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Allexer Namundjembo Youth and student organisations are demanding urgent intervention from the education ministry over the ongoing food crisis in government hostels, following procurement delays that have left many learners without meals. The Landless People’s Movement (LPM), Affirmative Repositioning Students Command (ARSC), and Students Union of Namibia (SUN) have criticised the ministry for failing to ensure food supply in hostels and warned of the impact on learners’ health and academic performance. LPM Youth Command spokesperson William Minnie blamed the crisis on bureaucratic inefficiency and political interference. “It’s a failure of governance when children go hungry because of governmental ineptitude,” he…

Niël Terblanché Namibia is seeking to strengthen its energy and trade ties with Russia, with a focus on cooperation in natural resource beneficiation and infrastructure development. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev at State House on Tuesday to discuss areas of mutual interest, particularly energy and value addition to Namibia’s raw materials. According to Presidential Press Secretary, Alfredo Hengari, the meeting centred on increasing collaboration between the two countries to add value to Namibia’s natural resources. “The President reiterated the need for stronger cooperation with the Russian Federation in the area of energy, which has…

Niël Terblanché The Swakopmund Municipality has launched a series of development projects aimed at upgrading public infrastructure, expanding services to informal settlements, and restoring a long-neglected shelter for vulnerable residents. The projects, valued in the millions of Namibian dollars, were announced this week by the mayor, Blasius Goraseb, during the latest council meeting. Among the undertakings is the Mole Cubicles Upgrade Project, which the Council handed over to contractors this week. He added that with a price tag of N$4.8 million, the project is set for completion by October 2025 and will introduce enclosed cubicles to provide secure spaces for…

Niël Terblanché The Namibian Police in the Erongo region issued a stern warning to residents of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund not to divulge their banking details when called by people identifying themselves as police officers. Chief Inspector Ileni Shapumba, the head of the police’s community affairs division in the region, said that a yet unknown person has been calling coastal residents randomly since Wednesday. “A man who introduced himself as Chief Inspector Shapumba from Walvis Bay called complainants and invited them to the Walvis Bay police station to address a problem with their bank accounts,” he said. The real Chief…

Allexer Namundjembo  Refusing to accept the five-cent coin as payment is illegal, the Bank of Namibia has warned. This follows complaints from consumers about retailers rejecting the small denomination. Sencia Kaizemi-Rukata, director of banking services at the BoN, confirmed that the five-cent coin remains legal tender despite no longer being minted since 2018. “The five-cent coin is still legal tender. Retailers are obligated to accept it as a means of payment. The fact that we no longer mint the coin does not alter its legal standing,” she said. The central bank stopped producing the coin in 2018 due to the…