Opinions – Page 7 – Windhoek Observer

16 Sep

OBSERVER DAILY | From grief to guesswork: Why the Lubowski interview fails the evidence test

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

Thirty-six years after Anton Lubowski’s assassination, the wound remains open and the questions still sting. That grief deserves recognition and compassion. No family should carry the weight of a loved one’s unresolved murder. The sorrow of Gabrielle and Nadia Lubowski is real, and their yearning for answers is understandable. But grief, no matter how deep, cannot stand in for proof. Pain is not evidence, and in their recent interview the two women drift from mourning into dangerous conjecture. Their claims that Sam Nujoma, SWAPO’s founding president, was effectively a South African asset and complicit in Anton’s killing are not just…

15 Sep

Clarifying what a policy is and what it is not: The National Upstream Petroleum Local Content Policy

Featured, Opinions

Mutindi Lydia Jacobs As the Ministry of Industries Mines and Energy (MIME) continues it’s nationwide consultations on the draft National Upstream Petroleum Local Content Policy, a critical public debate has emerged. Some stakeholders have voiced concerns over the policy's perceived lack of teeth, specifically its absence of penalties and a concrete institutional framework. This criticism, while understandable, stems from a common misconception about the fundamental difference between a government policy and a law. Understanding this distinction is essential for anyone wishing to contribute meaningfully to shaping the future of Namibia's promising oil and gas sector. The Blueprint vs. The Building: What…

15 Sep

OBSERVER DAILY | A silent emergency: burn-out among Namibia’s medical interns demands urgent action

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

Namibia’s hospitals are quietly facing a crisis that could shape the future of our entire health system. The nation’s medical interns, young doctors in the most formative and vulnerable stage of their careers, are burning out. They are working marathon shifts that stretch far beyond reasonable limits, often without adequate compensation or structured mental-health support. This is not merely an unfortunate rite of passage; it is a dangerous pattern that threatens the interns themselves, the patients they serve, and the very pipeline of Namibian doctors we rely on to care for future generations. Internship is meant to be demanding. These…

12 Sep

YOUNG OBSERVER | Why stashing cash isn’t enough: A Gen Z guide to building real wealth

Featured, Opinions

Janet Washamba Haufiku : Data analyst and writer You’re 25, and your first pay cheque just landed. Your mind races: should you finally buy that dress you’ve been longing for? Send your mother a gift that says, “I appreciate you more than words”? Or maybe take that long-overdue trip to the coast and finally relax? That first pay cheque hits like dynamite; suddenly, Europe feels within reach, dinner at your favourite restaurant is doable, and even that $15,000 apartment in Kleine Kuppe doesn’t seem so far away. But just like real dynamite, money is powerful and needs careful handling. Spend…

12 Sep

OBSERVER DAILY | Parliament in chaos: A national embarrassment

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

The scenes that unfolded in Parliament on Thursday were nothing short of disgraceful. What should have been an ordinary sitting of the National Assembly turned into chaos when Affirmative Repositioning (AR) members clashed with Speaker Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila. The events left Namibians shaking their heads, wondering whether the institution meant to embody our democracy is losing its way. It began when AR member Tuhafeni Kalola rose without permission and refused to take his seat when instructed to do so. The Speaker ordered him out of the chamber, but he refused. When security officers were called in, fellow AR MPs Job Amupanda…

12 Sep

The petroleum local content policy is in whose interest if not capitalism?

Opinions

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro The government, to be specific, the Upstream Petroleum Unit in the Office of the President, has been having roadshows countrywide and regionally, if not in selected areas and regions, to apparently explain the National Upstream Petroleum Local Content Policy. Upon picking this up through the media, the first question that occurred to mind is who have been invited to these roadshows, who have been attending and, with due respect and circumspection, if those invited and who have been attending these roadshows do and could realistically be expected to indeed comprehend what this subject matter entails to provide constructive,…

12 Sep

Africa’s absence at the biggest Chinese military parade in history

Opinions

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) Introduction Africa today finds itself in a paradoxical position, one that demands an introspection transcending the coldness of econometric language, delving into the depths of structural causes and existential implications for the continent's self-determination. The continent is, unequivocally, one of the largest suppliers of the critical minerals and raw materials that form the bedrock of China’s industrial and technological ascendancy, such as cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo for electric batteries, oil from Angola to fuel its burgeoning industry, platinum from South Africa for advanced manufacturing, uranium from Namibia,…

11 Sep

BOOK REVIEW | A symbol of a people’s determination: THE WINDHOEK OLD LOCATION by Henning Melber and Dieter Hinrichs

Featured, Opinions

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro Indeed there could be no more befitting title than A Symbol of People's Determination, a book about the history of the Old Location, the residential area of the indigenous Africans in the then Apartheid South West Africa. Before their forceful removal in the late 1960s from the Old Location, present-day Hochland Park residential area in Windhoek. Befitting title in the sense that indeed the Old Location gave genesis to present-day Katutura. Not as it is today when it has sprawled all over. But then only a small conclave of brick houses spread over a radius of eight (8)…

11 Sep

OBSERVER DAILY | An inconvenient truth: Namibia’s silent suicide crisis

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

Namibia is facing an inconvenient truth, one we have been too timid to confront head-on: suicide is claiming lives at an alarming rate. Among those who have chosen this tragic path are not only men and women buckling under social and economic strain, but children, our children. Every report of a life cut short is not merely a statistic, but a devastating rupture in families, communities, and the nation’s future. And yet, as the suicide rate climbs, our national response remains timid, fragmented, and inadequate. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was correct to express concern about suicides in her recent address. But…

10 Sep

Is our government working clockwise with its people?

Opinions

Hidipo Hamata Many unemployed youths and adults find themselves unable to provide basic needs or put bread and butter on the table because they are unemployed. Employment is hard to find, and even when you are fortunate enough to secure a job, the salary is often too small to sustain yourself, let alone your extended family. Life is hard, but is our government truly working clockwise to find amicable solutions for her people — solutions that soften the economic pressure while also building the country brick by brick, together with its citizens? Today, thousands of Namibians have found creative ways…