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Martin Endjala Ndinelao Shuudifonya, a retail worker in Windhoek's bustling Chinatown shopping complex, finds herself in a precarious situation after her employer recently informed staff that the business might close due to their inability to pay Namibia's newly implemented national minimum wage of N$18 per hour. For Shuudifonya, who has worked at the shop for a year and a half, this revelation has brought mixed emotions. “At this point, I am prepared to face whatever comes. For far too long, these Chinese have been using us like donkeys, working from seven to seven, Monday to Sunday, with no leave and…

Ester Mbathera Seven workers from Merlus Fishing were hospitalised on Wednesday morning after inhaling ammonia gas at the company’s factory in Walvis Bay. Seventeen others received medical treatment at a local hospital and were discharged. Merlus Fishing’s management chairperson, Stanley Katzao told the Windhoek Observer that none of the affected workers were in a life-threatening condition. “We deploy best practices in occupational health and that's why we acted swiftly and decisively when we immediately became aware of the incident,” he said. Katzao explained that the ammonia gas originated from a crab vessel operated by Russian nationals, docked at Perreira Fishing,…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Supreme Court of Namibia's decision on employee sick leave and workplace discipline has raised concerns from trade unions, which argue it could infringe on workers' rights. The court ruled in November 2024 that employers are not limited to accepting medical certificates as proof of illness and may request detailed medical reports, particularly for extended absences or cases involving mental health. The judgement stemmed from the case between Hilya Nghiwete, former chief executive officer of the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF), and her former employer. Speaking about the ruling, the secretary general of the Mine Workers Union,…

Martin Endjala A group of people has started a fundraising initiative to assist with the relocation of the National Democratic Party’s (NDP) leader, brave Martin Lukato Lukato, to Windhoek. Lukato participated in the 2024 National Assembly elections, after which he gained a single parliamentary seat. So far the group has raised N$24 800. According to the fundraising organiser, Mchangani Chikusi, the money will cover Lukatos’ transport as well as rent of accommodation for the first month or two while the rest of the funds will be given to him to spend as he sees fit. “We as families and friends…

Ester Mbathera The Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) is facing allegations of fraud of over US$51 123.92 (N$957 909.91) in unpaid contracts with a Ghanaian digital marketing and tourism promotion firm. NTB signed two different contracts with Hype.Up Limited in 2023 for the Ghanaian company to execute awareness campaigns to enhance Namibia's tourism industry by attracting more visitors from Ghana and other African nations. This was to be done through the ‘November in Namibia’ program, which is designed to establish a network of ambitious Africans who share a passion for intra-Africa tourism, travel and trade. It encompasses a range of events,…

Ester Mbathera A customer received N$100 000 airtime fraudulently from an employee of the national telecommunications operator, the Telecom leaked document reveals. The company's internal risk audit, which examined the top 100 transactions, revealed these findings. The national telecommunications operation was hacked of 493 000 documents valued at N$5,4 billion (U$300 million). The head of internal audit and risk management, Kgomotso Hochobeb, made Telecom chief executive officer (CEO) Stanley Shanapinda aware of these fraudulent discrepancies. The N$100 000 airtime transaction could not be explained when it was picked up. “A balance of N$100 000.00 was credited to a customer’s account…

Ester Mbathera Xinfeng Investments is facing criminal investigations after being caught red-handed mining illegally in the Uis area of the Erongo region, on 16 November. The mines ministry has also ordered the company, which recently commissioned its N$600 million processing plant, to cease all operations at EPL 8397. Residents and conservancies in the Uis area protested against Xinfeng’s alleged illegal mining. The EPL in question, located at Ringmen Investment (Pty) Ltd, was granted to Orange River Exploration and Mining CC for the exploration of dimension stones, base and rare metals, industrial minerals, and precious metals. Orange River is a joint…

NIËL TERBLANCHÉ Calls to hold Telecom leadership accountable are mounting after the recent cyber attack on the company’s data infrastructure. Many citizens took to social media calling for the CEO to bear ultimate responsibility for ensuring the safety of customer data and the board for its fiduciary duty to ensure the organization is managing risks effectively. “The management and board must be held accountable for the way they dealt with this disaster, which by their own admission happened three weeks ago and they did not even bother notifying the affected customers,” said Namene Kalili a business development and management innovation…

Niël Terblanché The absence of a robust Data Protection Act and more stringent regulatory oversight by Namibia’s Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) is partly to blame for the massive cyber terrorist attack on the country’s key telecommunications provider and other government institutions almost three weeks ago. Paul Rowley of My Digital Bridge Foundation, whose mission is to enrich the lives of marginalized communities through equitable access to technology, said a comprehensive data protection act in Namibia could have significantly reduced the damage caused by the attack. He explained that the Act could have established clear guidelines and obligations for…

Niël Terblanché and Ester Mbathera The minister of health and social service Kalumbi Shangula feels uncertain about the future after his sensitive information was leaked on the dark web. “Nobody can feel safe because you don't know what they (hackers) can do with the information. There are many ways that they can use the information. It's just terrible,” he said. Shangula whose ministry was also targeted said the IT officials are attending to the matter. The cyberattack that resulted in one of the largest known data security incidents in Namibian history is suspected to have been orchestrated by the ransomware…