Blog – Page 12 – Windhoek Observer

10 Nov

OBSERVER DAILY | Are we ready for the floods?

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

There’s a running joke that Namibians are surprised by only two things every year: winter and floods. When the temperatures drop, we huddle around heaters, wrap ourselves in blankets, and say to one another, “My goodness, it’s cold.” And when the rains finally arrive, we stare at the rising water levels and say, “The floods are here!” But beneath the humour lies a serious truth, we are rarely ready. Every year, the same cycle repeats itself: warnings go out, rains come, rivers swell, people are displaced, roads are washed away, and after a few months, we move on. Until the…

10 Nov

NCAA cuts losses to N$1 million

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira The Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has reduced its losses to N$1 million for the financial year ending March 2025, down from N$8 million recorded in the previous year. The authority presented its 2024/2025 integrated annual report to the minister of works and transport, Veikko Nekundi, on 6 November. It described the report as a reflection of strong financial recovery and improved operational performance. NCAA board chairperson Bethuel Mujetenga said the Authority achieved an unqualified audit opinion, showing solid governance and financial discipline. “For the financial year ending March 2025, the NCAA reduced its operational loss to just…

10 Nov

Eurobond redemption to pressure foreign reserves

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira FNB Namibia economist Cheryl Emvula says Namibia’s import coverage ratio could fall below the three-month target following the US$750 million eurobond redemption in October. According to the Bank of Namibia (BoN), international reserves stood at N$54.7 billion in September, down from N$57 billion in August. The 4.1% monthly decline was driven by higher government external obligations and foreign payments. “Despite the reduction, reserves remain sufficient for the Bank of Namibia to fulfil its mandate of maintaining macroeconomic stability. At the current level, reserves cover 3.6 months of imports and four months excluding oil exploration and appraisal activities. Looking…

10 Nov

Andrada cuts waste by 64%

Observer Money

Staff Writer Andrada Mining Limited has improved its energy efficiency by 8%. The company also reduced hazardous waste generation by 64%. Overall, total waste dropped to 57 tonnes from 158 tonnes the previous year. The company said these results reflect its focus on climate action and responsible resource management. Andrada, a producer of critical minerals including tin, tantalum, lithium, tungsten, and copper, released its 2025 sustainability report last week. The report outlines progress in environmental performance, health and safety, community impact and governance for the year ended 29 February 2025. The company also introduced the Andrada Nature Roadmap, a framework…

10 Nov

Namibia’s cyber crisis demands skilled professionals

Observer Money

Staff writer Legislation alone will not solve Namibia’s growing cyber crisis, according to Mach 10, part of the O&L Group. The company says the country faces a serious shortage of ICT professionals, especially in cybersecurity, network engineering, cloud computing and systems administration. The warning comes as the Namibia Cyber Security Incident Response team, housed at the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran), recorded over 1.1 million cyber threats and over 1.09 million vulnerabilities in the first half of 2025. This is the highest number since the national cybersecurity body was created. “These alarming figures underscore a reality that can no…

09 Nov

Lawmakers want NamRA to strip its branding from borders

National News

Renthia Kaimbi The National Council standing committee on home affairs, security, constitutional and legal affairs has called for the removal of corporate branding by the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) from border facilities. It said the branding violates national and international display standards. This comes after a recent parliamentary assessment exposed severe problems at the country's border posts, including weak security systems, housing shortages, and poor infrastructure. The committee’s report follows oversight visits to ten border posts between August and September 2025. Committee chairperson Ndjambula Philemon said the team was alarmed by the inconsistent branding at border facilities. “The border posts…

07 Nov

GIPF ‘confident’ of recovering offshore investment losses …as it confirms N$815 million impairment in SA

Main

Justicia Shipena The Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) says it remains confident in its ability to recover value from its investments despite a tax claim by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) that led to a major impairment. This is despite the fund saying the claim created “significant uncertainty” for its ability to recover full value of its assets. The claim against one of GIPF’s offshore investment vehicles, the Signal Structured Finance Fund, resulted in an impairment of N$815 million in its 2025 financial statements. GIPF chief executive officer Martin Inkumbi said this formed part of a total impairment provision…

07 Nov

Erongo education officials get bail in Unam admission fraud

National News

Justicia Shipena The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has uncovered an alleged education fraud scheme involving two senior officials from the directorate of education, arts and culture in the Erongo region. Deputy director for programmes and quality assurance, Natalia Guriras and administrative officer Betty Somses were arrested on Wednesday. The duo employed by the Ministry of Education Innovation Youth Sport Arts and Culture have been charged with corruption are linked to the illegal admission of a staff member into a University of Namibia (Unam) teacher training programme. According to the ACC, the arrests follow an investigation into false information allegedly submitted to…

07 Nov

Staff had no legal power to accept nomination forms – ECN

National News

Allexer Namundjembo The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) says its head office staff were not legally mandated to accept official nomination forms for the upcoming regional and local authority elections. This comes as claims by the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) that the commission blocked its participation in several local authority elections. LPM will not contest in several southern towns, including Aranos, Berseba, Bethanie, Gibeon, Rehoboth, Kalkrand, Lüderitz, Tses and Stampriet, as well as Henties Bay, Arandis, and Uis in the Erongo Region. Reports show that the party will lose out on 21 local authority seats in the affected areas. However,…

07 Nov

PM and 10 others to state position in WHS case next month

National News

Justicia Shipena Prime minister Elijah Ngurare and ten others must next month state whether they will oppose the lawsuit filed by the school board of Windhoek High School (WHS) against the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture. On Thursday, during a status hearing, High Court judge Thomas Masuku allowed the school board to add eleven more respondents to the case. The board had applied in June to include them in the ongoing dispute over the appointment of a new principal for WHS. The new respondents are the prime minister, the chairperson of the Public Service Commission, the chairperson of the…