the underperformance of the Ruacana Hydro Power Plant as one of many contributing factors to the high cost of electricity imports, which leads to a higher tariff under-recovery. The CEO made this remark during the announcement of ECB’s revision of bulk electricity tariffs last week Friday in Windhoek. He said that the electricity that was not generated at Ruacana as anticipated during the previous period was replaced by imports at a higher cost. The Ministry of Mines and Energy and relevant government stakeholders will soon engage their Angolan…

15 May

Collection of chronic medication made easier

info_e12wt4csNational News

Martin Endjala Long queues and unbearable waiting hours are a thing of the past, as patients on chronic medication can now collect their medicines via Pelebox. The new service is available to all eligible patients with controlled viral loads for example, at the discretion of their health doctors or practitioners and will be accessible at 19 public health facilities countrywide. This is according to the Ministry of Health and Social Services Chief Clinical Mentor, Jacques Kamangu, during a talk show on National TV this week. The Pelebox will be officially launched next week Tuesday at the Katutura Intermediate State Hospital…

15 May

Selfless sacrifice keeps the nation healthy

info_e12wt4csNational NewsSelfless sacrifice keeps the nation healthy

Niël Terblanché Namibia joined the rest of the world in honouring nurses for their sacrifice and selfless dedication to the health and well-being of people everywhere. President Hage Geingob in a special message on behalf of all Namibians said that everyone recognises the extraordinary contributions of Namibian nurses in the national healthcare system. International Nurses Day was commemorated on Friday under the theme “Our Nurses. Our Future.” International Nurses Day is celebrated annually on 12 May to commemorate the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, who is widely considered the founder of modern nursing. The day recognises nurses’ contributions to healthcare…

15 May

Consensus averts disastrous Keetmanshoop by-election

info_e12wt4csMainConsensus averts disastrous Keetmanshoop by-election

Niël Terblanché and Stefanus Nashama A consensus that was reached between political parties contesting in the Keetmanshoop by-election averted a situation which would have kept voters from electing a new representative on the rural constituency council. The Karas Regional Coordinator of the SWAPO Party, Mathew Mumbala, said that the consensus was reached in the interest of democracy. Mumbala said all contesting parties agreed that the Electoral Commission of Namibia’s efforts to re-issue voter cards to people who lost their cards or to those whose documents were destroyed or have become illegible two days before the election would have derailed the…

12 May

More companies looking for lithium

info_e12wt4csObserver Money

CHAMWE KAIRA While the focus in recent weeks has been the controversies surrounding the revocation of the lithium mining issued to Xingfeng investments by Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo data obtained from the Chamber of Mines of Namibia show more companies are looking for lithium in Namibia. The demand for lithium has increased as the auto industry shifts towards electric vehicles (EVs) - spurred by proposed bans on fossil-fuel cars. China is the world’s top lithium refiner. One of the companies looking for lithium is Lepidico, which is a global lithium exploration and development company that is listed…

12 May

Petroleum topped import bill in March

info_e12wt4csObserver Money

The highest import bill in March was petroleum (N$2.2 billion), followed by copper (N$1.5 billion) and vehicles for the transport of goods N$622 million, this is based on trade statistics released by the Namibia Statistics Agency. According to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), 145,345 tonnes of goods have exited the country by road in March 2023, compared to 138,875 in February 2023. Most of the road transport consisted of petroleum, fish, and live animals. Commenting on the trade statistics, Simonis Storm Securities, said due to the loadshedding in South Africa, the harbors cannot run at full capacity allowing for more…

12 May

We need support to promote Namibia- Gys Joubert, Gondwana Collection Namibia CEO

info_e12wt4csObserver Money

This week Observer Money speaks to Gys Joubert, Gondwana Collection Namibia CEO about business in the aftermath of Covid-19. Observer Money (OM): Describe Gondwana’s recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic? Gys Joubert (GJ): I would describe it as measured. We are grateful that tourism is returning on quite an aggressive trajectory, but the impact of COVID-19 will linger for years to come. We turned profitable in the second half of 2022 and the changes and decisions we made during COVID-19 are enabling our ability now to repay debt incurred during the crisis. (OM): What is the current state of the…

12 May

Motorists can expect local fuel price cuts

info_e12wt4csObserver Money

Motorists can expect local fuel price cuts to be announced in coming months, however this is based on several factors. Simonis Storm Securities said it seems that its initial forecast of reaching N$25 per litre for petrol and diesel by end of 2023 are too pessimistic at this point in time. However, the improved outlook remains conditional on global brent remaining flat to slightly negative and for the rand to appreciate, the firm said. Ministry of Mines and Energy has disclosed an over-recovery of N$1.11 per litre on diesel and an under-recovery of N$0.95 per litre on petrol. As customary,…

12 May

Hyphen’s US$10 billion project eyes 2028 supply

info_e12wt4csObserver Money

Hyphen Hydrogen Energy’s US$10 billion green hydrogen project in the //Kharas Region is eying to supply Europe by early 2028. This week, Hyphen Hydrogen Energy signed a Letter of Intent with Koole Terminals covering the proposed import of green ammonia into north-western Europe. Hyphen intends to supply its customers using the import terminal being developed by Koole Terminals, located in the Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands. Over the past year, Hyphen has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) targeting the supply of up to 750 000 tonnes of green ammonia annually. Marco Raffinetti, CEO of Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, said: “This agreement represents…

12 May

Seibeb says Uutoni has no mental capacity

info_e12wt4csNational News

Stefanus Nashama Landless People’s Movement Member of Parliament, Henny Seibeb, says Urban and Rural Development Minister, Erastus Uutoni has no mental capacity to analyse and investigate before writing a letter to the Mayor of Keetmanshoop. The Parliamentarian made these remarks yesterday at a press conference in response to Minister Uutoni who apparently wrote a letter on 5 May to the Keetmanshoop Municipality, in which he allegedly claimed the Council has allocated unserviced land to the residents. Seibeb said the Minister has relied on rumours and gossip in writing a letter, “he has no evidence that unserviced land was distributed”. “Uutoni…