National News

Martin Endjala The chief executive officer of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), Nangula Uaandja, has urged businesses to look beyond the country’s borders in order to increase their clientele. Uaandja was responding to questions following a notice by the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade requesting samples of Namibian products and promotional materials. These items will be distributed to Namibian missions, consulates, and embassies, as well as high commissions abroad. “Given the small size of the domestic market, it is essential for Namibian businesses to look beyond our borders. By targeting just 0.01% of this vast market, Namibian…

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The leader of the official opposition in Parliament, McHenry Venaani, has advised President Nangolo Mbumba and the government to establish a Water Commission to oversee the management of water resources. He made the call on Monday during a press briefing where he addressed various issues affecting the country. “A Namibian Water Commission would not only ensure resource conservation as well as the management of water resources, ensuring that they are used efficiently and equitably. It would also facilitate a coordinated response to water shortages, including drought management and emergency relief efforts and support research into sustainable water practices…

Niël Terblanché Deepsea Consolidated Investments donated six metric tons of salt-dried fish towards the government’s drought relief effort. John Mutorwa, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Transport, expressed profound gratitude to Deepsea Consolidated Investments for the donation on Monday. “This act of generosity is a demonstration of the collaborative spirit required to combat the challenges caused by natural disasters,” he said. This is the latest donation towards drought relief activities. The government's Drought Relief Programme, running from July 2024 to June 2025, is a comprehensive initiative aimed at providing immediate relief and long-term solutions to mitigate the…

Niël Terblanché The Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS) within the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) announced a scheduled service interruption of the Namibia Livestock Identification and Traceability System (NamLITS) from 23 to 27 August. The acting director of the DVS, Dr. Johannes Shoopala, informed all users in a special notice issued on Monday that the maintenance work will affect several services rendered by the DVS and the Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia (LLPBN). “This downtime is due to essential maintenance of NamLITS hardware,” he said. Shoopala added that services such as the issuance of livestock…

Ester Mbathera Paulus Ngalangi, the former group general manager of finance at Seaflower Whitefish Corporation Limited, has announced plans to expose alleged police misconduct in the Phala Phala cash-in-the-couch saga. Ngalangi confirmed this to the Windhoek Observer on Friday. “Soon, I will demonstrate how the police facilitated the illegal border crossing of Immanuela David and allowed him to travel all the way through to Windhoek, an individual accused in the Phala Phala farm burglary, under the directives of Police Commissioner Nelius Becker,” said Ngalangi. He also claims that the media received false information in an attempt to hide the incident.…

Niël Terblanché The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide an additional N$90 million in humanitarian assistance to support drought-affected people in Namibia. Randy Berry, the U.S. Ambassador to Namibia, made the announcement during a meeting with President Nangolo Mbumba at State House last week. According to a statement released by the U.S. embassy in Windhoek, Berry said that the funding aims to alleviate the impacts of the El Niño-induced drought that has severely affected Namibia's food security and agricultural productivity. He indicated that the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has received a portion of the funds, roughly…

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The statistician general and chief executive officer of the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), Alex Shimuafeni said the agency's logo appeared on an Affirmative Repositioning movement (AR) poster without the agency's knowledge or consent. Shimuafeni made this statement on Monday while addressing an AR poster about the movement's election workshop in Windhoek over the weekend, to which the NSA among other institutions was invited. At the weekend event, the NSA was to present statistics on economic and demographic data, with the specific theme "Namibia at Glance: Key Demographic and Economic Statistics." “Since the NSA produces data for all data…

Niël Terblanché The Namdia board of directors has acknowledged the employees' concerns over revenue losses amounting to approximately N$230 million, leading to a vote of no confidence in the company’s chief executive officer (CEO), Alisa Amupolo. Last week, the employees, under the auspices of the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN), in a letter addressed to the board of directors and dated 18 July, requested Amupolo’s removal. They cited her alleged incompetence and mismanagement as the primary reasons for the drastic financial downturn. On Monday, the company board assured that they, supported by a governance committee, are committed to addressing these…

Niël Terblanché A group of Namibians who claim that they were displaced during the country's war for independence has handed a petition to the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs, demanding the same recognition and treatment as war veterans. These individuals, who were repatriated in 1989 from various countries, claim discrimination in the allocation of veteran benefits and are calling for immediate government intervention to rectify the situation. The petition submitted outlines several demands, including the distribution of N$400 000 to each member of the group and access to project funding similar to what recognised veterans of the liberation struggle…