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Niël Terblanché The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) lost its executive seat in the Swakopmund municipal council while the party kept its influence in Walvis Bay after municipal council elections last week. The two major central coastal towns elected new municipal councils last week which led to some leadership changes that are aimed at addressing local governance and development challenges. In Swakopmund, Blasius Goraseb from the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), nominated by Wilfried Groenewald, was elected as mayor, while Suama Kautondokwa, who represents Swapo, was chosen to serve as deputy mayor for the forthcoming term. The management committee's new term…

Niël Terblanchë Residents of the Ohangwena Region faced significant hardship this week after theft and vandalism at NamPower’s Onhuno Power Line caused a power outage, disrupting the water supply to the area. According to a statement by Lot Ndamanomhata, the spokesperson of NamWater, the incident, which occurred at approximately 01:00 on Tuesday morning, is a demonstration of the severe consequences of copper theft from the installation of essential services. He said that the Omakango Pump Station, which supplies water to the entire Ohangwena Region, was rendered inoperable due to the outage. Ndamanomhata confirmed that the region was left without running…

Niël Terblanché The much-anticipated 30-year, or Pearl Celebrations, of the Walvis Bay enclave’s reintegration into Namibia, have been unexpectedly postponed, triggering a war of words between the Office of the Governor of the Erongo Region and the Municipality of Walvis Bay. Initially scheduled for Thursday, the celebrations have been rescheduled to 7 February 2025 due to what Governor Neville Andre described as a "political witch-hunt" and "flimsy, politically motivated undertones." Andre, in a public notice, expressed disappointment over the Walvis Bay Municipality’s rejection of his office’s request to use municipal facilities for the historic event. “This decision has come as…

Martin Endjala The Namibian Police recorded 344 fatalities as a result of motor vehicle accidents on Namibian roads between 1 January and 3 November. The Inspector General of the Namibian Police, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, described these statistics as a major concern. He was speaking at the start of the 2024 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign in Tsumeb on Friday. “This indicates that road users are still not complying with the road safety regulations,” he said. Shikongo called for greater compliance with road safety regulations to curb the alarming number of fatalities. “All road users are compelled to adhere to…

Ester Mbathera The board of the Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) has distanced itself from the secondment of its head of commercial services, Confidence Musariri, to the New Era newspaper. Musariri was to resume the role of managing editor following the departure of Jonathan Beukes last month. In a letter dated 15 November, addressed to the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, board members Ndeuhala Katonyala-Lewis, Kingsley Guiseb, Elias Mwenyo, Bertha Amakali, and Kaulikalelwa Nghishitende stated they were unaware of the arrangement between the two media houses. “The board became aware, via the media reports of the secondment of Mr. Confidence…

Niël Terblanché The Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) announced on Wednesday that it successfully distributed more than N$75 million in tax refunds to over 50 000 taxpayers. According to Tonateni Shidhudhu, NamRA’s spokesperson, the mass payout, completed in two phases on 23 October and 1 November 2024, provided refunds ranging from N$100 to N$3 000 across various tax categories. He added that the refund initiative forms part of NamRA's ongoing efforts to clear the longstanding backlog of refunds and improve service delivery to Namibian taxpayers. Shidhudhu said the effort is aligned with Section 94 of the Income Tax Act of 1981…