Windhoek Observer

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Otjomuise Live Arts Festival (OLAF) brought Windhoek to life as it showcased the city’s emerging dance talent, with young performers dominating the spotlight. The festival, which kicked off on 9 October and concluded on 12 October, celebrated its fourth edition under the theme “MOVE!” and featured performances at key locations across the city, including Zoo Park, Sifu Arena in Katutura and the College of the Arts. The festival’s dance battle finale saw Rhythm in Motion secure the top prize of N$10 000, demonstrating the growing platform OLAF provides for young talent. One of the festival’s key goals,…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja High Court Judge Eileen Rakow dismissed an urgent application from Swapo member Reinhold Shipwikineni and four others. The applicants sought to overturn the central committee's decision to postpone the party's extraordinary congress until next year. Rakow ruled on Monday that the application was not properly constituted and lacked the return of service documents. Shipwikineni and the other applicants sought to nullify the candidacy of Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as the SWAPO candidate for the upcoming presidential election. They also requested that the court compel SWAPO to hold an extraordinary congress, as required by the party’s constitution. The court ordered Shipwikineni…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Namibian courts and several ministries are yet to display the official portrait of President Nangolo Mbumba. The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology’s (MICT) spokesperson, Shoki Kandjimi confirmed the situation. “None of the courts have the new presidential portraits; this is because of procurement. However, I have advised them to at least put a ribbon on the late president’s picture. All offices, ministries and agencies were given the directive,” he said. In July, the ministry issued a directive following the death of President Hage Geingob, announcing the availability of President Mbumba’s official portrait for display in public and…

OLUMAYOWA SAMUEL The Namibian government has appealed to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to train its country’s anti-graft agency to fight corruption. Making the appeal during a visit to the ICPC headquarters on Friday, the country’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Humphrey Geiseb, said that the Anti-Corruption Commission of Namibia needed the ICPC’s expertise in recovering stolen assets. Geiseb said, “The fight against corruption is taking a new dimension on the continent and we believe Nigeria should lead in sharing its expertise in the fight against corruption and we hope it will open its doors to other…

Ester Mbathera The ruling party has made significant strides in the development of Namibia and should be given another mandate to govern, a Swapo think tank member said over the past weekend. According to Toini Sam, who was addressing the ruling party faithful of the Moses ǁGaroëb part of the Windhoek East constituency, Swapo’s record in education, health, and infrastructure development should be hailed by all and sundry. “Education has been the cornerstone of national development and even more critical as we look towards the future attainment of Vision 2030 and Agenda 2063 to have a knowledge-based society and the…

Niël Terblanché In a bid to improve the communication and leadership capabilities of its senior officers, the Namibian Police is conducting a comprehensive Public Speaking Training Course in Mariental. The course, which commenced on Monday, is facilitated by the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM) and is aimed at sharpening the communication skills of key leaders within the force, including regional commanders, heads of directorates, heads of divisions, and staff officers. The Inspector General of the Namibian Police, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, stressed the importance of effective communication as a vital tool in law enforcement. "Public speaking is…