National News

If you could send one message to the leaders competing for your vote, what would you tell them right now? With only a few days left before the regional and local authority elections, the Windhoek Observer asked young voters what message they want to send to the candidates competing this year. Here is what they had to say. Ndiwohamba Haidula (25) Show us action, not promises. Put people first and just not politics. I am tired of empty talk. Actually work for the people you want votes from. Understand our struggles before asking for our votes. Janet Haufiku (22) Focus…

Renthia Kaimbi The Miss Namibia Organisation says it has begun consulting its legal teams after a surge of tribal, racist, and defamatory attacks targeted at Miss Universe Namibia Johanna Swartbooi.  The organisation's chief executive officer, Umbi Karuaihe-Upi, said the organisation is reviewing all legal options to address the online hate speech.  She emphasised that Namibian law protects Swartbooi and characterised the attacks as tribalist, cyberbullying, and defamatory.  Karuaihe-Upi said Swartbooi remained mentally strong and focused on the competition, supported by her family and the organisation. The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) also issued a strong statement, calling the attacks unlawful and…

Justicia Shipena  The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has this week revealed that it arrested four people in two separate cases involving subsidy fraud and alleged corruption in a government job interview process. In the first case, the ACC arrested Muleihi Moscow Neo, a 41-year-old senior agricultural technician at the Omamishu Agricultural Office in Eengodi Constituency, along with Panduleni Hamunime, a 47-year-old resident of Okadiva Village. The matter stems from a 2017 government weeding subsidy scheme payment made to the Ndemutalelapo Supporting Group. ACC's interim spokesperson Marina Matundu said Neo created false vouchers to inflate the group’s subsidy from N$7 500 to…

Justicia Shipena President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has approved the national budget for 2025/2026 by signing the Appropriation Amendment Act of 2025 into law. The act updates the amounts allocated to government institutions to meet the state’s financial requirements for the year ending 31 March 2026. The office of the President receives an extra N$5 million, raising its allocation from N$1.458 billion to N$1.463 billion, according to the government gazette published on 19 November.  For the current financial year, the office was allocated more than N$1.4 billion. When the budget was motivated in Parliament in April, prime minister Elijah Ngurare said it…

Renthia Kaimbi A resolution by the Dâure-Daman Traditional Authority to evict tourism operator Ultimate Safaris from the Sorris Sorris conservancy is now in limbo. This comes after the state confirmed the removal of former chief Zacharias Seibeb just two days after he signed it. On 11 November 2025, Seibeb and his council met in Khorixas and agreed to take legal action to remove Ultimate Safaris from its camp on communal land. The resolution, seen by this publication, authorised Seibeb to appoint lawyers and represent the traditional authority in court. The dispute stems from tensions between tourism activities and proposed mining…

Renthia Kaimbi Urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa has told the Walvis Bay municipality to restart the shortlisting process for the general manager of human resources and corporate communication services. He said the earlier process was tampered with and did not follow national rules. The directive follows a complaint from the Namibia Public Workers Union (NAPWU), which alleged that the council removed candidates who were properly shortlisted and replaced them with names not approved by the official committee. In a letter to Walvis Bay mayor Trevino Forbes, Sankwasa said he reviewed the complaint and found that the council acted…

Staff Writer Two new light tower stands were switched on in the Wagdaar settlement in Swakopmund on 13 November. The project is a joint effort between the Swakop Uranium Foundation, Swakopmund Municipality and Erongo Red to improve safety in the area. The towers form part of the Foundation’s “Peace Swakopmund” initiative. During the handover, Swakop Uranium acting chief executive officer Irvinne Simataa said the N$800 000 structures signal the beginning of a ten-year plan to help create a safer community. Erongo governor Natalia |Goagoses welcomed the project and said it will help restore dignity and security. “This is about ensuring…

Renthia Kaimbi The municipality of Walvis Bay has opened the upgraded Independence Beach Promenade and launched a new e-governance tool called “Ovakalimo”. Both initiatives come from the European Union co-funded Erongo Sustainable Governance project, implemented with the municipality of Czerwonak in Poland. The promenade reopening shows the physical changes made to the public space. The launch of Ovakalimo marks a shift toward more direct engagement between residents and the municipality. The projects share one goal: building safer and more inclusive communities through participatory governance. The redesigned promenade follows new European Bauhaus principles. The space now serves as a multifunctional public…

Renthia Kaimbi The governor of the Bank of Namibia (BoN), Johannes !Gawaxab, is allegedly planning to step down from his role.  The Windhoek Observer understands that !Gawaxab informed vice president Lucia Witbooi and finance minister Ericah Shafudah that he intends to resign next month.  The Windhoek Observer has learnt that !Gawaxab signalled his departure in recent days, but the exact reason for his decision remains unknown. He is set to resign a year before his contract ends.  !Gawaxab was appointed in 2020 by former late president Hage Geingob.  !Gawaxab was then reappointed in December 2021 for a second five-year term. …

Renthia Kaimbi The Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa) says it is not opposing Entrepo Finance’s court application and only stepped into the case to help the High Court understand the legal framework it oversees.  The regulator made this point in its written submissions in the ongoing dispute between Entrepo and the minister of finance, Ericah Shafudah, over consumer protection rules in the microlending sector.  Entrepo accused Namfisa of siding with the minister after the regulator filed an explanatory affidavit.  Entrepo claimed that Namfisa was acting in support of the minister in its case against the company, but Namfisa dismissed…