Windhoek Observer

Niël Terblanché The Office of the Judiciary has dismissed claims regarding an alleged investigation into the regional demographics of magistrates qualified for appointment to Namibia's High Court. The clarification issued by the acting deputy director, Delila Salatiel, follows misinformation stemming from a media statement urging the Minister of Justice to release findings of a purported probe. The debate originated from a statistic cited in response to a media query. According to Salaltiel, the Office of the Judiciary did address allegations in an anonymous WhatsApp message, falsely claiming that 90% of High Court-qualified magistrates hailed from the Zambezi region. In a…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja To improve food safety and protect consumers, Namibia has launched a new project to strengthen import controls for fishery products and canned meat. The initiative, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will establish a more robust inspection system to address existing gaps in traceability and regulatory compliance. Namibian Standards Institution (NSI) chief executive officer, Eino Mvula, explained the importance of the project during the inauguration on 19 November at the NSI Testing and Inspection Centre. “This project marks a significant step forward in enhancing food safety, improving agricultural productivity, and safeguarding public health,” Mvula said. He…

Stefanus Nashama The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) announced on Monday that it has begun issuing duplicate voter cards. This process started on Monday and will run until 26 November across the country. The issuance of duplicate cards is intended for voters who have lost or damaged their original voter cards. The process does not apply to new voter registrations or changes to existing voter card details. To apply for a duplicate voter card, registered voters must provide an affidavit from the police explaining the loss or damage, as well as a Namibian Identification Document (ID) or a valid Namibian…

Niël Terblanché Anne Semamba Malinda, the former Speaker of Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania, has arrived in Namibia to lead the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) Scheduled for 27 November, the voting day will have the attention of observers from across the region when Namibians will be casting their votes in the Presidential and National Assembly elections. Malinda’s appointment as Head of Mission (HoM) was made by Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan, the President of Tanzania and Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation. According to the SADC secretariat, the appointment…

Niël Terblanché The Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) has raised the alarm over escalating trends of outsourcing and contracting in the mining and diamond cutting and polishing sectors. The MUN’s general secretary, George Ampweya, expressed concern about the adverse effects of such practices on job security and workers' rights. In a strongly worded statement issued On Monday, the Ampweya condemned multinational companies' reliance on these practices, which he says undermine decades of progress in labour rights. He warned that outsourcing and contracting, increasingly favoured by employers, erode job stability by replacing permanent positions with precarious employment. “These arrangements often circumvent…