National News

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…

Niël Terblanchéon Trade between Namibia and the European Union (EU) has been on the rise and is constantly driven by new agreements and partnerships. The Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Jennely Matundu, highlighted the increased and positive collaboration during the 74th anniversary celebration of Europe Day in Windhoek on Tuesday. Matundu stressed that the partnership is promoting the development and beneficiation of raw materials and renewable hydrogen to support green and digital transformation. “Over the past 34 years, Namibia and the EU have built a strong relationship based on political and social dialogue, trade and sustainable development, economic…

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…