The Namibian
Robbers hit Namibian billionaire
NAMIBIAN billionaire Jacobus ‘Koos’ Brandt’s farm outside Grootfontein was broken into and ransacked by five suspected robbers last Sunday, one of whom was armed. Brandt (82) confirmed the break-in to The Namibian yesterday, saying the suspects took...
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FMD to take two years to eliminate Namibia to submit FMD-free zone bid by year end
NAMIBIA could take up to two years to eliminate foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) from a proposed containment zone, where authorities would work to prevent the disease from spreading to other parts of the country. This is according to the Livestock and...
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All the single men
Ages 18–39 • Men: 87.2% • Women: 80.3% Ages 40–54 • Men: 51.1% • Women: 51.3% Ages 55–64 • Men: 26.1% • Women: 34.5% Ages 65 and older • Men: 16.1% • Women: 24.2% ABOUT 87.2% of men aged 18 to 39 in Namibia had never been married at the...
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Mee Penny’s babies
WHILE some Namibians will remember Penehupifo Pohamba as the former first lady, others, like Matilde ‘Mboshono’ Kulo, will always remember her as the midwife who helped bring them into the world. The 44-year-old, who was born in Angola, says...
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Nurse of the nation
FORMER first lady Penehupifo Pohamba, who died on Saturday, will be remembered as a nurse and midwife who used her position to advocate for better maternal and child healthcare and a stronger response to HIV-AIDS. Affectionately known as ‘Mee...
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Youth fund projects ‘go missing’
LAWMAKERS are questioning how the National Youth Development Fund monitors funded projects, after a parliamentary committee has struggled to trace some beneficiaries. This comes amid concerns over loan repayments, monitoring and the use of public...
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‘I just want my child’ Family of slain Roswinds say they do not want justice, but rather their child back
THE family of one of the girls who were murdered at Okahandja early last year say they are grateful for the breakthrough in the investigation, but still have many unanswered questions. Roswinds Ernestu, an aunt of slain Roswinds Fabianu (7), says she...
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National student fund: Who repaid the N$20m?
FORMER students have repaid more than N$20.3 million to the Namibia Students Financial Assistant Fund (NSFAF), but by March 2025 the money had not been credited to their loan accounts because of a system change. In the 2024/25 financial year, former...
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MYSTERY
... Some 18 pigs died at a farm at Groot Aub in the Khomas region due to an unknown disease yesterday. The cause of the deaths is still being investigated.
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The working poor
WHEN Laina Kangayi (23) got a job in 2024, she thought she would be able to support herself and afford life’s basic necessities. Instead, she is still struggling to make ends meet, despite having a job. Kangayi is a cashier at a shop in Windhoek...
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‘There is Roadsrot’
■ Suspended acting RCC boss calls for commission of enquiry into corruption at RCC ■ Says he was called by a politician to make payments to fuel suppliers ■ Another executive says acting CEO called site managers asking if they had fuel THE acting...
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Bank chasing Malima’s N$2m luxury SUV
A BANK wants to seize a N$2-million Mercedes-benz that belongs to a company owned by Victor Malima, a fugitive businessman who is wanted for his role in the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia corruption scandal. Malima’s Eco Trading CC owes...
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Diesel-dependent industries feel the fuel price squeeze
THE government’s decision to freeze the price of diesel for October offers little relief to industries already struggling with higher fuel costs, driven by the Us-israel war on Iran. Industries, mines and energy minister Modestus Amutse announced last...
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What life looks like for most Namibians
THE WOW FACTOR ... According to an analysis by Cirrus Capital equity analyst Fimanekeni Mbodo, nearly 70% of adults have no insurance of any kind. More than 60% of adults earn under N$2 000 a month, and broad unemployment sits at 54.8%. “Almost 44% of...
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Haufiku questions Noa’s handling of 2016 ‘healthrot’ case
FORMER health minister Bernard Haufiku has questioned whether outgoing Anti-corruption Commission director general Paulus Noa protected a person implicated in alleged corruption at the Ministry of Health in the so-called ‘healthrot’ scandal. Haufiku...
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Married but single
MORE than 40 married people have discovered in the last three months that home affairs records still list them as single after the death of their spouses. Home affairs minister Lucia Iipumbu says the cases prompted home affairs to urge married couples...
