National News

Renthia Kaimbi Africa should not shy away from nuclear energy, Namibia’s National Planning Commission (NPC) director general Kaire Mbuende has said.  Mbuende said nuclear power remains a necessary option for meeting future energy needs. He was speaking at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, last week.  Mbuende said global debates around energy security must include nuclear power, especially for countries that already supply uranium to the world. “As the largest producer of uranium in Africa and the third largest in the world, we cannot shy away from the prospect of generating nuclear energy, especially when our raw…

Justicia Shipena  The Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) plans to establish wellness clinics and improve water and sanitation facilities for truck drivers operating along Namibia’s main transport corridors.  This was revealed by WBCG acting chief executive officer Edward Shivute during an engagement with truck drivers in Walvis Bay on Wednesday.  The plan forms part of efforts to develop practical responses to challenges faced by drivers and to strengthen safety, efficiency, and reliability along the corridor network. Shivute said the proposed wellness clinics are intended to bring basic health services closer to truck drivers, many of whom cannot leave high-value cargo…

Justicia Shipena The High Court has placed Omuthiya Classic Investment CC, trading as Omuthiya Build It, under provisional liquidation after finding that the business cannot pay its debts as they fall due. The ruling, delivered on 16 January, follows an application by The Spar Group Limited, which asked the court to wind up the Omuthiya-based retailer. Spar and Omuthiya Build It began a commercial relationship in 2015.  Under several agreements, Spar supplied building materials and related services to the retailer on credit through warehouse and drop-ship transactions.  Ownership of the goods remained with Spar until full payment. Omuthiya Build It’s…

Justicia Shipena The High Court has ruled that Trustco Bank Namibia Ltd knew as early as August 2023 that its review application challenging a Bank of Namibia (BoN) directive to remove its board, halt deposits and lending, and pave the way for liquidation had lost its purpose but failed to act. High Court judge Lotta Ambunda on 16 January ordered Trustco and its holding company to pay the state’s legal costs from 1 September 2023. The ruling relates to a review application filed in September 2022 by Trustco Bank Namibia Ltd and Trustco Group Holdings against the BoN, the attorney…

Renthia Kaimbi A Windhoek-based accountant has approached the High Court of Namibia to stop the OvaMbanderu Community Court from hearing a divorce-related claim brought by his ex-wife.  He argues that their marriage was already legally and finally dissolved by the High Court almost three years ago. Zikamisee Justice Mbuende (39) filed an urgent review application in December 2025 against the clerk of the OvaMbanderu Community Court, his ex-wife Komao Lydia Ndjarakana, and the OvaMbanderu Traditional Authority.  He is asking the court to declare the community court’s decision to hear the matter “invalid and of no force or effect.” In his…

Allexer Namundjembo The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) has awarded nine new spectrum and broadcasting licences.  The licences cover mobile, fixed and satellite services. They form part of Cran’s efforts to improve telecommunications and broadcasting coverage across Namibia. QTEL (Pty) Ltd received two licences. One allows the company to provide mobile international mobile telecommunications services in the 3300–3350 MHz frequency band.  The coverage includes Khomas, Erongo (excluding Walvis Bay), Otjozondjupa, Oshana, Kavango East, Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Hardap and parts of the ||Kharas region. The second licence allows QTEL to provide fixed services in the same areas using several additional…

Staff Writer  Feedback from high-level stakeholder engagements at Walvis Bay will help finalise the Walvis Bay Corridor Group's (WBCG) five-year strategic plan for 2026–2031.  The three-day engagement mission, led by its acting chief executive officer Edward Shivute, took place from 19 to 21 January 2026.  The consultations focused on gathering direct input from transport and logistics partners operating along Namibia’s strategic trade corridors. The engagement aimed to identify operational bottlenecks that affect efficiency and to align the group’s future strategy with the needs of industry players and regulators. Shivute said the new strategy will build on Namibia’s transport and logistics…

Staff Writer  Two public officials arrested in separate corruption cases in the Ohangwena region have been granted bail after appearing in the Eenhana Magistrate’s Court this week.  The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) arrested Chris Nghiilundilua (52) and Hendrina Ponhofi Diadaleni Kambudu (46) earlier this month. They were released on bail on 20 January. ACC interim spokesperson Marina Matundu said Nghiilundilua was granted bail of N$20 000, while Kambudu was granted bail of N$10 000. Nghiilundilua, a former senior administrative officer at the Ohangwena Regional Council's directorate of education, arts, and culture, was arrested in Eenhana on 19 January.  Matundu said he…

Hendrina Kudhingililwa is a youth leader whose work centres on building organised, intentional spaces for young people to participate meaningfully in civic and community life. As president of the Tukwatha Youth Organization, she is focused on strengthening youth leadership through coordination, mentorship, and community-based engagement. Her leadership reflects a growing recognition among young leaders that impact is sustained not by visibility alone, but by structure, accountability, and continuity.  Through her work, Hendrina contributes to shaping a generation of young people who understand leadership as service, responsibility, and long-term commitment. Young Observer caught up with her to learn more about who…

The recent leadership changes within the National Youth Council  have once again drawn public attention to a long-standing tension in Namibia’s youth sector: the uneasy relationship between youth politics and youth development. The resignation of an interim chairperson and the appointment of a successor are not, on their own, extraordinary developments. Leadership transitions occur in all institutions. What warrants reflection, however, is not the change itself but what such moments repeatedly reveal about the structure, culture, and purpose of youth governance in Namibia. For many young people, the National Youth Council is increasingly perceived less as a responsive development institution…