TURNING POINT | Namibia’s youth debate is asking the wrong question

TURNING POINT | Namibia’s youth debate is asking the wrong question

If Namibia’s challenges could be solved by replacing older leaders with younger ones, the country would already be on a dramatically different trajectory.  Youth unemployment would be falling, institutions would be stronger, and public trust would be rising. Instead, the opposite is true. Yet our public discourse increasingly insists that the central problem is generational: that young people are deliberately held back by an older generation unwilling to let go. It is a convenient narrative, simple, emotive, and politically useful. It is also largely misleading. Namibia is a young country by any measure. Roughly 70% of the population is under…
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NAU warns of FMD risk as regional cases rise

NAU warns of FMD risk as regional cases rise

Chamwe Kaira The continued occurrence of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Southern Africa is a major concern, the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) has said. The union says FMD poses a serious risk to livestock, livelihoods and the wider economy. Namibia’s cattle herd is estimated at about 1.2 million head, with 800 000 south of the veterinary cordon fence and 400 000 north of it. The livestock sector, including sheep and goats, has remained under supply pressure. Marketing volumes have fallen due to a shortage of market-ready animals across key channels.  The situation is worsened by FMD outbreaks in South Africa, Namibia’s…
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Oranjemund Council unpaid security bills stretch three months

Oranjemund Council unpaid security bills stretch three months

Justicia Shipena  Oranjemund Town Council has failed to pay its contracted security service provider for more than three months.  This has prompted an urgent legal demand for immediate settlement of outstanding invoices. The demand is contained in a letter dated 3 February 2026 from Solomon Kanyemba Incorporated, acting on behalf of EyeQ Security Services, which has been providing security services to the municipality since August 2025. According to the letter, payments for services rendered have been repeatedly delayed, with the January 2026 invoice still unpaid when the correspondence was issued.  The company said payment for December 2025 was only made…
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Crimes against tourists give NNN headaches 

Crimes against tourists give NNN headaches 

Renthia Kaimbi President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says she is concerned about rising criminal acts against tourists.  Nandi-Ndaitwah said the trend threatens the country's tourism sector and the country’s international standing. She raised the issue while addressing the opening of the Legal Year at the Supreme Court yesterday.  She said reports of crimes against visitors and tourists have led some countries to classify Namibia as an unsafe destination, placing jobs and economic growth at risk. Tourism, she said, remains a major contributor to gross domestic product and employment. "I am also concerned by recent reports of increasing criminal acts against visitors and…
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‘Private sector drives most extractive corruption’ – Hinda-Mbuende

‘Private sector drives most extractive corruption’ – Hinda-Mbuende

Justicia Shipena  National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) interim managing director Maureen Hinda-Mbuende says corruption in the extractive sector is mostly driven by the private sector, not the government.  She warned that failing to address this could threaten Namibia’s future oil and gas development. Hinda-Mbuende made the remarks in Windhoek on Thursday during a high-level dialogue on Namibia’s possible participation in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). She said corruption in extractive industries often begins in the private sector, where most beneficiation takes place, yet public debate and reporting tend to place the burden on government alone. “It is important…
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Itula sets quality as parliament’s true test

Itula sets quality as parliament’s true test

Allexer Namundjembo Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) president Panduleni Itula says Parliament should be judged by the quality of its work and its impact on people’s lives, not by how many bills it passes. He responded to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s address at this week's official opening of Parliament on Thursday.  Itula welcomed the President’s emphasis on participatory democracy, inclusive development and anti-corruption.  However, he said these goals can only be achieved if Parliament exercises strong oversight and operates transparently. He said Parliament’s role is not to rush legislation but to carefully examine bills, consider public input and ensure safeguards that…
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Fish Consumption Trust loses bid to overturn procurement review

Fish Consumption Trust loses bid to overturn procurement review

Justicia Shipena  The High Court has ruled that the Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust was properly served with procurement review papers by email and failed to prove that it did not receive them. The court this week dismissed a procurement review application by the Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust.  The application relates to a procurement process for consultancy services advertised by the Trust.  In June 2025, the Review Panel selected Gamal Rifai Architects as the successful bidder.  Several unsuccessful bidders then applied for reconsideration, as allowed under the Public Procurement Act. The Trust dismissed those reconsideration applications on 27 June…
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Windhoek council to rename Rand street in Khomasdal 

Windhoek council to rename Rand street in Khomasdal 

Allexer Namundjembo The City of Windhoek council is set to rename Rand street in Khomasdal after veteran liberation figure and diplomat Joshua //Hoebeb.  A proposal tabled before council on Thursday during its first meeting for the year recommends that the 2.06-kilometre road linking Khomasdal and Katutura be renamed ambassador Joshua //Hoebeb Street.  This is in recognition of his role in Namibia’s liberation struggle, diplomacy and public service. //Hoebeb served as Namibia’s first high commissioner to South Africa and took part in the negotiations that led to the reintegration of Walvis Bay into Namibia in 1994.  He later served as high…
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Minister urges former ambassadors to guide foreign policy

Minister urges former ambassadors to guide foreign policy

Justicia Shipena  The minister of international relations and trade, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, urged members of the Namibia Association of Former Ambassadors (NAFA) to closely analyse global developments and advise the ministry on issues of strategic importance.  Ashipala-Musavyi made the call on Thursday in Windhoek during a NAFA meeting. She said the experience and insight of former ambassadors remain critical to advancing Namibia’s foreign policy and economic interests. NAFA was established 12 years ago as a think tank and advisory body to the ministry, drawing on the knowledge, experience and networks of retired diplomats. She said this role has become more important…
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Namibia has no objection approval yet for Lesotho water project

Allexer Namundjembo  Namibia says it has not issued a “no objection” for Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.  It says it will only do so once downstream concerns are addressed and South Africa makes firm commitments. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform said this in a statement released on Thursday.  The statement followed reports in South Africa claiming that Namibia is unhappy about the project and that it is reducing the flow of the Orange River. The ministry said Namibia, as a downstream riparian state on the Orange-Senqu River system, has consistently maintained that approving…
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