Featured – Page 3 – Windhoek Observer

09 Apr

OBSERVER COASTAL | Ministry condemns tyre burning at Walvis Bay landfill

Featured, Uncategorised

Renthia Kaimbi The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has condemned the burning of tyres at the Walvis Bay landfill. Environmental commissioner Timoteus Mufeti said the ministry is taking steps to address the situation. “The reported burning of tyres at the landfill is a regrettable incident that the ministry strongly condemns,” he said on Wednesday. “Such activity releases dangerous pollutants into the air, posing serious health risks to both people and animals, while significantly compromising air quality.” Mufeti said burning tyres near towns is not allowed under environmental laws and warned that such practices cannot continue. The response follows complaints…

09 Apr

OBSERVER COASTAL | Revamped Arandis open market aims to grow informal trade

Featured, Uncategorised

Renthia Kaimbi The refurbished open market in Arandis has reopened. The upgrade was led by Orano Mining Namibia in partnership with the Arandis Town Council. The project was completed at the end of 2025 at a cost of N$300 000 and officially opened last week. The market was first built in 2012 with an investment of N$500 000 by Orano, then operating as AREVA Namibia. It was introduced after a 2005 study found that many small business owners were operating from their homes due to a lack of trading space. The upgraded facility now includes 16 business units and shared…

09 Apr

OBSERVER COASTAL | Erongo pushes for more community involvement in tourism

Featured, Uncategorised

Renthia Kaimbi Stakeholders in the Erongo region will meet later this month to discuss how communities can benefit more from tourism. The Erongo Regional Tourism Forum will host a stakeholder engagement on 16 April 2026 at Daureb Isib Rest Camp in Uis. The session aims to raise awareness about tourism opportunities and encourage local participation. Tourism remains a key part of Namibia’s economy, supporting jobs, investment and growth. The Erongo region is one of the country’s main tourism areas, with destinations such as Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and the Brandberg area attracting visitors throughout the year. Erongo governor Nathalia |Goagoses said…

09 Apr

When the sea falls silent: A warning Namibia cannot ignore

Editorial, Featured

There are moments in the life of a nation when the warning signs are not subtle. They are loud, visible and urgent. Namibia now stands at such a moment. Reports, studies and industry observations all point in one direction: our fish stocks are declining. From hake pressures to historical collapses in sardines, the message is clear: our oceans are under strain. This is not merely an environmental concern. It is an economic alarm bell. If ignored, it will toll for every Namibian. Fishing is not just another sector of our economy. It is one of its pillars, feeding our people,…

02 Apr

OBSERVER COASTAL | Search for teen who vanished into the sea continues

Featured, National News

Renthia Kaimbi Search teams are looking for a teenage boy who went missing after jumping into the sea at the Swakopmund Jetty on Tuesday afternoon. The incident was reported on Tuesday at about 15h00. Police said the boy, believed to be between 17 and 18 years old, entered the water under unclear circumstances. Erongo police spokesperson Judith Shomungula said officers responded after receiving information from a witness. At the scene, police spoke to a woman who said she had greeted the boy shortly before the incident. She described him as dark in complexion, wearing grey school-like trousers and a grey…

02 Apr

OBSERVER COASTAL | New Erongo Red board promises accountability

Featured, National News

Renthia Kaimbi A new board at Erongo Red has committed to focusing on leadership, accountability and affordable electricity services across the region. The board was inaugurated on Tuesday at the company’s headquarters in Walvis Bay, with all directors appointed by shareholders in attendance. Erongo Red chief executive officer Immanuel !Hanabeb briefed the new board on the company’s operations, strategy, financial performance and governance responsibilities. He also outlined the role of directors before handing over governance documents. The board then elected its leadership. Johnny Johnson Doëseb was elected chairperson, with Ismael Kalipi as deputy chairperson. Selma Shaanika will chair the audit…

01 Apr

IMF says it again, but Namibia has heard it before

Editorial, Featured

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has once again turned its attention to Namibia, urging the government to tighten spending, rein in debt, and accelerate structural reforms to support economic recovery. These recommendations, delivered with the authority of a global financial watchdog, are not unfamiliar. In fact, they echo a familiar script the IMF has delivered across much of the developing world for decades. While such advice is often grounded in sound macroeconomic theory, Namibia would be wise to approach it with a measured degree of caution, and, more importantly, with confidence in its own homegrown expertise. To understand why caution…

30 Mar

TURNING POINT | The audacity of big dreams

Featured, Opinions

There is a quiet but persistent frustration that sits with many Namibian entrepreneurs: the sense that we have normalised small thinking in a country that requires bold imagination. A recent conversation with a colleague left me unsettled. He argued that Namibia’s last truly “big idea” was independence itself and that since then, our national trajectory has been defined more by incrementalism than ambition. Whether one agrees fully or not, the question is unavoidable: can a nation progress without a culture of audacious thinking? The evidence suggests otherwise. Nations that have transformed themselves did not do so by solving problems in…

26 Mar

Expensive lessons: Why populism and inexperience don’t mix in public health

Editorial, Featured

The re-emergence of intermediaries in the procurement of medicines by the Health Ministry is not just an administrative adjustment; it is a sobering indictment of how policy, when driven by rhetoric rather than rigour, can backfire with real consequences for ordinary citizens. Reports that some medicines are now costing up to five times more, coupled with widening supply gaps and shortages in hospitals, should concern every Namibian. More importantly, it demands a frank reflection on how we arrived at this point. At the heart of the matter lies a familiar but dangerous pattern: the preference for performative, dramatic gestures over…

23 Mar

TURNING POINT | Decentralising Independence: A Missed Timing, Not a Missed Opportunity

Featured, Opinions

This year’s decision by the Namibian government to host Independence Day celebrations across all 14 regions marks a notable and commendable shift in national thinking. For 36 years, the symbolic centre of our independence has largely remained fixed in Windhoek, politically convenient, administratively efficient, but economically narrow in its reach. By extending into every region, government has, perhaps unintentionally, offered a practical demonstration of what a decentralised economic model could look like. It is, in principle, an excellent idea. Yet, like many well-intentioned policy shifts in developing economies, its impact has been diluted by one critical flaw: timing. Announcing such…