National News

Renthia Kaimbi Blue Girls Netball Club of Swakopmund has lodged a formal protest over its exclusion from the 2026 MTC Namibia Netball Premier League playoffs.  The club is accusing Netball Namibia of unfair procedures and inconsistent application of its rules. The dispute follows a communication issued by Netball Namibia on 24 October 2025 confirming the teams that qualified for the playoffs.  The list did not include the Erongo Region champions. Netball Namibia president Juanita Witbeen told Observer Coastal that regions which failed to meet administrative deadlines were excluded from the process. In a detailed letter addressed to Witbeen, Blue Girls…

Renthia Kaimbi IShowSpeed arrived in Namibia yesterday for a brief visit, spending a single day touring sites around Windhoek before departing later that night. The visit followed a cancelled stop last month during his “Speed Does Africa” tour, after the Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) denied a permit for his private aircraft. This was because his aviation permit requirements were not submitted on time. This time, the popular streamer, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr, compressed several local experiences into a few hours. His itinerary, confirmed to the Windhoek Observer, included a visit to a Himba village at Tjiri…

Justicia Shipena Former National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) managing director Immanuel Mulunga has asked the High Court to condone the late filing of his heads of argument in his bail appeal.  Mulunga explained that circumstances beyond his control caused the delay, which did not prejudice the State. Mulunga recently filed a founding affidavit in the High Court, stating that he had to submit his heads of argument by 19 December 2025.  He explained that he only managed to file them on 31 December after receiving a court record running to 4 797 pages. Mulunga states that on the deadline…

Staff Writer  Namibia has ranked first in Africa in the Market Perception Pillar of the StartupBlink Innovators Business Environment Index 2026.  This places the country at the top of the continent for institutional trust and governance credibility. The ranking, released on Tuesday by StartupBlink, also places Namibia first in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Africa in the same category.  The index measures the conditions that support innovation, with a focus on ease of doing business, incentives and market perception.  It covers more than 125 countries and draws on over 30 indicators to assess how easily businesses can start, operate and build…

Allexer Namundjembo Rundu urban constituency councillor Paulus Mbangu has called on government to take urgent action to stop recurring food poisoning incidents in the Kavango East and Kavango West regions.  He warned that continued delays are costing lives. Speaking to Windhoek Observer on Monday, Mbangu said the two regions must be treated as a special priority.  He said targeted measures are needed to address food safety failures, poverty and the lack of local laboratory capacity to investigate deaths. “I don’t know how many people the government is waiting to die so they act. I think for now the central government…

Allexer Namundjebo Lawyer Kadhila Amoomo has called on inspector general of the Namibian Police Joseph Shikongo to urgently implement structural and mental health reforms within the force.  The call follows an incident in Khomasdal in which police officer Ivanoi Inacio Vatilifa (39) allegedly shot and injured his 36-year-old girlfriend with a service pistol during an argument.  He later turned the gun on himself and died from his injuries on Saturday. Monday, Amoomo expressed condolences to affected families and said years of close professional engagement with the police system had shown that internal reforms are long overdue. “The news on Police…

Justicia Shipena  The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has arrested an inmate and a police officer following investigations into alleged corrupt practices at the Ondangwa police station. On Monday, the ACC said it arrested Fillemon 'Kasita' Kadhikwa (36), an inmate at the Ondangwa police holding cells and Sgt Victory Hafeni Vateleni (37), a police officer based at the same station.  The two were arrested on 22 January.  ACC interim spokesperson Marina Matundu said that while Kadhikwa was in police custody on 30 January 2023, he allegedly offered a bribe of N$2 000 to a certain detective warrant officer Hashoongo to avoid being…