Blog – Page 13 – Windhoek Observer

04 Dec

FirstRand says earnings are on track for the year

Observer Money

Staff Writer FirstRand says its operational performance for the six months ending 31 December 2025 is tracking in line with expectations. The group said easing inflation, lower interest rates and gradual improvements in household affordability supported performance across its key markets. A voluntary trading update released on the JSE noted that macroeconomic conditions in South Africa, most African markets and the UK remained as anticipated, although Mozambique and Botswana continued to pose challenges. Despite subdued domestic system growth, inflation eased, and two 25 basis point rate cuts in July and November helped stimulate demand. FirstRand said both operational and financial…

04 Dec

Nedbank credit losses improve as demand recovers

Observer Money

Staff Writer Nedbank Group says it is maintaining stable financial momentum despite tough operating conditions. The bank released its voluntary trading and pre-close update for the 10 months to 31 October 2025, showing that performance remained steady even as South Africa’s economy faced modest growth, geopolitical uncertainty and concerns over US tariffs. These factors continued to weigh on business confidence and delayed capital investment, while transactional activity remained muted. Nedbank said conditions have started to improve. Subdued inflation created room for further interest rate cuts, which helped lift household credit demand. Investor sentiment strengthened after progress on structural reforms, South…

04 Dec

Dâure Daman Traditional Authority names Taurob acting chief amid disputes

Main

Renthia Kaimbi The appointment of Isaskar “Ou Issy” Taurob as acting chief has deepened long-running divisions within the Dâure Daman community. Taurob, a senior traditional councillor, was appointed on Tuesday following the degazetting of former chief Zacharias Seibeb last month. His appointment is meant to restore stability, but it follows months of disputes over leadership and legitimacy. In the election, Taurob received 403 votes; Ephraim Gaseb received six, and David Areseb received one. The result was decisive, yet it remains contested. According to customary law, the authority had 21 days after Seibeb’s removal to appoint an acting chief. Taurob will…

02 Dec

NNN sets up three task forces

Main

Justicia Shipena President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has launched three national task forces to speed up economic recovery, improve the health system and expand access to housing and serviced land. She announced the teams on Monday, saying Namibia continues to face rising living costs, slow job creation, uneven service delivery, housing shortages and pressure on the health system. She said the private sector is also struggling with global uncertainty and domestic barriers. Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia can no longer work in isolation if it wants to move faster. She said the country needs a space where government, business, labour, civil society, communities, academia…

02 Dec

Beifang workers forced to eat in dusty pits

National News

Renthia Kaimbi Beifang workers at the Rössing Uranium Mine say they are forced to eat in dusty pits and inside mining equipment without proper lunch breaks. This is as a result of a three-year exemption granted by former labour minister Utoni Nujoma to Beifang Mining Technologies. The exemption has sparked outrage and raised health concerns at the mine. In July 2023, Nujoma declared Beifang’s operations at Rössing as continuous operations. The declaration, which took effect on 1 August 2023 and runs until 31 July 2026, suspended normal lunch break provisions for mining and plant employees. The exemption directed the mine…

02 Dec

Public rollout of HIV injection stalls due to cost issues

National News

Justicia Shipena The cost of a new twice-a-year HIV prevention and treatment injection, Lenacapavir, is too high for immediate rollout in Namibia’s public health system. Health minister Dr Esperance Luvindao announced this during the World AIDS Day commemoration in Otjiwarongo on Monday, saying the long-acting injectable has the potential to change HIV treatment but remains out of reach for most public patients. She said the ministry has begun the regulatory approval process so that people who can afford the medication in the private sector may access it sooner. “Our ultimate goal is equity. No one should be denied the future…

02 Dec

‘HIV is not a death sentence,’ says advocate at World AIDS Day

National News

Renthia Kaimbi In 1999, a mandatory HIV test before a boxing match changed Bernard Kamatoto’s life. The positive result ended his boxing career, but 25 years later he stands as a national and global HIV advocate. As he marks 19 years on antiretroviral treatment, his message remains one of strength and survival. “HIV is not a death sentence. I am here, living proof that HIV is not the end; it is a chapter that can be lived with courage, medication, and love,” Kamatoto expressed. Kamatoto shared his story with the Windhoek Observer as Namibia commemorated World AIDS Day in Otjiwarongo…

02 Dec

Former independent candidate launches foundation to help farmers in Mukwe

National News

Allexer Namundjembo Former Mukwe Constituency independent candidate Isdor Muronga has called for financial support to assist rural farmers. His appeal comes after he delivered farming equipment to a woman he met during his campaign trail. He said small-scale producers in remote areas need urgent assistance to sustain food production. Muronga told the Windhoek Observer on Sunday that he first met Shadinyando Kayungu at Shamaghandutji in Kavango East. He said the inland village is difficult to reach because of poor roads. He said her determination to run a small garden and feed her community left a strong impression on him. “During…

02 Dec

Support group helps Katima Mulilo woman return to school

National News

Allexer Namundjembo Twenty-six-year-old Nanzila Litah Lota from Katima Mulilo is carving a new path for herself after years of personal hardship. She is one of more than 1 300 students supported by Palms For Life to pursue vocational training at the Community Skills Development Foundation (Cosdef). Lota is studying office administration level 2. She was born to a mother from the San communities of the Kwe and a Totela father from Katima Mulilo. Her childhood changed sharply when her mother died in 2013 while she was in Grade 4. Her paternal grandmother, who became her guardian, passed away in 2015.…

02 Dec

A promising vision, but can the new task forces deliver?

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s commissioning of the national task forces on economic recovery, health, and housing & land marks one of the clearest early signals of the 8th Administration’s intention to break from business-as-usual governance. The speech delivered was measured, sober, and deliberately forward-looking. It struck the necessary chords of unity, urgency, and institutional alignment. Yet, as with any initiative built on lofty ambition, the real test lies not in the unveiling but in the doing. The President’s framing of Namibia’s current challenges – rising living costs, constrained job creation, underperforming service delivery, a strained health system, and the persistent burdens…