National News

Renthia Kaimbi The Magistrates and Judges Association of Namibia (MJA) has issued a formal strike notice.  It says members will withhold their labour from today over the government’s prolonged and unexplained failure to implement improved benefits. The notice was sent to finance minister Ericah Shafudah, justice and labour relations minister Fillemon Wise Immanuel, the Magistrates Commission and the office of the judiciary.  It signals a complete breakdown in trust and communication following a court confrontation on 14 November. The dispute centres on the government’s failure to announce a corrected schedule for housing and vehicle allowances.  The Magistrates Commission recommended the…

Justicia Shipena  No results from today’s special voting for the local and regional authority elections will be counted or released.  The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) chief electoral and referenda officer Peter Shaama said all ballots cast today will remain sealed until voting closes on the main election day, 26 November. “In accordance with the procedures governing special voting, no counting of votes will take place immediately after the close of the poll on 24 November 2025,” Shaama said on Saturday.  He added that special votes are sealed in authorisation envelopes and will only be opened and counted together with…

Justicia Shipena  Illicit financial flows (IFFs) cannot be left to the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) alone, Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) director Bryan Eiseb has warned.  He said treating IFFs as a narrow tax issue would be “a myopic approach” in today’s “business unusual” environment. He stressed that IFFs are a national development threat that requires coordinated action from all key institutions. Eiseb made the remarks on Thursday during the graduation ceremony of Namibia’s first cohort under the EU-funded SecFin Africa project.  The one-year programme trained officials from the Bank of Namibia (BoN), NamRA and the FIC to address tax losses…

Allexer Namundjembo Welwitchia University capped 1 500 graduates during its eighth graduation ceremony on Friday at the Mercure Hotel in Windhoek.  Welwitchia University chancellor and co-founder Scholastika Iipinge said the ceremony reflected the university’s growth and its role in developing Namibia’s workforce.  “It is with immense pride and profound joy that we celebrate the achievements of 1 500 graduates. Your training has equipped you to drive purposeful and sustainable transformation in your fields and communities,” she said. The 2025 cohort included students from the faculty of health sciences and the faculty of law, commerce and education, as well as the…

Justicia Shipena President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has warned that global economic recovery will remain uneven if international governance systems do not become more inclusive and responsive to the needs of developing countries.  She made the remarks during the G20 Leaders’ Summit on Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth in Johannesburg, South Africa over the weekend. Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised the recognition of Africa's role in the global economy and the need to approach development priorities from an African perspective.  “We cannot emphasise enough the growing recognition of Africa’s role in the global economy and the importance of addressing development priorities from an African perspective,”…

Justicia Shipena  The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has endorsed major general Anne-Marie Nainda of Namibia as its candidate for president of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). The endorsement was delivered on Friday through Kula Theletsane, the director of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Affairs. Theletane expressed SADC's honour by endorsing Nainda, hailing her as a respected law enforcement leader with decades of service, integrity, and professionalism. He said her [Nainda's] background in policing, security cooperation, and combating transnational crime makes her well suited to lead the world's largest police body. The election will take place…

Justicia Shipena  Namibia and Angola will jointly recover unlawfully acquired assets worth about N$3.3 million. The two governments will share the assets under a newly signed asset-sharing agreement. The agreement was formally signed on Thursday by Namibia’s minister of justice and labour relations, Filemon Wise Immanuel, and Angola’s auditor general, Hélder Fernando Pitta Grós. The recovered assets will be handled under chapter V of the UN Convention Against Corruption.This chapter focuses entirely on asset recovery and helps countries address the damage caused by corruption, while making it clear that officials cannot hide stolen assets anywhere. Namibia signed the convention on…

Justicia Shipena The Namibian delegation to the 30th Conference of Parties (COP30) escaped unharmed after a fire broke out at the conference venue on Thursday afternoon.  Environmental Investment Fund (EIF) spokesperson Romeo Muyunda confirmed to the Windhoek Observer that all Namibian delegates were safely evacuated and accounted for.  “No one from the Namibian team was affected by the fire. We all came out in time and unharmed,” he said.  The climate conference organisers halted all pavilion activities, including Namibia’s, while emergency teams responded.  COP30, which is taking place in Belém, Brazil, enters its final day today.  Muyunda said the Namibian…

Renthia Kaimbi The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has arrested a repeat corruption suspect and a government hydrologist for their roles in an alleged scheme that cost the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform N$387 397. ACC interim spokesperson Marina Matundu confirmed the arrests, saying the commission views the matter as a serious breach of public trust.  She said the case involves clear allegations of fraudulent payments for goods that were never delivered. The suspects, Liam Mbako (40), a hydrologist technician, and Godfried Uiseb (35), owner of MacGodmen Trading CC, were taken into custody on 18 November.  They appeared in…