Featured – Page 4 – Windhoek Observer

16 Oct

Vision without action is a mirage

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

General (Rtd) Denga Ndaitwah’s recent public lecture at the University of Namibia’s School of Military Science was not just a reflection on leadership; it was a sober call to national reality. With characteristic clarity and discipline, Namibia’s First Gentleman and former Chief of the Namibian Defence Force reminded us of an uncomfortable truth: Vision 2030 risks becoming a beautiful but empty academic document unless its ambitions are grounded in the lived realities of our people and implemented with unwavering commitment. A vision without a compass Vision 2030, unveiled two decades ago, remains one of the most aspirational national blueprints in…

15 Oct

A quarter century of UNSCR 1325

Featured, Opinions

Selma Ashipala-Musavyi I remember vividly the corridors of the United Nations in October 2000. During Namibia’s leadership of the Security Council in October, I carried with me the conviction that the world needed to view conflict differently. We had emerged from our own liberation struggle, a struggle during which women were not only victims but also fighting side by side with our male combatants, leaders and even mediators. It was inconceivable to my colleagues and I, that women should remain marginalised in the Council's deliberations on peace and security. When Namibia proposed that women must be recognised not just as…

15 Oct

DAILY OBSERVER | Losing ground at sea: Why Namibia must urgently reclaim Walvis Bay’s global standing

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

When the Port of Walvis Bay slipped in the latest global port efficiency rankings, the news landed with the weight of disappointment. For years, the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) has stood as a model of national competence, a success story of what a well-run public enterprise can be. Walvis Bay, in particular, has symbolised Namibia’s gateway to global trade, a logistical hub linking southern Africa to the Atlantic and beyond. Namport attributes the decline in ranking to global shipping disruptions, and that explanation is not without merit. The world’s supply chains have been in disarray for years, buffeted by overlapping…

14 Oct

Namibia’s glorious David moment

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

There are sporting victories that fill us with joy, and then there are victories that alter the very texture of national identity. Namibia’s stunning triumph over South Africa is one of those seismic moments when a nation’s pulse quickens, its spirit expands, and its people, regardless of tribe, class, or geography, breathe as one. On that unforgettable day, before more than 4,000 roaring fans, Namibia did the unthinkable: they toppled the mighty Proteas. Scenes from that match tell it all, Namibian flags waving wildly in the evening air. It wasn’t just a cricket match. It was poetry. It was payback…

13 Oct

Has the government run out of ideas on fuel smuggling?

Featured, Latest, Opinions

There is something profoundly absurd about the fact that, three decades after independence, Namibia continues to lose the battle against Ngungula, the smuggling of cheap Angolan fuel into the country. Every few months, the police announce a “breakthrough”, a new arrest, or a haul of jerry cans and plastic drums seized from some unsuspecting backyard in Oshikango, Ongwediva or Oshakati. And then, predictably, it is back to business as usual. The trade continues. The prices remain irresistible. And the authorities remain helpless. The question that must now be asked, bluntly, without euphemism or diplomatic restraint, is this: has the Namibian…

10 Oct

Youth-led climate strikes gain momentum worldwide

Featured, National News

In October 2025, a significant wave of youth-led climate strikes swept across the globe, signalling a resurgence in environmental activism among Generation Z. Organised by movements such as Fridays for Future and Climate Cardinals, a collective demand for urgent action on climate change and environmental justice drove these strikes. From the streets of Sydney to the capitals of Europe, millions of young people took part in coordinated protests. In Madagascar, youth-led demonstrations over power and water shortages resulted in the government’s dissolution after at least 22 deaths were reported. Similar protests broke out in Morocco, Peru, Indonesia, Nepal, and the…

10 Oct

YOUNG OBSERVER | #UNMUTED

Featured, Opinions

In recent weeks, a significant political development has captured the attention of Namibians: several young members who previously served in the rank and file, some having gone as far as becoming members of Parliament for the former official opposition party, have resigned and joined the ruling party. The question on everyone’s mind and, for those bold enough, on their lips is, why? Inevitably, the exodus invited various reactions ranging from surprise to cynicism and outright disappointment. Of course, for the ruling party, it means that lost ground is being recovered, as a return to its structures signifies a restoration of…

10 Oct

Is Namibia losing the battle against drugs?

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

When a 21-year-old woman is caught smuggling cannabis and illicit tobacco into police holding cells at Oshakati, one has to pause and ask: what is really going on? How did we arrive at a point where criminal activity boldly infiltrates the very sanctum of law enforcement, the police station itself? If the walls of a police station can no longer guarantee security from contraband, then Namibia’s war against drugs may already be slipping through our fingers. This week’s arrest at the Oshakati Police Station is not an isolated incident; it is a symptom of a wider malaise. The young woman,…

09 Oct

OBSERVER DAILY | Namibia first: The optics of justice and the burden of history

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

The legal battle unfolding in the High Court over the joint Namibia–Germany genocide declaration is far more than a constitutional dispute; it is a moral mirror reflecting how we, as a nation, navigate justice, memory, and sovereignty in the postcolonial age. On one side stands the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), flanked by descendants of the Nama and Ovaherero communities, arguing that the government has betrayed their cause by defending the former coloniser. On the other side stands the government, represented by Namibian lawyers, insisting that it is merely clarifying legal principles, not shielding Germany from accountability. But in politics, as…

09 Oct

The power of a small deduction … understanding the role of payroll deductions in Namibia’s economy

Featured, Opinions

Ingah Ekandjo I recently spoke at the opening of one of our top-performing branches, prepared to talk about growth and community impact. But instead, I choked up. The room faded; my past came alive. I grew up in a modest Namibian family of seven children. Not all of us could get student loans or bursaries, but my mother, a government nurse with little savings, had taken out an education policy (an insurance plan for schooling). Listening to my introduction, memories of my childhood flashed before my eyes. In that moment I fully understood how that simple policy brought me here. …