Page 72 – Windhoek Observer

01 Jul

City Police HQ blaze under investigation

National News

Allexer Namundjembo The cause of a fire which occurred last week at the City Police headquarters in Windhoek remains unknown. The City of Windhoek stated that it is still investigating the incident that caused substantial damage to parts of the building. Emergency services responded quickly after on-duty officers noticed smoke coming from the ceiling of an upper-floor hall. City Police spokesperson superintendent Merceline Murapo confirmed the damage in response to questions from the Windhoek Observer. “I can confirm that the incident did result in substantial damage to parts of the building, as well as to various items within,” she said.…

01 Jul

UNESCO launches drive to quantify cultural contribution

National News

Niël Terblanché Members of the cultural community gathered at the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre on Tuesday for the launch of a project that promises to count the economic and social weight of the arts, heritage and creative industries. Opening the kick-off workshop, deputy minister of education, innovation, youth, sports, arts and culture Dino Ballotti said the UNESCO Culture 2030 Indicators will give policymakers a powerful tool to measure and articulate the contributions of culture, within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He said that although global research shows that cultural and creative sectors sustain millions of jobs, in Namibia, this sector…

01 Jul

‘China can help Namibia add value to natural resources’ – Kuugongelwa-Amadhila

National News

Justicia Shipena Speaker of the National Assembly Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila says China can support Namibia in adding value to its natural resources. She said this would benefit the country. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila made the remarks during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Namibia Zhao Weiping on Monday at Parliament. The meeting aimed to reaffirm the relationship between Namibia and China. “We could learn from their policies and the use of technology such as AI to strengthen our capacity and not only to reap the benefits but also to mitigate risks. China can also help to add value to our natural resources for our…

01 Jul

Microlenders dominate Namfisa’s list of non-compliant entities

Observer Money

Justicia Shipena Microlending institutions continue to top the list of non-compliant entities in the country’s non-banking financial sector, according to the Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (NAMFISA)'s latest quarterly report. The first quarter report for 2025 shows that 91.6% of all non-compliant institutions came from the microlending industry. Issues ranged from late submission of regulatory returns, failure to pay levies, and ignoring inspection findings. Out of 1,065 regulated entities, 107 were classified as Stage 5, meaning they were non-compliant. In contrast, 625 entities, or 58.7%, were fully compliant and fell under Stage 1 of NAMFISA’s supervision framework. Namfisa chief executive…

01 Jul

Rehoboth showcases town identity in bid for “Dorp van die Jaar”

National News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Rehoboth has been featured on the Kwela television programme as part of the “Dorp van die Jaar” (Town of the Year) segment, aired on DStv Channel 144 (kykNET & kie). The segment is part of a community effort to position the town as a cultural and tourism destination by highlighting its infrastructure, leadership, and local initiatives. The Rehoboth Town Council, working with the Junior Town Council, facilitated the visit by the Kwela production team. The crew toured key locations, including the Edenberry Strawberry Farm and the newly installed “I Love Rehoboth” sign near the town council offices. They…

01 Jul

Para athletes ready for Region 5 Games

Sports

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Special Olympics Namibia has announced the para-athletes who will represent the country at the upcoming African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Youth Games. This year marks the first time that para-athletes will officially be included in the Youth Games. The event will feature various sports codes and is expected to be a milestone for inclusion in regional youth sport. Special Olympics Namibia welcomed the move, saying it is a historic step toward equality in sport. “We’re thrilled to introduce our incredible athletes who will be representing Namibia at the 11th AUSC Region 5 Youth Games, hosted across…

01 Jul

Over 1 300 runners competed in Husab marathon

Sports

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Matias Simon won the men’s category of the 2025 Husab Mine Marathon, completing the 42.2 km Open category in 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 7 seconds. Alina Armas claimed the women’s title with a time of 3 hours, 3 minutes, and 22 seconds. The race took place over the weekend in the Namib Desert, located in the Erongo region. A total of 1,311 participants from across Namibia and beyond took part and completed their races across all four categories. The event featured distances of 5 km, 10 km, 21.1 km, and 42.2 km, offering options for different age…

01 Jul

Growing wealth through micro-investments

Opinions

Ivan Heigan For many first-time investors, especially those with a limited income, building wealth can seem so out of reach. Many believe it takes a lot of money to start investing, making it something only wealthy people can do. Micro-investing tears down the barriers that come with traditional investing and helps more and more people grow their money. Micro investing is an investment strategy where one invests a small amount of money, into stocks, funds, or other financial instruments. You can buy a fraction of a whole share of the company's stock instead of necessarily needing to buy a whole…

30 Jun

Namibia enters AfCFTA market with salt export

Main

Niël Terblanché For the first time since Namibia ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement, a locally produced consignment of salt left the port of Walvis Bay on Monday. The cargo symbolised the country’s entry into a single African market with approximately 1.4 billion consumers. The minister of international relations and trade, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, said the milestone represented the start of Namibia’s practical participation in intra-African trade under the AfCFTA framework. She linked the project to the vision of the Organisation of African Unity’s founders in 1963, saying their dream of economic emancipation began to materialise through Agenda…

30 Jun

Lack of data protection law shadows e-ID plan

National News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Internet Society Namibia Chapter (ISOC) has raised concerns about the country’s readiness to implement a national electronic identity card (e-ID) system without strong legal and infrastructure frameworks. The ministry of home affairs, immigration, safety and security plans to launch Namibia’s first e-ID by July 2026. The smart card, developed in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will contain biometric and demographic information. It is expected to enable secure, contactless identity verification across public and private sectors. The project follows a Cabinet decision in August 2023 to introduce chip-based identity cards as part of efforts to…