Page 7 – News Stand

07 Aug

Visa on arrival: Namibia is not a colony, and it’s time we act like it

info_e12wt4csEditorial

If you’ve been on social media or read recent tourism sector commentary, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Namibia’s visa-on-arrival policy is the greatest blunder our government has committed in recent times. Loud voices from within the tourism industry, particularly white operators, have gone as far as predicting a collapse of the sector. “Tourists will run away,” they scream. “These people don’t know what they’re doing,” they mutter, publicly and privately, about government officials. Let’s be clear: this hysteria is misguided, exaggerated, and in some cases, drenched in barely concealed racial politics. What’s worse, it undermines an important principle, Namibia’s…

07 Aug

Resettled, but at what cost? The real stories behind Namibia’s failing resettlement farms

info_e12wt4csOpinions

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) The Etunda Farm Primary School is nearing completion and is about to be handed over to the government. The school is situated on a piece of land donated by the Founding President and Father of the Namibian Nation to cater for children of farm labourers and those marginalised communities in and around the vicinity of Otavi to attend school in line with his long-term call and passion for every Namibian child to attend school. In this regard, this article seeks to look at Namibia’s resettlement programme which, thirty-five years after…

07 Aug

How different is Russian, Chinese capital from Capitalism?

info_e12wt4csOpinions

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro Stumbling on a quote by the first Zambian vice president at independence in 1964, Yours Truly Ideologically could not but reflect deeply on it, especially its reference to the much-sought-after investment by Southern African countries, let alone Namibia. “If we don’t handle our independence very well, colonisers will come back in the form of investors.” Ex-Zambian Vice President Simon Kapwepwe is quoted as having once said. It looks like independence did not need to have gone wrong, the late Kapwepwe, for the colonisers to come back. If they ever left. But more than anything, independence opened the floodgates…

07 Aug

How genomic research and medicine can advance African public health

info_e12wt4csOpinions

Prof Lamech M. Mwapagha Africa faces a heavy disease burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Although the continent has generally succeeded over the last 20 years in decreasing the levels of a number of communicable diseases (e.g. cholera and polio), there are some (e.g. malaria and HIV/AIDS) whose prevalence remains quite high. This disease burden has been aggravated with the emergence of drug-resistant strains of various pathogens. Non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (e.g. heart attack and stroke), cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases are also on the rise in Africa, with the number of deaths from these projected…

07 Aug

When one job isn’t enough

info_e12wt4csOpinions

Ashante Manetti There was a time when having one job was enough. You’d go to work, earn your salary, and manage your responsibilities as best as you could. But for many Namibians today, that model simply doesn’t cut it anymore. The numbers say it plainly: nearly a third of working Namibians are juggling more than one income stream. Some have side hustles after hours. Others run small businesses alongside their nine-to-five. A growing number are freelance, rent out rooms, sell goods online, or tap into gig work just to make ends meet. This trend, often referred to as “poly-jobbing”, isn’t…

07 Aug

Namibia mourns with Ghana following tragic helicopter crash

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Justicia Shipena President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has extended her condolences to Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and the people of Ghana following a tragic military helicopter crash in the southern Ashanti Region on Wednesday. The crash claimed the lives of eight individuals, including defence minister Edward Omane Boamah and environment, science and technology minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, along with three Ghana armed forces crew members and other senior officials. In a statement released on Wednesday, Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed Namibia’s sympathy to the victims' families and the nation of Ghana. “On behalf of the government and people of the Republic of Namibia, and…

07 Aug

Petrofund sends graduates for subsea training in Malaysia

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Justicia Shipena Three Namibians will undergo specialised subsea operations training in Malaysia. The training is part of a partnership between the Petroleum Training and Education Fund (Petrofund) and oil and gas service company Subsea7. The trainees, Leonard Johannes, Erasmus Shikongo, and Rikardo Samuyumbe, are graduates of the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) with qualifications in power and mechanical engineering. On Thursday, Petrofund spokesperson Shoki Kandjimi announced that the candidates were selected for a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) Pilot Technician training programme at the Netherlands Maritime University College in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.The fully funded scholarship, valued at over N$870,000,…

07 Aug

Dunaiski tricked Mulunga into N$53m asset offer

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Hertta-Maria Amutenja Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) chief investigating officer Oberty Inambao told the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday that the former managing director of the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor), Immanuel Mulunga, was tricked into making a N$53 million offer to acquire fuel storage facilities. He said Namcor, through Mulunga, had made an offer to acquire storage facilities. However, this offer was never executed. “Mulunga represented Namcor, and he was misled on the 15th of July 2022. Those storage facilities have never been acquired by Namcor, even though the asset purchase agreement was signed on that day,” said Inambao during…

07 Aug

Debmarine to ask US for tariff exemption

info_e12wt4csNational News

Justicia Shipena Debmarine Namibia plans to request a blanket exemption from the US government on rough and polished diamonds. CEO Willy Mertens said the US does not produce diamonds and should not impose punitive tariffs on the industry. “We are going to try and seek a blanket exemption from the US government on both rough and polished diamonds,” he said. He was speaking on Wednesday at the 2025 Mining Expo and Conference in Windhoek. The event, which runs until today, features 198 exhibitors and 335 booths,the largest in its 12-year history. The conference is held under the theme, “Mining for…

07 Aug

AR to nominate teachers for November elections

info_e12wt4csNational News

Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Affirmative Repositioning (AR) Movement on Wednesday announced that it will contest the upcoming regional and local authority elections scheduled. AR spokesperson George Kambala said the movement will nominate community organisers, unionists, teachers, unemployed youth, and activists rather than career politicians. Namibians are set to vote in the Regional Council and Local Authority Elections on 26 November 2025, while a Special Voting Day for election officials and police officers will be held on 24 November 2025. “The movement will not be funded by tenderpreneurs or looters,” Kambala said, adding that AR will campaign with truth, integrity, and a…