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The Namibian appoints Ester Mbathera as editor
YEARS of living and working near the Rosh Pinah Zinc mine have left families grappling with lead exposure and serious health concerns, with one father saying his toddler was found with a blood lead level of 17.8 micrograms per 100ml of blood. The...
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Totalenergies hints at final oil decision in October
TOTALENERGIES chief executive Patrick Pouyanné has hinted that the company could make its final decision on whether to pump N$279 billion into a Namibian oil block in October, calling the decision “a matter of weeks”. The international oil company...
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FMD tests love
WEDDINGS do not have to be celebrated without meat. Against the backdrop of the current footand-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in Namibia, containment regulations permit families to slaughter livestock where the animals are kept, but moving them from...
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Chief justice pays tribute to predecessor Strydom
NAMIBIA’S third chief justice, Johan Strydom, was “a selfless and dedicated leader who served the judiciary and our country with distinction”, chief justice Peter Shivute has said in a statement issued by the Office of the Judiciary. The statement was...
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Tel: (061) 279600; PO Box 20783, Windhoek; email: [email protected]; website: www.namibian.com.na
THE Ministry of Health and Social Services paid over N$8 million in fixed overtime to 40 staff members who were on full-time study leave, including one medical doctor who collected full benefits while on unauthorised leave. This was detailed in the...
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N$122m fence under fire
EXPERTS are questioning the Central Procurement Board of Namibia’s cancellation of a competitive tender to award a N$122-million fence project using emergency procurement. Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah says the decision could expose the board to...
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LAID TO REST
... The casket carrying Norway’s late King Harald V was yesterday taken to the royal mausoleum in the crypt at Akershus Castle after a state funeral at the Cathedral in Oslo, Norway. Harald, who died on 28 August at the age of 89, was to be laid to...
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No Smoking!
THE Ministry of Health and Social Services has proposed a set of laws that will further limit space for smokers in public places. The new laws will prohibit smoking in “indoor public places, workplaces and public” and will extend to outdoor...
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Govt pulls brake on driving schools
THE Ministry of Works and Transport has unveiled 13 proposed requirements to tighten the regulation of driving schools, including compulsory formal training, testing and certification for instructors before they can teach learner drivers. The proposed...
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DEADLY ACCIDENT ...
Three people died in the Zambezi region after the vehicle they were travelling in crashed head-on with a truck on the Trans-Zambezi Highway on Saturday. Zambezi regional police commander commissioner Julia Sakuwa-Neo says the accident took place in the...
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‘Over our dead bodies’
■ Swapo deputy SG opposes removing speaker ■ Ouster requires united opposition plus 4 Swapo votes SWAPO says National Assembly speaker Saara Kuugongelwa-amadhila would be removed “over our dead bodies”. Swapo deputy secretary general Uahekua Herunga...
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NAUKLUFT TRAIL ASSESSMENT
... The Ministry of Environment and Tourism has completed an eight-day, 120-kilometre inspection hike of the Naukluft hiking trail to assess conditions and ensure the safety of tourists and local hikers.
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Govt wants no alcohol on National Prayer Day
VICE president Lucia Witbooi has urged Namibians, including alcohol outlets and gambling houses, to take a break and join a National Prayer Day on 12 September. The prayer day, which will take place across all 14 regions, will focus on behavioural...
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Beukes steps down as editor
JOHNATHAN Beukes has stepped down as editor of The Namibian with immediate effect. The Namibian thanks Beukes for his service and wishes him well in his future endeavours. We also thank you, our readers and advertisers, for your continued support of...
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US health data deal violates privacy – Govt Ministry says US Govt withdrew controversial clause
THE government has rejected a United States health data and specimen-sharing proposal, citing sovereignty and privacy concerns while seeking alternative funding for HIV programmes. Government officials last week told The Namibian the country’s...
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‘Critical moment’
The American government wants biomedical data of all patients that are being treated for HIV-AIDS and TB to measure the impact of their funding, Namibia says no. THE Namibian government and the United States (US) are racing against time to finalise...
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TEEN HERO
... President Netumbo Nandi-ndaitwah confers the status of hero on Cornelius Shimuaafeni (16) during Namibia’s 60th Heroes Day commemoration in Windhoek yesterday. Shimuaafeni saved ninemonth-old twins from a pond in the Omusati region in May.
