Windhoek Observer

13492 Posts
NamRA spends N$382m on procurement

NamRA spends N$382m on procurement

Chamwe Kaira  The Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) spent N$382.6 million on goods and services during the 2024/25 financial year. Procurement data shows that multinational companies received the largest share by value.  Over N$178.2 million was awarded through four contracts. Local large companies secured N$82.1 million across 374 contracts. Small and medium-sized enterprises received N$49.7 million through 312 awards.  Public entities were allocated N$2.83 million from 61 transactions. In total, NamRA issued 750 procurement awards during the year. Central Namibia received the largest share. It accounted for N$122 million across 588 awards, the highest in both value and number of contracts.…
Read More
Nedbank Namibia receives 6th Commerzbank STP award

Nedbank Namibia receives 6th Commerzbank STP award

Staff Writer Nedbank Namibia has received the 2025 Straight Through Processing (STP) award from Commerzbank AG. The award recognises the bank’s performance in handling cross-border payments. The Commerzbank STP award is granted each year to a small number of correspondent banking partners that meet global standards in processing payments and financial transfers. The assessment focuses on the accuracy, completeness and formatting of payment data. These factors allow transactions to be processed automatically without manual intervention. Straight-through processing is a key measure of efficiency in international banking.  Despite improvements in payment systems, global STP rates for cross-border payments remain low, at…
Read More
Nedbank Africa boss salary drops to R23.2 million

Nedbank Africa boss salary drops to R23.2 million

Chamwe Kaira  Managing Executive for Nedbank Africa Regions (NAR) Terence Sibiya saw his total awarded remuneration fall to R23.2 million in 2025, down from R25.4 million in 2024. The decline reflects lower incentive payouts, despite a rise in guaranteed pay.  His guaranteed package increased by 4.7% to R5.17 million. Short-term incentives declined by 23.8% to R8 million, with both cash and deferred incentives lower. Long-term incentives remained at R10 million. Total earned remuneration also fell by 6.7% to R23.5 million. This was driven by a drop in vested long-term incentives and lower dividends. The changes come as performance across the…
Read More
Emirates completes travel rehearsals for youth with autism 

Emirates completes travel rehearsals for youth with autism 

Emirates has continued its commitment to making travel more accessible for all by successfully arranging bespoke Emirates Travel Rehearsals across more than 40 cities globally over the past year. With more than 250 families positively impacted, Emirates Travel  Rehearsals are designed to support children and young adults with autism, allowing them to practise the journey through the airport to prepare for real flights, easing travel anxiety and empowering them to fly with more confidence. After the initial Emirates Travel Rehearsals in Dubai resulted in positive feedback from families, schools and autism organisations, the Emirates Office of Accessibility & Inclusion formulated…
Read More
Coexistence of Namibia’s energy sector with the environment

Coexistence of Namibia’s energy sector with the environment

Prof Uchendu Eugene Chigbu The 'Energy Sector in Namibia’ 2025 report identified 17 main actors in the energy sector. One of the biggest challenges these companies face is minimising disruption to the natural environment as they conduct their activities.  The report highlights several oil and gas challenges that must be addressed to ensure the coexistence of Namibia’s energy sector with the environment. It found that fuel wholesalers increasingly rely on trucks to transport fuel due to the declining performance of TransNamib. Some oil wells are located hundreds of kilometres from shore, in water depths of up to 3 000 metres.…
Read More
Where are the voices of the people of Gam?

Where are the voices of the people of Gam?

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro When the dust settles over the opportunistic, if not crocodile, tears over the sad and indeed untimely bowing out of this world of the prodigal son of Gam, James Unomasa Uerikua, none shall miss him dearly and direly, and for long so, more than the Otjiserandu villagers and indeed the broader inhabitants of the Gam Bantustan. An inopportune and untimely passing, surely, as if there were ever any death that were timely and opportune. The road to Gam, the days leading to the burial of Uerikua, was out of the world of Gam. Perhaps a pointer to his…
Read More
Time for Namibia’s second republic: A new state 

Time for Namibia’s second republic: A new state 

Malcolm Kambanzera  Recently, the legal fraternity gathered at Sisa Namandje & Co. Inc. to attend the public lecture by Dr Muzi Sikhakhane, a South African senior counsel and a practising advocate.  The lecture was about "A Decolonial Legal Culture and the Role of an African Lawyer in our Society". During this lecture he asked the audience, "What is the purpose of a constitution praised for being one of the best in the world, but it cannot deal with our people’s historical challenges? We are still landless and still socially and economically disadvantaged." It got me thinking, is it perhaps time…
Read More

Homes under the hammer: When the law protects property but fails people

A troubling pattern is emerging across Windhoek: families are losing their homes through property auctions under circumstances that raise serious questions about fairness, transparency and basic human decency. What should be a carefully regulated, last-resort legal process has, in too many instances, become a mechanical exercise that disregards the lived realities of those affected. No one disputes that debt obligations must be honoured. Financial systems rely on enforcement. Courts exist to uphold contracts. But there is a fundamental difference between enforcing the law and exploiting its rigidity. Increasingly, residents are not challenging the existence of debt; they are challenging the…
Read More
Outrage grows over home repossessions in Windhoek

Outrage grows over home repossessions in Windhoek

Patience Makwele Outrage is growing among Windhoek residents as families facing home repossessions question the fairness of the process.  One of those people is 70-year-old Friedrich Willy Schroeder, who has spent more than a decade challenging the sale of his Hochland Park home.  He says it was sold based on what he calls a “null and void” court judgement. His dispute dates back to April 2013, when his property was sold after legal action linked to a loan with FNB Namibia Holdings now known as FirstRand Namibia.  “They auctioned a non-existent property,” Schroeder said, pointing to differences between Erf 1520…
Read More
Outjo CEO demands apology over corruption claims

Outjo CEO demands apology over corruption claims

Allexer Namundjembo Outjo chief executive officer Tiofilia Jentzsch is demanding an apology over what she says are false corruption claims linked to the Outjo Fire Station tender. According to a letter of demand dated 20 April, Sisa Namandje & Co. Incorporated, acting on her behalf, instructed Outjo-based activist McKay Oswald Losper to retract statements made on social media. The letter states that Losper published claims accusing Jentzsch of being “implicated in the corruption of the Outjo Fire Station", which the firm says are false and defamatory. The letter asserts that Jentzsch has not faced any charges related to corruption and…
Read More
No widgets found. Go to Widget page and add the widget in Offcanvas Sidebar Widget Area.