Blog – Page 7 – Windhoek Observer

05 Dec

YOUNG OBSERVER | Navigating the festive pressure cooker and protecting your mental health

Featured, National News

The final bell rings, the classrooms are empty, and the long-awaited December holiday is officially here. We are immediately bombarded with images across social media of perfect family reunions, elaborate travel plans, and endless joy. The social script for December is clear: “Be happy. Be busy. Be perfect.” This commercialised pressure is the origin of the Festive Pressure Cooker. Here is the honest truth, though, that needs you to embrace: The festive season is not always the happiest time for everyone. For many, the high expectations, the disruption of routine, the financial strain, complicated family conflicts, or overwhelming grief can…

05 Dec

YOUNG OBSERVER | #Unmuted

Featured, Opinions

December has arrived with the familiar brightness of warm weather, crowded calendars and a soft expectation that the mood of the country should somehow lift. The festive season in Namibia always brings its own rhythm: towns get louder, families gather, travel plans fill group chats, and everyone turns their attention toward rest, celebration, or escape. Yet as we step into this first edition of the month, it is important to acknowledge that the start of December does not magically reset what young people have been carrying throughout the year. If anything, it brings those realities into sharper focus. This week’s…

05 Dec

Late swearing-in may invalidate council actions… magistrates set to swear in councillors today

National News

Justicia Shipena //Kharas Regional Council chairperson Joseph Isaacks says the government’s plan to swear in newly elected regional councillors today risks rendering council decisions invalid and raises legal concerns. He argues that the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development (MURD) set a date that falls outside the timeframe required by law. This follows a circular issued by minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa on 28 November 2025, which informed outgoing political office bearers that their terms ended on 25 November. He instructed them not to introduce new legislation, policies or resolutions after that date, because such actions would…

05 Dec

High Court throws out Hardap inmate’s N$700k strip-search lawsuit

National News

Justicia Shipena The High Court has dismissed a N$700 000 damages lawsuit by Norman Kavara, an inmate at the Hardap Correctional Facility, who claimed correctional officers humiliated him during a strip-search in August 2021. The judgement delivered on Thursday found that Kavara did not prove that officers unlawfully stripped him, handcuffed him or forced him to perform degrading frog jumps while naked. Kavara is serving a twelve-and-a-half-year sentence for murder. He sued the minister of home affairs, safety and security, the head of the Namibia Correctional Service (NSC), Raphael Hamunyela and three senior officials from Hardap. He claimed they violated…

05 Dec

Green ammonia produced in Namibia could cost N$13k per tonne by 2035Justicia Shipena

National News

By 2035, Namibia is expected to become the world’s cheapest producer of green ammonia. Green ammonia produced in Namibia could cost €693 per tonne (about N$13,800) by 2035, a new study shows. The study, commissioned by the German Energy Agency and the Climate Neutrality Foundation, says this would make Namibian production far cheaper than future output in Europe. By comparison, green ammonia made in Germany is projected to cost €1,130 per tonne (around N$22,500), even with expected technological improvements. The study finds that Namibia could supply green ammonia up to 40% cheaper than European producers well into the future, positioning…

05 Dec

Intelligence sharing at core of Namdia–Nampol agreement

National News

Justicia Shipena A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) and the Namibian Police Force (Nampol) will create a framework for intelligence sharing, cooperation and operational alignment across the diamond value chain. The two institutions signed the agreement on Thursday at the Police National Headquarters in Windhoek. The agreement follows a robbery in January that involved the theft of diamonds worth about N$350 million from Namdia's Windhoek headquarters. The incident also led to the deaths of Namdia executive Francis Eiseb and one of the suspects, Max Endjala. Acting Namdia chief executive officer Lelly Usiku said the partnership…

05 Dec

Judge: Mwiya’s assessment of ex-NSC finance head was a ‘sham’Justicia Shipena

National News

The High Court has ruled that a performance appraisal prepared by Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) chief administrator Freddy Mwiya for former executive for finance Junias Thomas Hamalua was a “sham”, as it did not meet the contractual requirement of continuous, annual evaluations. The finding formed part of a judgement dismissing Hamalua’s attempt to overturn the commission’s decision not to renew his five-year contract. High Court judge president Shafimana Ueitele said Mwiya’s February 2023 performance analysis failed to show how the former executive had been appraised throughout his contract term from 2018 to 2023. He noted that the interim board had…

05 Dec

Nationwide campaign aims to clarify minimum wageJusticia Shipena

National News

The Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations has launched a nationwide campaign to help employers and employees understand the national minimum wage (NMW), set last year at N$18 per hour. The launch took place on Thursday in Windhoek. The ministry's deputy executive director, Aune Mudjanima, said the educational materials were developed with support from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to provide clear and reliable information. She said access to information helps workers and employers make informed decisions and improves compliance with labour laws. Mudjanima said the materials explain what the minimum wage entails, how it should be applied and the…

05 Dec

Four state sponsored funerals approved under moratorium

Main

Allexer Namundjembo President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has granted four state-sponsored funerals since Cabinet introduced a moratorium on official funerals earlier this year. The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology’s spokesperson, Ngaevarue Katjangua, confirmed the figures. She also said the moratorium, which took effect on 16 June 2025, does not limit the President’s constitutional authority to confer national honours in exceptional cases. “Since the 11th Cabinet meeting of 2025, which resolved the moratorium on the granting of official funerals, the Cabinet further noted that the decision does not infringe on the constitutional powers of the President to confer national honours on citizens,”…

05 Dec

Walvis Bay port moves N$7.3 billion in exports

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Walvis Bay handled exports worth N$7.3 billion in October, confirming its position as Namibia’s main gateway for trade. Data from the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) shows that Eros Airport followed at N$2.9 billion, while the Katima Mulilo border post handled N$1.1 billion in export goods. Walvis Bay also led on the import side, processing N$5.5 billion worth of goods. Ariamsvlei ranked second with N$3.3 billion, and the Trans Kalahari border post handled N$2.6 billion in imports. Sea transport carried most export goods. In October 2025, Namibia shipped N$7.4 billion worth of exports by sea, making up 56% of…