National News

Martin Endjala Ben Bertolini, the managing director of M&G Investment Southern Africa, asserts that failing to address the quality of education is akin to a ticking time bomb. He said this last week in Windhoek, in collaboration between M&G Investment and the Bank of Namibia, in an effort to address the education crisis. “This is according to the University of Science and Technology's recent statistics prepared on behalf of the United Nations Educational Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Since then, I have had sleepless nights. Having only one-third of ten-year-olds who can read and write, for me, education is sitting…

Ester Mbathera The portraits of the late President Hage Geingob will remain hanging until a directive is issued for their removal. Spokesperson in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), Shoki Kandjimi, said on Tuesday that the Cabinet will soon announce the way forward. “The Ministry would like to inform the public that Cabinet will soon make a public pronouncement on the availability and hanging protocols associated with the presidential portraits of the seating president vis-à-vis the former presidents including protocols of the late president. For now, the status quo remains the same as announced by the MICT minister…

Niël Terblanché The Group of Seven (G7) nations; the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada, are planning to introduce further sanctions on Russia that would have a further negative impact on Namibia’s ability to trade in diamonds. These measures proposed by the G7 nations are part of broader efforts to reduce Russia's revenue, which is believed to be financing its conflict in Ukraine. Brent Eiseb, the Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Diamond Trading Company, said that in addition to market challenges, the diamond industry must contend with the impact of the G7 restrictive measures against…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Northern Regional Electricity Distributor (Nored) has remained silent regarding fatalities in the line of duty following the deaths of its employees in the past two years. Last month, Ananias Iyambo, aged 36, died while on duty in Okongo, in the Ohangwena Region. He was allegedly attending to a power failure in the village when he was electrocuted. The recent incident echoes a similar tragedy that occurred in April 2022, when 34-year-old Nored employee, Thomas Shikomba died in Okahao after falling from an electric pole. Shikomba, who was also on official duty, was allegedly removing cable wires from…

Stefanus Nashama Social activist Michael Amushelelo says for Bank of Namibia's governor Johannes !Gawaxab to sue him, his actions are merely akin to those of a dying donkey. “I won't be silenced by thieves, and I will continue fighting until all these corrupt thieves are in prison. Inform Johannes that I will continue sharing his number. This is a number paid for by taxpayers,” stated Amushelelo. The conflict between the two escalated after Amushelelo recently posted !Gawaxab's mobile phone number is on his social media accounts. This comes after Amushelelo alleged that the !Gawaxab has benefited from a N$451 million…

Stefanus Nashama The founder of the International University of Management (IUM), David Namwandi, has encouraged graduates to create wealth and employment, despite the slim job market. He made the remarks at the 30th IUM graduation ceremony of over 2 300 students on Friday. “If you cannot implement what you have learned in the university, then you are not educated. Although the market is tight, it is still absorbing people. The only animal we don’t want in our market is corruption,” he told the graduates. Despite not receiving government subsidies, Namwandi revealed that the institution has chosen to expand its infrastructure…

Niël Terblanché The Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture has centralized payment of the universal education grants, ensuring direct transfers into school accounts across Namibia. Sanet Steenkamp, the ministry's Executive Director, said this measure aims to enhance the efficiency and timeliness of fund distribution, which is critical for the smooth operation of schools. Steenkamp confirmed that 75% of the grants for the 2024–2025 financial year have already been disbursed to 1,322 schools nationwide. She said the remaining 438 schools are on track to receive their funds soon. This move, according to Steenkamp, is intended to prevent delays and ensure that…

Martin Endjala Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila says Namibia aims to end HIV/AIDS as a public health problem by 2026 and attain HIV epidemic control by 2028. She added that plans are also ongoing to decrease the burden of tuberculosis (TB), achieve zero indigenous malaria cases by 2027, and prevent the reintroduction. She made this revelation last week at the launch of the seventh Global Fund Cycle (GC7). “This was in part due to the partnership with our stakeholders, including the development partners and non-state actors (civil society and even the private sector). We are grateful to the global fund for…

Martin Endjala Namibia is intensifying efforts against illicit financial flows (IFFs) that pose significant threats to its economic stability and global trade integrity. Statistician Bojan Nastav emphasised the detrimental impact of IFFs, which include corruption, smuggling, and tax evasion, on Namibia’s socio-political and economic stability. He made these remarks during the national technical working group's workshop on IFF last week in Windhoek. “The outcomes of the workshop will equip the future work of the national technical working group to measure tax and commercial illicit financial flows, identify policy gaps, and develop further estimation and policy recommendations,” he said. Illicit financial…

Niël Terblanché South Africa is still battling an avian influenza outbreak and as a result, Namibia has put up measures to prevent the disease from spreading to local poultry farms. In an official notification on Sunday, Albertina Shilongo, the chief veterinary officer at the Directorate of Veterinary Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, announced the resumption of limited imports of poultry and poultry products from the country's southern neighbour. “It should be noted that only poultry meat derived from live poultry originating from bio-secure poultry farms as listed by the Veterinary Authority of South Africa will…