Main

Renthia Kaimbi Allegations of disrespect from the interim executive chairperson and board have forced the acting director of the National Youth Council (NYC) to resign after just 25 days in the role. The Windhoek Observer has learnt that Mzingisi Gqwede, who was appointed acting director on 3 February 2026, resigned on Friday. His departure has deepened instability at the youth institution. NYC’s programmes manager, Sircca Nghitila, was appointed acting director yesterday. Sources inside the institution say tensions escalated when Gqwede refused to approve sitting fees for the board’s fourth and fifth extraordinary meetings. The dispute centred on whether the meetings…

Renthia Kaimbi The appointment of Oscar Capelao as executive director of the Ministry of Finance has raised questions about potential conflicts of interest, as he continues to serve on the board of the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor). Capelao was appointed executive director in December 2025, a role that places him at the centre of government oversight of public enterprises, including Namcor. He has served as a Namcor board member since July 2024. His dual position has drawn scrutiny from governance expert Johannes Coetzee, who cautioned that the arrangement presents structural risks. “If the same person is on the…

Renthia Kaimbi The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform (MAFWLR) has confirmed that the official coordinates of Namibia’s 200-metre isobath restricted fishing zone have never been formally gazetted. The 200-metre isobath restriction has been in place since 1990. It prohibits trawling and longlining in shallow waters along Namibia’s coast. The measure protects juvenile hake and horse mackerel, limits sardine bycatch, and preserves bottom habitats that serve as biodiversity hotspots. Unlike formally declared protected areas such as the Namibian Islands Marine Protected Area (NIMPA), established through detailed coordinates in Government Gazette No. 4210 of 16 February 2009, the isobath…

Renthia Kaimbi Interim managing director of the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor), Maureen Hinda-Mbuende, says her removal is linked to her resistance to push to sell public assets. She claims she was removed for standing in the way of a plan to privatise 18 Namcor service stations. According to her, the proposed sale stems from a 2022 decision taken by the Cabinet committee on economic affairs, under former finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi. She argues that the committee was misled by incorrect data regarding the performance of the service stations. On Sunday, Namcor announced the end of Hinda-Mbuende’s tenure and…

Chamwe Kaira Minister of Finance Ericah Shafudah tabled Namibia’s N$87.9 billion national budget for the 2026/27 financial year in Parliament on Thursday under the theme “People, Productivity and Prudence”. The total budget, excluding statutory payments, amounts to N$87.9 billion under the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. Shafudah said the budget focuses on macroeconomic stability, debt sustainability and value for money while protecting key social and economic investments. She said the plan seeks to restore balance in public finances. “The choices before us are difficult, but they are necessary,” she said. The overall budget deficit is projected to decline to 5.5% of GDP…

Chamwe Kaira  All eyes will be on revenue projections when finance minister Erica Shafudah tables the 2026/27 national budget in Parliament today, as economists warn that limited income growth could force tough spending decisions. Capricorn Group chief economist Floris Bergh said the key issue will be how much revenue the government expects to collect in the 2027 financial year. He noted that the October 2025 estimate projected almost no growth, with revenue at N$90.5 billion. “If that is still the case, expenditure will have to be curtailed decisively; otherwise, the deficit will balloon to a confidence-eroding level that will be…

Renthia Kaimbi A leadership dispute is unfolding at the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor), where board chairperson Florentia Amuenje and interim managing director Maureen Hinda-Mbuende are at odds over the future of the top executive post. Hinda-Mbuende’s six-month contract ends on Friday, one day after applications close for a substantive managing director. She was appointed after former acting MD Victoria Sibeya was removed in August 2025, five months into her tenure. Sources within Namcor claim Amuenje has made it clear that Hinda-Mbuende will not be reappointed beyond her initial term. Insiders say the chairperson has already identified a preferred…

Renthia Kaimbi Justice and labour relations minister Fillemon Wise Immanuel has requested round-the-clock residential security for every magistrate and prosecutor. In a letter dated 21 February to safety and security minister Lucia Iipumbu and copied to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Immanuel requested the immediate deployment of security personnel to the homes of about 400 judicial and prosecutorial officers. The request follows the death of Ondangwa regional control prosecutor Justine Shiweda and recent threats against members of the justice system. Shiweda (32) died on 7 February from injuries she sustained in an attack in October 2025. During the attack, she was shot…

Renthia Kaimbi Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture Sanet Steenkamp has intervened in a dispute involving former National Youth Council (NYC) director Calista Schwartz-Gowases over an alleged debt of more than N$125 000. The Windhoek Observer understands that the matter relates to transactions dating back to 2021 and forms part of a broader review of the office of the director. Schwartz-Gowases’ contract ended on 13 December 2025 after she was informed in July that it would not be renewed. Before her departure, concerns had already been raised about approved international trips and a planned trip that overlapped…

Allexer Namundjembo The engineering department at the Tsumeb Municipality has been accused of forging building plans and approving designs that allegedly do not meet municipal standards. Sources who spoke to the Windhoek Observer on condition of anonymity claim that some engineers alter or redesign building plans that initially failed to meet requirements and later approve them for use. The Windhoek Observer has seen a building plan originally drawn last year by Star Innovations.  The version later submitted to the municipality carried different contact details from those of the company named on the document. When contacted, the founder of Star Innovations…