National News

Renthia Kaimbi The Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) has lodged a formal complaint with urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa, accusing the Walvis Bay Municipal Council of interfering in the recruitment process for a senior position. In a letter dated 24 October 2025, Napwu general secretary Petrus Nevonga alleged serious irregularities in the hiring process for the general manager of human resources and corporate communication services.  The union claims the council unlawfully altered an approved shortlist and made improper financial payments to candidates. Documents seen by the Windhoek Observer show that a shortlisting committee met on 25 July 2025…

Renthia Kaimbi Human rights advocate Phil ya Nangoloh questioned whether opposition parties can bring real political change. He said they have failed to address an important constitutional issue that impacts governance. Ya Nangoloh, the founder and executive director of NamRights, said he has long raised concerns about how the ruling Swapo governs the country.  He believes the party has not fully upheld democracy, the rule of law, or justice since independence. He said this has created a misleading public perception that Swapo alone is to blame for the country’s failures in protecting civil, economic and social rights. He argued that…

Allexer Namundjembo  The parliamentary standing committee on economy and industry, public administration and planning visited informal traders and SME centres in Okahandja on Friday.  The visit aimed to assess how the town is implementing the International Labour Organisation’s Recommendation 204, which supports the transition from the informal to the formal economy. The visit, led by chairperson Iipumbu Shiimi and deputy chairperson Hilma Iita, aimed to understand the daily challenges faced by small business owners and informal traders. During the engagement, traders raised concerns about limited access to credit, lack of business training and the need for startup capital, which many…

STAFF WRITER The Namibia Special Risks Insurance Association (Nasria) has paid a dividend of N$16 million to the government after recording another strong year of financial and operational performance for 2024/2025. Nasria maintained its record of clean audits with another unqualified opinion, providing insurance cover against politically motivated and special risks not typically covered by commercial insurers.  The company has achieved this every year since its establishment. Insurance revenue increased by 6%, rising from N$84 million to N$89 million, supported by policy renewals and new business across several sectors.  However, the insurance service result fell by 23% to N$45 million…

Allexer Namundjembo For 29-year-old Thusnelde Oases from the Hai//om San community, life has been a struggle marked by poverty and limited opportunities.  Growing up as the second last born in a family of eight in Grootfontein, she often saw her parents depend on their pensions to support the household. "With my parents relying on their pensions and limited job opportunities, it was tough to get ahead," she said. "But everything changed when I was given the chance to pursue my education through the Palms For Life Fund." That opportunity became a turning point in her life. Through the fund, Thusnelde…

Renthia Kaimbi A high-level Swapo delegation led by former Namibian ambassador to China, Elia Kaiyamo and youth leader Klaivert Mwandingi attended Chama Cha Mapinduzi’s (CCM) final inland rally in Tanzania ahead of the 29 October elections. The rally, held in support of CCM’s candidate, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, showcased strong youth participation and a commitment to peace.  It also brought together several liberation movements, including South Africa’s ANC, Mozambique’s FRELIMO, Zimbabwe’s ZANU-PF, and Angola’s MPLA. Kaiyamo said the event demonstrated unity and inclusivity.  “It is true, the rally was overwhelmingly dominated by eager young men and women, which is the…

For many young Namibians, national budget week can feel like a distant ritual of suits, numbers and long speeches. Yet buried inside those tables and statements are quiet decisions that shape whether you can find work after graduation, launch a small business, afford the bus to campus or access decent health care when you finally go off your parents’ medical aid (by the way, can the age for this please be 25 because wow).  The national budget is, in effect, the country’s annual values statement: it reveals what we choose to protect, where we are willing to take risks and…

Every election cycle in Namibia, the same question returns with new urgency: how do we get more young people to register, to show up and to cast informed votes? With a median age under 25 and a growing cohort of first-time voters, the stakes are obvious. Some countries have responded by lowering the voting age to 16 for certain elections. Should Namibia follow suit? The debate is not simply legal but civic, educational and cultural. This article unpacks the case for and against lowering the voting age and asks a deeper question: regardless of the threshold, what would it take…

Fifteen minutes north of Windhoek’s city limit, the beat of urban life softens into savanna. Kalahari thorn trees punctuate golden grass, kudus watch from the treeline, and the sky pulls its favourite Namibian trick—an endless, impossible blue. This is Gondwana’s Okapuka Lodge: a safari lodge that sits close enough for a spontaneous day trip, yet vast enough to remind you why people fly across oceans to be here. For young professionals juggling deadlines and dreams, Okapuka offers a rare combination: restorative nature you can access between breakfast and a 3pm Zoom call, plus a gentle nudge into a slower, more…

Hair, in Namibia as elsewhere, is never just hair. It is a language of belonging, respectability, rebellion, faith, profession, and class. For black women in particular, hair carries a freight of history: colonial gaze, missionary discipline, workplace codes, school rules, salon economies, and intimate self-storytelling. For men, hair choices from clean fades to locs to dyed twists signal tribe and taste, sometimes risk. In recent years, several high schools, employers, and even sports associations have faced public scrutiny over hair policies that felt outdated or discriminatory.  The debates were about rules on paper, but underneath they were about power: who…