Featured – Windhoek Observer

19 Jan

TURNING POINT | Which Namibia are we? A nation at war with its own imagination

Featured, Main

“The younger cousin declared that one day he will own his own airline with five planes. The older cousin laughed uncontrollably and said, ‘Look at you and where you are. Just an hour ago you were asking for taxi money, and now you’re making embarrassing exclamations about your life.’ Clearly deflated, the younger cousin fell silent. I then asked the elder cousin, still living in his parents’ house in the village, holding a tertiary qualification, but moving from one drinking hole to another, what his plans were. Without hesitation he said, ‘Well, I tell you, cousin, one day when I…

19 Jan

No more hostage politics: Namibia must close the liberation claims era

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

The latest declaration by the Former Refugees Repatriation Association of Namibia (FRRAN) that it will escalate its demands to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah should concern every Namibian who cares about the country’s future governance. Former refugees, camping at Swapo headquarters since October last year, insist that United Nations funds meant for their resettlement in 1989 were handed to Swapo and never paid to them. The United Nations denies this. Swapo’s records deny this. Yet the protest continues, and a new political audience is now being sought. At the same time, liberation struggle veterans, despite decades of gratuities, pensions, land allocations, business…

18 Jan

What are we doing wrong with education?

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

A.Shipena Secondary School has given Namibia a moment to celebrate. Emerging as the only public school in the Khomas region to place in the national top ten in the 2025 Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Advanced Subsidiary (NSSCAS) examinations, ranking seventh nationally, is no small achievement. Principal Moses Haufiku’s pride is justified. His words reflect not just institutional success but community spirit. “A community which works together can excel in so many other aspects,” he said, adding that A.Shipena brings a distinct “Katutura flavour” to excellence. In a country desperate for positive education stories, A.Shipena is a beacon. But while we…

16 Jan

Youth spotlight: Nestor Nathingo

Featured, Latest

Nestor Nathingo belongs to a new generation of Namibian developers who are less interested in hype and more concerned with usefulness. Trained in software development and driven by a problem-solving instinct, his work sits at the intersection of technology, access, and everyday African realities. Rather than building for abstraction, Nathingo builds for context — creating digital solutions that respond to local needs, system gaps, and practical inefficiencies. His approach reflects a quiet but growing movement among young technologists who see code not as an end in itself but as a civic tool. In a country where digital infrastructure is uneven…

16 Jan

YOUNG OBSERVER | #UNMUTED

Featured, Opinions

This week is dedicated to our fighters. Yes, our fighters. They are the young Namibians who have crossed the finish line of basic education and now stand at a fragile threshold, with some preparing to enter institutions of higher learning, while others are stepping, often prematurely, into the labour force. They are also the parents and guardians who have lived in suspended breath since the festive season, waiting for examination results that would either affirm years of sacrifice or demand yet another round of emotional, financial and psychological endurance. For some families, Tuesday delivered relief. For others, it confirmed that…

16 Jan

Namdia’s silence is not neutral; it is harmful

Featured, Opinions

The Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) diamond heist of N$315 million was not an ordinary crime. It was the most daring and audacious financial theft in recent Namibian history. It struck at the heart of national pride, shook confidence in public institutions, and traumatised a nation that rightfully regards its diamonds as part of its collective inheritance. Now, as investigations continue and an employee has been arrested in connection with the heist, Namdia has chosen to retreat behind a wall of secrecy, refusing to disclose even the arrested person’s identity, gender, or position in the company. The justification given is that…

16 Jan

Namdia’s silence is not neutral; it is harmful

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

The Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) diamond heist of N$315 million was not an ordinary crime. It was the most daring and audacious financial theft in recent Namibian history. It struck at the heart of national pride, shook confidence in public institutions, and traumatised a nation that rightfully regards its diamonds as part of its collective inheritance. Now, as investigations continue and an employee has been arrested in connection with the heist, Namdia has chosen to retreat behind a wall of secrecy, refusing to disclose even the arrested person’s identity, gender, or position in the company. The justification given is that…

15 Jan

The value of the village

Featured, Opinions

John Mendelsohn I hope that 2026 will see a good deal of reasoned debate and discussion in parliament. Indeed, an abundance of sensible ideas and sound facts are needed if new legislation is to resolve the multiple messes in which so much Namibian land now finds itself. Some of the questions and uncertainties about the purpose and value of land emerged in an interesting opinion by Lazarus Jacobs in the Windhoek Observer on 15 December 2025. The article – entitled The village has died. Long live the village – described some of the changes and agonies that now surround rural…

13 Jan

Diplomacy is not a training ground for rookie errors

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

Diplomacy is often described as the quiet engine of international relations. It runs on protocol, trust, discretion and mutual respect between sovereign states. When it functions well, citizens rarely notice it. When it falters, however, the consequences can be swift and embarrassing, not only for the officials involved but also for the national image they represent. Recent developments in relations between Namibia and Ghana have raised legitimate concern. Ghana has sought clarification from Namibia over the appointment and public commissioning of former agriculture ministry executive director Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata as high commissioner-designate to Accra, despite the fact that formal consent from…

12 Jan

TURNING POINT | A renewed vision for Namibian education: The urgent case for schools of excellence

Featured, Opinions

For many Namibians who passed through the school system in the 1980s, the mention of Concordia Secondary School still evokes a particular sense of pride. It was not simply a school; it was a destination for academic promise. In an era defined by segregation and profound injustice, Concordia became a place where academically gifted Black students from across the country were gathered, challenged, and nurtured. Ironically, while the system that created it was unjust, the principle behind it was sound: exceptional academic ability requires intentional cultivation. Today, more than three decades after independence, Namibia no longer has a national institution…