National News

Niël Terblanché In a historic development, Welwitschia Health Training Centre has been elevated to university status, now operating as Welwitschia University. Monika Pendukeni, Chairperson of the Council and Co-Founder of Welwitschia University said this momentous milestone marks a new chapter for the institution, which is set to expand its academic programmes, strengthen research initiatives, and enhance collaborations with various sectors. She stressed that the name change and status upgrade were approved by the Registrar of Private Higher Education Institutions under Section 28(2)(a)(iii) of the Higher Education Act, 2003 (Act No. 26 of 2003). Pendukeni added that the registrar’s decision was…

Stefanus Nashama Medical doctors say Ivermectin is not the prescribed medicine for treating scabies. Benhard Haufiku, a medical doctor and clinical practitioner, stated that a medication known as Permethrin treats scabies infections. Haufiku’s comments come after a recent report of a scabies outbreak in the overcrowded Ondandjaba police holding cells in the Omusati region, where 20 prisoners were reportedly receiving treatment. The facility has a capacity of 60 but currently houses more than 100 prisoners. “As far as I am aware, Ivermectin is not indicated or meant for treating scabies. It is intended to treat parasitic diseases. Ivermectin is an…

Niël Terblanché The Otjozondjupa Regional Council has expanded its drought relief aid criteria to include households in informal settlements, a move that will bring much-needed assistance to thousands of vulnerable families. This change was announced by Marlene Mbakera, the chairperson of the Regional Council and the regional disaster risk management committee. The amendment will see an additional 5 000 households in informal settlements across the region's five major towns benefiting from the drought relief aid under the peri-urban programme. This is in addition to the 15 960 registered households already receiving support, significantly increasing the overall demand for aid. Mbakera…

Stefanus Nashama The Namibia Blood Transfusion Services (NamBTS) needs at least 200 blood donations per day to meet the needs of hospitals and medical centres across the country. NamBTS spokesperson, Titus Shivute, said this as Namibia joined the rest of the world on World Blood Donor Day on Thursday to celebrate 20 years of blood donation. “We need donors to donate at least four times a year in order to help ensure that there is always an adequate supply of blood available to patients across the country,” he said. World Blood Donor Day is an opportunity to thank blood donors…

Niël Terblanché In an effort to address overcrowding in prisons and to encourage rehabilitation, President Nangolo Mbumba has issued a pardon and reprieve order leading to the release of more than 2 000 offenders from correctional facilities across Namibia. This order, announced during the commemoration of Namibia’s 34th independence anniversary, will see 313 inmates receiving full pardons and 1 108 temporarily released from prison. The Namibian Correctional Service disclosed that these releases represent a substantial proportion of the 4,330 offenders who were considered for the presidential pardon. The pardon will also see the release of 709 offenders serving sentences under…

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Minister of Industrialization and Trade, Lucia Iipumbu, has this week introduced the Property Practitioners Bill in the National Assembly, which contains the Fidelity Fund Certificate that aims to protect consumers against theft of money entrusted to a property practitioner. In terms of the bill, once a Fidelity Fund Certificate is issued to a property practitioner, should that property practitioner then steal money held in trust, the consumer can claim the money back from the fidelity fund. “This part of the bill also deals with the consequences of a property practitioner not having a Fidelity Fund Certificate. The…

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The United People's Movement (UPM) has been struggling to attract the youth to take up positions within the party structures due to a lack of interest in politics. UPM president, Jan van Wyk revealed this during an interview with the Windhoek Observer while outlining the party’s plans for the November elections. He said that even though there has been a slight change in the number of young people joining the party, they are still behind when compared to other political parties. “Until recently, the UPM had a problem getting the youth into its ranks. We see a change…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The construction of the Otjiwarongo referral hospital planned seven years ago with a budget of N$720 million, remains stalled, causing challenges for healthcare access in the region. In an interview with the Windhoek Observer on Thursday, Otjozondjupa Governor James Uerikua said that decentralisation of procurement functions to local governments could expedite the process. “As the regional government, we do not have much control over what happens in procurement, and it is hampering progress because it is at the central government. If this element could be decentralised, it could speed up the process,” said Uerikua. Despite allocating an erf,…

Ester Mbathera In an effort to invalidate a crucial decision the party's central committee made to postpone the extraordinary congress to 19 April 2025, five members of the SWAPO have filed a lawsuit against their own party. The applicants, Joshua Vaino Martins, Petrus Ndeshipanda Shituula, Aina Kalimba Angula, Reinhold Nghihepavali Shipwikineni, and Erich Chrismann Shivute, filed a Notice of Motion with the High Court of Namibia on Thursday. The five have been insisting on the party holding an extraordinary congress in order to elect a party president before the November elections. Swapo currently has no president, just Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as…