National News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Internet Society Namibia Chapter (ISOC) has raised concerns about the country’s readiness to implement a national electronic identity card (e-ID) system without strong legal and infrastructure frameworks. The ministry of home affairs, immigration, safety and security plans to launch Namibia’s first e-ID by July 2026.  The smart card, developed in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will contain biometric and demographic information.  It is expected to enable secure, contactless identity verification across public and private sectors. The project follows a Cabinet decision in August 2023 to introduce chip-based identity cards as part of efforts to…

Justicia Shipena  The government’s debt grew by 8.3% over the past year, reaching N$166.7 billion at the end of March 2025.  This increase was mostly due to the government borrowing more through Treasury Bills and Internal Registered Stock, according to the Bank of Namibia’s (BoN) latest quarterly bulletin.  As a result, the country’s debt now equals 66.3% of its total economic output (GDP), which is above the regional target of 60 percent set by SADC.  However, BoN’s director for strategic communications and international relations said the central bank predicts this ratio to drop to 61.4% over the next few years.…

Niël Terblanché Eleven doctors from private practices in Windhoek will begin volunteering at Katutura Health Centre (KHC) from 1 July.  The doctors will work evening shifts without pay to help ease patient congestion. This follows last month’s call by the ministry, where it called on private doctors to volunteer after hours at the Katutura Health Centre in an effort to ease the growing pressure from high patient volumes. Health minister, Dr Esperance Luvindao, described the initiative as a patriotic act that will support efforts to reduce long queues and improve primary healthcare in the capital.  KHC is the only public…

Hertta-Maria AmutenjaThe Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) is on the verge of rolling out its long-awaited Pension-Backed Home Loan Scheme (PBHLS), pending the signing of a crucial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the office of the prime minister.The MoU will define roles and responsibilities between the Fund and the Prime Minister’s office.  The signing will take place once the approved interest rate, set at the repo rate plus 2.5%, is officially gazetted. Until then, the Fund cannot fully implement the scheme. The GIPF Board of Trustees approved rule amendments for the scheme in 2016, allowing members to access home loans…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Home affairs minister Lucia Ipumbu has urged parents and guardians in Karasburg and surrounding areas to register their children immediately after birth. She made the call on Monday during the official opening of a new subregional office for the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security. “These services are here at your doorstep, and please note that birth registration is free of charge. It is important to register your child immediately after birth to ensure, in addition to the obligations I mentioned earlier, access to essential services such as health, education and, where applicable, social grants,” said…

Niël Terblanché Five heavy-duty IVECO Astra trucks, each able to transport 30 tonnes of cattle across the country's rural roads, were handed over to the ministry of agriculture, fisheries, water and land reform.  The trucks form part of the European Union's (EU) Livestock Support Programme. EU ambassador Ana Beatriz Martins said the handover was the result of months of coordination between the EU and the Namibian government.  “These trucks are part of the EU-Namibia Livestock Support Programme. They carry with them a powerful message of better market access, lower transport costs, improved animal welfare and stronger rural economies,” she said.…

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states need to commission 2,885 megawatts of new power generation capacity to help reduce the region’s ongoing electricity shortfall. This was revealed by Angele N’tumba, the SADC deputy executive secretary for regional integration, during the 43rd joint meeting of ministers and senior officials responsible for water and energy held in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Monday. She said the additional capacity would ease pressure on the region’s power supply, which remains strained despite recent progress in infrastructure development.  As of May 2025, SADC’s installed generation capacity reached 85,221 megawatts, including contributions from Oceanic…

Allexer Namundjembo The former members of the Engineering Council of Namibia (ECN) are challenging the authority of works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi over his decision to dissolve the Council. In a letter addressed to Nekundi over the weekend, the former board called the dismissal “unlawful”, “humiliating”, and “a threat to the country’s regulatory integrity”.  They said the decision was procedurally flawed and carried out through irregular channels. “The Council appointed in August 2022 was constituted in accordance with the Engineering Profession Act, and no legal ground for our removal has been invoked,” said ECN’s former president, Sophia Belete-Tekie. According…

Niël Terblanché The ministry of agriculture’s directorate of veterinary services (DVS) has quietly lifted a long-standing restriction on livestock products entering Namibia’s foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) free zone. A public notice issued last week by acting chief veterinary officer Dr Johannes Shoopala stated that dried meat from cloven-hoofed animals can now cross the veterinary cordon fence, commonly known as the red line, without a permit.  This is allowed only if all portions of the meat are cooked and free of blood.  Shoopala said boiling the meat remains the safest method of preparation. “Raw meat that is not produced under Commodity-Based Trade…

Niël Terblanché Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare has delivered on what he called a step towards rural economic independence by handing over four newly drilled boreholes that will supply safe drinking water to twenty-three villages in Epembe Constituency. Speaking at the Onamundindi installation on Saturday, Ngurare said the project reflects the 8th Administration’s commitment to extending essential services beyond urban areas. “Economic independence means that people in rural areas should have the same access to essential services as those in urban centres. That includes water, road infrastructure, and connectivity. We are witnessing progress toward that goal,” he said. He encouraged residents,…