National News

Renthia Kaimbi The High Court has directed finance minister Ericah Shafudah not to interfere with the loading of new deductions onto the government’s payroll deductions management system (PDMS).  The order, issued by High Court deputy judge president Hannelie Prinsloo on Friday, blocks the ministry’s plan to stop all new deductions on the system. Prinsloo granted permission for the PDMS to continue its operations until the hearing of the review application on 6 March 2026. The decision does not prevent the government from taking over the system later. The finance ministry plans to discontinue the use of deduction codes that allow…

Justicia Shipena The opposition parties needed just one more seat to regain control of the Windhoek Municipal Council.  Instead, Swapo’s majority has closed the door on any chance of an opposition-led coalition for the next term. Swapo secured eight seats in the 2025 local authority elections, giving the party a clear majority and the power to steer the council without relying on other parties. Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) won three seats, while Affirmative Repositioning (AR), Landless People's Movement (LPM), Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) and United Democratic Front (UDF) each secured one seat. Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah said the numbers…

Renthia Kaimbi A series of painful events has struck the office of urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa, ending in a fatal accident that claimed the lives of his designated driver and bodyguard. The chain of events began last month when Sankwasa’s official vehicle was broken into and his mobile phones were stolen. The incident raised concerns about security around Sankwasa. Soon after, grief hit his personal assistant, whose son died by suicide. The child was buried last weekend. The most severe tragedy occurred on Friday evening. After dropping Sankwasa at his residence, his driver, 50-year-old Lukas Nangolo, and…

Renthia Kaimbi Kelp Blue Namibia’s managing director, Fabian Shaanika, will leave the company at the end of this month.  His departure comes as the company continues its legal battle to register its seaweed-based fertiliser for sale in Namibia, a process that has been delayed since 2021. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform (MAFWLR) refused to register the product, citing missing documents such as a certificate of analysis from an accredited lab and a safety data sheet.  Kelp Blue has challenged this decision in court, arguing that the ministry’s refusal is “unlawful, irrational and a breach of the…

Justicia Shipena Namibia has called for the crimes of colonialism in Africa to be formally recognised under international law.  The government says justice and reparations are long overdue. The appeal was delivered by international relations and trade minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi during the International Conference on the Crimes of Colonialism in Africa on Sunday. The conference is taking place in Algiers, Algeria, under the theme Towards Redressing Historical Injustices Through the Criminalisation of Colonialism.  Ashipala-Musavyi said the meeting carries symbolic significance because Algeria has long been a pillar of anti-colonial solidarity. She said Namibia’s own history of resistance to colonial rule…

Staff Writer  The Cuvelai Special Housing Scheme Fund was launched on 21 November 2025 in Keetmanshoop, marking the start of one of Namibia’s largest housing programmes.  The fund aims to build 100 000 affordable homes across the country within five years. The first phase targets 10 000 units, including 2 142 homes planned for Keetmanshoop. The scheme was created to help reduce the national housing backlog, estimated at between 300 000 and 500 000 units. It focuses on providing affordable homes to armed forces members, teachers, nurses, civil servants and informal sector workers. The deputy minister of urban and rural…

Renthia Kaimbi A raw water pump valued at about N$800 000 has disappeared from the raw water sewerage plant in Swakopmund.  The theft was discovered in August 2024 and remains under investigation after the council’s insurance claim was rejected. A report submitted to the management committee states that the stolen Grundfos pump weighed 1 490 kilograms and was removed from the plant at the corner of Nelson Mandela Avenue and Rakotoka Street.  Its size suggests that several people, using a crane and a truck, may have been involved. Triple One Investments CC, the contractor responsible for 24-hour security at the…

Justicia Shipena  The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) says it has done its part to educate voters to vote in the regional and local authority elections.  ECN chairperson Elsie Nghikembua said the commission carried out extensive civic and voter education in all constituencies ahead of the polls.  This comes after observations from Wednesday’s regional and local authority elections showed low voter turnout. “So I can say with confidence that we have done our part,” she said. Nghikembua said each constituency had a voter education officer working daily with communities. She said the Commission started with broader civic education and later…

Justicia Shipena The Office of the Ombudsman says Namibia has made little progress in tackling discrimination, tribalism and racism, despite clear recommendations made almost eight years ago.  The chief of office at the Ombudsman, Ingrid Husselmann, said public hearings held in 2017 produced a detailed report that outlined steps ministries should take to address discrimination and tribalism.  She said most of those steps remain untouched. “Unfortunately, not very many of those recommendations have been implemented,” Husselmann told the Windhoek Observer.  One of the key proposals was the development of legislation that would give people simple and informal access to remedies…

Renthia Kaimbi The government says it is ready to resume talks with the Magistrates and Judges Association of Namibia (MJAN) but will not simply accept the new demands made by magistrates. Justice and labour relations minister Fillemon Wise Immanuel on Thursday said the magistrates have shifted from an agreement reached earlier. Immanuel said the government was close to implementing allowance adjustments approved by former finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi in October 2023 when the industrial action began.  He said the dispute arose after the MJAN introduced new demands that the government believes are completely out of line with the 2023 agreement.…