Page 969 – News Stand

13 May

The COVID-19 #newnormal won’t be business as usual

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedCovid-19, Namibia, school

Jan Coetzee Namibia, went into lockdown several weeks ago, our Government’s firm and swift response has so far kept the number of infections very low. Thankfully no deaths have been recorded either and Namibia may come out of this quite well. Certainly not discounting the damage to the economy or the closure of the schools and social activities that these necessary steps have caused. Eventually the economy will recover, kids will go back to school, but COVID-19 has left an indelible mark on our society and how we life, work and play. How we work is what I would like…

13 May

‘Namibianize’ Namibia

info_e12wt4csNational NewsNamibia, president Hage Geingob

Most Namibians love their country and do not divide their loyalty by ethnic, racial or tribal segments. They are proud Namibians. This is no less the case for us. But, when the members of boards, holders of high office and certain government job appointments, are only people from the Oshiwambo-speaking ethnic group, the playing field is uneven. This is a problem. Those responsible for this problem know that giving jobs or appointments based on tribal origin is unfair (and illegal). But, there is an unspoken arrogant response in the air, “We’ve done this and there is nothing you can do…

13 May

Handcrafted products: a revenue source for women

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedCovid-19, Handcrafted

Jackie Wilson Asheeke Can we get our crafts to the tourists, since the tourists cannot come to buy the crafts? Check out www.tenthousandvillages.com. According to the history on their website, the idea of bringing products made by women in developing communities to the USA for sale began with Edna Ruth Byler selling crafts from her car boot back in 1940. She worked with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). I was surprised when I read that part as I worked closely with the MCC during my days on Capitol Hill. They were very active in the anti-apartheid movement and worked hard…

12 May

New appointments at CPBM

info_e12wt4csObserver MoneyCentral Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN)

Staff Writer The Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) on Monday announced the appointment of 14 new staff members to fill vacant positions at the body tasked with leading the procurement process on behalf of government. Among those appointed are Saara Shapua who is now the CPBN’s Manager of Internal Procurement and Aune Ndeutepo who was appointed Manager of Finance and Administration. This comes after the organization was engulfed in a tribalism storm last year after it was reported that allegedly non-Oshiwambo-speaking employees at the CPBN were being removed by a group within the organization for supposedly being “unamenable to…

12 May

Momma Oteya has a baby girl

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedMother’s Day, Oteya

Staff writer Mother’s Day this year was a perfect celebration for popular Afro pop artist Oteya who was blessed with a bouncing baby girl a month before the popular day. The veteran songstress gave birth on the 1st of April 2020. Even more interesting, Oteya managed to have a baby on her own birthday! The former Gal Level queen confirmed the news on her social media posts. We had wondered what Oteya was up to these days. Lockdown is tough, but bonding with a new baby during these times is a blessing. We wish her a Happy Mother’s Day! Her…

12 May

Lioness finds closure with new song

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedLioness

Here to work through some recent heartache, Namibian rapper and singer Lioness has dropped a new album this week. She is switching things up from her usual rap-focused sound with something a little more melodic on Wish You Were Here from the album of the same name. As the track unfolds, on her smash hit video filmed in Cape Town, it becomes clear this is about more than the beautiful South African setting. “I wrote Wish You Were Here when I was infatuated with my ex-partner," Lioness told Complex via email. "It was a long-distance relationship where I felt very…

12 May

The price of not knowing why

info_e12wt4csNational NewsCovid-19, Government, schools

Our educational system teaches students to ‘do’ but not to think. Beneficiaries of apartheid and colonialism loved this. Thinking people will quickly and easily perceive weaknesses and attack strategically. After independence, in most public schools, that same back-handed educational trend continued. The reason changed. The priority was increasing higher literacy statistics and ‘grades.' The government did not want to slog up the hard road of educating teachers and teaching students critical thinking. In this pandemic, we now pay the price for this. We ask people to wear masks, but do not help them to understand why. That is the reason…

09 May

Couch Cat: Mask etiquette rules

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedCouch Cat, Masks

Jackie Wilson Asheeke For now, we all have to wear masks on our faces. So, let’s make the best of a weird situation. It cannot be all doom and gloom. Let’s look at this whole thing with a different eye; shall we? I put on my mask for the first time to go to work on the first day after the lockdown ended. My rude awakening is that I dirtied the inside of the thing immediately with my face make-up and lipstick. Duh-uh. I must be some smart person to not have thought about that one. Rule #1 – no…

09 May

Time to analyse issues ideologically, give them an ideological perspective

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedlockdown

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro Certainly the emergency and lockdown could not but compel all of us to shift gears in one way or another given the time of reflection it may have afforded us. If only if to maintain some sanity from the solitary confinement, for some, and from depression visited by confinement with those some may all the time been trying avoid. For me criticisms which have been floated as analyses in our media, against the administration of Dr Hage Geingob, since the advent of his first term in 2015, compelled me to shift in an ideological gear. A gear that…

09 May

Observatory: Lives are worth more than the economy

info_e12wt4csUncategorisedCovid-19, World Health Organisation (WHO)

Clementine Tjameya Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for Africa has listed Namibia as having reported zero cases of COVID-19 over a couple of weeks. I humbly question this conclusion. I am not a doctor, nor do I have any health care training. Admittedly, I can make my choices about what to believe regarding COVID-19 in Namibia, based only on what I read. With the low level of testing in Namibia (maybe only 1000 tests done for 2.5 million people), I am not certain the number of 16 cases can be accurate. Countries with reportedly high infection rate…