National News

Allexer Namundjembo New tariffs and fines by the Kavango East Regional Council have drawn criticism from a Rundu community activist, who says the charges will add pressure on low-income households and informal traders. Community activist Ndemba Kayone told the Windhoek Observer that the new fee structure does not reflect the realities faced by many residents. “We understand that the council must recover costs and maintain services, but these new tariffs place a heavier burden on people who are already struggling to survive,” Kayone said. The new charges were published in the government gazette No. 123 of 2026 and apply to…

Renthia Kaimbi Pensioners will receive a N$100 increase in their monthly state pension from 1 April. This would raise the grant from N$1 600 to N$1 700. Finance minister Ericah Shafudah announced the increase while delivering the 2026/27 national budget in the National Assembly on Thursday. She said N$447 million has been set aside to fund the adjustment. “The Ministry of Finance received a N$12.9 billion allocation for the 2026/2027 financial year, of which N$447 million is to cater for a N$100 increase in pension (funding) for the elderly,” said Shafudah. The increase falls short of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s election…

Renthia Kaimbi The Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) has rejected allegations by the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) over the Lüderitz Oil Supply Base tender and its business associations, describing the claims as inaccurate. In a media statement issued on Wednesday, Namport chief executive officer Andrew Kanime responded to three claims made by the opposition party.  He addressed the cancellation of the design, build, own, operate and transfer tender; the involvement of the Namibia Industrial Development Agency; and the role of Tradeport Namibia at the Port of Lüderitz. Kanime first dealt with the cancelled DBOOT tender. He dismissed suggestions that Namport…

Allexer Namundjembo Windhoek municipal councillor Austin Kwenani has submitted a motion asking the City of Windhoek to identify land in all constituencies and set it aside for the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture. He wants the land to be used to speed up the development of sports facilities and youth infrastructure across the city. Kwenani, who chairs the Management Committee, introduced the motion in terms of the Standing Rules and Orders of the Municipal Council. He said the proposal aims to ensure coordinated land allocation to support structured sports development in the capital. In motivating the…

GIDEON SHAPUMBA Namibia’s proposed amendments to the Petroleum Act deserve far more public debate than they are getting. Behind technical phrases like “streamlining decision-making” lies a major shift in how the country’s most valuable resource could be controlled, one that risks giving excessive power to the Executive with little parliamentary oversight.The issue is not whether Namibia should benefit more from its petroleum resources. It absolutely should. The concern is how the government plans to achieve this. Moving key petroleum functions to the Presidency under a new Upstream Petroleum Unit is alarming. In reality, it would allow a small group of…

Allexer Namundjembo A member of parliament has raised concerns about the readiness of the public health system ahead of the planned transition of senior public servants to public facilities from 1 April 2026. Rosa Mbinge-Tjeundo of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) gave a notice of questions directed at the government, asking whether hospitals can absorb the expected influx of senior officials currently covered under the Public Service Employees Medical Aid Scheme (Psemas). The reform follows a directive by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah requiring senior government officials to use public healthcare facilities. Mbinge-Tjeundo said public hospitals already face overcrowding, staff shortages and…

Renthia Kaimbi Workers at Beifang Mining Technology Services at the Husab Project are challenging a bonus policy that links sick leave to incentive payments. The dispute follows the company’s introduction of a new shift roster on 3 February.  The Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations has confirmed the roster's lawfulness and compliance with Namibia's Labour Act, according to management. The change triggered unrest among workers. Soon after the new roster took effect, the company recorded a rise in sick leave.  An internal memorandum shows that between 3 and 22 February, employees recorded 322 sick leave days. Management described the figure…

Renthia Kaimbi As Namibia continues to battle illegal fishing in its Exclusive Economic Zone, chief executive officer of the Fisheries Observer Agency, Stanley Ndara, says the country must adopt artificial intelligence to strengthen monitoring, but he warns against losing control over critical systems. Ndara said AI can play a key role in combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. He stressed that technology alone is not enough without strong governance. “However, there is a caveat to this, and it relates to AI governance and trust,” Ndara warned in an interview with the Windhoek Observer. Namibia currently uses monitoring, control, and surveillance…