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…Mariental accident victims remembered  Justicia Shipena  The nation remember lives lost in a tragic accident in a memorial service. This follows the death of 16 people in a head-on collision near Mariental on 30 August, including 14 officers from the Namibian Police Force and Namibia Correctional Service (NSC) and two civilian sisters, Diana Jagger and Roseltha Higoam.  Among the deceased were officers David Musambani, Naemi Shipena, Silvanus Hofeni, Simon Sinyemba, Alina Simeon, Petrus Mbuale, Adreheid Taapopi, Noa Hameho, Tomas Shikongo, Johannes Mbeeli, Jason Amadhila, Katjitombua Muheue, Mercia Louw, and Gerson Hepute. The crash happened in the early hours of Saturday…

Justicia Shipena Four United Nations human rights experts have asked the Namibian government to explain what steps it is taking to address the impact of the Tsumeb Smelter on local communities.  In a report dated 11 June 2025, the experts raised “serious concern” over environmental damage and human rights violations linked to the smelter. The facility has been in operation since 1963, producing blister copper and sulphuric acid.  Ownership has shifted over the years from Weatherly International to Dundee Precious Metals, which later sold it to the Chinese-owned Sinomine Resource Group Corporation Limited in 2024 for N$930 million (about US$49…

Allexer Namundjembo A heavily pregnant woman, her unborn baby, and her sister were among 16 people who perished in the deadly head-on collision near Mariental on Saturday morning.  The accident  also claimed the lives of 12 correctional officers, two police officers, and two civilians. The collision occurred just after 07h00 on the B1 road, about seven kilometres north of Mariental. Four police officers had rushed to Withuis location to assist Diana Jagger, who had gone into labour and had no transport to hospital.  They picked up Jagger along with her sister Roseltha Higoam but never reached their destination. Inspector general…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Rehoboth Town Council is facing the auction of its property to settle a N$1.8 million payout to former employee Bertha Drotsky, following a High Court ruling delivered in June. Councillor Jackie Jackson ‡Khariseb confirmed the ruling, saying, “The matter was agitated in favour of Bertha to a value of N$1.8 million, the council applied for an appeal under the judgement in June. The court held that whilst the appeal is granted, the order must be upheld and the N$1.8 million be paid out.” The council attempted to comply with the court order while safeguarding funds during the appeal…

Renthia Kaimbi Documents obtained by the Windhoek Observer reveal that cash-based payment data for 2013 and 2019 went missing from the USB drive Namibia Post Ltd (NamPost) provided to the government. On Friday it emerged that the ministry of gender equality and child welfare (MGECW) allegedly found that about N$65 million in cash-based grant funds handled by NamPost was unaccounted for and owed back to the state. The unreturned funds relate to the period from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2019, excluding the missing data from 2013 and 2019.  The documents indicate that payments were made “over the counter”…

Allexer Namundjembo The High Court has introduced a rule that allows deputy sheriffs to stop a person from bidding at a property auction if they do not pay a deposit upfront.  This means anyone who wants to bid on property at a sale in execution must first put down a deposit, or they will not be allowed to take part.  The rule is aimed at keeping auctions fair and preventing bidders who are not serious. The change is part of new High Court amendments published in a government gazette of 22 August 2025. The rules, which came into effect immediately,…

Renthia Kaimbi Fishrot accused Tamson “Fitty” Hatuikulipi has been hospitalised in Windhoek since last week following a suspected case of food poisoning. Associates of Hatuikulipi claimed toxicology tests showed he reacted to “excessive substances”, though they did not specify which substances.  They said he and his co-accused, former Fishing Corporation of Namibia (Fishcor) chief executive officer Mike Nghipunya, allegedly bought food from the correctional facility cafeteria shortly before the incident.  Reports indicate they have not been allowed to receive food from outside the facility. Hatuikulipi’s lawyer, Mbanga Siyomunji, confirmed that inmates have not been permitted to receive outside food since…

Renthia Kaimbi Lawyer Norman Tjombe says Namibia cannot extradite former Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) president Joseph Kabila because the DRC has indicated it will seek the death penalty against him. “Namibia places a very high premium on the right to life, and the Constitution outlaws the death penalty. The Extradition Act unambiguously prohibits Namibia from extraditing anyone to a country where that person will receive the death penalty. DRC has made it known that it intends to impose the death penalty on its former president,” Tjombe said. He added that Namibia’s laws also bar  extradition in cases where trials…

Allexer Namundjembo The newly appointed acting managing director of the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor), Maureen Hinda-Mbuende, has appealed for support as she assumes leadership of the troubled state-owned oil company. Namcor announced her appointment over the weekend. Speaking to the Windhoek Observer on Sunday, Hinda-Mbuenda said her success would depend on collective effort, stressing that the company’s challenges cannot be resolved in isolation. “I am grateful for the appointment. I am ready for the task, and I will need to conduct a thorough analysis to familiarise myself with the institution,” she said.  She added that engaging widely and…