The Namibian press on Friday morning zoomed in on salary negotiation deadlock for civil servants, the electoral commission transport headache, human trafficking and political wrangling in the ruling party.
The Namibian reports that the government will need N$7,4 billion to meet the demands of Namibia National Teachers Union and Namibia Public Workers Union for a pay rise of civil servants.
The two unions representing over 100 000 public servants approached the labour commissioner for conciliation after their demands for 9% salary increment and 10% for housing allowance for 2019/2020 were not meet.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ENC) that will kickstart the voters’ registration next week Monday is in dire need of vehicles.
According to New Era, the electoral body has managed to secure 712 vehicles from government, leaving a shortfall of 145 vehicles in order to carry out a successful voter registration ahead of the September 27 general elections.
Namibian Sun reports that although Namibia has done a lot to curtail human trafficking over the past five years, but the still need to do more.
The daily says despite these efforts, the 2019 US State Department Traffic in Persons Report once again placed Namibia in the Tier 2 List.
This means the country does not comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act minimum standards.
SWAPO Party cadres continue to trade accusations over the sale of Erindi Game reserve to the Mexican billionaire Alberto Baillères, amid calls to desist selling land to foreigners.
A ruckus erupted after President Hage Geingob hosted the 88-year-old Baillères at State House last month.
However, Geigobs allies in the ruling party are using the sale of Erindi for N$2 billion (US$143 million) to batter the ex-land minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana.
They claim that President Geingob cannot stop the sale because Iivula-Ithana has already issued a waiver on the 71 000-hectare private game reserve during her tenure in 1999. But Iivula-Ithana who had a major fallout with Geingob called on her detractors to
‘leave me alone’. She told Windhoek Observer that the current government including the minister of land could have cancelled the waiver granted to the owners of Erindi in 1999 if there was an inclination to do.
AT/as/APA