National News

Ester Mbathera  There are currently no financial policies or regulations mandating mining companies to contribute toward mine closure plans. These findings are contained in a report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources on lithium mining in Uis, Daures Constituency, released last week. During a meeting with the committee in March 2023, Erasmus Shivolo, the deputy executive director for the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), informed the committee that many companies had failed to comply with mine closure plans.  Shivolo explained that while the Mineral and Environmental Acts require companies to have a Closure Plan, there are no…

Niël Terblanché The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) stated that it is committed to tackling illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing along Namibia’s northern maritime border. In response to reports about the presence of foreign fishing vessels illegally operating within Namibia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the ministry has deployed its flagship patrol vessel to monitor the situation. The executive director of the ministry, Annely Haiphene, expressed concern over viral videos and photographs circulating online, which show vessels engaging in illegal fishing activities in Namibian waters. “These reports, photographs, and videos were analysed with the primary objective of establishing…

Allexer Namundjembo and Erasmus Shalihaxwe Just hours after laying to rest Founding President, Sam Nujoma, the country was struck by the loss of two influential figures, Jacob Hamutenya and Charles Siyauya. Hamutenya, a well-known agriculturalist, died in a car accident between Otavi and Otjiwarongo on Sunday afternoon, along with two others.  Many have described his death as a huge loss to the country. Hamutenya served as the regional manager for the Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (AMTA) in Ongwediva when he was 26 years old. He also served on the boards of various organisations.  AMTA expressed deep sorrow on its social…

Niël Terblanché The Ministry of Health and Social Services launched its Customer Service Charter on Monday to improve service delivery across Namibia’s public health sector. Speaking at the launch in Windhoek, the minister of health and social services, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, described the charter as a fundamental step towards ensuring efficiency, accountability, and patient-centred care in all health facilities in Namibia.  “This Charter is not merely a document. It is our collective commitment and undertaking to serve the Namibian people to the best of our ability,” he said. He added that the charter is a guiding tool that enshrines national…

Niël Terblanché Namibia has officially launched an online visa application system for travellers seeking visas on arrival, in an effort to improve tourism, to facilitate investment, and streamline immigration processes. The minister of home affairs, immigration, safety and security, Albert Kawana, announced the new system in Windhoek on Monday and said the initiative aligns with the country’s broader economic and security objectives. “This initiative represents the latest in our series of progressive measures to boost the country's tourism sector, improve international engagement, and uphold our national security,” he said. He added that the online system allows visitors to apply for…

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources has recommended that the government officials learn from Tanzania’s approach to managing human-wildlife conflict.  This recommendation follows a benchmark visit by members of parliament to Tanzania last year to study strategies and policies there. The committee’s report highlights that Tanzania commonly relocates problem animals, such as elephants and crocodiles, to areas far away from human habitats.  Crocodiles are moved to rivers less frequented by people, while elephants are deterred from entering human habitat by the use of chilli bombs. Tanzania has also built crocodile enclosures in areas where humans and animals…

Allexer Namundjebo President-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will be sworn in as the country’s first female president on 21 March. This historic event follows the Supreme Court's dismissal of the legal challenge against the 2024 presidential election by the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) and the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) on Friday. The two parties jointly challenge the presidential election results in December 2024.  They argued that the extension of the voting period beyond the initial election date had rendered the polls unlawful. Chief Justice Peter Shivute delivered the unanimous decision by a bench of justices of the Supreme Court that the…

Julia Heita  As the nation laid to rest its Founding President and Father of the Nation, Dr Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, his widow, Madame Kovambo Nujoma, stood at the heart of the nation’s mourning. In a message read on her behalf by Nashilongo Shivute, Kovambo shared a deeply personal tribute to the man she loved, the leader she stood beside, and the father of their children. “He would come home, greet me first, and hold my hand, his voice full of affection as he asked, ‘Meekulu ouli nawa?’ And I would respond, ‘Iii Presidente, turi naua. Ove ua kotoka naua,” she…

Niël Terblanché Namibia’s fishing industry is again under siege by foreign-flagged fishing vessels from China and Angola that are mercilessly pillaging the country’s northern waters. Several persons, who witnessed the flagrant acts of piracy last week and who wished to remain anonymous, said these fishing trawlers are plundering irreplaceable fish stocks in critical breeding and spawning zones immediately south of the Kunene River mouth. “For at least a month, these criminal vessels have operated openly, dragging the seabed with massive, weighted dragnets that obliterate everything in their path,” one witness who visits the area regularly said. According to the witness,…