Observer

Niël Terblanché The Southern African Development Community (SADC) officially launched its Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) for Namibia’s Presidential and National Assembly elections in a week. Anne Semamba Makinda, the head of SEOM and former Speaker of Tanzania’s National Assembly officiated at the launch in Windhoek on Wednesday. Makinda lauded Namibia’s peaceful and tolerant election tradition and set the country as a regional example. The elections on 27 November, will mark the culmination of Namibia’s electoral calendar for the year. Advanced voting for eligible citizens took place on 13 November, both within Namibia and abroad, which is a demonstration of the…

Niël Terblanché Swakopmund averted a water crisis following the water supply disruption due to a pipe break in the Omdel-Swakopmund water supply system. The water supply was restored on Wednesday after the technical staff of NamWater worked throughout Tuesday night to restore the bulk water supply to the holiday town. The situation that could have left the town facing the risk of a complete water outage was described as an emergency by NamWater spokesperson Lot Ndamanhomhata. He said the interruption occurred at a very inopportune time because the Orano desalination plant is currently offline for scheduled maintenance. He added that…

Stefanus Nashama Between October and November of this year, a pilot project in the Guinas Constituency of the Oshikoto region provided national documents to more than 1 000 members of the San community. Etienne Maritz, the executive director of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Safety and Security, made this announcement on Monday. “Between 22 October 2024 and 08 November 2024, over 1,000 members of the San community in the Guinas Constituency of the Oshikoto Region were provided with essential national documents, thereby ensuring their legal recognition and access to various government services and benefits,” he said. The project aimed to…

Niël Terblanché Grindrod, a prominent logistics company based in Walvis Bay, has strengthened its commitment to education in the Erongo region in a gesture of community support. The company hosted handover ceremonies at Da-Palm Senior Secondary School and Okombahe and Gaob Dr Justus Garoeb High School, donating crucial technological resources to improve the learning environment. The donations included laptops, projectors, printers, boxes of paper, and projector screens, tools designed to enhance the educational experience for both students and teachers. Johny Smith, the chief executive officer of Grindrod’s Rail division, reiterated the company’s dedication to initiatives that empower education. “These resources…

Ester Mbathera The City of Windhoek (CoW) has not received objections regarding the sale of the land designated for the Windhoek District Hospital. Harold Akwenye, the spokesperson, confirmed this on Tuesday and added the land measuring 151 hectares on Farm 508 Havana had been sold to the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) for N$18.9 million by way of a private treaty. “We remain committed to addressing any concerns from the community transparently and ensuring that this development benefits the public,” he said. A notice for the land sale for the hospital was made public last month. Although the…

Mallex Shipanga Adrianus Vugs, an expert in the financial sector, has also voiced his opposition to government funding for green hydrogen projects. “Our government should not participate in funding any of these green hydrogen projects,” Vugs advised on his LinkedIn status on Tuesday. Vugs said that he prefers donors or the private sector to fund the green hydrogen projects. “I suspect that this is the start of a long list of "green hydrogen" failures,” Vugs said. His comment follows the Dâures Green Hydrogen Village project's request for additional funding from the German government, despite already spending N$232 million on the…

Niël Terblanché Residents and businesses in Swakopmund have been warned of an unforeseen water supply disruption due to a substantial pipe break in the Omdel-Swakopmund water supply system. The situation, late on Tuesday evening, was described as an emergency by NamWater spokesperson Lot Ndamanhomhata. The break has left the town facing the risk of a complete water outage. According to Ndamanhomhata, the rupture occurred on the Omdel line, halting water flow from that source entirely. “This comes at a particularly inopportune time, as the Orano desalination plant, another vital water source for the area, is currently offline for scheduled maintenance,”…

Ester Mbathera With just seven days to go before the National Assembly and Presidential elections, the leader of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), Bernadus Swartbooi, has called on party members to participate in a four-day-long fasting and prayer session. In a letter addressed to party members, Swartbooi announced that the prayer session would take place from 24 to 27 November. “This prayer session is meant to pray for a peaceful election. Above all else, we should pray that the Divine Will of the Lord Jesus Christ will prevail in Namibia,” he said. He said the party has never been shy…

Niël Terblanché Namibia has made yet another resounding plea for climate justice at the ongoing 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29). Addressing the High-Level Segment of the conference, Namibia’s Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, delivered the country’s national statement, during which he urged developed nations to fulfil their financial commitments under the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC framework. Shifeta highlighted the severe impacts of climate change already felt in Namibia, which this year declared a national state of emergency due to unprecedented drought. “If Namibia is in such a state of emergency, what about other parts…