Windhoek Observer

18 May

Nampol rejects Otjomuise food shortage claims

Uncategorised

Patience Makwele The Namibian Police Force (Nampol) has dismissed claims by social justice activist Michael Amushelelo that trial-awaiting inmates at Otjomuise Police Station in Windhoek have gone for weeks without food. Amushelelo on Monday alleged on social media that family members were being forced to bring food daily to relatives in police custody because inmates were allegedly not receiving meals. Nampol spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi described the allegations as false and misleading. “Trial-awaiting inmates across all our holding cells continue to receive meals as prescribed, three times per day,” Shikwambi said. She said there can sometimes be challenges involving…

18 May

Creative planners or accidental cities? Namibia’s urban crisis cannot be ignored

Editorial

Namibia is facing an uncomfortable truth: our towns and cities are not built for the people who actually use them. A new United Nations-backed report has laid bare what many ordinary Namibians have known for years but policymakers continue to ignore: over 70% of daily travel among low-income Namibians depends on walking and cycling. Not cars. Not ride-hailing services. Not luxury mobility. Feet and bicycles. Yet our urban infrastructure continues to be designed as though every citizen owns a vehicle. This is not merely an inconvenience. It is a policy failure with deadly consequences. Every day, pedestrians risk their lives…

18 May

The Apartheid Economy Was Never Fully Dismantled, And Namibia Must Admit It

Opinions

By any honest historical measure, Namibia achieved political independence in 1990. But political independence and economic emancipation are not synonymous. Thirty-six years later, many of the structural foundations of the apartheid economy remain remarkably intact, repackaged under democratic governance yet functionally unchanged in their outcomes. This is an uncomfortable truth, but one that must be confronted with intellectual honesty rather than ideological defensiveness. As a Black Namibian entrepreneur, I have increasingly come to appreciate that while our political architecture has transformed, our economic architecture remains deeply influenced by colonial and apartheid-era logic. Ownership patterns, access to capital, spatial inequality, market…

18 May

Body discovered at Gammams Water Works facility

Latest

Justicia Shipena An unidentified male body was discovered at the City of Windhoek’s Gammams Water Care Works facility on Sunday.City of Windhoek spokesperson Lydia Amutenya made the announcement this evening. According to Lydia Amutenya a security officer on patrol at the facility discovered the body inside one of the machines used in the water treatment process and immediately alerted senior officials and authorities. Amutenya said the scene was secured before the matter was handed over to the Namibian Police for further investigation. “The scene was subsequently secured and the incident has since been handed over to the Namibian Police for…

18 May

Hamata resigns from PDM

Latest

Hidipo Hamata, a longstanding member of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), has formally resigned from the party effective today. In a letter addressed to the PDM secretary general Manuel Ngaringombe, Hamata confirmed his departure after years of involvement spanning the party’s history, including its period before and after rebranding. He expressed gratitude for the leadership experience and political growth gained during his tenure, stating the decision was made “after careful reflection.” When asked about the motivation behind his resignation, Hamata described it as “a personal decision.” Hamata pushed back against speculation of an immediate political pivot. “Why must one immediately…

18 May

Two young girls died in fire

Latest

A fire claimed the lives of two three-year-old girls in Okakoko Village, located in the Oshikoto region, on Sunday morning. The children were asleep inside a corrugated iron structure when the blaze broke out. Oshikoto Police regional commander commissioner Ndeshipanda Iifo said the incident happened at around 08h00 after a domestic worker briefly left the children sleeping while she went nearby to gather firewood. The worker later spotted smoke rising from the shack and hurried back, but by the time she arrived, the fire had already spread through the room. The victims, Lavinia Mateus and Ndahafa Handiya died in the…

18 May

President avoids State House after naked man break-in

Main

CCTV cameras were allegedly switched off VVIP head allegedly resigns Renthia Kaimbi President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has not slept in her private residential wing at State House since a naked mental health patient broke into the heavily guarded premises nearly three weeks ago. Multiple sources told the Windhoek Observer that Nandi-Ndaitwah is staying at her private home in Hochland Park, where security has been increased since her return from the Cassinga Day commemorations at Okapalelona in the Omusati region two weeks ago. “NDF trucks were visible at her Hochland Park residence already on that day, which was a public holiday but…

18 May

Police denies Okondjatu shooting cover-up

National News

Patience Makwele The Namibian Police Force (Nampol) has denied allegations of a cover-up in a recent shooting incident at Okondjatu settlement in the Otjozondjupa region. The debate intensified over the weekend after social justice activist Michael Amushelelo alleged that police attempted to conceal details surrounding the shooting incident earlier this month. In response, Nampol spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi rejected the allegations and insisted the force remains committed to “fairness, transparency and professionalism". According to Shikwambi, officers responding to a violent incident on 4 May allegedly came under attack from a suspect armed with a machete before officers shot and…

18 May

Low-income Namibians forced to walk on unsafe roads

National News

Patience Makwele A new report has found that more than 70% of daily travel among low-income households in Namibia depends on walking and cycling. The findings were highlighted on Friday during the launch of the United Nations Global Road Safety Week in Windhoek under the theme “Make Walking and Cycling Safe”. The report, titled Towards Policy Interventions for Non-Motorised Transport in Small and Medium-Sized Urban African Towns: The Namibian Case, found major gaps in infrastructure, funding and policies supporting pedestrians and cyclists. Speaking at the event, executive director in the ministry of works and transport Jonas Sheelongo, speaking on behalf…

18 May

Stina Wu leaves homeowners paying for unfinished homes

National News

Renthia Kaimbi Residents of a housing development project in Rundu say they have been paying mortgages since 2022 for houses that remain unfinished. The affected homeowners secured bank pre-approvals for houses in the Kaisosi housing development owned by Chinese businesswoman Stina Wu. Despite receiving financing approval two years ago, the residents say they have still not taken occupancy of their homes. Social justice activist Michael Amushelelo said he received complaints from several affected homeowners. According to Amushelelo, homeowners are paying monthly mortgage deductions while also paying rent elsewhere. “It is rather painful to be paying for a house loan in…