KEETMANSHOOP – The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund of Namibia (MVA) and Namibian Law Reform and Development Commission are now conducting countrywide consultations on legislative reforms needed. Speaking at a session earlier this week in Keetmanshoop, MVA’s chief legal advisor, Joelynn Kurz said the objectives of the proposed amendments to the MVA Fund Act include making provision for...
MAYARA – Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa has granted approval of the application made by the Ukwangali Traditional authority (TA) to designate Eugene Siwombe Kudumo as their chief as per the TA Act of 2000. The TA is in the meantime to set up a date, time and place for the minister or...
Lahja Nashuuta The government has defended its decentralisation policy, stating that most functions have already been decentralised to all regional councils. Diametrically opposed to this position is the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), which dismissed the government’s decentralisation efforts as nothing more than an electioneering tactic, accusing the ruling party of talking about decentralisation while tightening...
Taimi Haihambo The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated 3 561 textbooks to six secondary schools in the Khomas region last week. The books, which cover key school subjects such as English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Accounting, History, Biology, Geography and Business Studies, are expected to ease the current shortage where up to six...
Zebaldt Ngaruka OTJOMBINDE – Bethuel Ngajoo Mbuende, a former radio presenter, will contest as an independent candidate for the Otjombinde constituency in the upcoming Regional Council and Local Authorities elections slated for November. In a recent interview with the New Era, Mbuende said it is now time to build the community and not have it...
Hilma Nalupe Namibia has been grappling with an alarming rise in suicide cases, a crisis many believe is tied to unaddressed mental health struggles. In the face of this growing challenge, 20-year-old Mabby Sanandwa, a Level 4 Electrical Engineering (Electronics) trainee at the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre, motivational speaker, writer and self-proclaimed mental health advocate...
Rudolf Gaiseb Affirmative Positioning (AR) leader Job Amupanda has called for the further extension of the National Youth Development Fund (NYDF) and a change of its application terms. In a letter to Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare on Thursday, Amupanda suggested the rerouting of the entire application process. He suggests that the different application timeframes in...
Lahja Nashuuta The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has urged voters to use the official objection period to report irregularities around nominations of candidates, especially those seeking election in constituencies where they do not reside. The objection period should also be used to report any irregularities around voter registration. The Electoral Act requires that a...
MADAGASCAR – President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is expected to deliver her first address at the 45th SADC Summit in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on Sunday. The summit, held under the theme ‘Advancing Industrialisation, Agricultural Transformation, and Energy Transition for a Resilient SADC’, will bring together regional leaders to discuss industrial growth, modern farming and clean energy for sustainable...
Rudolf Gaiseb Namibia’s public procurement unit (PPU) and procurement entities face limited resources and low capacity. The World Bank’s methodology of assessing procurement systems (MAPS) has found that responsibilities across the procurement cycles are poorly defined, resulting in overlaps and inefficiencies. The Bank found that the procurement rules are vague, possibly discouraging international competition. The...