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‘Beaten, wounded and abandoned’
AUGUST is a painful reminder for Lubango dungeon survivors, who say the month reminds them of the notorious killings and torture of Swapo Party members accused of being spies of the South African colonial regime during the liberation struggle. Lubango...
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BACK ON HOME SOIL
… Minister of education, innovation, youth, sport, arts and culture Sanet Steenkamp consoles a relative of one of the people whose remains arrived from South Africa on Friday. The government welcomed home the remains of Robben Island political...
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Contaminated jet fuel diverts flights to Angola
PASSENGER flights to Europe will have to stop in Luanda to refuel, after a consignment of contaminated fuel has led to jet fuel shortages in the country. The first disrupted route was Discover Airlines’ flight from Windhoek to Frankfurt on Wednesday...
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Govt urged to ditch Kavango water link project
THE Namibian Chamber of Environment (NCE) has urged the government to abandon plans to draw water from the Kavango River to supplement water supplies to Windhoek and central areas. The chamber warned that the river is already exploited by unmonitored...
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Child marriage robs Kavango
THE Kavango West education directorate has recorded four child marriage cases over the past two years. The latest occurred this year when a mother allegedly tried to take a girl out of school to marry her off to an older man. Education director...
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New pension plan to stretch pockets
BUSINESSES and workers face potential financial pressure over proposed compulsory contributions under a planned national pension fund amid ongoing consultations over final rates. Employers are warning that compulsory contributions could squeeze...
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Angola’s ‘penge ondola’ children
ON the cold and windy evening of 16 June, about 10 Angolans huddle around a fire in Windhoek’s Okuryangava settlement, waiting for a pot of rice to cook. It’s been a long day. They’ve been on the streets – begging – since six that morning. The fire...
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Schlabitz offers assets after N$250m loss
TROUBLED financial adviser Hanjo Schlabitz has offered to sell his house and shares to repay investors who have lost N$250 million after his business collapsed. These details come from a creditors’ meeting held by liquidator Wiam Schickerling at the...
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President opposes phosphate
PRESIDENT Netumbo Nandi-ndaitwah is reportedly less than pleased with the environment commissioner’s decision to give Namibian Marine Phosphate clearance to start mining for fertilisers in the Atlantic Ocean. The Namibian understands the president...
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Fishing body threatens to challenge marine phosphate mining permit
THE Confederation of Namibian Fishing Associations (CNFA) has threatened to challenge the validity of Namibian Marine Phosphate’s environmental clearance, citing unanswered information requests. Lawyer Sisa Namandje, representing the federation, wrote...
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Katti’s clearance reignites phosphate row
NAMIBIAN businessman Knowledge Katti’s Namibia Marine Phosphate has received the greenlight for its controversial Sandpiper marine phosphate mining project, with political parties and conservationists raising concerns over the decision. The...
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Ministers bossing CEOS
BUSINESSMAN Leake Hangala says Namibia’s new Cabinet ministers are young, brilliant and well-educated, but they often remind board chairpersons or parastatal leaders who is in charge. Hangala, who chairs the Namibia University of Science and...
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Entrépo faces uncertain future
MICROLENDER Entrépo, which had a payroll deduction arrangement for civil servants, is weighing its future after the government ended the deductions on which its business mainly depended. This comes as a result of a decision the Ministry of Finance...
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Retail workers ‘robbed’ of N$1.5m by employers
WHOLESALE and retail businesses owed workers more than N$1.5 million between April and June this year. The Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations told The Namibian yesterday that it recovered N$1.5 million during the three-month period linked to 1...
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Breastfeeding at work
DEPUTY health and social services minister Suzan Ndjaleka has called on employers in both the public and private sectors to introduce breastfeeding-friendly workplace policies, saying mothers should never have to choose between their careers and their...
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N$381m Windhoek road falls apart before handover
SECTIONS of Windhoek’s newly constructed N$381million Eneas Peter Nanyemba Road have begun to deteriorate before the project has been handed over to the City of Windhoek. The 6.1-kilometre dual carriageway road upgrade stretches from the western...
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Man accused of murdering girlfriend awaits trial dates
THE legal representation of a Windhoek resident accused of murdering his girlfriend by stabbing her 18 times with a knife will have to be confirmed before dates can be set for his trial. Murder accused Dencel Kapitako’s current defence lawyer, Rennie...
