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Namibia, Botswana to establish joint airline

Namibia, Botswana to establish joint airline

Chamwe Kaira  Namibia and Botswana plan to establish a joint national airline with support from a strategic partner, Botswana’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has announced. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Duma Gideon Boko first announced the plan during the Bi-National Commission held in Namibia in 2025. “The airline will cement our relationship in the transport sector – connect Windhoek and Gaborone directly to each other and to key regional and international destinations. Just as we lay rail across the Kalahari Desert, we will also lay flight paths across African skies together,” the airline said. At the same time, the Namibian government…
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Deposit Guarantee Fund delivers 8.1% return 

Deposit Guarantee Fund delivers 8.1% return 

Chamwe Kaira  The Deposit Guarantee Fund by the Namibia Deposit Guarantee Authority (NDGA) delivered an annual return of 8.1% in 2025, outperforming its benchmark. The fund beat Alexander Forbes' short-term fixed interest three-month index, which returned 7.3%, resulting in an excess return of 83.5 basis points. It outperformed the benchmark in all four quarters. The performance was driven by portfolio management and investments in money market and short-term fixed-income instruments. The fund invested in floating rate notes and Treasury bills.  Floating rate notes benefitted from favourable spreads over the Johannesburg Interbank average rate, while treasury bills provided stability. Cash held…
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South Africa unlikely to meet its maize export target

South Africa unlikely to meet its maize export target

Wandile Sihlobo  South Africa is unlikely to meet its maize export target for the 2025-26 marketing year, which ends this month. The challenge is not that we don’t have maize; we do. The demand is fairly weak due to ample global maize supplies. South Africa’s maize exports to Far East markets such as Vietnam, Taiwan, and South Korea, amongst others, have been rather weak this year. We have enjoyed better demand within the African continent. Between May 2025 and the first week of April 2026, South Africa exported 1.9 million tonnes of maize, out of the expected exports of 2.4…
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James Unomasa Uerikua, exile from cradle to death  

James Unomasa Uerikua, exile from cradle to death  

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro Exile to exile. Once in exile, always in exile until death. This seems to be the eternal epitome of the descendants of the survivors of the Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama GENOCIDES.  Unless and until they themselves, nobody but themselves, deliver themselves through their own trials and tribulations via true restorative justice ultimately. Which entails the return of their land. Putting an end to their perpetual internal exiling and continued banishment to outposts such as Gam. Where many descendants, you name them, have since independence continued to be banished by none other than their own Swapo of Namibia government.…
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THE TURNING POINT | From “Ostora” to Ownership: A Call to Rethink Scale in Namibian Entrepreneurship

The recent decision by Sintana Energy to pursue a listing on the Namibia Securities Exchange (NSX) should not be viewed as a routine corporate development. It is, in many respects, a moment of quiet significance, one that invites reflection on the structure, ambition, and trajectory of Namibian enterprise itself. As a Namibian entrepreneur, I applaud this move. Not merely because it signals confidence in our market, but because it underscores an uncomfortable truth: the pipeline of locally grown, especially black Namibian-owned, companies reaching the level of public listing remains deeply inadequate. The statistics are not just disappointing; they are structurally revealing. They point to…
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Sossusvlei: When access becomes a luxury

Few places on earth capture the imagination quite like Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. Rising from the ancient sands of the Namib Desert, these landscapes are not merely tourist attractions; they are living symbols of Namibia’s identity, resilience, and natural inheritance. For generations, they have represented an open invitation to Namibians to experience the profound beauty of their country, an accessible wilderness that belonged to all. That understanding is now being fundamentally altered. At the centre of the controversy is a shift in how access to Sossusvlei and Deadvlei is managed. Historically, visitors, both local and international, could enter the Namib-Naukluft Park,…
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NaCC probes Ultimate Safaris over exclusive tourism agreements 

NaCC probes Ultimate Safaris over exclusive tourism agreements 

Renthia Kaimbi The Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC) has launched a formal investigation into alleged anti-competitive conduct involving Ultimate Safaris (Pty) Ltd and three conservancies in the Brandberg area. The probe follows a complaint lodged on 26 September 2024 by mining claim holder Timoteus Mashuna. In a letter dated 14 April 2026, signed by acting chief executive officer Johannes Ashipala, the commission confirmed it has started an investigation under section 33 of the Competition Act. The investigation targets Ultimate Safaris, Doro !Nawas Conservancy, Uibasen Twyfelfontein Conservancy and Sorris Sorris Conservancy. NaCC said it issued a cautionary notice on 18 December 2024.…
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Shilunga says oil oversight under presidency builds trust

Shilunga says oil oversight under presidency builds trust

Patience Makwele Presidential advisor and head of the Upstream Petroleum Unit Kornelia Shilunga says placing the upstream petroleum unit under the Presidency is meant to build public confidence that the oil and gas sector is managed with seriousness, integrity and transparency. Shilunga said the structure creates direct oversight and accountability. “By anchoring the unit in the presidency, there is a direct line of oversight and accountability. It is our hope that this measure enhances public confidence that the sector is being managed with the seriousness, integrity and transparency that it demands,” she said at a media training on the upstream…
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Govt decision on James’ funeral sparks debate

Govt decision on James’ funeral sparks debate

Allexer Namundjebo  Mixed reactions have emerged over the government’s decision not to grant a state funeral to former member of parliament and former Otjozondjupa governor James Uerikua. Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah said the issue is sensitive and complex.  He said state and official funerals follow set rules and are not based only on positions held. “While the late James Uerikua served in important roles, including as governor and in a key parliamentary position, the final decision depends on set criteria and the discretion of the President,” he told the Windhoek Observer.  Kamwanyah said public opinion is likely to differ. “Some…
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Zambezi governor urges quick upgrade of Mpacha airport

Zambezi governor urges quick upgrade of Mpacha airport

Allexer Namundjembo  Zambezi governor Dorothy Kabula has called on the Ministry of Works and Transport to prioritise the development of Mpacha Airport. Kabula stated that the budget had allocated funds for the airport, but work had yet to commence.  She said its location makes it suitable to be upgraded to an international airport. “This airport was budgeted, but up to now nothing has happened. This airport was supposed to cut the distance. Instead of one going to Windhoek to access the international airport, that can cut the distance,” she said during a debriefing on the government’s response to flooding in…
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