Windhoek Observer – Page 25 – Windhoek Observer

21 Aug

Municipal services: are citizens being served or penalised?

Opinions

Ester Shafashike Article 18 of the Namibian Constitution guarantees individuals the right to a hearing whenever administrative officials act unfairly. Furthermore, Article 95(e) obligates the government to ensure that all citizens have fair and reasonable access to public facilities and services. Despite these constitutional guarantees, it appears that such rights are either unknown or deliberately ignored by some local authority practitioners and town council members. Admittedly, the Local Authorities Act grants local councils the discretion to formulate by-laws aimed at sustaining and maintaining towns and villages. However, I am of the opinion that these bylaws should not disadvantage residents or…

21 Aug

Trans-Kalahari Railway too big to fail – Salakae

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Botswana’s minister of transport and infrastructure and co-chair of the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) of the Trans-Kalahari Railway (TKR) project, Noah Salakae, says the railway is too important to fail. He made the remarks during the recent Joint Ministerial Committee meeting in Maun. “If the feasibility numbers do not immediately convince financiers, we must not fold our arms. We must innovate, adapt, and build the partnerships that will make it happen,” said Salakae. The governments of Namibia and Botswana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2010 to develop the Trans-Kalahari Railway. In 2014, they signed a bilateral…

21 Aug

Namibia to showcase green hydrogen ambitions in South Korea

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Namibia will take part in the ‘Financing a Clean and Equitable Industry Decarbonisation’ dialogue next week in Busan, South Korea. The head of the Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme (NGHP2), James Mnyupe, will represent the country. The NGHP2 said the dialogue set to take place on 25 August comes at an important time following Namibia’s recent success in securing Climate Investment Funds (CIF) support under the Industry Decarbonisation Programme. With this backing, Namibia is now developing a sectoral transformation investment plan to drive green industrialisation and decarbonisation. So far, Namibia has attracted about N$2.08 billion in investment for green…

21 Aug

Walvis Bay to host corporate football tourney

Sports

Allexer Namundjembo Thirty-three companies are set to take part in the inaugural Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) 7-A-Side Corporate Soccer Tournament. Namport launched the tourney on Wednesday at the Walvis Bay Municipality Civic Centre. The launch included the official draw of fixtures. Matches will be played every Friday and Saturday starting 22 August, with the grand final scheduled for 26 September. Namport executive for commercial Elias Mwenyo said the tournament is designed to go beyond football.“Wellness interventions of this nature should no longer be seen as voluntary acts but as an essential part of sustainable business operations. At Namport, we believe…

21 Aug

Brave Warriors fans travelling to Botswana to sign indemnity forms

Featured, Sports

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Namibia Football Association (NFA) has directed that all supporters travelling to Botswana to back the Brave Warriors must sign an indemnity form before boarding government-sponsored buses. NFA interim secretary general Cassius Moetie made the announcement on Wednesday during a press briefing at Soccer House in Windhoek. He said the measure is to protect both the government and the NFA from liability during the trip. “Very, very important for every Namibian going there… Before you get in the bus, you will sign an indemnity form that will indemnify the NFA and the government for any unforeseen circumstances and…

21 Aug

OBSERVER DAILY | WHO IS CHECKING THE CHECKERS?

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

Namibia has always prided itself on being a nation rooted in law and democratic values. We boast a Constitution that is admired across the continent, and institutions that, at least in principle, should safeguard our democracy from the kind of arbitrary governance that has destabilised so many of our neighbours. Yet, every so often, we are reminded that even in Namibia, leaders sometimes forget that power is borrowed, not owned, and that authority must be exercised within the guardrails of law. The latest controversy surrounding Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa is a case in point. On 15 August, a…

20 Aug

Henties CEO dumped after nearly two years suspension

Main

Renthia Kaimbi The Henties Bay chief executive officer Elizabeth Coetzee’s one-year and nine-month suspension ended without a hearing when her employment contract expired on 31 July 2025. She now plans to take legal action against the council. A leaked report detailed several serious allegations that led to Coetzee’s suspension in October 2023. What was meant to be a six-month investigation stretched into one year and four months, sparking ministerial intervention and public criticism. Charges served to Coetzee in December 2024 included duplicating travel claims from Henties Bay and Gobabis municipalities for N$11 725, awarding a contract to RedForce Debt Management…

20 Aug

Govt ordered to repay Stuttafords N$3.8m VAT

National News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The High Court has rejected an attempt by the commissioner of inland revenue, the minister of finance, and the attorney general to file a counterclaim in their ongoing battle with Stuttafords Stores Namibia (Pty) Ltd over a disputed N$3.8 million value added tax (VAT) refund. In a ruling delivered on 15 August 2025, acting judge Gerson Narib also refused part of the defendants’ application to amend their plea. The case stems from tax disputes going back more than 20 years. In 2002, Stuttafords received N$2.6 million, which it treated as capital, while the commissioner regarded it as revenue…

20 Aug

Directors of Weder, Kauta & Hoveka Inc break up

National News

Renthia Kaimbi One of Namibia’s biggest law firms, Dr Weder, Kauta & Hoveka Incorporated (WKH), is set to split at the end of this month. The firm confirmed that some of its top directors will leave to form a new practice. Its directors, Patrick Kauta, Frieda Kishi, Magano Erkana, and Mercy Kuzeeko, together with associates and support staff, will establish Kauta, Barendse & Kishi Incorporated. The new firm will trade as CDH Namibia. “Namibia deserves a future-fit commercial law firm,” Kauta told the Windhoek Observer. According to a letter sent to clients on 18 August 2025, CDH Namibia will become…

20 Aug

National Youth Council paralysis: Steenkamp and Balloti must act, not watch

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

The National Youth Council (NYC) has collapsed into paralysis. What was supposed to be the engine of young voices in Namibia is now a cautionary tale of dysfunction, governance failures, suspended directors without due process, missing financial reports, and youth openly defying ministerial appointees. The picture is one of decay, not leadership. Now, with minister Sanet Steenkamp and deputy minister Dino Balloti at the helm of the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, the country expects more than sympathetic statements and administrative tinkering. This is the moment for them to lead decisively, because NYC cannot continue like this. Dysfunction in…