National News

In the history of nations, certain dates are inscribed into the collective consciousness, not merely as markers of time, but as anchors of identity. For Namibia, the first week of February has become such a period. It is a week that begins with the quiet sunset of the third president, Dr Hage G. Geingob (February 4), and ends with the final rest of the founding president, Dr Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma (February 8). The Young Observer dedicates this edition to these two towering figures. To the youth of Namibia, they were more than names on a ballot; they were the storytellers…

For a long time, the word 'cancer' felt like something that happened to other people. People in distant countries, or people much older than ourselves. It lived in statistics, in whispered family stories, or in hospital corridors far removed from everyday youth life. Recent events in Namibia, however, have drawn this reality closer to home. Cancer is no longer a distant threat. It is a present and personal one. Among young people, conversations about cancer are often avoided because they feel frightening or irrelevant. We focus on careers, friendships, ambitions, and fitness, quietly assuming that serious illness belongs to some…

For generations, the journey into working life followed a familiar rhythm. One began at the bottom of an intern’s desk, a junior designer’s draft, an assistant’s notes, or a trainee’s first uncertain attempt.  The early work was rarely glamorous, often repetitive and sometimes invisible.  Yet it served a quiet and essential purpose. It was the first step. It was where skill was formed, confidence was tested, and professional identity slowly took shape. Today, that first step is beginning to disappear. Across the world, artificial intelligence is transforming how work is produced, distributed, and valued.  Tasks that once belonged to beginners,…

If you walk through the streets of Windhoek today, you are not merely navigating a city; you are moving through the physical expression of an intellectual miracle. The independence we inhabit did not arrive as a sudden political accident. It was engineered. Long before the first flag was raised, our future was being drafted in the heat of exile camps, argued in the chambers of the United Nations, and whispered in the secret meetings of the Old Location. Black history is often spoken of as memory. In classrooms, it appears as a collection of dates and names. In speeches, it…

Allexer Namundjembo Swapo deputy secretary general Uahekua Herunga has resigned as the party’s chief whip in the National Assembly. He cited intense parliamentary pressure. Herunga will remain a member of parliament. Herunga has served as chief whip of Swapo since the start of the eighth Parliament.  During Wednesday’s sitting, National Assembly speaker Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila announced that member of parliament Alpheus !Naruseb has been appointed as his replacement. Herunga has also stepped down as chairperson of the whole house committee.  “Honourable Alpheus !Naruseb as the government chief whip. You are further informed that honourable Herunga has tendered his resignation as deputy…

Renthia Kaimbi There is no room for failure in delivering services, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah told newly inducted Swapo members of parliament on Wednesday.  She said the party’s return to electoral dominance is a direct mandate for disciplined action. She addressed the opening of the Swapo party induction workshop for members of the eighth Parliament, where she said recent local and regional authority election results have restored public faith that must now be justified through performance. “The result of last year’s Regional and Local Authorities Elections, where the Swapo has gained back her glory, is a clear indication that the people…

Allexer Namundjembo Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) member of parliament Winnie Moongo has questioned the government's spending on workshops, conferences and high-level committees.  Moongo is asking whether these activities deliver results at a time of tight public finances. In a notice submitted to Parliament on Wednesday, Moongo said the government continues to spend public funds and time on engagements that revisit the same issues each year, often without clear plans for implementation or measurable outcomes. “These engagements are routinely convened on the same issues, with little regard for value for money or tangible results,” Moongo said. She said the growing number…

Renthia Kaimbi International relations and trade minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi says senior diplomats will mentor younger officers as part of internal reforms to professionalise Namibia’s foreign service. The minister made the remarks during her ministry’s first general staff meeting of the year on Tuesday.  She said the changes will include staff rotations to build capacity and a partnership with the Namibian Association of Former Heads of Mission to mentor younger officers. She told staff that the ministry must adapt to a world marked by rising geopolitical competition, weakened respect for international law and strained global cooperation.  She said Namibia’s national interest…