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Acacia-Composites signs deal with Zimbabwean firm

Acacia-Composites signs deal with Zimbabwean firm

Staff Writer Acacia-Composites Manufacturing, Africa’s only producer of Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) decking, cladding and battens, has signed a distribution agreement with Halsted Builders Express Zimbabwe, the leading construction and building supply company in Zimbabwe. The partnership follows an introduction to Acacia-Composites Manufacturing’s products at WoodEX for Africa in Johannesburg earlier this year.  During a visit to the Windhoek manufacturing plant, Halsted chief executive officer Stuart Knight was impressed by the quality of Acacia’s products. As a result, the two companies agreed to bring Acacia’s WPC decking to the Zimbabwean market.  The order of high-performance decking marks a key step…
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Nissan X-TRAIL celebrates 25 years

Nissan X-TRAIL celebrates 25 years

Staff Writer The Nissan X-TRAIL is celebrating 25 years since its launch, marking a milestone for one of the world’s most popular SUVs. Introduced in 2000, the first-generation X-TRAIL (T30: 2000–2007) pioneered a new motoring category. It combined comfort, performance, and practicality in a 4WD vehicle, breaking the perception that such cars were heavy on fuel. The T30 featured a spacious interior designed for outdoor and sports use, a large cargo area, washable luggage boards, and water-repellent seats.  In 2003, a model update improved driver comfort with a pop-up steering wheel that tilted up to 45 degrees. The “Hyper Roof…
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Global residency firm to host investment roadshow in Windhoek

Global residency firm to host investment roadshow in Windhoek

Staff Writer Orience’s Southern Africa team will host roadshows in Namibia and Zambia later this month to promote new international investment opportunities. The firm, known globally for offering residency and citizenship through investment, will hold its Windhoek roadshows from 17 to 19 November and in Lusaka, Zambia, from 19 to 21 November. Lisa Bathurst, Orience’s Southern Africa manager, said the sessions will help potential investors assess whether the Italian opportunity suits their financial and personal goals. “Potential investors must attend the roadshows to see whether the Italian opportunity would be a good fit for the investors and their families in…
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Only 19% of youth want to start a business …majority prefer government jobs over business

Only 19% of youth want to start a business …majority prefer government jobs over business

Justicia Shipena Only 19% of Namibians aged 18 to 35 would choose to start their own business if given the opportunity. This makes the country’s youth the least entrepreneurial in Africa.  This is according to the latest Afrobarometer survey covering 38 African nations. The data stands in sharp contrast to Namibia’s youth population, which makes up 2.1 million of the country’s three million people, according to the 2023 Housing and Population Census by the Namibia Statistics Agency.  Despite their numbers, the survey shows that most young Namibians prefer the government as their employer. The survey asked the youth about their…
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Magistrates push back on Immanuel’s return-to-work directive

Magistrates push back on Immanuel’s return-to-work directive

Renthia Kaimbi Magistrates have defied a return-to-work directive issued by justice and labour relations minister Fillemon Wise Immanuel.  Immanuel, on Sunday, in a letter to Magistrates’ Commission chairperson Boas Uusiku, acknowledged the frustrations of magistrates over the delayed housing and vehicle allowances but maintained that the nationwide strike had no legal basis.  He then instructed all magistrates to return to their duty stations and resume work, warning that failure to comply would lead to serious consequences. Despite his [Immanuel's] order, magistrates have continued their 'go-slow' industrial action, bringing civil trials, criminal proceedings and bail applications to a halt.  The magistrates…
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Green schemes spend 35% of revenue on electricity

Green schemes spend 35% of revenue on electricity

Renthia Kaimbi Electricity costs take up about 35% of the total revenue of Namibia’s green scheme projects.  The executive director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata, revealed this during a national workshop on green schemes in Rundu on Monday.  She said each project spends close to N$1 million per month on electricity. “Each green scheme project spends close to N$1 million per month on electricity alone, representing roughly 35% of its total revenue, a burden that severely impacts profitability and long-term operational viability,” she said. Nghituwamata said high power tariffs have become a major…
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IPC proposes independent commission to oversee SOEs 

IPC proposes independent commission to oversee SOEs 

Justicia Shipena The official opposition party wants to create an independent Public Enterprises Governance Commission (PEGC) to stop politics from interfering with how state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are run under the new Public Enterprises Governance Amendment (PEGA) Bill. The leader of the official opposition in parliament, Immanuel Nashinge, said the bill risks recentralizing power and undermining professional governance.  “The Bill, presented as reform, in reality takes power away from professionals and places it back into political hands,” he said during the parliamentary debate last week.  Nashinge said SOEs have collapsed under the weight of political interference, with the same individuals being…
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Unpaid winnings stir trouble for Okahandja’s BetZilla

Unpaid winnings stir trouble for Okahandja’s BetZilla

Allexer Namundjembo An Aviator player has accused BetZilla, a betting company based in Okahandja, of failing to pay out his winnings of N$1 040. Kudumo Sikongo said he played the game Aviator and, after winning, tried to request his payout but was sent from one contact number to another before his calls were blocked.  “I won at BetZilla, and after calling them, they blocked my number,” he told the Windhoek Observer on Monday. He said he reported the matter to the Okahandja Police Station.  "I was told they knew where the office was and would go there, but I haven't…
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OBSERVER DAILY | An African awakening in the diamond trade: Namibia must match boldness with wisdom

A quiet but powerful tremor is shaking the global diamond industry, and this time, it is emanating from Africa itself. Reports that Angola and Botswana are in discussions to acquire or expand ownership of De Beers mark a profound turning point in the continent’s long and complex relationship with its mineral wealth. Even more encouraging, Namibia’s Cabinet has approved plans to pursue a significant stake in De Beers Namibia. This is not mere corporate reshuffling; it is an awakening. For generations, African nations have occupied the lowest rungs of the global resource value chain. We mined and exported, while others…
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Houses cost N$1.7 million on average in central regions

Houses cost N$1.7 million on average in central regions

Chamwe Kaira The FNB House Price Index recorded a 12-month average growth rate of 5.9% in the third quarter, down from 7.7% in the second quarter and 7.0% in the same period last year.  FNB Namibia said on Monday that despite the slowdown, the index remains resilient since exiting negative territory early this year. Price growth across the small, medium, large, and luxury segments stood at 4.4%, 0.3%, 1.9%, and -23.9%, respectively. Regionally, all areas recorded growth in the third quarter.  The central region rose by 4.8%, the coastal by 1.2%, the northern by 10.9%, and the southern by 8.5%,…
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