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Ester Mbathera Over the past few weeks, Telecom has been mum about the persistent data services that affected clients. On Monday, the company announced a 5-year transformative partnership with Huawei Technologies Namibia. According to a media statement, the collaboration marks a significant step forward in revolutionising Telecom Namibia's mobile network capabilities and coverage across the country. “As part of the company’s five-year Integrated Strategic Business Plan (ISBP) 2027, Telecom Namibia intends to invest in the TN Mobile network modernization and coverage expansion. This will include the rolling out of new and upgrading existing mobile base stations across the country,” reads…

Niël Terblanche Over 60 people in Walvis Bay, Windhoek, Ongwediva, and Tsumeb fell victim to a land sale scam. The fraudulent scheme, which promised plots of land through a dubious housing project, has left many out of pocket and without any promised property. According to the police, the scam has been operational since 2022 and has reportedly amassed nearly N$2 million from unsuspecting victims. The fraudulent company behind the scheme demanded a N$50 000 deposit from each victim, with some individuals paying a minimum of N$40 000. A 23-year-old man, identified as the managing director of the bogus housing project,…

Martin Endjala Although voter card registration in the Ndiyona Constituency in the Kavango East region is progressing well, undocumented people find it hard to register. On Thursday, Ndiyona constituency councillor, Mukoya Laurentius, told the Windhoek Observer that he had not encountered any hiccups at most of the registration points. Laurentius said he has received complaints from undocumented people who want to register but are unable to do so because they lack identity documentation. “We do not have any challenge. The only challenge we have is documenting those who are undocumented. The mass state documentation capturing programme by the Ministry of…

Niël Terblanché As the world unites to observe the World Day Against Child Labour on 12 June attention is drawn to an unrelenting abuse that affects millions of children globally. A report by Greta Campora and Ariane Genthon, experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), reveals the grim reality that child labour continues to be a significant problem worldwide. According to the report, child labour is defined as work that is unsuitable for a child's age, disrupts their education, or poses risks to their health, safety, or morals. Alarmingly, 160 million children are engaged in…

Niël Terblanché The OvaHerero peoples of Kaokoland, who live in areas spanning both Namibia and Angola, celebrated a historic milestone this week with the launch of their first written Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP). The document, unveiled in Opuwo, captures the rich history, cultural practices, and traditions of the OvaHerero community, marking a significant step towards preserving and protecting their heritage. More than 200 community members from the Kunene region in Namibia and the Cunene region in Angola gathered in Opuwo on Tuesday to commemorate the occasion. The BCP is the result of four years of extensive community engagement and collaboration,…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja. A nine-month-old baby from Tsumeb died on 30 May due to malnutrition. The family, living in a household with more than eight children, faces financial difficulties. Both parents are unemployed, and none of the children receive any government grants or assistance. Family spokesperson Belinda Gawases stated that the baby's mother had been seeking drought relief from the Tsumeb constituency council office since December last year. “The baby has been sick since December last year, and since then, the mother and I have been going to ask for assistance from the Tsumeb constituency council office for drought relief, but…

Martin Endjala Residents in Tsumeb town are demanding the arrest of the Tsumeb constituency councillor, Gottlieb Ndjendjela. They are claiming he is involved in the theft of drought relief, as several community members accused him of selling it to them. Johannes Johannes, an activist for Affirmative Repositioning (AR), also called for Ndjendjela's removal from the regional council on behalf of a resident concern group. “With all this evidence presented by the community, why is Gotty not being arrested like others? What is the police waiting for?” he questioned. Last month, a farmer was arrested for purchasing the stolen drought aid…

Martin Endjala The Oshigambo High School in the Oshikoto Region will not tolerate a student who violates other students' rights by waking them up at night to chase illusional ghosts around the school hostel. The school principal, Pinehas Ekongo, said this following recent accusations of religious discrimination, segregation, and psychosocial torture against the learners at the school by the Body of Christ Party of Namibia (BCP), a faith-based political organisation’s president, Bishop Festus Thomas. “To the best of my knowledge, no parent has ever pledged to send us a learner - a pastor - to chase around ghosts at the…