National News

Sostenus Wilherm Affirmative Repositioning (AR) parliamentary leader Job Amupanda has approached the High Court of Namibia in an urgent bid to stop the National Assembly from proceeding with the approval of nominees for the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN). He argued that lawmakers are being asked to decide without access to key selection documents. The urgent application, filed on Thursday, seeks to interdict the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Secretary of the National Assembly and other relevant parties from proceeding with the vote, debate or resolution on the appointment of the ECN chairperson and commissioners until the requested records…

Sostenus Wilherm The long-running High Court review application brought by former justice minister Sakeus Shanghala and 14 co-applicants against the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and several other respondents has moved a step closer to being heard after the parties informed the court that the matter is ready for hearing. During a status hearing before Deputy Judge President Shafimana Ueitele on Thursday, the parties filed a joint status report confirming that the review application is ripe for hearing and requested that it be allocated the earliest available hearing dates. The parties proposed 31 July, 4 or 5 August, or 18, 19 or…

Allexer Namundjembo The Teachers' Union of Namibia (TUN) has warned that the country's education system will continue to struggle unless the government urgently addresses the worsening welfare of teachers, arguing that poor working conditions are directly affecting classroom performance and learner outcomes. Presenting before the National Council's Standing Committee on Education, Science, ICT and Youth Development on Thursday, TUN vice president Tjandero Tjituka said teachers are under immense financial and emotional pressure, making it increasingly difficult to deliver quality education. "The challenges affecting teachers have a great impact on teachers' emotional, psychological and social well-being, consequently hindering effective teaching and…

Patience Makwele  President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called on Chinese investors to partner with Namibia in building processing industries and creating jobs, saying the country can no longer rely on exporting raw minerals while many citizens remain unemployed and poor. Speaking at the Namibia–China Business Forum in Beijing on Thursday, Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia’s future economic relationship with China must move beyond trade in raw materials towards investment, industrialisation, manufacturing and technology transfer. She said Namibia’s rich mineral deposits, including uranium, diamonds, lithium, copper and rare earth minerals, must be used to create greater economic benefits for Namibians. “For too long our…

 Patience Makwele Home affairs minister Lucia Iipumbu on Thursday announced that many Namibians who require certificates of conduct for employment opportunities could soon receive relief, following the government's allocation of funds to upgrade the country’s Automatic Biometric Information System (ABIS), which has been plagued by technical failures since 2025. The system’s collapse due to aging infrastructure disrupted the processing of certificates of conduct, leaving some job seekers struggling to secure documents required by employers before they can be considered for employment. The matter was brought before Parliament by Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) Member of Parliament Vilho Ihemba, who raised…

Allexer Namundjembo The High Court has reinstated two members of the Keetmanshoop municipal council's management committee after declaring the council's vote of no confidence against them unlawful, setting aside all decisions arising from the disputed meetings. In an order issued on Friday last week, Justice Michael Mtambo ruled that council meetings held on 7 May and 4 June 2026, at which councillors Easter Isaak and Anneliza Knaus were removed from the management committee, were convened in violation of the law, the municipality's standing rules and the Constitution. "The meetings convened on 07 May 2026 and 04 June 2026 were held…

Sostenus Wilherm The country has taken another step towards building its green hydrogen economy. The local government and its international partners insisted that the country's transition to a low-carbon future must create opportunities for women, young people and local communities rather than simply attract foreign investment. The message emerged on Wednesday during the public launch of the GEF-UNIDO Namibia Child Project in Windhoek, where government officials, the United Nations and development partners stressed that Namibia's green hydrogen ambitions will only succeed if ordinary citizens are equipped to participate in the emerging industry. Sikongo Haihambo, Executive Director in the Ministry of…

Patience Makwele The City of Windhoek has destroyed about 580,000 kilograms of food deemed unfit for human consumption and obtained a court order to shut down a non-compliant food business, in one of its strongest food safety enforcement drives yet. The revelations were made by Windhoek Mayor Sakarias Uunona during the city’s first commemoration of World Food Safety Day on Wednesday in Windhoek. Uunona said the municipality condemned and destroyed the food after inspections found it unsafe for consumption, while products subject to recalls were immediately confiscated or removed from the market. He said the council had also successfully closed…

Patience Makwele An appeal made during the Vice President Lucia Witbooi’s visit to the Omaheke region earlier this year has changed the life of an eight-year-old girl after members of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) donated a wheelchair that will allow her to attend school next year. Unondjamo Stoffart, who lives with a mobility disability at the Children’s Sanctuary in Drimiopsis, received the wheelchair from members of the NDF’s 126 Motorised Infantry Battalion following a plea made by the sanctuary’s centre manager during the Vice President’s official visit to the Kalahari Constituency in January. The donation was made voluntarily by…