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29 Oct

Josua Maponga challenges Swapo to deal with land issue

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Ester Mbathera Outspoken thought leader, Joshua Maponga has urged Swapo leaders to take immediate action on land reform, calling for a strategic approach to reclaim land from white ownership. Maponga to Swapo members during the public discussion of the party’s manifesto on Monday in Windhoek. “Swapo, hear me well. Stop acting like an opposition party. You are a ruling party; you are not an opposition party. Set the agenda items loud and clear and let the rest of the nation follow your agenda,” he said. He criticises the party for what he perceives as a lack of urgency in addressing…

28 Oct

Amupanda alleges political manipulation of Census report

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Ester Mbathera The leader of the Affirmative Repositioning movement (AR), Job Amupanda, has questioned the credibility of the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), accusing the government of influencing and manipulating statistical data for political purposes. In a statement released on social media on Monday, Amupanda claimed that the NSA had completed the Labour Force Survey and was prepared to release the findings but was halted after the NSA briefed the government. “How can we trust even you guys that are in the Namibia Statistics Agency? How can you be used like that? How can you be used by politicians on important…

27 Oct

San people face hardship with modern burials

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Martin Endjala and Ester Mbathera The Khwe and !Xun people, who reside in the Bwabwata National Park, shared by the Zambezi and Kavango East regions, often face the challenge of keeping their deceased loved ones in the villages for days. This is because there are concerns that if burials take place without official notification, authorities might demand the exhumation of the bodies. David Musamba, a San activist, highlighted how modern burial practices are threatening their cultural norms. “We are told not to bury people without coffins anymore. The officials from the government told us that we will have to dig…

24 Oct

NFA secures land for FIFA standard stadium in Rundu

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Stefanus Nashama The Rundu Town Council has donated land, measuring 93 717 square metres, to the Namibia Football Association (NFA). The donated land will be used for the construction of a sports facility that will serve as the football centre in the Kavango East region. The decision was made in line with council resolution SCM 005/27/06/2024 by way of a private treaty. The council called for public objection to the donation to be done on or before 30 October. NFA spokesperson Isack Hamata welcomed the news. “It is indeed true that NFA engaged the leadership of the Rundu Town Council…

24 Oct

AR probes N$100 million abandoned crocodile farm in Zambezi

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Martin Endjala The Affirmative Repositioning (AR) Movement has announced its intention to investigate what it calls a waste of infrastructure and taxpayers' money. The planned investigation involves an abandoned crocodile farm near the Kwando River at Kongola in the Zambezi region, valued at N$100 million at the time of its inception. AR’s chairperson in the Kongola Constituency on Thursday told the Windhoek Observer that they stumbled upon the project during an oversight visit in the area of Kongola last weekend. “This project has been standing now for years. Many young people in these areas had high hopes for employment. But…

23 Oct

CoW puts Windhoek district hospital land on sale

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Ester Mbathera The City of Windhoek (CoW) has put the land on which the Ministry of Health and Social Services plans to build the Windhoek district hospital on sale for N$18.9 million by way of a private treaty. This is the same piece of land where vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, announced the construction of the new hospital during a groundbreaking ceremony in May. At the time, the event occurred on unpurchased land, raising concerns about the project's timeline and process. The land measuring 151 432 square metres on Farm 508 Havana was approved for sale by the CoW in 2017…

22 Oct

ECN endangering democracy – Venaani

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Allexer Namundjembo Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader, McHenry Venaani has accused the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) of choosing a corrupt entity, the Ren-Form CC, to print ballot papers for the November elections. The party handed over a petition to the ECN chief referenda Peter Shaama on Tuesday. Venaani said the ECN selected a company tainted with severe corruption allegations during the 2023 general elections in Zimbabwe. “The amount of money involved in these accusations is over N$800 million, and the company is under investigation by Zimbabwe and the South African authorities," Venaani said. Venaani stated that Wicknell Chivayo, a…

21 Oct

Hyphen’s green hydrogen project to proceed beyond elections

info_e12wt4csMainEline van der Linden, Hyphen Hydrogen Energy Namibia, Panduleni Itula

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme (NGH2P) management is confident that whoever becomes Namibia’s next president will honour the signed contractual agreements that the company has with the current government. This is according to the Programme’s head of environmental, social and governance Eline van der Linden. She made the statement during a media presentation at Lüderitz over the weekend. Van der Linden said the incoming government should let the project continue as planned, as it has the potential to turn around the country’s economic landscape. “We have signed contracts committing both the government and Hyphen to complete this project to…

20 Oct

Uproar over N$6.2 mil ballot paper printing tender

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Martin Endjala Several political parties have raised concerns regarding the N$6.2 million tender award to Ren-Form CC, a South African-based company to design and print ballot papers for the National Assembly and Presidential elections. The company is expected to print 1.6 million ballot papers inclusive of the 10% contingency. This would amount to N$3.90 per ballot paper. The tender was awarded on 17 October. However, on 7 October, two days before the deadline, the commission cancelled the tender. It is not clear which procurement method was applied to select Ren-Formas as a successful bidder. The Landless People's Movement (LPM), through…

17 Oct

Visionary woman converts guesthouse into a school

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Hertta-Maria Amutenja Late President Hage Geingo once said, ‘While you wait for the government, why don’t you put one pole here, one pole there, one there, and one pole there, and put blikkies on top?". A 26-year-old Jessica Amoonga from Omindaba village in Onesi constituency took this advice and went a step further. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses and schools to shut down, Amoonga found herself in a situation that would change the course of her life. At the time she was running a guesthouse. When the guesthouse ceased its operation as a result of the pandemic,…