National News

Justicia Shipena  Former Agriculture Minister Mac-Albert Hengari has accused the Namibian Police of criminal conduct, claiming they attempted to embarrass him and manipulate public opinion in a rape case he is involved in. In a letter dated 2 May 2025, Hengari’s legal team, Dr Weder, Kauta & Hoveka Inc., alleges the police violated legal procedures and unlawfully disclosed sensitive information.  The letter demands the release of key documents for formal bail proceedings. Hengari made his first court appearance last week alongside his co-accused on charges of attempting to obstruct justice.  He was denied bail, and the case was postponed to…

Mia Kellerman and Duane Dausab In Hardap Regional Council v The Labour Commissioner (HC-MD-LAB-APP-AAA-2024/00014) [2025] NALCMD 8 (27 February 2025) (“Hardap”), the court clarified the long-standing debate on severance pay upon resignation. It ruled that an employer must pay severance to an employee only if they resign or retire upon reaching the age of 65, provided they have completed at least 12 months of continuous employment. Mitchel Mwabi was employed by the Hardap Regional Council as Chief Human Resources Practitioner. After ten years of continuous service, he resigned at the age of 45 and demanded severance pay under section 35(1)(c)…

Niël Terblanché President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called for national support for the Girl Guides Association of Namibia (GGAN), describing it as an important contributor to youth development and nation-building. Speaking at the 2025 World Thinking Day celebration in Ongwediva at the ELCIN Church over the weekend, Nandi-Ndaitwah shared her personal experience as a former guide and encouraged others to help grow the movement. ‘Outory’ is not just a phrase. It is characterised by courage, resilience, and sisterhood that has defined the World Guides and the Girl Guides Association of Namibia for over a century,” she said. The Head of State…

 Niël Terblanché The Namibian police are waiting for post-mortem results to better understand the circumstances of Deidre Meyer’s death. The 48-year-old woman, who was reported missing in mid-April, was found dead on Friday near the Hifikepunye Pohamba Freeway between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. According to Inspector Judith Shomongula, a man who had gone to the dunes to pray discovered Meyer’s body around 11h00. Her father’s white Suzuki Jimny was parked a few metres away. The man called for help from someone passing on the nearby road, who then alerted the police. Shomongula said there were no signs of foul play.…

Niël Terblanché The Namibian Police (Nampol) are intensifying efforts to locate 52-year-old police officer George Hamanja Isaacks, who went missing in Walvis Bay last Friday under unclear circumstances. Isaacks, employed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, had travelled from Windhoek for official duties. Isaacks was last seen by his colleagues around 14:00 on Friday. Since then, there has been no contact with him. “His phone is not reachable, and family members, friends, and colleagues have not heard from him since,” said Inspector Judith Shomongula, Nampol’s Erongo Regional spokesperson. At the time of his disappearance, Isaacks was…

Ester Mbathera Africure Pharmaceuticals, owned by businessman Shapwa Kanyama, owned by Shapwa Kanyama (95%) and Trevor Brockerhof (5%),is shifting from packaging generic medicines to manufacturing them locally. Kanyama, who has been in the medicine supply business, told the Windhoek Observer on Thursday that the move aims to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and respond to shrinking international funding for essential drugs. “Covid taught us the lesson that we cannot continue to rely on other nations for our health. We must become self-reliant as a nation. As a country, we are faced with a high unemployment rate, and I want to…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Affirmative Repositioning leader Job Amupanda has urged the government to set up a state-owned factory to manufacture boots and shoes. He says this will help meet local demand and cut down on imports. In a submission to the Ministry of Trade and Industrialisation last month, Amupanda said Namibia spends hundreds of millions of dollars importing over five million pairs of shoes each year.  He pointed out that sectors such as mining, police, defence, and private security need boots and shoes regularly. “If each worker in these sectors is supplied with two pairs of boots annually, there is already…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Lüderitz Crayfish Festival is facing tensions behind the scenes as the Crayfish Festival Trust is accusing the Lüderitz Town Council of withholding vital fishing quota funds. The Trust claims this has disrupted the festival’s preparations and operations. The 18th edition of the Lüderitz Crayfish Festival began on Tuesday and will run until Monday, 5 May. The event, under the theme “Safeguarding our Ocean Riches”, celebrates the town's maritime culture and features seafood dishes. But the Crayfish Festival Trust and the Town Council are at odds over financial matters, with both sides accusing the other of failing in…

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Chief Executive Officer of Daures Green Hydrogen Village (DGHV), Jerome Namaseb, says it is too early to assess revenue generation from the fertiliser production at the village. Namaseb stated that the project has not yet reached that stage. Namaseb made the statement during a media visit to the facility this week. He announced that the village, located in the Daures Constituency in the Erongo Region, is set to produce its first fertiliser by the end of 2026 or early 2027. The project, supported by a N$220 million grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research…