National News

Allexer Namundjembo Political leaders have expressed mixed reactions to the government’s decision to appoint Namibia Post Limited (NamPost) as the official distributor of social grants. Last week, the ministry of finance announced that NamPost would take over the distribution of all social grants across Namibia, replacing private contractors as part of efforts to centralise public service delivery through state-owned entities. The Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement welcomed the appointment.  AR spokesperson George Kambala called it a progressive and strategic move that aligns with the movement’s goal of returning control of essential services to public institutions.  “This shift provides an opportunity to…

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has accused the United States of fabricating a jihadist threat along the Namibian-Angolan border to justify foreign military involvement and destabilise the country. The party claims the alleged threat serves U.S. interests under the guise of providing security support. IPC member of parliament and shadow minister of defence and veteran affairs, Aloisius Kangulu, dismissed the claims of a jihadist threat as false.  “The narrative of a ‘Jihadist’ threat between Namibia and Angola is a dangerous and fabricated lie. America cannot be allowed to play cowboy policeman of the world when there are…

Justicia Shipena The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) today begins supplementary voter registration ahead of the regional council and local authority elections set for 26 November. The registration period will run from 4 to 19 August in all regions.  Over the weekend, the ECN announced it had deployed voter registration teams across the country in preparation for the 2025 elections.  According to a media release issued on Saturday, registration will take place from Monday to Saturday, between 08h00 and 19h00. The ECN has established 4 233 registration points across all constituencies and local authorities.  These include schools, community centres, and…

Justicia Shipena  The Etunda Feedlot, set for completion by September 2026, will have the capacity to hold up to 1,000 cattle and aims to strengthen the communal livestock sector in the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs).  The N$78.9 million facility is being built within the Etunda Irrigation Scheme near Ruacana and forms part of the broader N$400 million Livestock Support Programme jointly funded by the Namibian government and the European Union. The project was launched on Thursday during a groundbreaking ceremony attended by government officials, EU representatives, regional governors, traditional leaders, and farmers from across the Omusati region. Agriculture minister Inge…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja  The speaker of the National Assembly, Sara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, has warned that international donors who opt to work exclusively with civil society organisations rather than elected governments risk undermining state-led development.  She said this approach could also weaken democratic accountability. She made the remarks during an interactive debate at the United Nations in Geneva under the theme “Networked Global Governance for More Effective Multilateralism: Does it Work?” Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said civil society organisations and other non-state actors contribute to national development, but they do not carry the same democratic mandates as elected governments. “We note that there are some limitations.…

Justicia Shipena The seventeenth accused in the Namcor fuel corruption case, Austin Elindi is alleged to have paid over N$2.36 million in bribes to former Namcor employees in five months.  The bribes were paid between July and December 2022. Court documents show the payments were channelled through Namcor Petroleum Trading and Distribution (Pty) Ltd, the state-owned company responsible for fuel trading and distribution.  The company also operates the National Oil Storage Facility in Walvis Bay and supplies fuel to sectors such as mining, construction, and public enterprises. The state alleges the payments  included N$500,000 to Jennifer Hamukwaya, N$350,000 to Cornelius…