Featured – Windhoek Observer

05 Jan

What do we own? Namibia’s unwritten national balance sheet

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s New Year message strikes a hopeful and unifying chord. Her call for unity, compassion, hard work and integrity is timely and necessary as Namibia steps into 2026 facing familiar socio-economic challenges: unemployment, inequality, fiscal pressure and uneven service delivery. The President is right; when Namibians stand together, no challenge is too great. But unity and determination alone are not enough. To truly translate this vision into inclusive growth and national renewal, we must confront a fundamental and largely unanswered question: what do we own as a nation? In households and businesses, progress begins with knowing what is…

05 Jan

Community voices must guide Namibia’s future

Featured, Opinions

Ester Shafashike In a democratic society, decisions that affect the lives of citizens cannot be made in isolation. The principle of community consultancy, seeking public views before implementing any policy or project is not only a moral obligation but also a constitutional and developmental imperative for Namibia. The Constitution of the Republic of Namibia (1990) makes it clear that sovereignty rests with the people. Article 1(1) declares Namibia a democratic state founded upon the will of its citizens, whereas Chapter 3 guarantees freedoms of speech, assembly, and association. These rights are not symbolic, but they are the right tools through…

05 Jan

Fishrot at five years: When courts delay, power decides and victims pay the price

Featured, Opinions

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) After reading the allegations involving the so-called fugitive lawyer Marén de Klerk, authorised by the Supreme Court to testify via video link in the Fishcor and Sea Flower Pelagic matter, my blood boiled. That anger was sharpened by the memory of Sacky Shanghala lecturing young Namibians at SWAPO Youth League Youth Day celebrations with astonishing arrogance. The allegations now reveal that the former Minister of Justice allegedly told those involved that they “could all stand to make a lot of money.” If true, this is not a lapse in judgement.…

19 Dec

YOUNG OBSERVER | It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Featured, Opinions

With less than 7 days to go before many of us are indulging in the annual gluttony contest of eating slain goats under a tree in remote areas, the year 2025 is wrapping up wonderfully, and as young Namibians, it is safe to say we had a good run. Across the country, the signs are familiar. Traffic thins in the capital city, traffic officers hide behind bushes on long roads to trap fast drivers, offices slow down, and families begin to gather again, some by choice, others by obligation. December has always carried its own rhythm in Namibia. 2025 was…

18 Dec

Transparency is the best medicine

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

The Ministry of Health and Social Services deserves recognition for the urgency and coordination it has shown in responding to the threat of poliovirus in the Kavango East and Kavango West regions. The rapid rollout of a preventative vaccination campaign targeting children under the age of 10, the mobilisation of international partners, and the strengthening of surveillance systems all reflect a ministry that understands the gravity of polio and the catastrophic consequences of complacency. The detection of poliovirus type 2 through environmental surveillance at Ndama sewage could easily have been dismissed or delayed. Instead, it triggered action. The involvement of…

17 Dec

When classrooms become crime scenes, policy silence is complicity

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

The resignation of a teacher from Wilhelm Nortier Primary School while in police custody is not just another tragic headline. It is an indictment of a system that continues to react to sexual abuse in schools rather than prevent it. Once again, Namibia is forced to confront an uncomfortable truth: our children are not as safe in our learning institutions as we claim they are. The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture has condemned the alleged sexual assault and promised cooperation with law enforcement. These statements, while necessary, are painfully familiar. We have heard them before, after…

17 Dec

WHEN INEFFICIENCY BECOMES A CULTURE: NAMIBIA’S PUBLIC SECTOR

Featured, Opinions

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara) Weak accountability in Govt derails development Former finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi said accountability must be elevated to the highest level if the country is to meet its national goals. He added that weak coordination among government institutions has hampered the country's progress in several development areas. Speaking on his tenure as finance minister, as it was reported in one of the daily newspapers, Shiimi admitted that while Namibia has no shortage of well-crafted plans and strategies, implementation continues to fall short due to fragmented coordination. Reflecting on his experience, Shiimi argued…

16 Dec

Zambezi warning bells ring again: Act now or risk repeating a national tragedy

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

Namibia is once again standing at a familiar and deeply uncomfortable crossroads. The renewed calls for Zambezi secession, now resurfacing in Katima Mulilo, should chill every Namibian who remembers the painful lessons of our past. We have been here before. We ignored the warning signs then, dismissed legitimate grievances as fringe agitation, and laughed off the danger until it erupted into a national crisis. To do so again would be reckless in the extreme. Let us be clear from the outset: there is no credible evidence that the majority of Zambezi residents support secession. Analysts are correct in pointing out…

15 Dec

The village has died. Long live the village

Featured, Opinions

Not long ago, a friend and I found ourselves locked in a heated debate about our traditional villages, what many of us still affectionately call “back home". What began as a casual conversation quickly turned into a fundamental disagreement about the future of these places. His position was blunt: our villages are dying and not worth investing in. Mine was equally firm: if villages are dying, then it is precisely our generation, the one with education, mobility, and relative means, that must step in to ensure they do not disappear. That debate forced me to confront a broader national question:…

15 Dec

A milestone worth noting, not a moment for complacency

Editorial, Featured, Observer Money

Namibia’s ranking as the fifth safest country in Africa for money laundering and financial crime risk is, by any reasonable measure, good news. According to the 2025 Basel Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Financial Crime Risk Index, the country continues on a positive trajectory, recording steady improvements over the past three years. With a score declining from 5.09 in 2023 to 4.78 in 2025 on a scale where lower scores indicate lower risk, Namibia now stands among the continent’s stronger performers in safeguarding its financial system. This achievement deserves recognition. At a time when illicit financial flows, corruption, and transnational crime…