National News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has declared its intent to challenge the results of Namibia’s recent Presidential and National Assembly elections, citing a series of irregularities. Christine Aochamus, the party’s secretary general, confirmed the decision during an interview on South Africa’s Newsroom Africa channel on Sunday. According to Aochamus, the IPC plans to file a legal challenge aimed at nullifying the entire election process, regardless of the outcome. "The decision stands. We are aiming for the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) to completely announce the full results of this poll. Once done, we will approach the courts…

Allexer Namundjembo President Nangolo Mbumba has expanded the communal land area in the Khomas Region by incorporating over 8 000 hectares of unalienated state land. In a government gazette of 29 November, Mbumba emphasised the importance of equitable land distribution in fostering rural development. The National Assembly approved the addition and executed it under section 16(1) of the Communal Land Reform Act, of 2002. The newly designated communal land consists of two significant portions of the Farm Groot Korasieplaats No. 440, situated in Registration Division “K” of the Khomas Region. The first portion measures 4,321.4135 hectares, while the second measures…

Mallex Shipanga  The Windhoek-born Cora Herma-Schulz works in the import industry. In her free time, she does dot art and upcycling. When she started doing art, Schulz did her own research before falling in love with dot art. “I ⁠watched online articles and got interested in dot art,” she said. Over time, Schulz sharpened her skills in the art form. “I taught myself. It took almost two years to get where I am,” she said. Now, Schulz jokes that she will ‘dot’ anything that doesn't move. After beginning her journey as a dot artist, Schulz also began upcycling. Upcycling is…

Allexer Namundjembo The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development has approved significant zoning amendments in towns across Namibia, including Gobabis, Rehoboth, Tsumeb, Swakopmund, and Windhoek. The announcement was made by Minister Erastus Uutoni through Government Gazette No. 366 of 2024, under the Urban and Regional Planning Act, 2018 (Act No. 5 of 2018). Uutoni emphasized the importance of these changes in enhancing urban planning and addressing the development needs of the affected communities. “These amendments reflect our government’s commitment to structured urban growth, ensuring that towns and cities develop in a way that meets the needs of residents while fostering…

Martin Endjala The City of Windhoek's mayoral position will remain vacant until the next election of office-bearers, the municipal council has confirmed. The City of Windhoek’s spokesperson, Lydia Amutenya confirmed this to the Windhoek Observer on Tuesday. “The mayoral position will remain vacant until the next election,” she said. The election meeting, held on Monday, was adjourned after councillors walked out of the chamber. This followed the presiding magistrate, Immanuel Udjombala, denying their request for a short adjournment. A follow-up meeting scheduled for Tuesday was called off due to a lack of quorum. The election is now rescheduled for 9…

Allexer Namundjembo The Affirmative Repositioning’s (AR) leader, Job Amupanda has accused both the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) and President Nangolo Mbumba of violating the Electoral Act by failing to decree additional public holidays for extended voting days. He made these remarks during a media briefing on Monday. “The President decreed 27 November as a public holiday, which is in accordance with the electoral act. But what is not right is when he extended the voting days, and he did not decree the 29th as a public holiday as per the act. This alone tells us that something is not…

Niël Terblanché The Namibian Judiciary bid farewell to Justice Dave Smuts upon his retirement from the Supreme Court on Monday. Chief Justice Peter Shivute described Smuts as a "towering figure in the legal profession," retiring after decades of service marked by intellect, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to justice. Born on 17 November 1954, Smuts began his academic journey in South Africa, later earning his Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School in 1983 through scholarships. He also served as the Orville Schell, Jr. Fellow at Yale Law School in 1990, demonstrating his relentless pursuit of excellence in the…

Niël Terblanché In an effort to strengthen Namibia's efforts towards achieving zero hunger, the government of Brazil has donated N$2.16 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). On Monday the WFP announced that the funding aims to support integrated community-based food systems programmes across five regions in towns like Tsumkwe, Gobabis, Stampriet, Opuwo, and Olukula. Since 2020, the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) has collaborated with WFP to enhance productivity and combat hunger in these areas, directly benefiting over 300 smallholder farmers. The programmes focus on improving household food and nutrition security, transforming the livelihoods of people in rural…

Martin Endjala The election of new office bearers for the City of Windhoek’s municipal council on Monday ended in disarray after councillors walked out. As a result, presiding magistrate Immanuel Ndjombala adjourned the election meeting. The disruption began when councillor Ilse Keister-Elago of the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) requested a brief adjournment, which was denied. She and several other councillors, including Job Amupanda (AR), Ivan Skrywer, Sade Gawanas (LPM), the IPC’s Jürgen Hecht, and outgoing deputy mayor Joseph Uapingene, exited the chamber in protest. The only agenda item addressed before the adjournment was outgoing mayor Queen Kamati’s tabling of the 2024…

Mallex Shipanga In the heart of Kangongo village, 155 kilometres east of Rundu in the Kavango East region, lies Karovo Fish Farm, a modest fishing business owned by Djami Kafuro. Although Kafuro is a teacher by profession, he ventured into the freshwater aquaculture fishing sector in 2022. Freshwater aquaculture, primarily a government-driven initiative, focuses on species like African catfish and tilapia and aims to enhance food security in rural areas. Kafuro explained that he was inspired by others to start his own business. “I saw other places where people were doing business with fish and I had the desire to…