National News

Patience Makwele The Namibia-Cuba solidarity campaign on Wednesday raised about N$2.6 million for medical supplies and solar energy equipment for Cuba, while a “mysterious donor” N$17 million contribution was announced during the fundraising gala in Windhoek. Prime minister Elijah Ngurare announced the N$17 million donation during the fundraising proceedings, saying the amount was either being given or was already on its way. “We have received a mysterious donor… The amount is as follows in terms of all added up which is being given or it’s on its way is N$17 million,” Ngurare said. However, the prime minister’s office has declined…

Patience Makwele Namibia’s ability to sustain its HIV gains after the United States phases out direct financial support will depend on more than keeping antiretroviral (ARV) medicines available, health experts and an economist have warned. The ministry of health and social services confirmed to the Windhoek Observer that the government already funds 100% of the country’s ARVs, following the announcement that US financial assistance for Namibia’s HIV response will be phased out. Under the new arrangement, US support will transition over the next year from financial assistance to technical cooperation as Namibia integrates its HIV response into the national health…

Sostenus Wilherm Social activists Shaun Gariseb and Michael Amushelelo have called on the City of Windhoek to account for its delivery of serviced land, municipal infrastructure and public services, warning that residents need measurable results rather than further plans and presentations. In a joint statement on the alleged state of the City of Windhoek, the two said serviced land should be treated as an emergency municipal priority, arguing that access to land is closely linked to housing, sanitation, electricity, roads and security of tenure. “Serviced land delivery must become an emergency municipal priority,” they said. They cited a housing backlog…

Sostenus Wilherm Namibia remains heavily dependent on food imports, with more than half of the country’s requirements for key staple crops and most fruit consumed domestically sourced from outside the country, highlighting the gap between local production and the nation’s food security ambitions. During the 2025/26 season, approximately 64% of Namibia’s maize requirements, 87% of wheat and 64% of pearl millet requirements were imported, minister of agriculture, fisheries, water and land reform Inge Zaamwani said. The figures were contained in her keynote address delivered by agricultural deputy minister Ruthy Masake at the 2026 National Agronomy and Horticulture Awards (NAHA) in…

Sostenus Wilherm After 17 years of curriculum development, testing and review, the Namibian Police Force (Nampol) has secured accreditation for its basic police training programme. However, acting Inspector General Major General Anne-Marie Nainda said the achievement will have little meaning unless it translates into better policing and service delivery to the public. Nainda made the remarks during the official receipt of accreditation certificates at the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) headquarters in Windhoek, where the Nampol Certificate in Policing was formally recognised at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 5. She described the accreditation as more than an administrative milestone, saying it…

Sostenus Wilherm Walvis Bay International Airport’s airspace has reportedly been downgraded to Class G uncontrolled airspace, triggering concerns from the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) over air traffic control capacity, aviation safety and repeated failures in the provision of critical weather information. The concern was raised by IPC shadow minister of works and transport Nelson Kalangula on Wednesday, following questions raised in parliament on Tuesday about delays and inaccuracies in Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAFs). Kalangula said the party had reviewed the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued in connection with the situation and was concerned that the airport’s airspace had been…

Patience Makwele  The ministry of home affairs, immigration, safety and security has identified minors as the next priority in its drive to ensure Namibians have legal identity documents. Deputy minister Edward Wambo said the country’s population register is stronger among adults, but gaps remain among children. “The population register is strongest among adults but the frontier now is our minors,” Wambo said. He was speaking on Wednesday at Dr Lemmer High School in Rehoboth during Namibia’s commemoration of International Identity Day, held under the theme “My Identity, My Shadow. Never Apart.” Wambo urged learners to check the documentation status of…

Patience Makwele  President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called on Namibia’s justice sector to stop allowing conference resolutions to gather dust, saying discussions must translate into action that improves the lives of ordinary Namibians. Making the call at the first State of Justice Conference in Windhoek on Wednesday, Nandi-Ndaitwah said the public should not judge the justice system only by its laws and institutions, but by what happens when people actually need justice. “Justice is done when a person is heard, when a right is protected, when a dispute is resolved fairly and when the law treats the powerful and the powerless…

Renthia Kaimbi China and Namibia have pledged to deepen economic, diplomatic and people-to-people cooperation following the elevation of bilateral relations to a China-Namibia community with a shared future for the new era. Chinese Ambassador to Namibia Zhao Weiping said the new framework, agreed during President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s state visit to China in July, had opened a new chapter in relations between the two countries. Zhao made the remarks on Tuesday evening during a reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Windhoek to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The reception was attended by…