National News

Allexer Namundjembo The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) has awarded nine new spectrum and broadcasting licences.  The licences cover mobile, fixed and satellite services. They form part of Cran’s efforts to improve telecommunications and broadcasting coverage across Namibia. QTEL (Pty) Ltd received two licences. One allows the company to provide mobile international mobile telecommunications services in the 3300–3350 MHz frequency band.  The coverage includes Khomas, Erongo (excluding Walvis Bay), Otjozondjupa, Oshana, Kavango East, Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Hardap and parts of the ||Kharas region. The second licence allows QTEL to provide fixed services in the same areas using several additional…

Staff Writer  Feedback from high-level stakeholder engagements at Walvis Bay will help finalise the Walvis Bay Corridor Group's (WBCG) five-year strategic plan for 2026–2031.  The three-day engagement mission, led by its acting chief executive officer Edward Shivute, took place from 19 to 21 January 2026.  The consultations focused on gathering direct input from transport and logistics partners operating along Namibia’s strategic trade corridors. The engagement aimed to identify operational bottlenecks that affect efficiency and to align the group’s future strategy with the needs of industry players and regulators. Shivute said the new strategy will build on Namibia’s transport and logistics…

Staff Writer  Two public officials arrested in separate corruption cases in the Ohangwena region have been granted bail after appearing in the Eenhana Magistrate’s Court this week.  The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) arrested Chris Nghiilundilua (52) and Hendrina Ponhofi Diadaleni Kambudu (46) earlier this month. They were released on bail on 20 January. ACC interim spokesperson Marina Matundu said Nghiilundilua was granted bail of N$20 000, while Kambudu was granted bail of N$10 000. Nghiilundilua, a former senior administrative officer at the Ohangwena Regional Council's directorate of education, arts, and culture, was arrested in Eenhana on 19 January.  Matundu said he…

Hendrina Kudhingililwa is a youth leader whose work centres on building organised, intentional spaces for young people to participate meaningfully in civic and community life. As president of the Tukwatha Youth Organization, she is focused on strengthening youth leadership through coordination, mentorship, and community-based engagement. Her leadership reflects a growing recognition among young leaders that impact is sustained not by visibility alone, but by structure, accountability, and continuity.  Through her work, Hendrina contributes to shaping a generation of young people who understand leadership as service, responsibility, and long-term commitment. Young Observer caught up with her to learn more about who…

The recent leadership changes within the National Youth Council  have once again drawn public attention to a long-standing tension in Namibia’s youth sector: the uneasy relationship between youth politics and youth development. The resignation of an interim chairperson and the appointment of a successor are not, on their own, extraordinary developments. Leadership transitions occur in all institutions. What warrants reflection, however, is not the change itself but what such moments repeatedly reveal about the structure, culture, and purpose of youth governance in Namibia. For many young people, the National Youth Council is increasingly perceived less as a responsive development institution…

Ba James Sankwasa  This week, we recognise the Minister of Urban and Rural Development as our Fighter of the Week. His recent public engagements and firm positions on urban governance and service delivery have sparked renewed debate on accountability, local leadership, and the pace of development. Whether one agrees with every position or not, leadership that provokes conversation, scrutiny, and public engagement is vital in a democratic society. For young people watching governance closely, these moments matter, as they demonstrate that public office carries both authority and responsibility. Share your fighter of the week (and why) with us via WhatsApp…

Justicia Shipena The Supreme Court has ruled that the Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC) acted outside the law when it allowed its secretary to start and run an investigation into alleged price-fixing in the pharmaceutical sector. On Wednesday, the court dismissed NaCC’s appeal against an earlier High Court decision and found that the commission unlawfully delegated its investigative powers when it launched a probe into a long-standing 50% medicine mark-up applied by pharmacies linked to the Pharmaceutical Society of Namibia (PSN). Deputy chief justice Petrus Damaseb said the Competition Act makes it clear that only the commission itself has the authority…

Justicia Shipena The High Court has ordered Northcote Private School and its former board chairperson, Benedict Mulife, to each pay N$10 000 in damages after finding that they defamed each other. The judgement was delivered on Monday by High Court judge David Munsu in a defamation case that arose from disputes at the Ondangwa-based private school in mid-2022. Northcote Private School filed the lawsuit in May 2023, accusing Mulife of damaging its reputation through false allegations contained in a petition and through claims allegedly shared with the media and on WhatsApp.  Mulife denied the allegations and filed a counterclaim, arguing…