National News

Niël Terblanché As the November Presidential and National Assembly elections approach, the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has announced that it needs 997 vehicles to support the upcoming voter registration drive. De Wet Siluka, the ECN’s spokesperson, stated that most of these vehicles would need to be rented from private individuals. Out of the nearly 1,000 vehicles, 138 will be allocated for use in the Khomas Region alone. The ECN has previously informed prospective vendors that their vehicles must undergo inspection. According to Siluka, this requirement has led to a significant turnout of private vehicle owners at the Otjomuise Police…

Martin Endjala The President of the Africa Editors Forum and chairperson of the steering committee of the Africa Media Convention (AMC) Churchill Otieno, says that according to the Committee to Protect Journalists’ annual Prison Census, at least 67 journalists were imprisoned across Africa in connection to their work as of 1 December 2023. He said this on Thursday, during the opening of the third AMC at the Accra International Conference Centre in Accra, Ghana. “As a fraternity, as a people, we must say and do all that is necessary to stop this wanton muzzling of agents of truth. Desmond Tutu…

Martin Endjala Some residents of the Zambezi region removed the regional border signboard on Wednesday to express their dissatisfaction with the border between the Kavango East region and their region. The residents handed over the signboard to the Boundary Delimitation Commission during a consultation meeting at Katima Mulilo early this week. The residents told the commission that they would not wait for the commission to affect the change. The leader of the Zambezi Development Association, Blessing Manda, told the commission that they have been calling for the restoration of the old regional border for many years but to no avail.…

Martin Endjala The former President of the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN), Ismael Kasuto, is being accused of illegally withdrawing N$250 000 from the Namibia Miners Investment Trust (MAMIT), founded by MUN. This is according to the National Executive Committee (NEC), which discovered that on April 29, Kasuto allegedly withdrew the money for personal use by transferring it into one bank account of a local law firm to avoid future litigation. MUN's acting president, Poco Mberiuana, made this revelation on Thursday during a media update on the organisational self-correcting and renewal process. Mberiuana said that by the time Kasuto withdrew…

Stefanus Nashama The long-awaited district hospital for Windhoek at Havana Informal Settlement has begun construction. Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony for the 500-bed hospital on Thursday. According to her, the construction of the new hospital represents the government's commitment to ensuring healthcare service delivery to its nation. She expressed confidence that the hospital's construction phase would create hundreds of jobs. “The contractor is under instructions to make sure that the people closer by should be the first beneficiaries,” she stated. Talks for the construction of the hospital have been ongoing for years. The City of Windhoek…

Niël Terblanché Iran has announced new investment plans in Namibia, including the possibility of establishing an oil refinery and oil storage facilities in Walvis Bay. Iran's ambassador to Namibia, Seyed Ali Sharifi, made this announcement at a business event for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The event, hosted in collaboration with the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI), sought to foster business networks and future investment opportunities. Ambassador Sharifi emphasised Iran's intention to expand bilateral relations with Namibia across various sectors, particularly focusing on the oil market. He emphasised Iran's ability to help Namibia achieve self-sufficiency in fuel production.…