National News

Renthia Kaimbi Namibia’s proposed amendments to the Tobacco Products Control Act could see the sale, distribution and use of e-cigarettes, vaping products, hookahs (hubbly bubbly) and oral nicotine pouches prohibited, while smoking restrictions around public places could extend to a 50-metre radius. The proposed Tobacco Products Control Amendments Bill of 2026 is aimed at strengthening protections against the health and environmental effects associated with tobacco and emerging nicotine products, including electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, hookah and oral nicotine products. However, stakeholders who participated in the National Public consultation at the Khomasdal Community Hall on Tuesday raised concerns over whether…

Sostenus Wilherm The ministry of agriculture, fisheries, water and land reform has challenged the University of Namibia (Unam) to produce research that goes beyond academic publications and directly informs government policy and action on food security, water scarcity, climate change, fisheries and land reform. Deputy minister Ruthy Masake made the call on Tuesday during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the ministry and Unam at the ministry’s head office in Windhoek. Masake said Namibia’s challenges in agriculture, fisheries, water and land management were too complex to be addressed through policies and programmes alone, stressing that the government…

Patience Makwele Health practitioners from the ministry of health and social services have raised concerns over medication errors arising from misdiagnosis, incorrect prescriptions and poor communication between healthcare workers and patients, warning that such mistakes can compromise the safety of people receiving treatment for chronic conditions. The warning comes ahead of World Patient Safety Day on Thursday, which Namibia will commemorate at Windhoek Central Hospital under the theme “Safe care for noncommunicable diseases.” The risks associated with incorrect diagnosis and treatment have featured in a recent legal dispute involving the ministry, where a patient claimed he was given medication he…

Sostenus Wilherm  Ohangwena has called on investors, financial institutions and local entrepreneurs to turn the region’s identified economic potential into actual businesses, jobs and household income, warning that an investment plan will have little meaning if it remains on paper. The call was made during the official launch of the Ohangwena Regional Investment Map and Action Plan on Friday, at the Helao Nafidi Business Expo Hall in Omafo. Governor Kadiva Hamutumwa said the region was deliberately moving away from simply talking about its potential and was now seeking concrete investment that would create employment, develop enterprises and improve the livelihoods…

Patience Makwele Prime minister Tjitunga Elijah Ngurare says the government wants to see progress on the rehabilitation of Namibia’s stadium infrastructure by the end of the year, with the aim of allowing the Brave Warriors to play international matches at home. Ngurare made the remarks on Monday during his Cabinet briefing with the Government Information Centre (GIC) in Windhoek, where he spoke about the government's plans for sport and his recent engagement with the Namibia Football Association (NFA). “We cannot see Brave Warriors going to play these games that were meant to be supported by home-ground support, that they are…

Sostenus Wilherm TransNamib is facing claims of unpaid work after businessman Rodney Hanganda accused the state-owned railway company of failing to settle an invoice of N$ 851 000.02 for construction and fuel infrastructure work he says was completed under a contract with the company. Hanganda told the Windhoek Observer on Monday that TransNamib paid him for several components of the work, but one invoice was rejected over concerns about how the work had been completed, leaving him out of pocket for the disputed structure. His account has been partly corroborated by former TransNamib health and safety officer Dawid Tjombe told…

Sostenus Wilherm The ministry of justice and labour relations has moved to stop construction companies from paying security workers as little as N$12.82 an hour, warning that a recently gazetted wage provision falls below Namibia’s legal minimum of N$16 an hour. The ministry issued the clarification after a collective agreement between the Construction Industries Federation of Namibia (CIF) and the Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union (MANWU) prescribed security-guard rates of N$153.88 for a 12-hour shift in its first year and N$161.57 in the second year. Those rates translate to approximately N$12.82 and N$13.46 an hour, respectively, putting them below…

Patience Makwele Residents of Etayi in the Omusati region have been urged to turn their cultural heritage into an economic opportunity by creating jobs, generating income and building wealth from cultural products and services. The call was made by Etayi constituency regional councilor Hans Haikali, whose remarks were delivered on his behalf by Joseph Nenghwaya, during the opening of the 2026 Etayi annual regional cultural festival at Iipandayaamiti Combined School on Monday. Haikali said culture should not only be preserved and celebrated, but should also contribute to the socio-economic upliftment of communities across the region’s 12 constituencies. He urged communities…

Patience Makwele President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called for a closer match between the skills Namibians acquire and the demands of the labour market, saying the country cannot continue to grapple with unemployment while employers face skills shortages. “We cannot continue to talk about unemployed Namibians when there is a gap in the labour market,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said on Monday during the official send-off of Team Namibia to the 48th WorldSkills Competition scheduled to take place in Shanghai, China. She said young Namibians must understand where opportunities are emerging and look beyond traditional career paths. “When I was growing up, the idea…