Page 18 – News Stand

21 Apr

Khomas soccer coach denies favouritism in selection of Newspaper Cup squad

info_e12wt4csFeatured, Sports

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Khomas regional football coach, Risto Shikomba, has refuted claims of favouritism in selecting the team that competed in the 2025 Nedbank Newspaper Cup held in Outjo, Kunene Region. Shikomba addressed growing public criticism after the team failed to win a single match at the tournament. Some social media users accuse the technical team of favouring players from specific areas while overlooking talent from informal settlements. Speaking to the Windhoek Observer, Shikomba said the final squad was assembled through open, constituency-based trials and was not influenced by bias or favouritism. “The process began with the first phase of trials…

16 Apr

VP urges forgiveness for genocide pain

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Ester Mbathera Vice President Lucia Witbooi has called on the nation to embrace forgiveness as a path to healing and unity in the aftermath of the 1904–1908 Nama and Herero genocide. She made the remarks on Tuesday during the high-level panel hosted by Open Society Foundations and Action Coalition-Namibia on the topic: Women’s leadership and the reparations agenda – past, present and future prospects for acknowledgement, solidarity and justice. “I believe when we forgive each other, then we will get even. We’ll close this chapter of genocide, and we will benefit much more from Germany,” she said. Her remarks come…

16 Apr

MEFT outlaws drones in Etosha

info_e12wt4csFeatured, National News

Niël Terblanché The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has announced a complete ban on drones within Etosha National Park, citing escalating security concerns linked to rhino poaching. Colgar Sikopo, the ministry’s deputy executive director of Natural Resource Management, stated that while drones were previously permitted under strict conditions, the increasing misuse by visitors has necessitated a stricter approach. “Many visitors have been entering the park and using drones with no such permission. This situation created some security risks and a disturbance to other visitors to the park,” Sikopo explained. He added that drones can be exploited by poachers to…

16 Apr

IPC calls for reform of labour-hire practices

info_e12wt4csNational News

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) Member of Parliament Elvis Lizazi has criticised the continued exploitation of workers through labour hire companies, calling it a "lingering injustice" in an independent Namibia. Speaking during his maiden parliamentary contribution on Wednesday, Lizazi said the issue should have been addressed long ago. “Labour hire in Namibia should be a thing of the past but remains a daily reality,” said Lizazi, who also serves as IPC’s shadow minister of Justice and Labour Relations. He referenced the landmark 2009 Supreme Court judgement that struck down a ban on labour hires, calling the Africa Personnel…

16 Apr

High Court reinstates school hostel food supply tender

info_e12wt4csNational News

Niël Terblanché A looming crisis over food shortages at government school hostels in six regions has been averted following a High Court decision setting aside the cancellation of a multi-billion-dollar food supply tender. Judge Anne-Doris Hans-Kaumbi on Monday ruled that the decision taken by the chairperson of the tender review panel to cancel the entire tender process was invalid. The judgment clears the way for the ministry to proceed with food procurement for school hostels in the Omaheke, Otjozondjupa, Kunene, Erongo, Omusati, Ohangwena, and Khomas regions. The ruling comes after the ministry filed an urgent application, warning that continued delays…

16 Apr

Proof of “business unusual” is in the ideological eating!

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Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro As much as Yours Truly Ideologically would wish to give Her Excellency Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, President of the Republic of Namibia, and her eclectic team based on considerations such as gender and youth, and presumably also on technocratic merits, the benefit of the doubt, experiences in governance over the last 35 years simply dictates against this. As with most policies over the last 35 years, the few meaningful ones in the uplifting of the living standards of the masses are concerned. Safe for co-opting a few petty bourgeoises in the current capitalist economic productive system. They are yet to…

16 Apr

THE MANTRA OF NO BUSINESS AS USUAL VS THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF A DEVELOPMENTAL STATE

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PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) Abstract The question one must ask is; what is our conceptual framework as far as development is concerned? Should we determine the course of our actions based solely on the mantra of “no business as usual”? In his contribution to the appropriation bill, the Landless People’s Movement Leader Bernadus Swartbooi asked, how come in our public discourse there is no reference to words such as “Developmental State”, and “Industrialization”? In our view, he should have asked; What is the conceptual framework as far as our development is concerned? Is it true…

16 Apr

A HOUSE WITHOUT A TOILET IS NOT A HOME

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Wayambekange N Hamufenhu A house without a toilet is, by all definitions, incomplete. Sanitation is not a luxury, it is a human right. It upholds human dignity, protects our health, and provides personal safety. Without proper toilets, people are forced to live in conditions that are both undignified and dangerous. In our beloved Land of the Brave, compared to other sectors such as education, infrastructure, healthcare, and governance, progress has been made. However, sanitation continues to lag. Yet, sanitation is a silent crisis that affects hundreds of thousands, particularly in rural villages and informal settlements. The 2023 Namibian Census report…

16 Apr

Manwu enters transition as GS moves on to parliament

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Hetta-Maria Amutenja The Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union (Manwu) has entered a transition phase as its general secretary, Justina Jonas, gradually steps back from daily operations to focus on her new role as a Member of Parliament. Jonas, who was re-elected as Manwu’s secretary general during the union’s 10th national congress in Ongwediva in September last year, confirmed that, although she still supports the union’s internal operations, she is now primarily serving in Parliament under the SWAPO party list. “You cannot just leave, because there are things that need to be put in place. So we started preparing last…

16 Apr

Auditor flags missing records in Otjozondjupa Council

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Allexer Namundjembo A report by Auditor General Junias Kandjeke has uncovered significant gaps in financial reporting at the Otjozondjupa Regional Council, including missing payment vouchers and delayed submissions, raising serious questions about transparency and compliance. The report, submitted to Parliament in November last year, covers the council’s financial activities for the year ending March 2019. It reveals that payment vouchers for expenses amounting to N$4.86 million were not provided for audit purposes. Kandjeke noted that the council lacked a formal financial reporting framework for the period under review. “The Council did not have a financial reporting framework for the financial…