National News

Allexer Namundjembo  The Genocide Remembrance Day missed its purpose of promoting unity and collective healing, according to political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah.  Kamwanyah said the national commemoration is instead creating divisions. Kamwanyah said the day was intended to unite Namibians, preserve the memory of the genocide and encourage reconciliation. “The approach taken by government and regional organisers, the selection of some speakers, and even some of the messages delivered are contributing more to division than unity,” Kamwanyah said. Namibia marked the day last week Thursday in memory of the tens of thousands of Ovaherero and Nama people killed by German colonial…

Renthia Kaimbi The Ministry of Health and Social Services has removed Fransina Nambahu as registrar of medicines at the Namibia Medicines Regulatory Council (NMRC).  The ministry has now appointed Frieda Shiweda to the position with effect from 1 June 2026. According to a letter dated 17 April 2026, the ministry's executive director Penda Ithindi informed Nambahu that the ministry was proposing that she voluntarily relinquish the position from 30 April. The letter stated that the decision followed a review of the structure of the NMRC secretariat and planned reforms within the ministry. Under the proposal, Nambahu would remain seconded as…

Patience Makwele  Inconsistent decision-making, weak discipline and communication failures within the security cluster are eroding public trust in Namibia’s frontline services, minister of home affairs, immigration, safety and security Lucia Iipumbu has warned. Iipumbu made the remarks during a regional ministerial staff meeting in Katima Mulilo on Friday as part of a two-day working visit to inspect border posts and ministry projects in the Zambezi region. The meeting brought together officials from Immigration, the Namibian Police Force (Nampol) and the Namibian Correctional Service (NCS). She described the Zambezi region as both strategic and vulnerable and said officers responsible for border…

Allexer Namundjembo  The Sam Nujoma Foundation is finalising preparations for the opening of its new office building in Windhoek.  Its chairperson Nahas Angula told the Windhoek Observer last week that the board of trustees is completing the final arrangements.  Angula stated that the foundation will inform the public once it concludes its preparations. The new office is expected to support the foundation’s work of preserving and promoting the legacy of late founding president Sam Nujoma. Nujoma became Namibia’s first president at independence in 1990 and served until 2005.  He played a central role in the country’s liberation struggle and post-independence…

Patience Makwele  The Livestock Producers’ Organisation (LPO) vice-chairperson, Dawie Kok, says no country can successfully fight foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in isolation.  He said this as Namibia strengthens efforts to protect its livestock industry from the growing regional threat. Kok said Namibia’s internationally recognised FMD-free status remains an achievement worth protecting, but maintaining it requires cooperation between governments, veterinary authorities, farmers and regional partners. “Our FMD-free status is something we can be proud of, but it brings with it a greater responsibility not only towards ourselves but also towards the region of which we are a part,” Kok said. His remarks…

Allexer Namundjembo The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security has been accused of issuing a duplicate national identity document (ID) to the wrong person.  Windhoek resident Werner Kanana told the Windhoek Observer that he recently visited the Home Affairs office in Windhoek to collect a replacement ID after losing his original last year, only to discover that the duplicate had already been collected by someone else. “Last year I lost my national ID, and recently I went to Home Affairs to apply for a replacement. However, I was told that I could not be issued a new ID…

Patience Makwele Education experts and policymakers have raised concern over the growing disconnect between university qualifications and labour market demands.  They warned that Namibia’s higher education system risks producing graduates for unemployment rather than economic participation. The concerns were raised during the Redefining Education Summit hosted by the University of Namibia (Unam) in Windhoek on Wednesday, where academics, students and policymakers debated the future of higher education and the need to shift towards skills-based and innovation-driven learning. Discussions at the summit focused on the growing mismatch between university training and labour market realities, particularly as graduate unemployment continues to rise…

Patience Makwele President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called for urgent investment in agriculture, rural development and youth participation in farming.  She said the country's long-term economic transformation will depend heavily on its ability to modernise agriculture while preserving cultural identity. Nandi-Ndaitwah said development should never come at the expense of tradition and heritage. “One of the greatest mistakes any nation can make is to believe that development requires abandoning its identity,” she said at the official opening of the Omaludi Agricultural Festival in Okongo on Wednesday.  “Development and culture are not contradicting each other.” Nandi-Ndaitwah said agriculture remains central to Namibia’s…