Windhoek Observer

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Namibian Police (Nampol) confiscated illegal drugs worth over N$106 million and arrested 3,264 suspects between January 2023 and December 2024. The figures were released as the country marked the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Thursday. In 2023, police recorded drug seizures valued at N$49.3 million.  This amount increased to N$56.6 million in 2024. The seized substances included cannabis, mandrax, cocaine, crack cocaine, MDMA, LSD, methcathinone, ecstasy, and crystal meth. Cannabis made up most of the confiscations. In 2023, police seized cannabis worth over N$40.3 million (4,031,556.87 kg), and in 2024, cannabis worth N$44.2…

Allexer Namundjembo The High Court has ordered Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) member Petrina Nghipudilo yaShiindi to pay N$10,000 towards the legal costs of air marshal Martin Pinehas, within 24 months. The payment forms part of a settlement agreement in a defamation lawsuit filed by Pinehas after yaShiindi claimed on social media that he was plotting to assassinate IPC leader Panduleni Itula.  The allegations were made in a TikTok video posted on 27 November 2024, during the presidential and National Assembly elections. Pinehas denied the claims, calling them false, dangerous, and damaging to his reputation as a senior military officer. …

Hertta-Maria Amutenja TransNamib has been ordered by the Labour Commissioner to pay full salary and benefits to one of two employees dismissed after the 2018 illegal strike.  The payment will cover the period from the date of dismissal until his retirement in October 2019. The ruling follows a lengthy arbitration process that found the dismissals of Johannes Uwanga and Asser Birisamub to be substantively and procedurally unfair.  Arbitrator Matheo Rudath delivered the award this week, declaring that their dismissal violated the Labour Act. Uwanga, a senior train operator, was awarded compensation from the dismissal date until his retirement on 30…

Niël Terblanché The country's public health system has received a boost with the delivery of new medical equipment funded by the United States government. The ministry of health and social services accepted the consignment on Thursday in Windhoek.  Executive director Penda Ithindi said the donation reflects the ministry’s commitment to evidence-based planning and collaboration. “The equipment being handed over today is the tangible outcome of such collaborative mechanisms,” Ithindi said during the handover ceremony attended by officials from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and other partners. He said the…

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Windhoek City Police say 20 people have died in road accidents around the capital since January 2025, with reckless driving named as the main cause. According to statistics released this week, the number of deaths has increased from 11 during the same period last year.  The police reported a total of 131 head-on collisions since the start of the year, and 335 drivers were fined for violating traffic laws.  The police expressed concern over a growing trend of drivers deliberately ignoring red lights across the city.  “The City Police has seen a gradual increase in the number…

Allexer Namundjembo The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) says it will not retract comments made by its leader, Bernadus Swartbooi, about health minister Dr Esperance Luvindao. During a press briefing held on Tuesday in Windhoek, Swartbooi referred to the minister as a “Congolese” while criticising the use of artificial intelligence in the health sector. The Swapo Party Youth League responded in a statement on Wednesday, calling the remarks “xenophobic and defamatory”.  The statement, issued by Youth League secretary Ephraim Nekongo, said Swartbooi’s comments were “unjustified and inflammatory”, factually flawed, and dangerously divisive. “We acknowledge and fully uphold the democratic principle that…

Justicia Shipena A total of 476 pregnancy tests were conducted during a week-long outreach in the Kavango East region.  The outreach, held from 16 to 20 June 2025, was led by the #BeFree Cares Clinic in partnership with the ministry of health and social services. According to organisers, several young women who accessed services were already mothers, with some as young as 16 years old.  The outreach targeted five communities, Kamutjonga, Andara, Shamangorwa, Korokoko, and Likwaterera, focusing on sexual and reproductive health (SRH), particularly family planning and long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs). “The outreach was prompted by the region’s alarming rates…

Niël Terblanché The Welwitschia Private Hospital in Walvis Bay has become the first medical facility in Namibia to earn ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 certification. Hospital manager Stephan Nel confirmed the achievement, which came after about a year and a half of hard work.  The global assurance firm DNV issued the endorsement, placing the hospital in a position to meet the standards required to serve the mining, marine, and growing oil and gas sectors in Namibia. Nel said the process began early last year when management decided to align all departments with the two ISO standards. “We were audited several…