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South African wine industry marks blessing of grape harvest

South African wine industry marks blessing of grape harvest

Staff Writer The South African wine industry has gathered for the annual Wine Harvest Commemorative Event to honour excellence, heritage and innovation.  The event also marked the blessing of the 2026 grape harvest and commemorated 367 years since the birth of the country’s wine industry. South Africa remains unique among wine-producing nations because it can trace the exact origin of its wine industry to a diary entry dated 2 February 1659.  The entry reads: “Today, praise be to God, wine was made for the first time from Cape grapes.” Clifford van der Venter, chairperson of the Groot Constantia Trust, said…
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Namibia weeps for prosecutor Shiweda 

Namibia weeps for prosecutor Shiweda 

Allexer Namundjembo The death of Ondangwa regional control prosecutor Justine Shiweda has left Namibians shaken and many within the justice system fear for their safety.  Shiweda died on Saturday at Lady Pohamba Hospital in Windhoek, where she had been hospitalised since October last year after she was shot and attacked with corrosive acid while preparing to go to work in Ondangwa.  She fought for her life for four months before succumbing to her injuries. The Namibia Law Association (NLA) says the death of Shiweda is an attack on the justice system and the rule of law. Gebhardt said the killing…
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China Town shop owner’s car to be auctioned over unpaid lawsuit

China Town shop owner’s car to be auctioned over unpaid lawsuit

Justicia Shipena  The failure by China Town shop owner Li Bailong to pay court-ordered damages has led to his property being attached for sale by public auction to settle a claim brought by a former employee. The High Court authorised the attachment of Bailong’s movable property after he failed to comply with a judgement ordering him to pay N$230 000, interest at 20% per year, and legal costs to Itakeya George.  The court found that Bailong violated George’s dignity by stripping her naked in full view of the public. A writ of execution was issued and carried out on 27…
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Beifang Mining roster row leads to 10 suspensions

Beifang Mining roster row leads to 10 suspensions

Renthia Kaimbi A dispute over shift changes at the Beifang Mining Technology Services (BMTS) Husab Project has escalated, leading to the suspension of 10 employees and growing tension between management and the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN). The issue began on 24 January when the company’s human resources department issued a joint memorandum with the MUN branch executive committee.  The notice announced a mandatory shift from a reverse to a forward rotation, effective 27 January. The memorandum, signed by human resources head Abraham Christian and branch chairperson Gebhard Shikongo, said the change was “imperative” to comply with Section 20 of…
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Health policy to bring rules for digital health providers

Health policy to bring rules for digital health providers

Justicia Shipena Namibia’s newly launched National Digital Health Policy 2026–2036 will lay the groundwork for a law to regulate digital health providers and protect patient data as the country expands the use of technology in healthcare. The policy was launched on Friday in Windhoek by the minister of health and social services, Esperance Luvindao.  Luvindao stated that the policy will serve as a guide for the drafting of a Digital Health Bill.  The planned law will provide legal certainty, safeguard patient privacy and regulate the digital health services operating in the country. Digital health involves the use of information and…
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Ongete Fishing donates fence to Shaama Combined School

Ongete Fishing donates fence to Shaama Combined School

Renthia Kaimbi Shaama Combined School in the Ohangwena region has received a new perimeter fence as part of a N$500 000 donation from Ongete Fishing (Pty) Ltd, aimed at improving infrastructure at the school. The handover took place on Friday at the school in Onanghulo village.  Government officials, traditional leaders and community members attended the ceremony.  The donation also includes plans for a soup kitchen, an administration block and a library, which are still under review. School principal Toivo Shadjuuka said the fence ends years of operating without a secure boundary. “We held school in the presence of goats and…
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Japan funds new project to support drought-affected farmers

Japan funds new project to support drought-affected farmers

Justicia Shipena  Japan has launched a new grant-funded project to strengthen the resilience of farming communities affected by drought in Namibia, with a focus on long-term food security and climate-smart agriculture. The project, titled 'Enhancing resilience of farming communities affected by drought through the promotion of adaptive agriculture', was launched on Saturday in Otjiwarongo.  It will be implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with Namibia's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform. Japan’s ambassador to Namibia, Shinichi Asazuma, said the project reflects Japan’s commitment to helping Namibia move from emergency drought…
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Justine Shiweda did not have to die; not like this

Namibia is mourning, but mourning alone is not enough. The death of Justine Shiweda, a public prosecutor who died from injuries sustained in a brutal, targeted attack, should leave this nation shaken to its moral core. She did not die of illness. She did not die by accident. She died in the line of duty because she dared to do her job. And that should outrage every single one of us. Justine Shiweda did not deserve to die. Not like this. Not violently. Not as a warning. Not as collateral damage in a society that too often shrugs when women…
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TURNING POINT | Namibia’s youth debate is asking the wrong question

TURNING POINT | Namibia’s youth debate is asking the wrong question

If Namibia’s challenges could be solved by replacing older leaders with younger ones, the country would already be on a dramatically different trajectory.  Youth unemployment would be falling, institutions would be stronger, and public trust would be rising. Instead, the opposite is true. Yet our public discourse increasingly insists that the central problem is generational: that young people are deliberately held back by an older generation unwilling to let go. It is a convenient narrative, simple, emotive, and politically useful. It is also largely misleading. Namibia is a young country by any measure. Roughly 70% of the population is under…
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NAU warns of FMD risk as regional cases rise

NAU warns of FMD risk as regional cases rise

Chamwe Kaira The continued occurrence of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Southern Africa is a major concern, the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) has said. The union says FMD poses a serious risk to livestock, livelihoods and the wider economy. Namibia’s cattle herd is estimated at about 1.2 million head, with 800 000 south of the veterinary cordon fence and 400 000 north of it. The livestock sector, including sheep and goats, has remained under supply pressure. Marketing volumes have fallen due to a shortage of market-ready animals across key channels.  The situation is worsened by FMD outbreaks in South Africa, Namibia’s…
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