National News

Justicia Shipena  Congolese fuel supplier Orion Energy SARL may apply for default judgement if Eco Fuel Investment fails to file its plea by 17 October.  This deadline follows a case management order issued by High Court judge Beatrix de Jager in the Windhoek High Court. Orion filed a lawsuit against Eco Fuel and its owner, fugitive businessman Victor "Chris" Malima. The order states that if Eco Fuel does not respond, Orion can move for default judgement on 27 October, with a hearing set for 29 October.  Both sides must also exchange documents and make discovery by 21 November, while a…

Allexer Namundjembo Workers  on the Omuthiya–Elambo road project  say are facing unsafe conditions and low pay. The 59 km road, launched in August 2025, is expected to take two years to complete with funding from the Namibian government and external partners, including German entities.  The workers clearing land in Okakoko village for Borromean Contractors on Wednesday said they are not given protective equipment.  A site visit by the Windhoek Observer found labourers cutting trees and clearing thorny bushes without gloves.  Workers say they are earning N$108 per day, with no transport provided, forcing some to walk more than 20 km…

Allexer Namundjembo Affirmative Repositioning leader Job Amupanda has called for the legislation compelling  state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and private companies  to  disclose salary scales in job advertisements.  He said this practice undermines transparency and goes against Article 23 of the constitution. In a notice to Parliament yesterday, Amupanda recalled that Article 23, titled “Apartheid and Affirmative Action”, was included by the Constitution’s framers to outlaw apartheid-era racial discrimination. He added that it was also meant to empower laws addressing social, educational, and economic disadvantages. Parliament later passed the Affirmative Action (Employment) Act No. 29 of 1998, which created the Employment Equity…

Justicia Shipena  The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has started a week-long training course in Swakopmund to strengthen Africa’s ability to respond to chemical incidents. The course, which opened on Monday, brings together participants from English-speaking States Parties across the continent. Deputy minister of industries, mines and energy, Gaudentia Kröhne, said the destruction of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles in 2023 was a landmark achievement.  “This historic achievement underscores the commitment of the international community to disarmament and reminds us of what can be accomplished through cooperation,” she said. Kröhne stressed that while the elimination of stockpiles…

Justicia Shipena  Africa accounts for less than 2% of worldwide military expenditure even as global spending surged to a record $2.7 trillion in 2024, a new United Nations (UN) report shows. This is despite being home to nearly 20% of the world’s population and about a quarter of UN member states.  Launching The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future on Tuesday, UN secretary general António Guterres warned that excessive military spending does not guarantee peace.  "It often undermines it, fueling arms races, deepening mistrust and diverting resources from the very foundations of stability," he…

Justicia Shipena  The office of the President paid for the accommodation and meals of a non-government employee during a September 2023 trip to Paris.  This was one of several irregular expenses flagged in the latest audit report by Auditor General Junias Kandjeke for the financial year ending 31 March 2024.  Kandjeke’s office also detected what appears to be a double payment of nearly N$1 million linked to the same trip.  The report  does not mention who was on the trip and for which purpose.  However, during that period, the late president Hage Geingob made a technical stopover in Paris between…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja  The ministry of health and social services says it will introduce track-and-trace barcoding to monitor medicines from central storage to patients.  This will be carried out under one secure facility, with long-term pharmaceutical contracts finalised through the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) after legal disputes delayed the process for four years. This comes as the ministry on Monday admitted that drug stock-outs continue despite an N$1.8 billion budget for pharmaceuticals and clinical supplies in the 2025/26 financial year.  “We are now moving away from a reactive approach to a proactive one, where we anticipate demand and secure…

Renthia Kaimbi Chief Sakarias Seibeb of the Dâure Daman Traditional Authority has rejected a proposal to reintroduce lions and other large carnivores into the Sorris Sorris Conservancy.  He cited prevous livestock losses and the lack of compensation for affected farmers. The proposal was discussed by the Sorris Sorris Conservancy Management Committee and linked to the Lion Rangers Programme, which works with communities on the conservation of desert-adapted lions in northwest Namibia. Seibeb confirmed the request but said the community would not accept it.  “Our people suffered the loss of their livestock, donkeys and even pet dogs to lions in the…

Allexer Namundjembo Fishrot accused and former justice minister Sacky Shanghala says vehicles used to transport inmates are unsafe.  He told the Windhoek High Court on Monday that the Namibian Police’s handling of prisoner transport is a serious safety risk.  Shanghala  compared the conditions to being locked in a “metal cage” and said he would rather not become another statistic, referring to the Mariental crash that killed 12 correctional officers, two police officers, and two civilians.  The collision happened just after 07h00 on the B1 road, about seven kilometres north of Mariental. Shanghala also told High Court judge Marilize du Plessis…

Renthia Kaimbi There is no official agreement that has been signed between Namibia and Zambia on passport-free travel, the ministry of home affairs, immigration, safety and security has said.  The ministry's executive director, Nghidinua Daniel, told the Windhoek Observer that reports claiming the arrangement is in place are premature.  “The use of national ID documents as travel documents between Namibia and Zambia is not yet operational, although discussions are underway,” he said. The plan would allow citizens to cross borders using only national identity cards, but it remains under discussion with no implementation timeline.  The speculation stemmed from remarks made…