Blog – Page 5 – Windhoek Observer

20 Jan

No land auctions under my watch, says Sankwasa …tells councillors to stop favouring foreign companies

Main, National News

Allexer Namundjembo Minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa has called for a “Namibia First” approach to government procurement, urging regional and local authority councillors to prioritise national interests. He also warned against the abuse of land allocation processes, procurement systems and public trust. “If Trump can stand and say ‘America first', we must also stand and say ‘Namibia first' and not second,” Sankwasa said. He was speaking at the opening of a five-day induction workshop for regional and local authority councillors, chief regional officers, chief executive officers and administrators in Rundu on Monday. Sankwasa said that procurement practices…

20 Jan

Experts warn weddings overshadow marriage

National News

Justicia Shipena Modern couples are increasingly drawn to the spectacle of weddings rather than the substance of marriage, leaving many unprepared for the realities of married life, says relationship mechanic Ngamane Karuaihe-Upi. Karuaihe-Upi said people marry for many reasons beyond religion and that pretending otherwise distorts the conversation around divorce. “Not everyone gets married because God said so. People get married because they are lonely, because of desire, because culture says so, or because of pressure linked to age," he told the Windhoek Observer on Monday. “People get drunk on the excitement of looking good and being celebrated,” he said.…

20 Jan

Shanghala presses court on legal aid

National News

Justicia Shipena “Why am I not legally represented as a former minister of state? What I would like to know, and this needs to be recorded, is why the state has money to give to prosecutors but not to us?” These were the questions raised by former justice minister and fishrot accused Sacky Shanghala on Monday in the Windhoek High Court as the fishrot matter came before court for a hearing on the commencement of the trial. Shanghala told the court that there was unequal treatment between the prosecution and the accused, saying funds were available for state prosecutors while…

20 Jan

School hall project stalls at Omuthiya Iipundi SS

National News

Allexer Namundjembo Construction of a school hall at Omuthiya Iipundi Senior Secondary School in Omuthiya, Oshikoto region, remains incomplete more than seven years after the project was first introduced. The project, which formally began in 2020, was meant to provide the school with a hall for assemblies, meetings and other activities. To date, only the foundation has been laid. Former learners say pupils were required to contribute financially towards the construction, despite the project still standing unfinished years later. “We contributed towards the construction of the hall. We thought it would have been completed by now, especially since the school…

20 Jan

Swakopmund donates 165 plots

National News

Renthia Kaimbi The Swakopmund municipality has approved the donation of 165 residential erven to listed beneficiaries in the DRC extensions 27, 29 and 30. The decision was ratified at a council meeting on 24 November 2025 and forms part of the municipality’s efforts to secure property rights for residents. The approval follows an earlier process in April 2023, when 805 ownership certificates were handed over to DRC residents. That handover gave residents legal recognition of their properties, allowing them to open municipal utility accounts and build permanent structures. It also placed an obligation on owners to pay municipal rates and…

20 Jan

Land is not a commodity for the few: Sankwasa’s stand must mark a turning point

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa has drawn a firm line in the sand. By banning the auctioning of land by local authorities and warning councillors that land belongs to the state, not to councils or private interests, he has confronted one of Namibia’s most enduring and destructive governance failures. His declaration that abuse of land allocation will no longer be tolerated is both timely and necessary. For too long, land has been treated as a commodity for speculation rather than a public resource meant to secure shelter, dignity, and opportunity for ordinary citizens. The price of land sits…

20 Jan

Construction recovery remains uneven

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Namibia’s construction sector remains on a cautious but uneven path, shaped by improving financial conditions and ongoing structural constraints, according to Simonis Storm’s Namibia Building Statistics for December. Lower inflation and a gradually easing interest-rate environment are providing some relief. However, weak investment pipelines, policy uncertainty and capacity constraints continue to limit a broad-based recovery. Municipal building plan data shows a mixed regional picture. In Windhoek, approved building plans rose by 13% year-on-year in December 2025 to 169 approvals. Month-on-month approvals fell by 4%. On a quarterly basis, Windhoek recorded 543 approved plans in the fourth quarter of…

20 Jan

Agrimark parent company records higher earnings

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira KAL Group, the holding company of Agrimark, has reported strong growth for the 2025 financial year, driven by expansion initiatives and improved operating efficiencies across its businesses. The KAL Group operates 89 stores across South Africa and Namibia, including 25 Agrimark outlets in Namibia. Since 2011, the group has delivered a compound annual growth rate of 12.7% in recurring headline earnings per share. For the year under review, the group generated N$20.3 billion in revenue. This was achieved despite an 11% decline in fuel prices, which make up 53% of total sales. Agri-inputs grew by 8.2%, while fuel…

20 Jan

Shaping the future of corporate governance

Observer Money

Hellmut von Ludwiger Not long ago, I found myself in a boardroom conversation that had nothing to do with numbers, forecasts, or compliance checklists. Instead, the question on the table was a simple one: are we making decisions today that we would still be proud of tomorrow? It was a reminder that, at its heart, governance is not just about rules but about judgement, accountability, and the responsibility we carry toward those who place their trust in us. It is against this backdrop that the launch of the King V Code marks an important milestone in the evolution of corporate…

20 Jan

Petra unearths 42ct, blue diamond from Cullinan Mine

Observer Money

Petra Diamonds has recovered a blue diamond weighing 41.82 carats from its Cullinan mine in South Africa. The stone, a type IIb of “exceptional quality”, is the first of its colour and magnitude the deposit has yielded in the past five years, Petra said Tuesday. The previous one was a 39.34-carat diamond it found at the site in April 2021. The company sold that gem for US$40.2 million. The miner is in the process of analysing the stone and deciding the best method of sale. The Cullinan mine is known for the recovery of rare, high-value blue diamonds. The stone…