Police rely on autopsy for answers in Meyer case

Police rely on autopsy for answers in Meyer case

 Niël Terblanché The Namibian police are waiting for post-mortem results to better understand the circumstances of Deidre Meyer’s death. The 48-year-old woman, who was reported missing in mid-April, was found dead on Friday near the Hifikepunye Pohamba Freeway between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. According to Inspector Judith Shomongula, a man who had gone to the dunes to pray discovered Meyer’s body around 11h00. Her father’s white Suzuki Jimny was parked a few metres away. The man called for help from someone passing on the nearby road, who then alerted the police. Shomongula said there were no signs of foul play.…
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Mystery of missing police officer deepens

Mystery of missing police officer deepens

Niël Terblanché The Namibian Police (Nampol) are intensifying efforts to locate 52-year-old police officer George Hamanja Isaacks, who went missing in Walvis Bay last Friday under unclear circumstances. Isaacks, employed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, had travelled from Windhoek for official duties. Isaacks was last seen by his colleagues around 14:00 on Friday. Since then, there has been no contact with him. “His phone is not reachable, and family members, friends, and colleagues have not heard from him since,” said Inspector Judith Shomongula, Nampol’s Erongo Regional spokesperson. At the time of his disappearance, Isaacks was…
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Trustco’s N$593 million tax challenge against NamRA fails

Trustco’s N$593 million tax challenge against NamRA fails

Allexer Namundjembo The High Court has ruled against Trustco Group Holdings, dismissing its application to challenge two decisions made by the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) about its unpaid taxes. Trustco had argued that NamRA owed it N$136 million in VAT credits, which it wanted to use to reduce interest on its tax debt. Trustco claimed that NamRA owed it about N$136 million in VAT credits as of March 2020. Trustco further argued that these credits were related to VAT, withholding tax, and PAYE obligations, and that an agreement had been made to use the credits to reduce accrued interest on…
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Nine medals for Namibia in Cairo

Nine medals for Namibia in Cairo

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Team Namibia won nine medals at the Africa Aquatics Junior Championships at the Cairo Stadium in Egypt.  The four-day youth event concluded this past weekend. Namibian swimmers Oliver Durand and Lorenzo Esterhuizen reached the 400m Individual Medley finals. Durand, 18, broke the Africa Aquatics record with a time of 4:26.00. Esterhuizen, 16, finished sixth in the same race with a time of 4:48.68. The Namibia Aquatic Sports Federation said the event brought "cool winds and even cooler performances" from the team. Several swimmers reached the finals, creating memorable moments in the federation's history. Ariana Naukosho reached the 200m…
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Deaf women encouraged to participate in sports

Deaf women encouraged to participate in sports

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Namibia Deaf Sports Federation (NDSF) indicated that it will focus on increasing the participation of deaf women in sports across the country. NDSF president Abner Sheya made the remarks during the closing ceremony of the National Deaf Games, held from 2 to 4 May at the Rietfontein National Youth Service Centre in the Otjozondjupa region. “There is a lack of participation by deaf women across various sports codes. Going forward, we must focus on developing Deaf women’s participation in sports across all regions. The NDSF Board will work on the ‘Building Capacity in Sport for Deaf Women’…
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Ex-Air Namibia workers demand inclusion in new national airline

Ex-Air Namibia workers demand inclusion in new national airline

Allexer Namundjembo Former Air Namibia employees are calling on the government to include them in the development and operation of the new national airline. The airline is expected to launch by December 2026. According to reports from last month, the government has allocated N$20 million for a feasibility study on the revival of Air Namibia. Member of Parliament and former Air Namibia employee Vaino Tuhafeni raised the issue in Parliament. He said many ex-workers remain unpaid and excluded years after the airline’s liquidation. “I spoke to a former colleague this morning, a single mother, who sounded hopeless and dejected. She…
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Africure moves into local medicine manufacturing

Africure moves into local medicine manufacturing

Ester Mbathera Africure Pharmaceuticals, owned by businessman Shapwa Kanyama, owned by Shapwa Kanyama (95%) and Trevor Brockerhof (5%),is shifting from packaging generic medicines to manufacturing them locally. Kanyama, who has been in the medicine supply business, told the Windhoek Observer on Thursday that the move aims to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and respond to shrinking international funding for essential drugs. “Covid taught us the lesson that we cannot continue to rely on other nations for our health. We must become self-reliant as a nation. As a country, we are faced with a high unemployment rate, and I want to…
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NNN urges unity for workers’ rights

NNN urges unity for workers’ rights

Niël Terblanché President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah used her first Workers’ Day address as head of state to call for a united effort to build a just and prosperous Namibia where labour is respected and rewarded fairly. She addressed the crowd in Oshakati on Thursday under the theme “Workers Demand Justice through Natural Resource Beneficiation, Value Addition, Living Wages, and Youth Employment.” “Workers are the backbone of our economy. We cannot speak of freedom and independence without addressing economic injustice. Workers cannot continue to live in poverty while contributing to the growth of industries,” she said. She said the high level of…
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Amupanda calls for state-owned shoe factory to cut imports

Amupanda calls for state-owned shoe factory to cut imports

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Affirmative Repositioning leader Job Amupanda has urged the government to set up a state-owned factory to manufacture boots and shoes. He says this will help meet local demand and cut down on imports. In a submission to the Ministry of Trade and Industrialisation last month, Amupanda said Namibia spends hundreds of millions of dollars importing over five million pairs of shoes each year.  He pointed out that sectors such as mining, police, defence, and private security need boots and shoes regularly. “If each worker in these sectors is supplied with two pairs of boots annually, there is already…
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Quota dispute dampens spirit of Crayfish Festival

Quota dispute dampens spirit of Crayfish Festival

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Lüderitz Crayfish Festival is facing tensions behind the scenes as the Crayfish Festival Trust is accusing the Lüderitz Town Council of withholding vital fishing quota funds. The Trust claims this has disrupted the festival’s preparations and operations. The 18th edition of the Lüderitz Crayfish Festival began on Tuesday and will run until Monday, 5 May. The event, under the theme “Safeguarding our Ocean Riches”, celebrates the town's maritime culture and features seafood dishes. But the Crayfish Festival Trust and the Town Council are at odds over financial matters, with both sides accusing the other of failing in…
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