Windhoek Observer – Page 2 – Windhoek Observer

25 Feb

Standard Bank moves to tackle risk aversion with pricing overhaul

Observer Money

Staff Writer Standard Bank Namibia has introduced a new pricing structure aimed at addressing high levels of risk aversion and limited financial participation in the country. Head of business and commercial banking at Standard Bank Namibia, Hellen Amupolo, said that although 78% of Namibians were financially included in 2017, many still avoid formal financial services. She said 57.8% of adults avoid borrowing; nearly 70% remain uninsured due to affordability concerns and formal savings participation has fallen to 60%. Amupolo said these trends point to structural barriers that limit deeper participation in the financial system. She noted that Namibia has a…

25 Feb

B2Gold founder to retire

Observer Money

Staff Writer Canadian gold producer B2Gold Corp, owner of the B2Gold mine in Namibia, has announced a leadership change. President and chief executive officer Clive Johnson will retire at the company’s annual general meeting on 4 June. He will also step down as a director. The board has appointed Mike Cinnamond, currently senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer, as the new president and CEO. Cinnamond will also join the board. Johnson has led B2Gold since it was founded in 2007. During his tenure, the company grew from a junior exploration firm into an international gold producer. It…

25 Feb

Bank Windhoek appoints Shikalepo as head of procurement

Observer Money

Staff Writer Bank Windhoek has appointed Deolinda Shikalepo as head of procurement, effective 1 January 2026. Shikalepo has more than ten years of experience in procurement. Her background includes contract management, compliance, supplier relationship management and tender administration. She has worked in financial services, manufacturing and fast-moving consumer goods. She progressed from operational procurement roles to senior leadership positions. In these roles, she oversaw high-value contracts, led tender processes and implemented cost-control measures. In her new position, Shikalepo will provide strategic direction and governance oversight for the bank’s procurement function. She will manage the full procurement cycle, including sourcing, contracting,…

25 Feb

Beyond the paycheque: The unseen crisis in Namibia’s security sector

Opinions

Faizel Patterson The recent implementation of a new national minimum wage for the security industry is, without question, a welcome and necessary step towards social justice for some of our nation’s most essential workers. Both employers and employees agree that better pay is a shared goal. However, the public discourse surrounding its implementation has been dangerously simplistic, ignoring a complex economic reality that, if mishandled, could trigger the very crisis it seeks to prevent: mass unemployment. Approving a wage increase is easy. To implement it sustainably is hard. The inconvenient truth is that for any service-based company, from security to…

25 Feb

Women as economic architects

Opinions

Fransina Kahungu Secretary; Swapo Party Women’s Council for too long, the language of women’s empowerment has been framed around assistance, access and inclusion. We speak of women as beneficiaries of land reform, beneficiaries of grants, beneficiaries of procurement quotas, and beneficiaries of training. While these interventions have been necessary and meaningful, they cannot be the ceiling of our ambition. In March 2025, Her Excellency Dr Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was sworn in as the first female president of the Republic of Namibia. Her leadership symbolised progress, unity and national pride. A stark reminder that women are not in leadership positions for pity,…

24 Feb

Immanuel requests home guards for 400 magistrates and prosecutors

Main, National News

Renthia Kaimbi Justice and labour relations minister Fillemon Wise Immanuel has requested round-the-clock residential security for every magistrate and prosecutor. In a letter dated 21 February to safety and security minister Lucia Iipumbu and copied to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Immanuel requested the immediate deployment of security personnel to the homes of about 400 judicial and prosecutorial officers. The request follows the death of Ondangwa regional control prosecutor Justine Shiweda and recent threats against members of the justice system. Shiweda (32) died on 7 February from injuries she sustained in an attack in October 2025. During the attack, she was shot…

24 Feb

Teachers to get 5% salary increase over two years

National News

Allexer Namundjembo Teachers represented by the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) will receive a five percent salary increase in the 2026/2027 financial year and another five percent in 2027/2028 under a new multi-year agreement with government. The outcome was communicated to members of the union’s Rundu branch in a report dated 21 February and issued from Rundu. The document confirms that regional and national union structures have accepted the offer, bringing the negotiation process to a close. “The Rundu Branch hereby presents the final outcome of the salary negotiations between the Union and the Government of the Republic of Namibia,…

24 Feb

Court gives thumbs up to Nored workers’ strike

National News

Justicia Shipena The workers at the Northern Regional Electricity Distributor (Nored) will proceed with planned industrial action after the High Court struck the company’s urgent application from the roll. The court dismissed the urgent application brought by Nored against the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN). Yesterday, High Court judge Johanna Salioga ruled the application did not meet the requirements for urgency. “The application for condonation to bring this application as one of urgency is refused. The application is struck from the roll for lack of urgency," she said. Judgement had initially been expected last week but was only delivered on…

24 Feb

Sankwasa reviews N$200 rent fine

National News

Justicia Shipena Urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa says a fine of N$200 under the Rent Ordinance of 1977 no longer meet the realities of today’s property market. Sankwasa said the penalties were set for a different time and must now be reviewed as part of efforts to modernise Namibia’s rental laws. “As I indicated in my previous responses, we are seized with drafting a new bill that speaks to today’s rental markets. That means matters such as N$200 fines were ideal for the property market of that time,” Sankwasa told Parliament on Thursday. He said the value of…

24 Feb

‘Our profits must benefit farmers’ – Meatco

National News

Allexer Namundjembo “We need concrete results that translate into income for producers and stability in our industry,” Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) deputy chairperson Stephanie De Klerk said as the state entity presented its latest financial results at its recent 37th annual general meeting in Windhoek. The meeting, held at the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM), focused on improved financial performance and the country’s preparedness against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which remains a threat in the region. Meatco reported that revenue increased by about 55% to roughly N$1.87 billion for the 2024/25 financial year. Profit before tax reached…