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‘Lead us not into municipal land’ More landless farmers want livestock kept in towns
Get your bumper edition of copy of our in FARMER Markus Aoxamub (58) says if the Gobabis municipality does not want him to keep his goats and donkeys in town, the government needs to give him a piece of land to farm. “I am willing to leave town,...
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Lawyer faces criminal case after death threat
He has not been arrested yet, because of pending evidential documents from the doctor, which should be presented by the complainant. A WINDHOEK-BASED lawyer and politician is facing criminal charges after allegedly assaulting and threatening to kill...
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Calls for MPS to work more hours
CIVIL society and some members of parliament (MPS) have called for the National Assembly to extend its sitting hours to properly discuss and pass laws. Parliament passed only the budget bill in 2025. Currently, the National Assembly sessions run from...
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‘Everything’s going up except salaries’ Unions to negotiate better pay
Get your copy of our bumper ‘Mining Magazine’ in Thursday’s edition of The Namibian. NEWS THOMAS Shilunga*, a finance clerk at an investment company, says the rising cost of living is making it hard to make ends meet – even for those with...
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Bid for oil and gas supply base at Lüderitz rejected
THE Namibian Ports Authority has rejected a proposal by a Ghanaian businessman and his Namibian partners to develop a N$4-billion oil and gas supply base at the Port of Lüderitz. The project was intended to support Namibia’s emerging offshore oil and...
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CONDOLENCES ...
President Netumbo Nandi-ndaitwah yesterday visited the family of the late Toini Hausiku, the widow of former deputy prime minister Marco Hausiku, to offer her condolences following Hausiku’s death on Sunday at the age of 73 after a prolonged illness....
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Windhoek is ‘boring’, tourists say
NEWS BUSINESS HOSPITALITY Association of Namibia (HAN) chief executive Gitta Paetzold says a number of tourists find Windhoek boring, saying the city does not have much to offer in terms of attractions. She was commenting on urban tourism within...
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PG targets property of fugitive Fishrot lawyer
ACTING prosecutor general Martha Imalwa has obtained a Prevention of Organised Crime Act property restraint order in respect of assets of fugitive lawyer Marén de Klerk valued at up to N$75.3 million. Imalwa is targeting assets valued at up to N$75.3...
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The Love Scam Empire
IN JUNE 2023, a young Namibian man spent two weeks in Windhoek learning how to pretend to be a rich woman so he could scam men over the age of 50 on the internet. The man, which the state has identified as Kambonde Nashitope, was recruited by a close...
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Stuck in traffic
ROAD users in Windhoek have voiced frustration over worsening traffic congestion, with many reporting that they spend hours on the road during peak periods, making it difficult to reach their destinations on time. Elisenheim resident Charmaine Nel...
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Church gives homeless a second chance
A WINDHOEK church is providing shelter, warm meals and hope to people experiencing homelessness this winter, with some residents describing it as a chance to rebuild their lives. Pastor Kenneth Linnon at Khomasdal Baptist Church in Khomasdal told The...
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Couple jailed on N$9.9m fraud, theft charges
A MARRIED couple who admitted guilt on more than 1 700 charges of fraud and theft involving a total amount of N$9.98 million were sent to prison for effective periods of 14 years and nine years, respectively, in the Windhoek High Court...
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2 600 nursing graduates fail exam to practise
MORE than 2 600 nursing and midwifery graduates have failed the national exam to practise in Namibia since last year, adding to widespread concerns about the quality of nursing training in the country. The figures, which the Health Professions...
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Pensioners’ millions gone
AT LEAST N$250 million belonging to Namibian pensioners and families has been lost after a Windhoek financial advisory firm risked their savings on foreign investments. After losing money overseas, Wealth Management Solutions (WMS) owner Hanjo...
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MOUNTING THE MOUND ...
An elephant sits atop a termite mound in the Ongava Game Reserve near the southern border of Etosha National Park. Elephants are known to break apart and consume mounds to ingest the nutrient-dense, mineral-rich clay.
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Zim court recognises SME Bank liquidation
THE High Court of Zimbabwe has recognised the liquidation of the Small and Medium Enterprises Bank in Namibia in a step that paves the way for the bank’s liquidators to recover the bank’s assets that may be in Zimbabwe. The news outlet New Zimbabwe on...
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