Page 67 – Windhoek Observer

08 Jul

Businesses tap brakes on borrowing

Observer Money

Justicia Shipena Businesses in Namibia are showing more caution in their borrowing activity, with corporate credit growth continuing to slow in May 2025. According to Simonis Storm’s latest Private Sector Credit Extension report, companies are becoming more deliberate in their financing decisions amid a complex economic environment. The total corporate debt stock rose slightly to N$50 billion in May, up from N$49.5 billion in April. However, the annual growth rate declined to 6.5%, compared to 7.1% in the previous month. Simonis Storm noted that this moderation was driven by net repayments and lower uptake across key lending categories. “Companies are…

08 Jul

Green investment talks set for Walvis Bay

Observer Money

Justicia Shipena Policymakers and energy leaders from six African countries will convene in Walvis Bay this week for the Namibia Parliamentary Green Investment Dialogue. The four-day regional event, running from Thursday through Sunday, will focus on mobilising climate finance for green energy development. The dialogue will bring together delegations from Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The event is hosted by the Climate Parliament and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), with support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). It marks the final leg in a series of regional dialogues held under the Parliamentarians for Climate Finance project,…

08 Jul

Green investment talks set for Walvis Bay

Observer Money

Justicia Shipena Policymakers and energy leaders from six African countries will convene in Walvis Bay this week for the Namibia Parliamentary Green Investment Dialogue. The four-day regional event, running from Thursday through Sunday, will focus on mobilising climate finance for green energy development. The dialogue will bring together delegations from Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The event is hosted by the Climate Parliament and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), with support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). It marks the final leg in a series of regional dialogues held under the Parliamentarians for Climate Finance project,…

08 Jul

Top NIPDB investment executive to exit end of July

Observer Money

Justicia Shipena The executive for investment at the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), François van Schalkwyk, will be stepping down from his position. The NIPDB announced on Tuesday that his last working day will be 31 July 2025. NIPDB senior manager for marketing, branding, and communications, Catherine Shipushu, said that after more than four years at the institution, Van Schalkwyk has decided to pursue other interests and relocate to the United Kingdom to spend more time with his young family. Van Schalkwyk joined the NIPDB as one of its first employees and played a key role in shaping…

08 Jul

AC Boxing Stable turns 10

Featured, Sports

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Boxing promoter Immanuel Moses, known as African Connection (AC), says he built the AC Boxing Stable from scratch without any assistance. He says he did it not for profit but to help children chase their dreams of becoming professional boxers. The AC Boxing Stable celebrates its ten-year anniversary this week. Despite reaching this milestone, Moses says he still struggles to secure long-term sponsorship and continues to run and fund the stable himself. “Ten years. No sponsors, just heart. For almost a decade, I’ve poured my own time, money, and energy into building something bigger than myself, a boxing…

08 Jul

NaCC rules Cheetah-Ohorongo deal a no-go

MainNaCC rules Cheetah-Ohorongo deal a no-go

Justicia Shipena The Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC) has blocked the proposed merger between Whale Rock Cement, trading as Cheetah Cement, and Schwenk Namibia, the parent company of Ohorongo Cement. The decision was announced on Friday, 4 July 2025, following an investigation into the acquisition filed on 17 February 2025. Whale Rock Cement had applied to acquire the entire issued share capital in Schwenk Namibia from Schwenk Zement International GmbH & Co. KG. Whale Rock Cement owns and operates a cement plant near Otjiwarongo and supplies the domestic market under the Cheetah Cement brand. Schwenk Namibia holds a controlling interest in…

08 Jul

Ombudsman asked to probe police conduct in Hengari case

National NewsMac-Albert Hengari, Simon Hanga.

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Office of the Ombudsman has been asked to investigate alleged misconduct by police officers in the criminal case involving former minister Mac-Albert Hengari and his co-accused Simon Hanga. In a sworn statement dated 2 July, Hanga claimed he was unlawfully arrested and detained after arriving in Namibia from Germany in April. He said police pressured him to falsely implicate Hengari in exchange for his release. Hanga submitted the complaint to Ombudsman Basilius Dyakugha and also sent copies to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the prosecutor general, and the inspector general of the Namibian Police. “I am being unlawfully…

08 Jul

NNN had the power to grant Amweelo a state funeral but did not – Mulongeni

National NewsMoses Amweelo

Justicia Shipena Political analyst Ben Mulongeni says the late Moses Amweelo, a former minister and liberation struggle veteran, deserved a state funeral. He questioned why President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah did not use her constitutional powers to grant him the honour. Amweelo died at the age of 73 in June at Lady Pohamba Private Hospital in Windhoek after battle with cancer. He was buried over the weekend, shortly after Cabinet announced a moratorium on official funerals until March 2026 to allow for a review of the criteria used to grant such honours. While Cabinet clarified that the President retains the constitutional power…

08 Jul

Legal missteps sink Kavango concession challenge

National NewsKavango concession

Justicia Shipena The Windhoek High Court has struck an urgent application by tourism operators in the Kavango region who tried to stop a government-approved safari lodge project. The court cited their inordinate delay in bringing the challenge as the reason for dismissal. High Court acting judge Gerson |Narib ruled on 3 July 2025 that the application, brought by Shamvura Camp CC and six other tourism lodges, lacked urgency. The applicants had attempted to interdict the implementation of a concession awarded by the minister of environment, forestry and tourism to Nyime Safari Lodges CC for the development of a lodge in…

08 Jul

Sankwasa blames Windhoek residents of delaying road upgrades

National News, UncategorisedJames Sankwasa

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa says some Windhoek residents are delaying road construction projects due to a lack of patriotism. Sankwasa made the remarks on Monday during the groundbreaking ceremony of Winnie Mandela Avenue in Windhoek. He said some individuals are refusing to relocate to allow construction to proceed, not because they have nowhere to go, but because they want to continue running businesses from their informal structures. In May, the Windhoek Observer reported that business owners along Peter Nanyemba Road, formerly Monte Christo Road, urged the City of Windhoek to revise parts of the ongoing…