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30 May

Disqualified from drought relief food

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Martin Endjala Officials tasked with registering people in need of drought food aid reportedly refused to add several households in rural areas to the list. According to Hangula Toivo, the caretaker of a house in Cham Cham village in Nehale Lya Mpingana Constituency in the Oshikoto Region, the house owner's employment in the city disqualifies him from receiving food. “The owner does not live here, I do. Why must I now be denied the chance to get drought food like everybody else? Whoever came up with such a concept is wrong. We barely have enough money to buy bread, and…

29 May

Drought food theft defeats crisis mitigation efforts

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Martin Endjala The recent drought-related food theft reported across the country is said to be defeating the government's efforts to mitigate the drought and hunger situation in the country. Rhingo Mutambo, the chief communications officer of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), said on Wednesday that the OPM is aware of drought food theft committed by individuals allegedly working at the warehouses. Mutambo said that Namibia has been facing drought for several years now, adding that in the last two financial years, the country was hit hard, and this year, there were hopes, but as a result, Namibia is…

28 May

Cabinet declares 28 May as Genocide Remembrance Day

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Martin Endjala The Cabinet has declared 28 May a Genocide Remembrance Day, effective in 2025, and endorsed it as a public holiday. The information, communication, and technology minister, Emma Theofelus, made the announcement on Tuesday. “Cabinet directs the Ministry of Justice to draft a proclamation as required under Section 1(3) of the Public Holidays Act, 1990 (Act No. 26 of 1990) to be certified by the Attorney-General for consideration and signature of the President in order to coincide with the public announcement of Genocide Remembrance Day on 28 May 2024,” she said. Theofelus stated that the Cabinet also instructed the…

27 May

Mbumba declares drought state of emergency

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Niël Terblanché The severe and continuous drought in Namibia has prompted President Nangolo Mbumba to declare a national state of emergency. The official declaration was published in the Government Gazette on 22 May. “Under Article 26(I) of the Namibian constitution, read together with Section 30(3) of the Disaster Risk Management Act, 2012 (Act. No. 10 of 2012), I declare that, with effect from 22 May 2024, a State of Emergency exists in Namibia on account of the persisting national disaster of drought that exists in all the regions of the Republic of Namibia,” the declaration in the Government Gazette states.…

26 May

Swapo faces eviction from Oranjemund office

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Ester Mbathera The Swapo leadership in Oranjemund has until Thursday to settle approximately N$2 million in municipal debts, failing which they risk eviction from their offices. This follows the party's failure to pay a municipal debt since 2020. The party was served with the eviction notice by the town council lawyers, Ileni Velikoshi Incorporated, on 21 May. “Kindly vacate our client’s property within seven calendar days of receiving this letter. If you do not vacate our client’s property within seven days as herein demanded, our client will seek an appropriate ejectment, and you will be responsible for the cost,” reads…

23 May

Government supports Meatco despite losses

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Ester Mbathera The Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises (MFPE) has affirmed its support for the continued operation of Meatco despite the company's ongoing financial struggles. This was said by the ministry’s spokesperson, Johnathan Swartz, in an interview with the Windhoek Observer earlier this week. “Considering the historical hurdles, it's evident that achieving profitability or breaking even will require considerable time. Just like steering a large vessel laden with cargo, swift turns are ill-advised, as they may lead to instability. Instead, a methodical approach is necessary to gradually realign its course towards success,” he said. He added that the interim…

23 May

Mnyupe allays environmentalists’ fear of Green Hydrogen Project

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Niël Terblanché The Green Hydrogen Commissioner of the Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme, James Mnyupe, has assured that the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT) will oversee the development of a Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) for the Southern Corridor Development Initiative (SCDI), which includes the TKNP. This comes after the call for an independent and transparent Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the green hydrogen sector in Namibia by the Namibian Chamber of Environment (NCE). This call was made on International Day for Biodiversity and directed at the Namibian and German governments as well as the European Union. International…

22 May

Nekundi did make remarks about “political graves” for opposition leaders

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Erasmus Shalihaxwe Despite denying that he told Swapo supporters to bury opposition leaders, Windhoek Observer has obtained an audio recording of Deputy Minister of Works and Transport Veko Nekundi clearly stating that he wants to see the ‘democratic graves’ of both Panduleni Itula and McHenry Venaani. He was speaking at a Swapo rally in Emono village, Omusati region, over the weekend. “If we are saying in Emono, where we are, if there is anything breathing opposition parties, it must be buried. On November 27 November when the election results are released, I want to see Itula’s grave here. A grave…

21 May

No tender advertised for new Windhoek District Hospital

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Stefanus Nashama and Ester Mbathera No tender has been advertised for the construction of the much-anticipated new 500-bed Windhoek District Hospital or any other services required. This is despite the ground-breaking ceremony that took place last week. The Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) spokesperson, Johanna Kambala, confirmed that the board did not receive or handle a tender to this effect. “Please take note that CPBN did not receive any request from the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) to facilitate the procurement of this project,” she said. It is also not clear where the funds will be coming…

20 May

Shanghala regrets not reforming prison conditions

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Ester Mbathera Former justice minister Sacky Shanghala says he doesn't wish prison conditions on anyone. He points out the inhumane conditions within the cells, including overcrowding, noise, fights, and illicit drug smuggling, which he says exacerbate health issues. The trial awaiting Shanghala was reflecting on the harsh realities of prison life on Monday when he and his co-accused brought an urgent application to put on hold the transfer of some of them from C Sections to Echo Sections. “Had I known, honestly, in the high position that I occupied before, I probably would have done something about it. It is…