Blog – Page 2 – Windhoek Observer

19 May

Famous Brands profit declines in SADC

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Famous Brands has reported weaker profits from its Southern African Development Community (SADC) operations as declining consumer spending in key regional markets such as Botswana and Zambia weighed on performance. Famous Brands operates more than 3 000 restaurants across 30 countries. In Namibia, its franchises include Debonairs Pizza, Steers, Wimpy, Mugg & Bean, Fishaways and Milky Lane. The group said its SADC operations, which cover 11 countries, came under pressure during the reporting period as economic conditions weakened across the region. Revenue from the SADC region declined 6% to R423 million from R451 million previously, while operating profit…

19 May

Airlink launches direct Cape Town-Zanzibar flights

Observer Money

Staff Writer Airlink will launch the first non-stop route between Cape Town and Zanzibar in October 2026 using its new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. Bookings for the route are now open. The weekly service will connect Cape Town directly to the Indian Ocean island, which is known for its beaches, resorts, marine life, spice trade history and the UNESCO-listed Stone Town. The new route will become Airlink’s second service to Zanzibar following the launch of its Johannesburg-Zanzibar flights scheduled to begin on 03 June 2026. Airlink said it will operate the route using its new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, which accommodates 124…

19 May

Anglo American sells coal business for US$3.8bn

Observer Money

Staff Writer Anglo American has agreed to sell its Australian steelmaking coal business to Dhilmar Limited in a deal valued at up to US$3.875 billion as the mining group continues restructuring its global portfolio. The transaction includes Anglo American’s steelmaking coal portfolio and consists of an upfront cash payment of US$2.3 billion when the deal is completed, alongside a price-linked earnout of up to US$1.575 billion. The company said proceeds from the sale will be used to reduce net debt. Anglo American chief executive officer Duncan Wanblad said the agreement reflects the value of the assets and the strength of…

19 May

Conflict between democracy & the autonomy of political parties & their wings

Opinions

Soini Nampala The Constitution and Supreme Law of the Republic of Namibia contain a chapter on the Principles of State Policy, articulated in Article 95, with a key focus on the “Promotion of the Welfare of the People". This chapter and article empower every Namibian to influence government policy by debating and scrutinising its decisions. The word “democracy” has been so misused to the point where it has almost lost its true meaning. In its basic sense, democracy refers to a government that is ruled by the people through their elected representatives. This means that the people choose, through elections,…

19 May

Can China and the USA overcome the Thucydides trap and Why Africa must build sovereignty without losing its soul – Ubuntu?

Opinions

Paul T. Shipale (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) When the USA’s President Donald Trump went to Beijing, accompanied by a large entourage of the Silicon Valley’s CEOs worth 20 trillion dollars combined, Chinese President Xi Jinping asked him rhetorically in their meeting/summit in the Great Hall of the People, saying, "Can China and the USA overcome the ‘Thucydides Trap' and create a new paradigm of major countries’ relations?" Indeed, the twenty-first century is being shaped by a geopolitical transition of historic magnitude with the accelerated rise of China and the rapid decline of the United States as the…

19 May

Prescription for crisis: Namibia must stop managing medicine shortages with optics

Editorial

Namibia’s medicine shortages are no longer an intermittent inconvenience. They have become a structural crisis with real consequences for ordinary citizens who depend on public healthcare for survival. When the Ministry of Health and Social Services reports national pharmaceutical stock levels hovering at around 60%, it may sound, on paper, as though the system is limping along. But averages are dangerous comfort blankets. A country cannot medicate its people with percentages. For the pensioner in Katutura who arrives at a clinic only to be told that hypertension medication is unavailable, the national stock figure means nothing. For the diabetic patient…

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…