National News

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The government, through the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development of Namibia, has availed N$183 million to be paid to regional councils, local authorities and NamWater for costs incurred in free water supplied to vulnerable groups of society during the Covid-19 lockdown period in 2020. Minister Erastus Uutoni, announced recently that the money is part of the N$ 2.5 billion allocated to his ministry for the 2024/25 financial year. Another amount of N$113 million is to assist local authorities in paying compensation for land that was allocated and occupied under customary land rights but has since become part…

Martin Endjala The Southern Regional Electricity Distributor (SORED), is planning on tackling electricity hurdles within the south by making electricity affordable to the inhabitants of the area. This was the sentiment of the //Kharas region Chairperson Josef Isaacks while responding to questions posed to him by this publication, on the purpose of establishing the company. Isaacks said SORED has been misunderstood by many residents, with the notion that it only aims to make money and to get rid of the National Utility Power (NamPower). Clarifying that the company intended to arrest the hiked electricity prices, which are proving cumbersome to…

Stefanus Nashama Hofni Iipinge, a member of the Swapo Party Central Committee, has urged the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) in Ohangwena Region to initiate activities and programmes that will encourage the youth to vote for the party in large numbers in the 2024 presidential and national assembly elections in November. “Young people are expected to lead this campaign and ensure that the youth vote in big numbers and they should vote for Swapo Party,” Iipinge told the SPYL members. He also encouraged them to demand service delivery from various government offices, ministries and agencies that owe services to the…

Martin Endjala Nedbank Namibia recently held its annual employee Top Achievers Awards 2023 ceremony under the theme, celebrating the success of your rhythm in harmony. The top achievers’ awards recognised the performance and contributions of employees who have made a significant impact on the company’s success in the previous year. A total of 15 award categories were presented and the winners were chosen based on their outstanding performance in the 2023 financial year. In addition to the individual awards, the bank also recognised top-performing teams which highlighted the importance of teamwork and collaboration in achieving success. The categories included Top…

Martin Endjala The Namibia Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (NCCI) Chief Executive Officer, Charity Mwiya urged all Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to start collaborating to form consortiums. She said by doing this, many SMEs stand a chance to compete within various markets both locally and internationally while cautioning that those who choose to operate individually will miss out on many opportunities. “SMEs need to start forming consortiums to leverage the benefits of partnerships. The NCCI is here to expose you to various markets and partnerships will assist you along the way”. Mwiya said this during a business connect engagement…

Niël Terblanché By celebrating advancements in aviation safety, the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) has proudly announced Namibia's significant progress in the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme – Continuous Monitoring Approach (USOAP-CMA). According to Dank Kamati, the NAC’s spokesperson, the audit was conducted between 6 and 18 March 2024, this comprehensive audit scrutinized the effectiveness of Namibia’s aviation safety oversight systems, benchmarking them against the globally recognized ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). Emerging from the audit with a commendable preliminary score of 72.31 percent, Namibia has not only surpassed its previous 2016 score of 57.39…

Martin Endjala Western Australia-based uranium mining company Paladin Energy Limited, has announced that uranium concentrate production and drumming were achieved at the Langer Heinrich Mine (LHM) on 30 March 2024. This follows its announcement in January 2024 that the restart of the project at Langer Heinrich is now 93 percent complete, and commercial production is expected within the next few months. Focus will now shift to production ramp-up and building a finished product inventory, ahead of shipments to customers, and as part of the transition to production, Paladin’s Chief Operating Officer, Paul Hemburrow will assume responsibility for all LHM activities.…

Martin Endjala The Auditor General's Office is gearing up to evaluate the financial impact of Namibia's climate resilience and adaptation strategies as outlined in the Social Development Goals (SDGs), specifically goal 2.3, in the 2024/25 fiscal year. This initiative, part of the newly incorporated Environmental Audit, was announced by the Minister in the Presidency, Christina //Hoabes, during her budget speech in the National Assembly. With advancements in the extractive industry, the ministry is eager to align with the government's green energy and extractive industry goals, prompting the integration of the Environmental Audit for the upcoming financial year. //Hoabes detailed that…