National News

Allexer Namundjembo Lawyer Kadhila Amoomo says civilians are allowed to assist people injured in road accidents and that doing so is lawful. Amoomo said assisting victims is lawful. He said section 78 of the Road Transportation Act 22 of 1999 requires drivers involved in an accident to render assistance to injured people. “This thing of stating that you can’t assist is a terrible lie that continues to cost us lives. You will stand there waiting for an ambulance for two hours because you fear the law while you could drive to the hospital,” Amoomo said while responding to questions from…

Justicia Shipena  The Namibia Airports Company (NAC) says it is treating a reported cyber threat with urgency after a ransomware group claimed it accessed and stole company data. In a statement shared on social media over the weekend, NAC said it is aware of claims by the INC Ransomware Group that it exfiltrated about 500 GB of data from its systems on 6 March 2026.  The group plans to publish it on the dark web. “NAC takes this incident seriously and reiterates its commitment to transparency and will provide further updates as and when credible evidence emerges,” the company said.…

Staff Writer  The Windhoek High Court is set to rule today on finance minister Ericah Shafudah’s appeal over the lawsuit by microlender Entrepo Finance over the government’s payroll deduction system (PDMS). The ruling will be made at 09h00.  PDMS allows civil servants to repay loans directly from their salaries. This comes as, on 28 August 2025, the Ministry of Finance issued a directive to end discretionary payroll deductions on the system from 30 November.  The ministry at that time said only existing loans would continue, while statutory deductions such as tax and pension contributions would remain. Entrepo challenged the decision…

Patience Makwele Economic analyst Albert Matengu says Namibia’s small domestic market and high production costs continue to limit competitiveness.  He said this is making it difficult to build a strong production-based economy. “Industrialisation is not an event; it’s a process. You need energy, logistics, skills and access to markets. Without that ecosystem, value addition remains aspirational," he said on Sunday in reflection of talks from Independence Day celebrations countrywide.  He said Namibia has long identified value addition as a priority, but progress has been slow due to structural constraints. He added that regional integration and export-focused strategies will be key.…

Patience Makwele  As Namibia marks 36 years of independence, many citizens say political freedom has not yet brought economic opportunity. “We are free, but not economically free,” said Maria Nghipandulwa, a 47-year-old unemployed graduate and mother of three. The country celebrates independence on Saturday, just over a year after President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah took office. She became Namibia's first female head of state in March 2025. Since then, her administration has introduced reforms aimed at improving governance and managing public finances. Nandi-Ndaitwah cut cabinet from 21 ministries to 14.  More women were appointed to senior roles, including Lucia Witbooi as vice…

Justicia Shipena  Hackers have threatened to release about 500GB of data stolen from the Namibia Airports Company (NAC).  On Thursday night, Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) executive for communication and consumer relations, Mufaro Nesongano, said unauthorised activity was detected within NAC’s network systems. Mufaro said the attack has been linked to the INC Ransomware Group, which claimed on 19 March 2026 to have extracted large volumes of data and plans to make it public. Mufaro said the group alleges it accessed financial records, human resources information, customer data and contact details, although none of the information has been released…

Justicia Shipena  The ||Karas region has become the 12th region in Namibia to have a vocational training centre.  On Thursday, vice president Lucia Witbooi inaugurated the centre on Keetmanshoop Vocational Training in Keetmanshoop. She said the facility reflects the government's plan to expand access to technical and vocational education. She stated that the government is strengthening the sector to enhance training quality, broaden access, and align skills with industry requirements. The government aims to increase the number of graduates whose skills match labour market demand from 65% to 70% by 2030. Witbooi said the centre will prepare young people for…

Allexer Namundjembo National Democratic Party (NDP) leader and member of parliament Martin Lukato has tabled a motion in the National Assembly which calls on the government to track and arrest all suspects linked to the fishrot corruption case. Lukato said some individuals connected to the case are still at large and have not appeared in court. “All suspects should be traced, apprehended and interrogated, and when the suspects are proven guilty for the missing resources of Namibia, they should face the law for justice to be served,” he said. He also called for international cooperation to locate suspects who may…