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The burden of being a single mother and lessons for co-parenting 

The burden of being a single mother and lessons for co-parenting 

Monika Shafuda  Being a single mother is two-way traffic – meaning that you have to juggle household responsibilities alone, work and childcare and carry the weight of two parents at the same time. In Namibia we have brave women who endured the hardship of raising children alone, not simply because it is what they want, but because it appears to be caused by many circumstances which are sometimes uneasy to mitigate, such as untimely death, cultural norms, and laws like protection orders and divorce, just to mention a few. While the road of single motherhood is filled with love and…
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OBSERVER DAILY | NHE: Now or never to deliver on the dream of affordable housing

For decades, the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) has been the government’s principal vehicle to meet one of Namibia’s most pressing social needs: decent and affordable housing. Yet the promise of shelter for all has repeatedly been deferred. Backlogs have grown. Informal settlements have multiplied. The gap between aspiration and reality remains a national embarrassment.  With the ink now dry on a five-year collaboration agreement between the NHE and the Roads Contractor Company (RCC), the message is unmistakable: it is now or never for the NHE to prove that it can deliver on its founding mandate. The agreement signed this week…
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From crisis to hope: How genomic research could turn the tide on prostate cancer in Namibia 

From crisis to hope: How genomic research could turn the tide on prostate cancer in Namibia 

Uvatera Maurihungirire Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men in Namibia, with an alarmingly high rate of 63.8 cases per 100 000 men. In Sub-Saharan Africa, this number is predicted to at least triple by 2040. This means that prostate cancer has now overtaken other leading malignancies in Namibia, including breast and cervical, making it a critical public health concern that requires urgent attention. Despite this, many men are diagnosed only when the disease has advanced, which limits treatment options and reduces survival rates. Why are the numbers so high? Several factors contribute to the high prostate cancer…
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OBSERVER DAILY | The coming shock: Why suspending deduction codes could hit Namibia hard

When the Namibian government announced that, effective 30 November 2025, it will suspend the deduction code system for public servants, the news landed like a thunderclap across the financial sector. On paper it may look like a simple administrative tweak, removing the ability for lenders and insurers to collect repayments directly from civil servants’ salaries. In reality, it threatens to upend a seven-billion-dollar ecosystem of term-lenders, microlenders and insurance providers whose business models hinge on deduction at source (DAS). The immediate poster-child of the disruption is Letshego Namibia, which according to Simonis Storm researcher Kara van den Heever originates 96%…
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OBSERVER DAILY | From grief to guesswork: Why the Lubowski interview fails the evidence test

Thirty-six years after Anton Lubowski’s assassination, the wound remains open and the questions still sting. That grief deserves recognition and compassion. No family should carry the weight of a loved one’s unresolved murder. The sorrow of Gabrielle and Nadia Lubowski is real, and their yearning for answers is understandable. But grief, no matter how deep, cannot stand in for proof. Pain is not evidence, and in their recent interview the two women drift from mourning into dangerous conjecture. Their claims that Sam Nujoma, SWAPO’s founding president, was effectively a South African asset and complicit in Anton’s killing are not just…
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Clarifying what a policy is and what it is not: The National Upstream Petroleum Local Content Policy

Clarifying what a policy is and what it is not: The National Upstream Petroleum Local Content Policy

Mutindi Lydia Jacobs As the Ministry of Industries Mines and Energy (MIME) continues it’s nationwide consultations on the draft National Upstream Petroleum Local Content Policy, a critical public debate has emerged. Some stakeholders have voiced concerns over the policy's perceived lack of teeth, specifically its absence of penalties and a concrete institutional framework. This criticism, while understandable, stems from a common misconception about the fundamental difference between a government policy and a law. Understanding this distinction is essential for anyone wishing to contribute meaningfully to shaping the future of Namibia's promising oil and gas sector. The Blueprint vs. The Building: What…
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OBSERVER DAILY | A silent emergency: burn-out among Namibia’s medical interns demands urgent action

Namibia’s hospitals are quietly facing a crisis that could shape the future of our entire health system. The nation’s medical interns, young doctors in the most formative and vulnerable stage of their careers, are burning out. They are working marathon shifts that stretch far beyond reasonable limits, often without adequate compensation or structured mental-health support. This is not merely an unfortunate rite of passage; it is a dangerous pattern that threatens the interns themselves, the patients they serve, and the very pipeline of Namibian doctors we rely on to care for future generations. Internship is meant to be demanding. These…
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YOUNG OBSERVER | Yellow September 

YOUNG OBSERVER | Yellow September 

On 10 September every year, we recognise World Suicide Prevention Day, which is aimed at raising awareness, reducing stigma and promoting dialogue on the matter of suicide.  Although not a consensus through an international organisation, for example, in most countries September is designated as Suicide Prevention Month; this goes beyond awareness to honour those whom we’ve lost to suicide and encourage others to simply hold on.  A stark and shocking contrast, therefore, is that in a month where all that surrounds us is supposed to help or at least intended to do so, even if to a degree, Namibia has…
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YOUNG OBSERVER | Why stashing cash isn’t enough: A Gen Z guide to building real wealth 

YOUNG OBSERVER | Why stashing cash isn’t enough: A Gen Z guide to building real wealth 

Janet Washamba Haufiku : Data analyst and writer You’re 25, and your first pay cheque just landed. Your mind races: should you finally buy that dress you’ve been longing for? Send your mother a gift that says, “I appreciate you more than words”? Or maybe take that long-overdue trip to the coast and finally relax? That first pay cheque hits like dynamite; suddenly, Europe feels within reach, dinner at your favourite restaurant is doable, and even that $15,000 apartment in Kleine Kuppe doesn’t seem so far away. But just like real dynamite, money is powerful and needs careful handling. Spend…
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YOUNG OBSERVER | Editorial: Why Young Voices Matter in Building Namibia’s Future 

YOUNG OBSERVER | Editorial: Why Young Voices Matter in Building Namibia’s Future 

On 26 August 2025, Namibia commemorated Heroes Day for the 35th time since independence. That day is a stark reminder of the path we have taken to be the bouncing democracy we are today and further, of the contribution made by young people towards the attainment of independence.  Greenwell Matongo, Tobias Hainyeko, John ya Otto Nankudhu, and Patrick ‘Lungada’ Iyambo – these are all names that are familiar in every Namibian household for their participation in the liberation struggle. One interesting fact about each of these men and women is that they were all under the age of 35 when…
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