Opinions – Page 3 – Windhoek Observer

16 Feb

A necessary line in the sand: protecting public housing and restoring accountability

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

Minister of Works and Transport Veikko Nekundi has taken a decision that many before him have avoided. In stating unequivocally that government employees evicted from state-owned houses will not receive special treatment or automatic relocation, he has drawn a firm line between entitlement and accountability. It is a decision grounded not in hostility, but in principle. At a time when public infrastructure is under strain and housing demand continues to rise, the minister’s stance reflects a necessary commitment to restoring integrity in the management of state assets. The numbers alone underscore the gravity of the matter. Government immovable assets are…

13 Feb

YOUNG OBSERVER | #UNMUTED

Featured, Opinions

February has a way of drawing attention toward love, placing it gently at the centre of conversation through symbols that feel both familiar and comforting. Yet beneath the surface of celebration lies a quieter reality shaping the lives of many young people; a season of becoming marked less by certainty than by patience, less by arrival than by unfolding. In such a season, love reveals itself in forms wider than romance alone, appearing in friendship that sustains, in ambition that persists through delay, and in the quiet courage required to keep building a future that cannot yet be clearly seen.…

13 Feb

What use is a good constitution amidst poverty?

Opinions

This Monday, the 9th of February, marked Constitution Day, the day when, 36 years ago, in 1990, the Constituent Assembly adopted the country’s constitution leading up to its coming into effect with the country’s independence the same year on 21 March. The question that begs to be asked is, 36 years after, is there cause for celebration? Is there any reason why 36 years after everyone in Namibia should celebrate this day, and why? Needless to say, the answer to such a question cannot but be mixed. While the Namibian Constitution is and must be ordinarily a source of pride…

13 Feb

Cuba has been strangled to death through a silent genocide: who sanctions the sanctioner? Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Opinions

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) Every year, the United Nations overwhelmingly condemns the U.S. embargo on Cuba. Every year, 187 nations vote against it. Every year, nothing changes. If 187 voices cry “wrong”, but the powerful continue as if the world never spoke, is that international law or theatre? And if it is theatre, who is the audience? And the joke is on whom? There is currently a human-generated humanitarian crisis taking place in Cuba, and Russia has warned that Cuba’s energy crisis is becoming critical because of the United States using “suffocating measures” against…

12 Feb

Whither to the Ovaherero and Nama Genocide?

Opinions

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro WHITHERTO the Ovaherero and Nama Genocide? This question presents itself automatically but urgently and relevantly now and in this year, particularly this month of February when the African Union (AU) is having at the end of this week its 39th Summit. Where and with its agenda, including the milestone decision as per the Algiers Declaration of last year, that Africa resolve to make colonial crimes committed against her by formerly colonising powers a crime in international law. Needless to say, this summit must be of particular interest to the Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama. In view of the genocide…

12 Feb

Transparency or illusion? The bill that could shape Namibia’s oil future

Opinions

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) The hidden risks in Namibia’s new petroleum bill The founding father once upon a time spoke about how African states lost control, not suddenly, but gradually through agreements, concessions, and legal frameworks made early and justified as “necessary at the time". That warning was never abstract. It reflected a hard historical lesson: sovereignty is rarely surrendered in a single moment. It is diluted quietly, legally, and incrementally long before the consequences become visible. Petroleum governance that relies on internal executive control rather than independent, enforceable oversight contradicts the very idea…

12 Feb

Post-festive cybersecurity risks

Opinions

Mufaro Nesongano As we have entered the new working year after the festive break, individuals and organisations are reminded that the beginning of the year is one of the most active periods for cybercrime. The start of the year has become one of the most critical months for cybersecurity. While many people associate cyber threats with the busy holiday period in December, the weeks after the holidays are often at even higher risk of cybersecurity threats. During the festive period, many employees travelled with their work laptops, connected to public or home Wi-Fi, and sometimes used work devices for personal…

11 Feb

9 February, Namibia’s Constitution Day: The Constitution was followed, but democracy was bent

Opinions

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) Every 9 February, Namibia marks Constitution Day with speeches, symbolism, and celebration. Yet a constitution is not honoured by ritual alone. Its true test lies not in anniversary tributes, but in how faithfully it restrains power, protects dignity, and guides governance when political interests are at stake. Constitution Day should therefore be less about comfort and more about conscience. The constitutional amendments of 2014 were a masterstroke executed not against the Constitution, but through it. Their camouflaged protagonists acted lawfully, strategically, and with full awareness of the consequences, including by…

11 Feb

TVET is not a second choice or for failures; it is a path to success – Let us not discourage a boy child or girl child from pursuing TVET

Opinions

Daniel Ndayamohamba Every office, hospital, church, road, and public facility you see today has been made possible by hard-working individuals who chose Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Beyond engineers and architecture, it is the general workers, electricians, plumbers, welders, carpenters, mechanics, IT technicians, and bricklayers who keep our society functioning. TVET practitioners are key contributors to development. Yet, despite their impact, a damaging misconception persists that TVET is a fallback choice for those who did not qualify for university. It is time to challenge this mindset and recognise TVET as a respected and essential pathway to success. A…

11 Feb

Reclaiming the narrative: Why Africa must own its biological future

Opinions

Dr Taime Sylvester Africa is one of the richest biorepositories on Earth, holding extraordinary microbial diversity, vast traditional medicinal knowledge, and populations that have, for centuries, contributed biological samples, genomic data, and indigenous expertise to the global health enterprise. Yet when vaccines are developed, drugs reach the market, and patents are filed, Africa is rarely at the table where the rewards are divided. From the negotiating floors of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to the benchtops of laboratories at universities, the same pattern repeats: African biological resources flow outward, and the benefits – whether they be intellectual, economic or strategic…