From the Editor's Desk
Enough square metres for a herd of elephants
It is official: Windhoek is now a city

News
Nampost turns into Telecom Holding's cash cow
By Desie Heita
Nampost has, for the first time, achieved the cash cow status for Namibia Post and Telecommunication Holding (NPTH)

2005 records lowest inflation rate ever
The Bank of Namibia says last year's inflation rate is the lowest ever recorded by Namibia since independence

Alexander Forbes denies milking local pension funds
By Chamwe Kaira
Financial services group, Alexander Forbes, which is facing allegations of illegally earning interest on money it handles

Annual inflation rate rises to 3.7%
The annual inflation rate increased by 0.1% in February from 3.6% recorded in January

Namibia Breweries posts impressive results
The operation profit of the Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) for the six months ended 31 December, 2005 increased by 25%

Alexander Forbes defends “bulking” of funds
Alexander Forbes in South Africa this week confirmed the arrest of two of its former employees for allegedly accessing pension fund surpluses

Local pharmaceutical company in global recognition for business excellence
At a recent ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the business practices of local pharmaceutical distributor, Geka Pharma, were recognised for their excellence

From Luisen to Geka: a chemist that could
Today, Geka Pharma is one of Namibia's major pharmaceutical distributors

Pension funds plunder!
Expert calls for transparent reporting
In the wake of recent scandals alleging misuse of pension fund moneys in South Africa, retirement fund administrators have been asked

Pohamba launches corruption's zero tolerance campaign
President Hifikepunye Pohamba this week launched Namibia's zero tolerance for corruption campaign

IJG Business Climate Index rebounds in February
Following two months in the negative, the IJG Business Climate Index rebounded in February

Windhoek Light's Gold comes home
The Windhoek Light Award home coming ceremony at the Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) headquarters in Windhoek on Friday

Pohamba appraises public/private sector smart partnership
President Hifikepunye Pohamba has applauded the exchange of property between Oryx Properties, Stratford Properties Ventures Namibia, and the City of Windhoek

Unequal income growing
Namibia's income distribution is still highly unequal with only 10% of the households with the highest income still accounting for

Infrastructure
US$84 million earmarked for oil exploration
Russia's Sintezneftegaz ZAO plans to spend US$84 million on oil exploration activities in Namibia

Windhoek's Wernhil Park up for major face lift
The Ohlthaver and List Group of Companies has started redeveloping the current Wernhil Park Shopping Centre

THE BEST RETAIL COMPLEX
Maerua Mall – biggest investment of its nature
The extension of Maerua Mall officially opened its door to the public on Thursday this week

It was a hectic first day of opening
Windhoek's Maerua Mall came to life on Thursday morning

The Weather
Understanding Weather... Not predicting
What happened?
Although some rain was recorded during the past week, the promising feature is still to come

Columnists & Culture
Dangerous spending spree
By Philip Deetlefs
Readers can contact him at (061) 222360 or via e-mail at deetlefs@mweb.com.na .
I read the other day that personal debt in America has now reached a level

Back to basics 9: the target market
By Pierre Mare
Pierre Mare is a Windhoek-based brand consultant. He has contributed to many of Namibia’s leading brands and has worked with leading Namibian communications agencies
The unwritten rule of business is to maximise profits in the interest of shareholders

Monteiro - camping and chalets on the city's front stoep
By Neil Digby-Clarke
namib@mweb.com.na
Neil is the owner of The Namibia Experience. He specialises in travel feature writing, preparation of ad and brochure copy, and website text.
Monteiro Camping and Self-Catering Chalets offers visitors the best of both worlds

Human resources challenges - An NGO perspective
By Sam Januarie
Sam Januarie is a seasoned Industrial Relations expert with approximately 10 years experience in Industrial Relations and general Human Resources Management. He is also a qualified mediator and arbitrator.
Many Non-profit organisations do not establish a formal Human Resources (HR) function due to having a small number of staff

Einstein came up with the special theory of relativity, for instance. Nobody has come up with another as far as I know. And would the special theory of relativity be so special if there were a whole bunch of theories knocking around looking for caring homes?

Stays on track for half the time
Review by Gerry Hill
People who like thrillers are prepared to put up with all sorts of unrealistic nonsense

Initiatives
German company in computer donation
The Polytechnic of Namibia, together with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Namibian Police, received second-hand computers from Gebracom

WIKA Service Station wins top seller award
A popular service station in the city centre of Windhoek, WIKA TOTAL Service Centre, was recently recognised as the top fuel seller in southern Africa

WAD wants to produce money bags for commercial banks
The Women's Action for Development (WAD) wants to start producing money bags for local commercial banks

Bank launches civil society needs foundation
Standard Bank has launched a foundation that will sponsor community projects, as the financial institution endeavours to show the importance of social investment

Apples in record breaking sales
In a national effort, Namibians ordered a new record-breaking 680 216 apples through the 2006 Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project

Breakfast to raise funds for orphaned children
The Christina Swart-Opperman (CSO) Aids Orphan Foundation Trust's first fund raising event for the year will be a business breakfast

Letter to the Editor
Save the roadway and keep the grass
Dear Editor
Sir, - Having experienced one of the wettest summers ever, the price of mistaken care can be seen in the numerous potholes

Sport
Commonwealth Games gold medallist flies flag high
Namibian boxer, Jafet Uutoni's gold medal in the just ended Commonwealth Games marks the only gold medallion brought back to the country this year