Windhoek Observer – Windhoek Observer

02 Dec

NNN sets up three task forces

Main

Justicia Shipena President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has launched three national task forces to speed up economic recovery, improve the health system and expand access to housing and serviced land. She announced the teams on Monday, saying Namibia continues to face rising living costs, slow job creation, uneven service delivery, housing shortages and pressure on the health system. She said the private sector is also struggling with global uncertainty and domestic barriers. Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia can no longer work in isolation if it wants to move faster. She said the country needs a space where government, business, labour, civil society, communities, academia…

02 Dec

Beifang workers forced to eat in dusty pits

National News

Renthia Kaimbi Beifang workers at the Rössing Uranium Mine say they are forced to eat in dusty pits and inside mining equipment without proper lunch breaks. This is as a result of a three-year exemption granted by former labour minister Utoni Nujoma to Beifang Mining Technologies. The exemption has sparked outrage and raised health concerns at the mine. In July 2023, Nujoma declared Beifang’s operations at Rössing as continuous operations. The declaration, which took effect on 1 August 2023 and runs until 31 July 2026, suspended normal lunch break provisions for mining and plant employees. The exemption directed the mine…

02 Dec

Public rollout of HIV injection stalls due to cost issues

National News

Justicia Shipena The cost of a new twice-a-year HIV prevention and treatment injection, Lenacapavir, is too high for immediate rollout in Namibia’s public health system. Health minister Dr Esperance Luvindao announced this during the World AIDS Day commemoration in Otjiwarongo on Monday, saying the long-acting injectable has the potential to change HIV treatment but remains out of reach for most public patients. She said the ministry has begun the regulatory approval process so that people who can afford the medication in the private sector may access it sooner. “Our ultimate goal is equity. No one should be denied the future…

02 Dec

‘HIV is not a death sentence,’ says advocate at World AIDS Day

National News

Renthia Kaimbi In 1999, a mandatory HIV test before a boxing match changed Bernard Kamatoto’s life. The positive result ended his boxing career, but 25 years later he stands as a national and global HIV advocate. As he marks 19 years on antiretroviral treatment, his message remains one of strength and survival. “HIV is not a death sentence. I am here, living proof that HIV is not the end; it is a chapter that can be lived with courage, medication, and love,” Kamatoto expressed. Kamatoto shared his story with the Windhoek Observer as Namibia commemorated World AIDS Day in Otjiwarongo…

02 Dec

Former independent candidate launches foundation to help farmers in Mukwe

National News

Allexer Namundjembo Former Mukwe Constituency independent candidate Isdor Muronga has called for financial support to assist rural farmers. His appeal comes after he delivered farming equipment to a woman he met during his campaign trail. He said small-scale producers in remote areas need urgent assistance to sustain food production. Muronga told the Windhoek Observer on Sunday that he first met Shadinyando Kayungu at Shamaghandutji in Kavango East. He said the inland village is difficult to reach because of poor roads. He said her determination to run a small garden and feed her community left a strong impression on him. “During…

02 Dec

Support group helps Katima Mulilo woman return to school

National News

Allexer Namundjembo Twenty-six-year-old Nanzila Litah Lota from Katima Mulilo is carving a new path for herself after years of personal hardship. She is one of more than 1 300 students supported by Palms For Life to pursue vocational training at the Community Skills Development Foundation (Cosdef). Lota is studying office administration level 2. She was born to a mother from the San communities of the Kwe and a Totela father from Katima Mulilo. Her childhood changed sharply when her mother died in 2013 while she was in Grade 4. Her paternal grandmother, who became her guardian, passed away in 2015.…

02 Dec

A promising vision, but can the new task forces deliver?

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s commissioning of the national task forces on economic recovery, health, and housing & land marks one of the clearest early signals of the 8th Administration’s intention to break from business-as-usual governance. The speech delivered was measured, sober, and deliberately forward-looking. It struck the necessary chords of unity, urgency, and institutional alignment. Yet, as with any initiative built on lofty ambition, the real test lies not in the unveiling but in the doing. The President’s framing of Namibia’s current challenges – rising living costs, constrained job creation, underperforming service delivery, a strained health system, and the persistent burdens…

02 Dec

From classroom to industry relevance: Why Africa needs problem-based learning

Featured, Opinions

More than ever, this is the moment for curriculum experts, educational planners, university leaders and policymakers to converge around a shared priority: implementing problem-based learning (PBL) to tackle unemployment, strengthen entrepreneurship and fix the persistent mismatch between graduate skills and the demands of industry. In January 2023, I was among a group of six students privileged to spend six months at Aalborg University in Denmark on an exchange programme. While I expected cultural surprises and harsh winter weather, nothing was as eye-opening as the university’s learning philosophy: problem-based learning. With graduate unemployment rising and frustration growing among young people across…

02 Dec

Eskom’s improved performance benefits Namibia’s grid

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Namibia’s electricity security has improved after Eskom concluded firm power supply agreements with Namibia and Botswana, effective 1 April 2025. The agreements come as international demand for South African power rises due to drought conditions that have reduced supply from other regional sources. Eskom’s interim performance update for the six months ended 30 September 2025 shows Namibia is among the countries relying on South Africa as Eskom stabilises its generation fleet and improves reliability. On a non-firm basis, consumption from neighbouring states such as Eswatini, Lesotho, and Zambia also increased year-on-year, while the supply to Zimbabwe decreased due…

02 Dec

Namibia leads Africa in digital payments and green energy

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira A new RMB white paper on Africa’s economic future highlights Namibia as one of the continent’s key reformers, pointing to its progress in digital payments and its ambitious green hydrogen plans. According to the Continent at a Crossroads report, Namibia has become the first and only African country to integrate India’s Universal Payments Interface (UPI) into its national payments system. The agreement between the Bank of Namibia and India’s national payments coordinator will allow real-time, low-cost digital payments across borders. RMB says the move positions Namibia as a regional leader in interoperable financial technology. The report notes that…