National News – Page 283 – Windhoek Observer

17 Jul

President concerned about low voter registration

National News

Niël Terblanché The low turnout of eligible voters to register for the upcoming November elections has become a significant concern, prompting President Nangolo Mbumba to call for urgent action. During a meeting with the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) at State House on Tuesday, President Mbumba stressed the importance of addressing the issue to ensure a comprehensive and credible electoral process. Only 900 000 out of over 1.6 million eligible voters have registered. The voter registration period ends on 1 August. President Mbumba, along with Deputy Prime Minister John Mutorwa, expressed concerns about potential accusations of irregularities if the voter…

17 Jul

Hanse-Himarwa to be laid to rest on 27 July at Mariental

National News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The former minister of education, Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, will be laid to rest in her home in Mariental on 27 July. Her husband, Ngeno Himarwa, confirmed this on Wednesday. “This is also my birthday. We are in Windhoek until Saturday. We will have a memorial service at home, and we will have a main one on Friday at Tanidare Parish in Soweto. We will move to Mariental, where we will have an opening service on Sunday,” he said. According to Ngeno, discussions with the state are ongoing as the presidency has yet to announce the type of funeral to…

17 Jul

Road bosses absent from safety conference

National News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Road safety executives were absent from the 9th Annual Road Safety Conference for 2024, held in Ongwediva from 10 to 12 July. This absence sparked concerns among attendees and road safety activists about the conference's effectiveness and the implementation of critical safety measures. The conference aimed to bring together various stakeholders in the road safety sector to discuss concerns and find solutions. Road safety activist Felix Tjozongoro highlighted the conference's tendency to avoid addressing real issues. “My experience with this type of conference is that participants shy away from addressing the real issues as they don’t want to…

17 Jul

Forbes condemns actions of disruptive councillors

National News

Martin Endjala The Walvis Bay mayor, Trevino Forbes has condemned the actions of councillors who have been disrupting council meetings, a practice he said he could no longer tolerate. On Tuesday, Swapo councillors Paulus Kauhondwamwa, Albertina Nkoshi, Ephraim Shozi, and Landless Movement Councillor Ryan Gordon held the council meeting, demanding answers on the legitimacy of the appointment of the acting chief executive officer, David Uushona. The matter was not part of the adopted agenda. According to Forbes, the four have been disrupting meetings when things don't go the way of the minority. “We are being threatened and told that the…

17 Jul

Gibeon reactivates Build-Together programme

National News

Martin Endjala The Gibeon Village Council is reactivating the Build-Together programme, which will provide affordable houses to low- and middle-income families. The village's acting chief executive officer, Pederius Tjihoreko, confirmed this to the Windhoek Observer on Wednesday. “The programme is targeting families with a combined income of N$3 000 per month to allow an equal opportunity to acquire serviced land and affordable houses,” he said. The established names on the 2012/2013 list, consisting of about 32 beneficiaries, have until 15 August to submit all necessary documents. “The council requests that all 32 individuals listed resubmit their documents and verify the…

17 Jul

NaCC issues final notice to CoW

National News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC) has issued a final notice to the City of Windhoek (CoW) regarding complaints from residents and pending information submissions. This is following a meeting with the Katutura Residents Committee (KRC) on 12 July. The KRC had earlier lodged complaints against the CoW’s conduct, especially around pricing issues. The commission acknowledged the complaints and noted that, despite a prior commitment to provide an update earlier in May, they are awaiting a submission from CoW. "The City of Windhoek has been availed a final opportunity to submit the information requested in order to assist the…

17 Jul

Logos Hope Draws Thousands in Walvis Bay

National News

Niël Terblanché The world's largest floating book fair, has attracted more than 25 000 visitors within the first week of being moored at the Port of Walvis Bay. The vessel, which opened to the public on 5 July, offers a diverse selection of more than 5 000 book titles and hosts numerous events catering to a wide range of audiences. People traveled as far as Zimbabwe and Botswana to experience the floating book fair. Throughout the week, Logos Hope has hosted a variety of events for children, teenagers, youth, women, and parents. Other events included the ‘Crew for a Day’…

17 Jul

New visa requirements will start in April 2025

Featured, National News

Niël Terblanché Namibia will impose new visa requirements on nationals from 33 countries at the beginning of April 2025. This decision, announced by Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security Deputy Minister Lucia Witbooi, follows a thorough review of the visa-free agreements established 33 years ago. Deputy Minister Witbooi explained that despite Namibia's long-standing goodwill in exempting many countries from visa requirements, several of these nations have not reciprocated. "Namibia has extended visa exemptions to many countries, but unfortunately, the same courtesy has not always been returned. In recent years, both Canada and the UK reintroduced visa requirements for Namibian passport…

17 Jul

Digital transformation driven by high-level ICT and cybersecurity conferences

National News

Niël Terblanché Namibia has positioned itself at the forefront of digital innovation and cybersecurity with the launch of two significant events. The country is simultaneously hosting the eighth National ICT Summit and the International Cybersecurity Conference and Exhibition 2024. The hosting of both events is a demonstration of Namibia’s commitment to embracing digital transformation and bolstering cybersecurity measures. The eighth National ICT Summit, officially launched by the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus, is set to take place from September 9 to 11. The summit, themed "Building Resilience to 'Adapt or Die' in the Era of Digital Transformation…

16 Jul

714 apply for land at Walvis Bay

National News

Martin Endjala About 714 landless residents of Walvis Bay on Tuesday applied for land with the municipality to purchase Portion 23 of Farm 37. This is the second time that residents have attempted to apply for land in masses at Walvis Bay. In 2015, over 10 000 residents applied for land at Walvis Bay and Swakopmund under the mass land application that was led by the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement. A group of residents known as Walvis Bay Backyard Tenants led Tuesday's group. The group leader, Festus Immanuel, explained that the residents who applied for land on Tuesday are those…