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Hertta-Maria Amutenya Investigative journalist Sonja Smith, who made it to the list of National Assembly candidates of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) for 2025-2029, is not a card-carrying member of the party. Smith is one of PDM president McHenry Venaani's ten presidential nominees. The party secretary general, Manuel Ngaringombe, confirmed this to the Windhoek Observer on Wednesday. "Sonja is not a member of the party. She was a journalist and then she got a job through parliament to be the personal assistant to McHenry Venaani as a civil servant. She is on the parliament payroll. Working as a PA, she…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Political analysts have voiced concerns over the increasing trend of journalists entering politics, following the recent appointments of Sonja Smith to the Popular Democratic Movement's (PDM) parliamentary list and Julia Nekwaya to the PDM National Executive Committee for 2024-2029. Smith is an investigative journalist with The Namibian newspaper. She has been juggling two jobs, her main occupation as a journalist and her second job as the personal assistant to the PDM’s president, McHenry Venaani. She is number eleven on the party’s parliamentary list. Julia Nekwaya, previously a journalist at The Namibian and Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), is number…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Nursing Council of Namibia has issued new directives aimed at addressing growing concerns over the quality of nursing and midwifery training in the country, effective from 1 October 2024. The directives are in response to the rapid increase in nursing and midwifery educational institutions, which has surpassed the capacity of approved training hospitals and health facilities. The council’s chief executive officer, Cornelius Weyulu, said this has negatively affected nursing and midwifery training and compromised patient safety. “This contributed to the high unemployment rate among nursing and midwifery graduates,” said Weyulu. The council has capped student intakes at…

Stefanus Nashama The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) faces criticism over claims that it bypassed the public procurement process for the printing of ballot papers for the November 2024 elections. The Affirmative Repositioning movement’s (AR) leader, Job Amupanda and the Landless People's Movement’s (LPM) leader, Bernadus Swartbooi questioned the transparency of the tendering process while at the same time, accusing the ECN of secretly favouring Swapo-affiliated companies. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Commission met with the members of the Political Party Liaison Committee to provide an update on the procurement process for the printing of ballot papers for the 2024…

Martin Endjala The Okahao Constituency in the Omusati region is grappling with low water pressure in supply pipelines, preventing water from reaching some villages. Constituency Councillor, Leonard Shikulo confirmed the issue and explained that some areas around Okahao, particularly Tsandi, have had no running water for two months due to a faulty pump system that supplies water from a dam. The pump system was repaired and is currently operational again but low water pressure persists, possibly due to blockages in the pipelines. "Yes, it's true. Okahao was experiencing water issues due to the dam's pump system that was not functioning.…