National News – Page 196 – Windhoek Observer

22 Sep

NEFF accuses ECN of deliberate delay intended to undermine its election campaign

National NewsNamibia Economic Freedom Fighters, Namibia Electoral Commission

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) said the Namibia Electoral Commission (ECN) is deliberately delaying pronouncing itself on the court judgement to shortchange and undermine NEFF mobilisation efforts ahead of national elections in November. NEFF deputy leader, Kalimbo Iipumbu, in a statement issued on Sunday, said that Namibians must be alerted that the country is not ready for elections when a significant constituency is being denied the right to vote for a party of their choice. ‘’This move is tactically benefiting a few political parties, chiefly the Swapo party, which has been the invisible third force behind our…

22 Sep

Swapo’s manifesto plans are set, not promises – Nandi-Ndaitwah

National NewsChatGPT, National Statistical Agency

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Swapo presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said it should be known that the programs in the party manifesto have already been planned and are going to be implemented as articulated. Nandi-Ndaitwah made this statement during the party's star rally in Walvis Bay on Saturday. ‘’I have also to inform you that in working on our manifesto, the instructions were very clear: that all the statistics to be used must come from the National Statistical Agency and other government stakeholders. It has also to be known that what we have put in our manifesto, we are not going to plan,’’…

22 Sep

Mbumba calls for global unity at Summit of the Future

National NewsSummit of the Future

Niël Terblanché During the closing session of the Summit of the Future in New York on Saturday, President Nangolo Mbumba urged world leaders and civil society to collaborate more effectively to address global challenges. Leaders and representatives from across the globe viewed the summit as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to reshape international cooperation, rethink multilateralism, and chart a path for a more sustainable, just, and peaceful future. Before attending the summit, Mbumba held a courtesy meeting with Philémon Yang, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, where they discussed issues impacting humanity, from ongoing global conflicts to the need for…

22 Sep

Ombudsman urges media to focus on voter issues over personalities

National NewsMedia Ombudsman

Martin Endjala Media Ombudsman John Nakuta has raised concerns about political parties focussing their campaigns on personalities rather than addressing voter issues. Nakuta said this last week in Windhoek during the release of the Media Ombudsman's second media monitoring report on the 2024 Presidential and National Assembly elections. “Political parties are very much of centred personality, and we want to get to a point where we inform the general public on issues affecting them,” he stated. Nakuta noted that, compared to the previous report, there is still a lack of agenda-setting by political parties. He said he hopes the next…

22 Sep

Police condemn assault of prisoner

National NewsDeputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi

Martin Endjala The Namibian Police has condemned acts of brutality by its members following a recent report of brutality perpetrated by members of the military police. The police were responding to a recent article about a 19-year-old man in Rundu who was arrested and assaulted by undercover military police while handcuffed last month. At the time the victim was suspected of stealing phones from inhabitants of Rundu. The national spokesperson of the Namibian Police, Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, said there is no justification whatsoever for unnecessarily beating, kicking, or otherwise ill-treating an arrested person. “There is no excuse whatsoever for…

19 Sep

Commercial fishing vessels major sources of marine plastic pollution

National News

Ester Mbathera A recent study by marine experts has revealed that commercial fishing vessels are a major source of marine plastic pollution along the Namibian coast. Data collected by fisheries observers between 2003 and 2020 found 79 incidents of plastic waste disposal in the ocean. The waste involves non-biodegradable objects, fishing gear, plastic bottles, and single-use plastic items. These accounted for 55.7% of the reported incidents, followed by unspecified plastic items (25.3%), fishing gear (8.9%), plastic bottles (5.0%), plastic gloves (1.3%), and single-use plastic bags (3.8%). According to the authors, Victoria Erasmus, Timoteus Kadhila, Kassian Amesho and Adriano Mabilana, these…

19 Sep

SADC PF committee calls for urgent health financing

National NewsHuman and Social Development and Special Programmes

Moses Magadza A statutory meeting of the Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes (HSDSP) of the SADC Parliamentary Forum began on 19 September 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa, amid urgent calls for sustainable health financing across the SADC region. Member of parliament Mope Khati from Lesotho chairs the committee. He officially opened the hybrid meeting, with some members of parliament including those fromZambia, Seychelles and Angola participating virtually. .Khati noted that the meeting was being held during a particularly busy political period, with three SADC member states scheduled to hold elections within the next three months.…

19 Sep

High demand for land in Oshakati

National NewsDevelopment Workshop Namibia

Hilarius Hamutenya A high rate of urban migration has resulted in Oshakati having more than 12 900 unresolved applications for the provision of land for people to build homes. The town's spokesperson, Katarina Kamari, made this revelation on Thursday. “The town is experiencing a high rate of rural to urban migration. The council, therefore, made it a priority to allocate funds in every financial year towards servicing of land, although servicing of land may be costly and lengthy,” she said. She said the council has made it a priority to at least ensure that every financial year it will work…

19 Sep

Newly registered party from Rundu wants to tackle hunger and unity

National News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The newly registered United Namibians Party (UNP) has set its focus on making Namibia self-sufficient in food production, eradicating hunger, and fostering unity. This was revealed by the party’s vice chief, Alfons Hausiku, who stated that the UNP’s primary mission is to address the pressing issues of hunger and national unity. “The first thing is, that Namibia must become self-sufficient in food production, and no Namibian child will die of hunger. We are servants to the people,” Hausiku said. The Rundu-based party intends to bring unity across the country and advocate for an equitable distribution of employment opportunities.…

19 Sep

ECN assures no interference in counting of votes by Swapo

National NewsNational Council

Martin Endjala The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has assured the public and all political parties that the governing Swapo Party will not interfere with the counting of votes at polling stations in November. Paulus Mbangu, a member of the National Council, expressed concern about remarks made by Swapo’s secretary general Sophia Shaningwa at the party manifesto launch last weekend. “The SG cannot be the spokesperson of the ECN. Her remarks sound like she is giving orders to ECN, which is not good in democracy. Who gave the party SG the power to speak on the ECN's behalf? Because announcements…