National News

Niël Terblanché Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, the Inspector General of the Namibian Police, has voiced his concern over the alarming trend of Namibian citizens being exploited as drug mules for international narcotics trafficking. The latest incident that has heightened these concerns involves a 27-year-old Namibian woman who was detained in Ethiopia for suspected drug trafficking. The woman was apprehended on 2 January 2024 at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa. She was arrested while travelling on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, en route to Lusaka, Zambia, and was allegedly found in possession of approximately 4.7 kilogrammes of…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja In a pivotal moment for Namibia’s digital future, a stark reality emerges as only 56 percent of the population has access to electricity, posing a significant hurdle to the nation’s ambitious digital transformation goals. This is according to the National Digital Strategy of Namibia for 2024-2028. “When disaggregating this national measure, vast disparities are observed between urban and rural electrification whereby about two-thirds of the rural population lacks access to electricity,” reads the strategy document. Executive Director of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology Audrin Mathe, addressed the issue at the National Digital Strategy Workshop held in…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Namibia Football Association (NFA) has decided to withdraw the official attire of the Namibia National Senior Men’s Football Team, the Brave Warriors, from the upcoming 2023 Total Energies AFCON. This decision comes in the wake of a public outcry over the team’s recent appearance in casual gear that raised concerns of political undertones. The NFA, in collaboration with the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC), in a joint statement reveals that they are seeking clarity on the attire worn by the Brave Warriors, which gained significant attention on social media platforms this week. “The NSC and NFA understand the…

Niël Terblanché An incident during the early hours of Tuesday morning in Rehoboth where the 64-year-old Helena Wimmert was brutally raped, murdered and then robbed has sent shockwaves through Namibia. According to Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, the head of the Namibian Police’s Public Relations Division, the horrific crime occurred at the victim’s home in Rehoboth’s Block A sometime between midnight and 07:40. “The victim was raped before the suspect continued to cut her throat. Her home was then ransacked for valuable items before the suspect fled into the night with his loot,” she said. She said that the investigation into…

Stefanus Nashama Hofni Iipeinge, the Swapo Party Secretary of Education, has expressed deep disappointment and concern about the delayed delivery of school stationery to state schools. Sharing his views on the matter this week, Iipeinge stated that while the government has implemented free universal education in the country, the late provision of school supplies to state schools negatively impacts the education of Namibian children. "Education is a right but not a need. The Ministry responsible should take this matter seriously and implement effective interventions to ensure that funds for school stationery reach all state schools on time before the schools…