National News

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The government has pledged to electrify every household in Kavango West within 14 years. This means by 2039 houses in the region would be connected to the grid.  Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industries, Mines, and Energy Natangue Ithete made the commitment on Thursday at Nkurenkuru during the commissioning of joint electrification projects in the region.  In April, the Ministry of Industries, Mines, and Energy announced plans to electrify more than 400,000 homes by 2040. For the 2025/26 financial year, the government allocated N$281 million to this goal, with N$251 million from the national treasury and N$30…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The World Food Programme (WFP) Namibia has announced a funding shortfall of USD 0.5 million (N$9.5 million) for the next six months, representing 19% of its requirements.  The gap could disrupt critical food assistance programmes across the country. According to the WFP Namibia Country Brief for July 2025, the organisation assisted 96 387 people in July through food vouchers, school feeding initiatives, and soup kitchens.  During that month, 58 764 people received food vouchers, 25 585 children were served meals at soup kitchens, and 12 038 schoolchildren benefited from the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (Tier 2). “USD 0.5…

Allexer Namundjembo The Supreme Court has overturned a High Court ruling that found a Windhoek law firm negligent in handling a municipal contract dispute involving Namibian Electrical Services CC (NES). The case stems from a contract awarded to NES in September 2013 by the City of Windhoek to carry out electrical works at Otjomuise Extension 10 under a FIDIC-based agreement.  The contract required completion within ten months but dragged on for 18 months.  NES blamed delays on the municipality's failure to approve drawings, while the municipality imposed penalties and deducted amounts from payments. Under financial pressure, NES turned to lawyer…

Allexer Namundjembo Over 700 households in Choto extensions 7 and 8 in Katima Mulilo will soon be connected to electricity as part of new electrification projects in the Zambezi Region. Schools in Old Masokotwani, Kahunikwa, Nsundwa, Ikaba, and Malal Nkanga will also receive power. Deputy prime minister and minister of industries, mines and energy, Natangue Ithete made the announcement on Wednesday during the commissioning of joint electrification projects in Kongola. He said the government remains committed to achieving universal access to electricity by 2040. “The benefits of electricity are clear. Schools need lights and computers, health facilities need power, and…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja An Angolan citizen, Samuel Dias, has successfully defended his ownership of a Windhoek-West property after the Supreme Court struck with costs an appeal by Windhoek resident Edward Nghitumbwa.  Nghitumbwa had challenged a High Court order that nullified the transfer of the house into his name. The property in dispute is Erf No. 3733, at 4 Pavlov Street, which Dias bought in 2002. In a judgement delivered on Monday, the Supreme Court found that Nghitumbwa used the wrong legal procedure to challenge the High Court’s March 2023 ruling.  The court held that he should have filed a rescission application…

Allexer Namundjembo The government will designate symbolic graves at Heroes Acre in remembrance of liberation icons Tobias Hainyeko and Brendan Simbwaye.  President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah announced the move during the 35th Heroes’ Day commemoration in Katima Mulilo on Tuesday.  She said it was a tribute to the sacrifices of the two leaders and others from the Zambezi region. Hainyeko was the first commander of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN). He was killed in Katima Mulilo on 18 May 1967 in an exchange of gunfire at close range. Simbwaye, the former vice president of Swapo, was also killed during the…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The president of the Namibia National Liberation Veterans Association (NNLVA), Ben Shikongo, has cautioned Namibians against insulting national and traditional leaders, saying such conduct threatens the peace achieved through the liberation struggle. In an interview with the Windhoek Observer, Shikongo said veterans would not allow insults to undermine leadership. “We are proud of our independence because our independence came from thick and thin, and we must be proud of the Swapo leadership and the PLAN commander for leading this noble undertaking until we got our independence. I know that there are those that are trying to kill the…

Allexer Namundjembo The office of the judiciary says it is working to address long-standing complaints about the lack of magistrates’ courts in several major towns across the country. Judiciary executive director Bernhard Kukuri, told the Windhoek Observer on Monday measures are underway to bring court services closer to communities. He revealed that in Omuthiya, Oshikoto region, a house has been secured to serve as a temporary court.  This will  divert cases that are currently heard in Ondangwa and provide immediate relief to residents. “We cannot build now, but the house that we have managed to acquire will now be used…

Allexer Namundjembo The principal of Mandume Primary School in Windhoek, Lesley //Hoebeb, has been accused of misconduct in a formal complaint lodged with the police. Teachers allege that //Hoebeb misused and removed school assets, including laptops, a printer, toilet paper, and stationery.  “Every Friday he goes home with the school printer for personal use,” the complainants wrote.  They further claimed that paper rims and maize intended for the school feeding programme were given to another school. The complaint also accuses the principal of creating division among staff by instructing some teachers not to speak to certain colleagues.   Teachers said this…

The country's green scheme irrigation projects are being held back by rigid budgeting systems and heavy reliance on imported agricultural inputs, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Land Reform (MAFWLR) has said. The ministry’s clarification follows recent reports questioning procurement expenditures, which it dismissed as false and misleading. Officials said the main challenge lies in a clash between the unpredictable nature of farming and the strict rules of government finance. According to the Ministry, the public procurement framework and the way budgets are allocated are “not well-suited to the dynamic and seasonal nature of agriculture.” Funds often become available…