National News

GIDEON SHAPUMBA Namibia’s proposed amendments to the Petroleum Act deserve far more public debate than they are getting. Behind technical phrases like “streamlining decision-making” lies a major shift in how the country’s most valuable resource could be controlled, one that risks giving excessive power to the Executive with little parliamentary oversight.The issue is not whether Namibia should benefit more from its petroleum resources. It absolutely should. The concern is how the government plans to achieve this. Moving key petroleum functions to the Presidency under a new Upstream Petroleum Unit is alarming. In reality, it would allow a small group of…

Allexer Namundjembo A member of parliament has raised concerns about the readiness of the public health system ahead of the planned transition of senior public servants to public facilities from 1 April 2026. Rosa Mbinge-Tjeundo of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) gave a notice of questions directed at the government, asking whether hospitals can absorb the expected influx of senior officials currently covered under the Public Service Employees Medical Aid Scheme (Psemas). The reform follows a directive by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah requiring senior government officials to use public healthcare facilities. Mbinge-Tjeundo said public hospitals already face overcrowding, staff shortages and…

Renthia Kaimbi Workers at Beifang Mining Technology Services at the Husab Project are challenging a bonus policy that links sick leave to incentive payments. The dispute follows the company’s introduction of a new shift roster on 3 February.  The Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations has confirmed the roster's lawfulness and compliance with Namibia's Labour Act, according to management. The change triggered unrest among workers. Soon after the new roster took effect, the company recorded a rise in sick leave.  An internal memorandum shows that between 3 and 22 February, employees recorded 322 sick leave days. Management described the figure…

Renthia Kaimbi As Namibia continues to battle illegal fishing in its Exclusive Economic Zone, chief executive officer of the Fisheries Observer Agency, Stanley Ndara, says the country must adopt artificial intelligence to strengthen monitoring, but he warns against losing control over critical systems. Ndara said AI can play a key role in combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. He stressed that technology alone is not enough without strong governance. “However, there is a caveat to this, and it relates to AI governance and trust,” Ndara warned in an interview with the Windhoek Observer. Namibia currently uses monitoring, control, and surveillance…

Renthia Kaimbi On 7 March, runners will gather in Swakopmund for the Rössing National Marathon.  This year’s race marks 35 consecutive years of partnership between Rössing Uranium and the Swakop Striders Running Club. Organisers expect about 4,500 runners to take part. The partnership began in 1991. A group of Rössing employees who shared a love for running formed the Swakop Striders Running Club. They approached the mine with a proposal to host a marathon. That decision laid the foundation for what has become one of the longest-running sporting collaborations in Namibia. Swakop Striders Secretary Frank Slabbert has been involved in…

Renthia Kaimbi Senior managers of the Namibian Correctional Service met in Swakopmund this week for a biannual management retreat aimed at strengthening leadership and improving service delivery. The retreat took place at the Swakopmund Mile 4 Hotel. It started on Monday, 23 February 2026 and ended on Wednesday. NSC commissioner general Raphael Tuhafeni Hamunyela led the gathering. He described it as a space for reflection and strategic focus. He said the goal was to create time for reflection, renewal, and refocusing so that leaders could provide quality service to the Namibian people. Hamunyela stressed the importance of leadership development and…

Allexer Namundjembo Independence Patriots for Change (IPC) president Panduleni Itula insists that President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s family has interests in the oil and gas sector. He says the country must confront what he calls a conflict at the centre of government as the National Assembly debates the oil bill. “It is not speculation. What I am about to present to you is a diagnosis of capture,” Itula said during a press conference at the party’s office in Windhoek on Tuesday. At the same time, Itula said he was presenting evidence, not making allegations. He described what he called “a capture of…

Allexer Namundjembo Outapi mayor Victorina Neingo says stalled stormwater projects are holding the town back as drainage problems resurface with each rainy season. Speaking to the Windhoek Observer on Monday after heavy weekend rains, Neingo said the town has an approved stormwater master plan but lacks funds to implement it. “The Outapi Town Council has an approved stormwater master plan in place to systematically address stormwater drainage challenges within the town. However, implementation of the identified projects remains constrained due to budgetary limitations,” Neingo said. The recent rainfall led to temporary water accumulation in low-lying areas. Some buildings became difficult…