Month: September 2023

Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Friday visited several soup kitchens in Omaheke, where she handed over food items as part of her visit to the region to assess efforts in mitigating malnutrition.

In her remarks, the deputy prime minister urged women to take care of their children and ensure that they are protected, and to also avoid bars and shebeens.

“As a woman, I am appealing to my constituency of women, God has given us that noble task of carrying a human being for nine months, and it is our responsibility to make sure that these human beings are taken care of until the last day of their lives,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

During her visit, issues such as the lack of sufficient food and facilities and the lack of services such as electricity and proper sanitation were raised by the different representatives of the centres.

Johana Nakale of the Tuerijandjera Soup Kitchen in Gobabis said she takes care of children mainly from poor families, those who do not have parents and children from marginalised communities.

The centre accommodates children aged up to 16 years and has volunteer teachers.

“We have a lot of challenges, even the land we are operating on belongs to the municipality. This is not my land, it belongs to the Gobabis Municipality,” Nakale said.

The deputy prime minister was joined by the parliamentary committee on gender equality, social development and family affairs.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

President Hage Geingob on Saturday extended a message of condolences to President Cyrill Ramaphosa of South Africa and the people of South Africa following the passing of the former president of Inkatha Freedom Party, and Zulu Royal Dr Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

Geingob in a statement availed by the Presidency said he has learned with sadness about the passing of the founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party and Zulu Royal, Dr Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

“I met Dr Buthelezi in Windhoek at the height of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) talks and the political transition in South Africa in 1993. That occasion allowed us to share lessons about our own transition to independence in 1990 and our journey towards nation-building and peace.

Even though we did not always subscribe to the same political beliefs as Dr Buthelezi, I personally had good relations with him,’ the President stated.

Furthermore Dr Buthelezi played a prominent role in South African politics for almost a century and at the time of his death, he was one of the oldest members of South African parliament and founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party and left his mark on South Africa’s history.

Dr Buthelezi died on Saturday, at the age of 95.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Government requires about N.dollars 800 to ensure that all affected individuals benefit from the Drought Relief Programme because many have not been able to harvest due to drought and floods experienced.

This was revealed by Prime Minister (PM) Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, who stressed that the government is in a shortfall of N.dollars 600 million and only about N.dollars 200 million is available.

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila during a courtesy call to Erongo Governor Neville Andre Itope and other local leaders within the region in Swakopmund on Friday, expressed the importance of mainstreaming disaster risk management and the need for cooperation between central government in the regional and local authorities.

“With regards to drought relief programs implementation, we would need to ensure that we identify data for the most needy so that we can focus our support on them. This is one way we will also need to work together to ensure that we do not have a duplication and ensure that one person does not benefit from all the programmes,” she said.

The PM also called on emergency committees in the regions to put their political differences aside and focus on saving the people in need by ensuring that the beneficiaries are identified on time so that logistical arrangements are in place, as her office wants to start distributing the drought relief by 01 October.

Meanwhile, Walvis Bay Rural Constituency Councillor Florian Donatus requested that the drought relief also be rolled out to residents in urban areas who are unable to sustain themselves due to unemployment and job losses.

“The COVID-19 pandemic also fueled urban starvation as residents in the constituency lost their jobs and businesses. As a result, we would also like for cabinet to consider the inclusion of urban people in the drought relief programme, as they are equally in need,” he expressed.

About 172,000 households are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between March 2023 and June 2024 and will require urgent humanitarian assistance.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Mangosuthu Buthelezi, traditional prime minister of the Zulu nation, has died at the age of 95.

One of the leading figures of South African politics over the last 50 years, he was leader of the Zulu homeland under apartheid.

As a member of Nelson Mandela’s cabinet, he served as minister for home affairs for a decade.

President Cyril Ramaphosa led tributes, describing Chief Buthelezi as a “formidable leader”.

He said: “Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has been an outstanding leader in the political and cultural life of our nation, including the ebbs and flows of our liberation struggle, the transition which secured our freedom in 1994 and our democratic dispensation.”

Chief Buthelezi was the founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party, a Zulu political and cultural movement.

He found common cause with the African National Congress in the struggle against apartheid and campaigned for the release of Mr Mandela.

But he became a fierce critic of the organisation in the 1980s, denouncing its support for armed opposition to the apartheid authorities and its backing for international sanctions.

Source: BBC