info_e12wt4cs – Page 5

08 Jul

Top NIPDB investment executive to exit end of July

info_e12wt4csObserver Money

Justicia Shipena The executive for investment at the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), François van Schalkwyk, will be stepping down from his position. The NIPDB announced on Tuesday that his last working day will be 31 July 2025. NIPDB senior manager for marketing, branding, and communications, Catherine Shipushu, said that after more than four years at the institution, Van Schalkwyk has decided to pursue other interests and relocate to the United Kingdom to spend more time with his young family. Van Schalkwyk joined the NIPDB as one of its first employees and played a key role in shaping…

08 Jul

AC Boxing Stable turns 10

info_e12wt4csFeatured, Sports

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Boxing promoter Immanuel Moses, known as African Connection (AC), says he built the AC Boxing Stable from scratch without any assistance. He says he did it not for profit but to help children chase their dreams of becoming professional boxers. The AC Boxing Stable celebrates its ten-year anniversary this week. Despite reaching this milestone, Moses says he still struggles to secure long-term sponsorship and continues to run and fund the stable himself. “Ten years. No sponsors, just heart. For almost a decade, I’ve poured my own time, money, and energy into building something bigger than myself, a boxing…

08 Jul

NaCC rules Cheetah-Ohorongo deal a no-go

info_e12wt4csMainNaCC rules Cheetah-Ohorongo deal a no-go

Justicia Shipena The Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC) has blocked the proposed merger between Whale Rock Cement, trading as Cheetah Cement, and Schwenk Namibia, the parent company of Ohorongo Cement. The decision was announced on Friday, 4 July 2025, following an investigation into the acquisition filed on 17 February 2025. Whale Rock Cement had applied to acquire the entire issued share capital in Schwenk Namibia from Schwenk Zement International GmbH & Co. KG. Whale Rock Cement owns and operates a cement plant near Otjiwarongo and supplies the domestic market under the Cheetah Cement brand. Schwenk Namibia holds a controlling interest in…

08 Jul

Ombudsman asked to probe police conduct in Hengari case

info_e12wt4csNational NewsMac-Albert Hengari, Simon Hanga.

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Office of the Ombudsman has been asked to investigate alleged misconduct by police officers in the criminal case involving former minister Mac-Albert Hengari and his co-accused Simon Hanga. In a sworn statement dated 2 July, Hanga claimed he was unlawfully arrested and detained after arriving in Namibia from Germany in April. He said police pressured him to falsely implicate Hengari in exchange for his release. Hanga submitted the complaint to Ombudsman Basilius Dyakugha and also sent copies to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the prosecutor general, and the inspector general of the Namibian Police. “I am being unlawfully…

08 Jul

NNN had the power to grant Amweelo a state funeral but did not – Mulongeni

info_e12wt4csNational NewsMoses Amweelo

Justicia Shipena Political analyst Ben Mulongeni says the late Moses Amweelo, a former minister and liberation struggle veteran, deserved a state funeral. He questioned why President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah did not use her constitutional powers to grant him the honour. Amweelo died at the age of 73 in June at Lady Pohamba Private Hospital in Windhoek after battle with cancer. He was buried over the weekend, shortly after Cabinet announced a moratorium on official funerals until March 2026 to allow for a review of the criteria used to grant such honours. While Cabinet clarified that the President retains the constitutional power…

08 Jul

Legal missteps sink Kavango concession challenge

info_e12wt4csNational NewsKavango concession

Justicia Shipena The Windhoek High Court has struck an urgent application by tourism operators in the Kavango region who tried to stop a government-approved safari lodge project. The court cited their inordinate delay in bringing the challenge as the reason for dismissal. High Court acting judge Gerson |Narib ruled on 3 July 2025 that the application, brought by Shamvura Camp CC and six other tourism lodges, lacked urgency. The applicants had attempted to interdict the implementation of a concession awarded by the minister of environment, forestry and tourism to Nyime Safari Lodges CC for the development of a lodge in…

08 Jul

Sankwasa blames Windhoek residents of delaying road upgrades

info_e12wt4csNational News, UncategorisedJames Sankwasa

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa says some Windhoek residents are delaying road construction projects due to a lack of patriotism. Sankwasa made the remarks on Monday during the groundbreaking ceremony of Winnie Mandela Avenue in Windhoek. He said some individuals are refusing to relocate to allow construction to proceed, not because they have nowhere to go, but because they want to continue running businesses from their informal structures. In May, the Windhoek Observer reported that business owners along Peter Nanyemba Road, formerly Monte Christo Road, urged the City of Windhoek to revise parts of the ongoing…

07 Jul

Politicians accuse Tsumeb smelter of disrespecting law

info_e12wt4csNational News

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Politicians from different parties have criticised Sinomine Tsumeb Smelter for refusing entry to minister of justice and labour relations Fillemon Immanuel during a planned labour inspection on Monday. According to media reports, the Chinese-owned company demanded that the minister, his security team, and delegation undergo alcohol testing before being allowed in. The company also instructed the minister’s bodyguards to surrender their firearms at the gate. Immanuel had visited the smelter to inspect a voluntary retrenchment process that the Labour Ministry suspects violates labour laws. He was accompanied by the labour commissioner and a workers’ union representative. The incident…

07 Jul

Global Cancer Atlas lists Namibia’s registry

info_e12wt4csNational News

Allexer Namundjembo Namibia’s efforts to improve cancer surveillance have received international recognition with the inclusion of the National Cancer Registry (NNCR) in the newly launched Global Cancer Atlas. The Atlas, developed by the American Cancer Society, the World Health Organisation, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), offers a global picture of cancer trends, prevention, and response efforts. Namibia’s registry, endorsed by the African Cancer Registry Network (AFCRN), is notable for being fully initiated, funded, and managed by the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) “This international recognition affirms the global community’s trust in Namibia’s commitment to strengthening cancer…

07 Jul

Inflation risks persist despite easing fuel costs

info_e12wt4csFeatured, Observer Money

Justicia Shipena Fuel price reductions announced in June, backed by over-recoveries in May, are expected to help keep the country’s headline inflation below 4% in the near term. This is according to Almandro Jansen, a junior economist at Simonis Storm Securities. Jansen said this brings some short-term relief for households, especially amid slow wage growth. However, he noted that underlying risks continue to weigh on the economic outlook. The country's annual inflation rate eased to 3.5% in May 2025, slightly down from 3.6% in April and from a recent peak of 4.2% in March. Much of the decline came from…