National News

Justicia Shipena Urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa says a fine of N$200 under the Rent Ordinance of 1977 no longer meet the realities of today’s property market. Sankwasa said the penalties were set for a different time and must now be reviewed as part of efforts to modernise Namibia’s rental laws. “As I indicated in my previous responses, we are seized with drafting a new bill that speaks to today’s rental markets. That means matters such as N$200 fines were ideal for the property market of that time,” Sankwasa told Parliament on Thursday.  He said the value of…

Allexer Namundjembo “We need concrete results that translate into income for producers and stability in our industry,” Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) deputy chairperson Stephanie De Klerk said as the state entity presented its latest financial results at its recent 37th annual general meeting in Windhoek.  The meeting, held at the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM), focused on improved financial performance and the country’s preparedness against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which remains a threat in the region. Meatco reported that revenue increased by about 55% to roughly N$1.87 billion for the 2024/25 financial year.  Profit before tax reached…

Renthia Kaimbi The High Court has set aside former minister of urban and rural development Erastus Uutoni’s refusal to approve Tiofilia Jentzsch’s appointment as chief executive officer of the municipality of Outjo. The court then ordered his [Uutoni’s] successor, James Sankwasa, to reconsider the matter within 60 days. On 18 February, High Court judge Andrew Corbett ruled that Uutoni’s decision made in March 2024 was not properly handled and did not follow the correct procedures. He said the decision was not reasonable, had no proper justification, and failed to meet the constitutional requirements for fair administrative action. Jentzsch, who served…

Allexer Namundjembo Inspector general Joseph Shikongo has ordered police officers in Katima Mulilo and across the Zambezi region to respond to community callouts on foot even when no vehicles are available. Shikongo said the shortage of vehicles must no longer be used as a reason for failing to attend to public complaints. “Seventy vehicles should be available to assist. The issue of telling the community that there are no cars must come to an end. I do not want to hear about it again,” Shikongo said while addressing police officers in Katima Mulilo last week.  However, he acknowledged that 27…

Justicia Shipena Government says it remains confident that the Roads Contractor Company (RCC) can recover and become a strong national asset within the next three to five years. Works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi said this in Parliament on Thursday while responding to questions from Independence Patriots for Change (IPC) member of parliament Nelson Kalangula on RCC’s operational mandate and financial health. Nekundi said the government has reviewed the company’s turnaround strategy and believes the plan can work. "The government is still confident that there is hope to turn around the company within the next three to five years. It…

A corruption scheme within the Namibia Defence Force (NDF) resulted in a financial loss of approximately N$179 508.91. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) revealed this after it arrested Michael Nehemia and Fransiskus Ndatoolewe Sheehama, both members of the NDF who are currently on suspension. The arrests relate to alleged corrupt activities that took place between November 2019 and February 2020. According to the ACC’s interim spokesperson Marina Matundu on Friday, the scheme involved fraudulent payments to a civilian company, Lifeline Body Workshop and Car Sales, for vehicle repairs and services that were never carried out. The ACC also alleges that inflated…

Justicia Shipena  About 200 products identified in a new diversification report represent an estimated US$811 million (roughly N$15.4 billion) in market opportunities under a global export scenario.  Import substitution could add another US$117 million, about N$2.2 billion, while developing a priority subset of products could generate around 26 000 jobs across the economy. These figures were presented at the launch of the report titled “Rapid Assessment for Value Addition and Diversification to Support Namibia", held in Windhoek on Thursday.  UNCTAD secretary general Rebeca Grynspan said the report identifies 353 products across 23 sectors where Namibia can diversify, with 60 directly…

Justicia Shipena  The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture says most of its capital projects for the 2025/26 financial year are progressing as planned.  Its deputy minister, Dino Ballotti, gave an update on projects by the ministry on Thursday.  Ballotti said the country’s school infrastructure is holding up, but more work still needs to be done. He said the ministry is continuing with its national decongestion plan to reduce overcrowding in schools. Ballotti added that there are currently 29 large capital projects underway across the country. Every region has at least one major project, while regions such…

Staff Writer Trustco Group Holdings Limited has started the process of unwinding its N$468 million transaction to acquire shares in Legal Shield Holdings Limited (LSH). In an update to shareholders, the company said it is reversing the deal after accepting what it described as a repudiation of the shareholder-approved framework by Riskowitz Value Fund LP (RVF). The LSH transaction was approved by Trustco shareholders through a circular dated 4 December 2024. The approval was granted on the basis that the deal would not result in any direct or indirect change in control of Trustco, including through governance arrangements, board composition…