The central part of Namibia will run out of water as early as October this year if urgent steps are not taken to augment the water supply.
The manager of hydrology at NamWater, Andre Mostert, says a domestic drought is not like an agricultural drought where livestock are dying, but it is extreme and means that there is no water available.
“When you want to slaughter your cattle there is no water to even do that,” said Mostert.
Read more about Central Namibia to run dry by October
The Deputy Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, Alpheus Muheua, is on indefinite sick leave after suffering a stroke.
A motion to grant him leave of absence was tabled in the National Assembly recently.
Reliable government sources said yesterday that Muheua was recovering well.
Family members informed Namibian Sun that the former trade unionist had suffered a stroke which impaired his speech and was recovering at Windhoek’s MediClinic private hospital.
Read more about Muheua on sick leave
The Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) has called upon the Minister of Transport, Alpheus !Naruseb, to intervene in the cost of domestic flights.
NCCI Northern Branch chairperson Tomas Indji said the chamber had received numerous complaints from its members regarding the high cost of Air Namibia tickets.
“These members are challenged by the skyrocketing ticket fares which cause travelling inefficiency, business costs as well as their personal safety as travellers.
Read more about NCCI wants cheaper flights
Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein maintains that the proposed ‘solidarity tax’ is part of the national response to eradicate poverty.
He says it is an added dimension of the country’s social development and transformation agenda.
When the tax was proposed last year, it sparked strong opposition. Schlettwein at the time commended Namibians for their lively debate, while strongly hinting that the tax would be implemented despite growing public opposition.
Read more about Schlettwein on solidarity tax
A Windhoek criminal lawyer, appearing for one of the Americans accused of the 2011 murder of Andre Heckmair, has been summoned to appear before the High Court for contempt of court.
Judge Christie Liebenberg summoned Monty Karuaihe for contempt of court.
However, Karuaihe yesterday from the witness dock told Liebenberg that he cannot be a judge in his own cause.
“You are the complainant and you cannot preside over a contempt of court case against me,” Karuaihe told the judge and requested another judge to preside over the case.
Read more about Lawyer held in contempt
In a special tribute to its former chief executive officer who died this week, the Electricity Control Board (ECB) has described the late Siseho Chibeya Simasiku as a “gentle giant”.
Namibian Sun understands that Simasiku died on Tuesday at the Katutura State Hospital after suffering a stroke.
ECB’s CEO Foibe Namene said: “We will remember him as the gentle giant of the Namibian electricity-supply industry.
Read more about Simasiku: A gentle giant has fallen
More than a thousand former South West African Territory Force (SWATF) and Koevoet members walked in complete silence with a few placards, traditional kieries and water bottles slung over their shoulders from the Red Flag Commando Hall in Katutura to the parliament building and the office of the Ombudsman to deliver petitions in which they seek recognition as war veterans.
The ex-soldiers, who have been staging a sit-in at the Commando Hall for close to two months, had previously warned about the demonstration should no government delegation meet with them on their demands.
Read more about Ex-soldiers deliver petitions
Namibians are fixing their eyes on Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein who is expected to table the national budget in the National Assembly today.
Commentators expect Schlettwein touch on the water crisis, solidarity tax and the Food Bank, as well as higher education funding following the #FeesMustFall student campaign.
Last year, Schlettwein tabled a tightrope N$67 billion budget with a strong pro-poor emphasis, saying that the government wished to tackle socio-economic challenges with renewed momentum and strategies.
Read more about All eyes on Calle
After the sentences in the protracted treason trial were passed, a renewed energy has built up around a discussion of what the future of the Zambezi Region ought to be.
The former Caprivi Strip, currently known as the Zambezi Region, cannot be part of Namibia since it historically never was, and is a part of a country that was known as Zambesia, which should be restored.
Read more about Clamour for open debate on Caprivi growing
If you, like many of us, were raised in an extended family, you will most probably have countless uncles and aunts – most of them not even remotely related to you. If they visit your place more than once a day and they even get to stay when grand-ma dishes out the food for the family – then you are related, no questions asked. Read more about The joys of having an Uncle
The Namibia Financial Supervisory Institutions Authority (Namfisa) says it is busy with its own investigation into allegations that Lewis Stores (Namibia) (Pty) Limited have, on behalf of Mutual & Federal, sold long-term insurance without being authorised to do so, and that supervisory actions are already taken.
“The authority at all times acts in the interest of the consumers and of the industry,” Isack Hamata, manager of corporate communications of Namfisa, said. Read more about Namfisa says it is protecting public
Namibians can breathe a sigh of relief for now as the so-called and much-anticipated solidarity tax is unlikely to be introduced in the coming financial year. Delivering the 2016/17 national budget yesterday in the National Assembly, finance minister Calle Schlettwein said he has established a task team to look into the issue of solidarity wealth tax with a view to develop a proposal. The minister said many Namibians are yet to fully understand the proposed solidarity tax meant to alleviate poverty.
Read more about Budget shrinks
There has been a mixed reaction from opposition politicians to Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein’s N$66 billion budget speech yesterday.
All People’s Party leader and MP Ignatius Shixwameni said the budget was a “little disappointing”, saying he was not surprised by the cost-cutting measures announced by the minister.
“The cost-cutting measures that they are talking about fall far short and below what one would actually expect,” explained Shixwameni.
“We would have expected that there would be serious cost-cutting measures.”
Read more about Mixed reaction to Calle’s speech
PARTNERS: Deputy minister of finance Natangwe Ithete, NMH CEO Albe Botha, Standard Bank Namibia CEO Junius Mungunda, finance minister Calle Schlettwein, PWC Namibia MD Nangula Uandja and Christell Loots from Liberty Life during last night’s Budget Review Dinner in Windhoek.
Photo: Tanja Bause Read more about BUDGET DELIBERATIONS
As has become the trend every year, the cost of smoking and drinking has gone up yet again following an announcement last week by Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein of increases in ‘sin taxes’ on specific commodities.
During the unveiling of his N$66 billion budget in the National Assembly on Thursday, Schlettwein said taking into account sales volumes and targets set for the total tax burden on certain commodities, sin tax percentage increases would become applicable with effect from February 24, 2016.
Read more about Booze and cigarettes more expensive
While facing severe financial constraints, the University of Namibia (Unam) has installed a N$20 million security gate complete with scanners and metal detectors.
However, the gate’s security features have not been in use since the start of the academic year.
Security guards at Unam have also confirmed that they were never trained how to use the scanner and metal detector features of the gate.
Read more about Costly gate at Unam hardly functional
