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Allexer Namundjembo At its lowest level ever, 6.3%, Hardap Dam can no longer supply irrigation water for crops being farmed below the dam wall. Calle Schlettwein, the minister of agriculture and water, made this statement last week, just hours before the Hardap Dam water supply valves were closed for the first time in history. “Water supply for domestic usage and livestock will be available until February 2026 (with no inflow this season). Drought is showing its drastic effect,” said Schlettwein. Schlettwein said the past rainy season produced the lowest runoff in the past 100 years, which is why dams had…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja and Ester Mbathera The High Court has postponed the legal proceedings initiated by Swapo member Reinhold Shipwikineni and four other applicants against the Swapo Party and its presidential candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to 13 November. Judge Boas Usiku presided over this decision's court session on 30 October 30. The court recorded that the parties have not filed any joint case management report. Shipwikineni’s legal practitioner, Richard Metcalfe, submitted a notice of withdrawal on the same day. Gilroy Kasper, the party's lawyer, was not present in court, so Sisa Namandje represented Swapo. Shipwiikineni, along with Joshua Vaino Martins, Petrus Ndeshipanda…

Allexer Namundjembo Finance Minister Iipumbu Shiimi has proposed expenditure adjustments to address the most pressing emergencies facing the nation. During his mid-term budget review address on Wednesday, Shiimi announced that these measures would be implemented by reallocating additional revenues and funds from projects with low execution rates. Shiimi emphasised that the proposed adjustments in the FY2024/25 Mid-Year Budget Review would help mitigate potential risks and maintain macroeconomic stability while supporting social sectors. “In the recently released World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects global economic activities to grow by 3.2 percent in both 2024 and 2025, a mild…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…