Featured – Page 26 – Windhoek Observer

18 Aug

NFA rolls out buses to Botswana for Brave Warriors fans

Featured, Sports

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Namibia Football Association (NFA), together with the ministry of education, youth, sports, innovation and arts and culture, will provide buses for fans travelling to Francistown, Botswana, to watch the Brave Warriors’ World Cup qualifying matches. The buses will depart from Ondangwa, Rundu, Katima Mulilo, Windhoek, Keetmanshoop, and Gobabis. A return ticket will cost N$200. NFA spokesperson Isack Hamata said the buses will leave Namibia on 4 September in the early morning, with the exact time to be confirmed. “The exact time will be communicated in the coming week. With regard to return dates, provision is being made…

18 Aug

Namibia’s Golden Move: Why the Bank of Namibia’s Gold Strategy Matters

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

When the Governor of the Bank of Namibia, Johannes !Gawaxab, announced that our central bank would begin buying gold from Navachab and B2Gold, it may have sounded like just another technical monetary policy decision. But beneath the surface, this is one of the most consequential financial moves Namibia has made in years. Done right, it can strengthen our financial sovereignty, reduce risks from external shocks, and even open up new opportunities for ordinary Namibians. Done wrong, it could become a costly gamble. Why Gold Matters For centuries, gold has been the ultimate symbol of value. In today’s world, central banks…

14 Aug

Namibia’s Eurobond Redemption: A Fiscal Win with Real-Life Benefits

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

In a time when news about public finances often comes wrapped in alarm bells and warnings, Namibia has given us a story worth celebrating. The country is on track to fully redeem its US$750 million Eurobond when it matures in October 2025. This is not just a technical achievement in debt management; it’s proof that disciplined planning and consistent follow-through can pay off, and it’s the kind of success that can have real meaning for ordinary Namibians. Nicholas Mukasa, Director of Financial Markets at the Bank of Namibia, confirmed recently that “we are on target to redeem that bond when…

14 Aug

The RedForce Conundrum: A Debt Crisis Without Easy Answers

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

The decision by Minister of Urban and Rural Development James Sankwasa to cancel all RedForce contracts with local authorities has ignited a heated national debate. On one side, municipalities insist that external debt collectors are essential to keep their finances afloat. On the other, residents reject the very idea of private companies hounding them for overdue payments. It is a messy situation, but one fact is undeniable: many residents of our towns are in arrears for municipal services, water, electricity, refuse collection, for a variety of reasons. Some are genuine hardships; others are simply a refusal to pay. The rule…

13 Aug

From Bailouts to Boomtowns: Rethinking How Our Towns Make Money

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

Let’s not sugar-coat it, our local authorities are broke. And it’s no longer just a small accounting problem that can be patched up; it’s a full-blown crisis that threatens the future of some of our towns. The problem is not only that they don’t have money. It’s that the very way our town councils do business is broken. Here’s the reality: in many of our towns, residents are unemployed or scraping by on very little. Municipalities depend almost entirely on rates, taxes, water, and electricity payments, but when people can’t pay, that money never comes in. The result? Services get…

13 Aug

NFA grants free access to games in Botswana

Featured, Sports

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Namibia Football Association (NFA) has announced that entry to the Brave Warriors’ 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches in Botswana will be free of charge. The games will take place at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium in Francistown against Malawi on 5 September and São Tomé and Príncipe on 9 September 2025. NFA interim secretary general Cassius Moetie said on Tuesday the decision is aimed at filling the stadium and boosting the team’s morale. “We would love to see all Namibians filling the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium to the brim, waving the Namibian flag high in support…

12 Aug

Time to Set the Rules on State Funerals

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

President Nandi-Ndaitwah’s decision to put a moratorium on state funerals is a move that deserves both praise and serious public debate. For years, Namibia has stumbled along without a transparent, universally accepted set of rules for who qualifies for a state, official, or heroes funeral. The result? Confusion, bitterness, and public quarrels at moments when the nation should be united in grief. The recent passing of Dr. Moses Amweelo reignited these tensions. Many felt the former minister and respected political figure deserved, at the very least, an official funeral. Others supported the government’s decision to hold the line after the…

12 Aug

The Essence of Activism, Are we supposed to be “poor”? – A response to Jonathan Kariseb

Featured, Opinions

Onesmus Shekuza Iyambo On my way home from the AR headquarters after a long, tiring but productive meeting with our regional leadership as we were discussing about different strategies and tactics we will deploy in preparation for the upcoming regional and local authority elections, I stopped by Otjomuise shopping centre to buy newspapers. As I was perusing The Namibian Newspaper on Friday, 27 July 2025, I came across an article by Jonathan Kariseb, scandalously titled “On Job Amupanda, Elites and the Burden of Responsibility: A Personal Reflection”. In one of his famous essays, ‘The Responsibility of Intellectuals’, Noam Chomsky tells…

11 Aug

Madam President, How About a Jobs Summit?

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

Namibia’s unemployment crisis is not just a statistic. It is the quiet desperation in villages and towns, the hollowed-out dreams of graduates, and the simmering frustration of a generation with no place to go. We have heard the speeches and seen the plans. What we need now is not another promise, but a national reckoning on jobs. When President Nandi-Ndaitwah declared in her inaugural speech that “in Namibia, we are too few to be poor,” it wasn’t just a hopeful slogan. It was a challenge. A reminder that our small population should be an advantage, yet unemployment and underemployment continue to choke opportunity…

11 Aug

Ethical procurement practices and the impact on state-owned enterprises, the procurement profession, and small and medium enterprise development

Featured, Opinions

Zucky Bauleth-Nashima and Lusia Kornelius In Namibia, public procurement is rigorously administered and regulated under the Public Procurement Act and related regulations, ensuring fair participation in economic activities and equitable opportunities, particularly for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The private sector, particularly SMEs, is crucial to the production and supply of goods and services, playing a vital role in ensuring availability, operational efficiency, and sustainability. However, there has been a notable demand for goods and services in offices, Ministries and Agencies (OMAs). This adversity has heightened the need to go beyond local supplies and extend the sourcing of goods and…