National News

Justicia Shipena  President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said the new Ankit Gems Namibia Diamond Cutting and Polishing Factory will strengthen the country’s manufacturing base. She added that it will also promote resource diversification and create jobs for young people. Her remarks were delivered on her behalf by the acting minister of industries, mines and energy, Frans Kapofi, during the factory’s inauguration in Windhoek on Friday. Nandi-Ndaitwah said the project aligns with the country's priority of adding value to natural resources. “This plant will not only strengthen our manufacturing base but will also be instrumental for the diversification of our natural resources and…

Allexer Namundjembo The people of Onamatanga in the Omusati region no longer have to drink salty water after the official commissioning of the Onamatanga Water Supply Scheme on Friday. The N$15 million project by the government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform was officially launched by minister Inge Zaamwani. She said the new system would bring lasting relief to residents who have struggled for years with unreliable and saline water sources. “For too long, the people of Onamatanga had access only to salty water,” Zaamwani said.  She added that the project provides a long-term and sustainable solution…

Renthia Kaimbi Namibia and Nigeria want to create exchange programmes in the creative arts to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. The initiative will focus on music, film, fashion, and digital media to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and cross-cultural understanding among young people. This follows a visit by Ohangwena governor Kadiva Hamutumwa to Lagos, Nigeria, where she met with Lagos deputy governor Karri Obafemi Hamzat and business leaders to discuss trade, investment and youth empowerment. During the meetings held last week, both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in key sectors and boost intra-African trade and investment. Officials from both regions are…

Moses Magadza  A community liaison officer in the climate, environment and health department with CeSHHAR Zimbabwe has urged Zimbabwean lawmakers to ensure that the proposed Climate Change Management Bill explicitly addresses the intersection between climate change and health. Lloyd Pisa described this link as “the most critical and visible dimension of the climate crisis, because nearly every climate impact ultimately manifests as a health impact – whether through heat stress, food insecurity, malnutrition, or disease.” The call builds on pioneering work being led by Dr. Fortunate Machingura, the principal investigator of the climate, environment and health demonstration laboratories in Mount…

Renthia Kaimbi The National Council standing committee on home affairs, security, constitutional and legal affairs has called for the removal of corporate branding by the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) from border facilities. It said the branding violates national and international display standards. This comes after a recent parliamentary assessment exposed severe problems at the country's border posts, including weak security systems, housing shortages, and poor infrastructure.  The committee’s report follows oversight visits to ten border posts between August and September 2025. Committee chairperson Ndjambula Philemon said the team was alarmed by the inconsistent branding at border facilities. “The border posts…

Justicia Shipena The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has uncovered an alleged education fraud scheme involving two senior officials from the directorate of education, arts and culture in the Erongo region. Deputy director for programmes and quality assurance, Natalia Guriras and administrative officer Betty Somses were arrested on Wednesday.  The duo employed by the Ministry of Education Innovation Youth Sport Arts and Culture have been charged with corruption are linked to the illegal admission of a staff member into a University of Namibia (Unam) teacher training programme. According to the ACC, the arrests follow an investigation into false information allegedly submitted to…

Allexer Namundjembo The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) says its head office staff were not legally mandated to accept official nomination forms for the upcoming regional and local authority elections.  This comes as claims by the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) that the commission blocked its participation in several local authority elections. LPM will not contest in several southern towns, including Aranos, Berseba, Bethanie, Gibeon, Rehoboth, Kalkrand, Lüderitz, Tses and Stampriet, as well as Henties Bay, Arandis, and Uis in the Erongo Region.  Reports show that the party will lose out on 21 local authority seats in the affected areas.  However,…

Justicia Shipena Prime minister Elijah Ngurare and ten others must next month state whether they will oppose the lawsuit filed by the school board of Windhoek High School (WHS) against the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture. On Thursday, during a status hearing, High Court judge Thomas Masuku allowed the school board to add eleven more respondents to the case.  The board had applied in June to include them in the ongoing dispute over the appointment of a new principal for WHS. The new respondents are the prime minister, the chairperson of the Public Service Commission, the chairperson of the…

Renthia Kaimbi The Etunda Farm Primary School and clinic, built through the vision of the late founding president Sam Nujoma, will be officially handed over to the Namibian government later today. The school, constructed on Nujoma’s private farm is adjacent to the operational clinic on Nujoma’s private land, situated 30 km south of Otavi. The project is seen as a lasting effort to improve education and healthcare for farmworkers’ children in the Otavi area. Nujoma’s family and the Sam Nujoma Foundation will lead the handover ceremony. Family members described the event as the fulfillment of Nujoma’s lifelong belief that education…

Allexer Namundjembo Former Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) spokesperson John Haufiku has apologised to the university’s former chief legal adviser, Joshua Kaumbi.  The apology follows a statement Haufiku made in July 2023 that resulted in a defamation case. Kaumbi filed a N$500 000 lawsuit against Haufiku in July 2023 for alleging in a Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) interview that the university had suspended Kaumbi for leaking information to the media. The remarks were made shortly after Kaumbi’s suspension by Nust management.  According to court documents seen by the Windhoek Observer, during the interview, Haufiku said, “We have suspended…