The Namibian
Zambezi ‘food basket’ with rice from Korea
ALICE Sishango stares down into the pot of rice she’s cooking on the fire. “I’ve just put on this rice, and now it’s turned into pap. What rice has the government given us? We don’t know this rice,” she says. The rice is part of a 5 000-tonne...
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Health cancels N$45m orders
THE Ministry of Health and Social Services has cancelled pharmaceutical and clinical product orders worth N$44.8 million after suppliers allegedly failed to deliver medicines to the Central Medical Stores (CMS). The orders, which were extended to 12...
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Culture, apartheid blamed for men’s silent suffering
TRADITIONAL leaders and social commentators say cultural norms, historical injustices and societal expectations have contributed to many men remaining silent about abuse and emotional distress. These remarks come in the wake of a recent case in which...
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Speed humps defeat ‘purpose of highway’
ROAD transport experts have criticised the installation of speed humps on major highways around Windhoek, warning that the measure could increase accidents and congestion rather than improve road safety. The Roads Authority, in collaboration with the...
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NNN names relative as AG legal adviser
PRESIDENT Netumbo Nandi-ndaitwah has appointed a relative of hers, retired chief legal adviser Chris Nghaamwa, as an adviser to attorney general Festus Mbandeka. Presidential spokesperson Jonas Mbambo yesterday confirmed the appointment, saying...
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‘Baby Blue’ sells properties worth N$200 million
A PROPERTY development company owned by politically connected businessman Josef Andreas is selling 264 plots valued at N$200 million across the country, after years of concerns about his influence at Grootfontein and about speculative land...
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Nasan fuel stations run dry
AT LEAST four service stations supplied by Nasan Energies have run dry over the past few days. Fuel and Franchise Association chairperson Michael Ludeke says he is aware of at least three association members whose stations have run dry. The Namibian...
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NNN directs intelligence to screen health staff
PRESIDENT Netumbo Nandi-ndaitwah has ordered the Namibia Central Intelligence Service to run background checks on about 360 health ministry officials following allegations of fraud and corruption. The officials are mostly from the Ministry of Health...
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Hamutenya denies oil capture
BUSINESSMAN Mathews Hamutenya says he has no political connection to State House and has nothing to do with the recent government decision to award international oil trader Vitol the sole right to supply fuel to Namibia. Hamutenya, whose son Miguel...
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Nasan ‘forces’ clients into prepaid contracts
NASAN Energies will require upfront payments for fuel from the 52 service stations it bought from Vivo Energy, fuelling speculation that the company does not have the cash flow to afford normal operations. This is according to some of the 52 service...
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NNN picks booze fest over genocide event
PRESIDENT Netumbo Nandindaitwah’s absence from yesterday’s national Genocide Remembrance Day events has drawn sharp criticism from political and community leaders despite her active public schedule. The main event yesterday took place at Shark Island...
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State, businesses face utility cutoffs
GOVERNMENT offices, institutions and businesses that owe local authorities will have their water and electricity cut if they do not settle their debt by 5 June. The directive is contained in a circular dated 21 May, seen by The Namibian, that forms...
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Minister flags N$179m August 26 quote
AGRICULTURE minister Inge Zaamwani has questioned a N$179 million quotation from August 26 Construction for a border fence project, citing cost concerns and procurement issues amid efforts to curb foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Zaamwani is understood...
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LAYING OF WREATHS...
President Netumbo Nandi-ndaitwah laid wreaths at the Outapi People’s Liberation Army of Namibia fighters’ mass grave site as the country commemorated Cassinga Day yesterday.
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BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS
... An International Workers’ Day rally in 1988 being addressed by former National Union of Namibian Workers secretary of finance and administration Anton Lubowski, together with former Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union secretary Simon Mbako and...
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Baby dumped in pit latrine
A WOMAN (37) was arrested after allegedly dumping a newborn boy in a pit latrine at Okafitu ka Kahala village at Outapi on Sunday. Omusati police commander commissioner Ismael Basson says the incident took place at around 10h00. “The suspect, who is...
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FOR SALE
... Eight bull and heifer breeds will go under the hammer at the Namibia Genetics Auction at the Agra Bank Windhoek Ring in Windhoek at 18h00 today. A Hereford calf moves in for a scratch during a recent photo shoot.
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RECOGNISED
... Kaptein Jacky Britz of the Rehoboth Baster community was officially designated as leader of the Baster Gemeente Traditional Authority at Rehoboth on Friday by the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development. Urban and rural development deputy minister...
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Tribal jobs under scrutiny
MINISTER of works and transport Veikko Nekundi’s order to investigate alleged tribal bias in recruitment at the Roads Authority has reignited the issue of hiring practices across state-owned enterprises and government offices. Nekundi, who ordered the...
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Seven accused in crypto scam case escape
WARRANTS for the arrest of seven people charged with operating an international online fraud scheme from Namibia were issued yesterday, after the accused failed to appear in the Windhoek High Court for a pretrial hearing. State advocate Basson...
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Ministry pulls plug on N$194 million medical stores tender
THE Ministry of Health and Social Services has asked the Central Procurement Board of Namibia to cancel a N$194-million tender to build new central medical stores in Windhoek. The tender’s cancellation comes amid allegations of political interference...
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ACC connects healthrot dots
ANTI-CORRUPTION Commission (ACC) director general Paulus Noa says the Ministry of Health and Social Services is facing multiple ongoing investigations linked to alleged fraudulent activities. In an interview with The Namibian yesterday, Noa confirmed...
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Kunene floods swallow gardens, risk health
FLOODING along the Kunene River has destroyed crops across several Epupa villages and cut off clean water supply to Otjimuhaka Primary School, leaving hundreds of pupils vulnerable. Epupa constituency councillor Kuuoko Tjimutambo yesterday said:...
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Attempt to evict Swapo office campers fails
AN URGENT application in which Swapo tried to obtain a court order for the eviction of a group of people who set up a tented camp at the party’s national headquarters in October last year has failed in the Windhoek High Court. The party’s urgent...
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NTB boss gets N$1.5m car
THE Namibia Tourism Board has bought a N$1.5-million luxury vehicle for its chief executive, Sebulon Chicalu, despite internal warnings regarding overspending and potential financial instability. The board is said to be fighting a financial crisis...
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Banks ‘wash hands’ of fraud
NAMIBIAN commercial banks have no policies in place to refund clients’ money once they are defrauded. This is despite the Bank of Namibia recently revealing that Namibians lose over N$6 million to fraudsters every month. The central bank says...
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NNN’S deputy appointments ‘bloating wage bill’
SOME political analysts have questioned president Netumbo Nandi-ndaitwah’s appointment of deputy ministers in some ministries, arguing it may increase government costs and duplicate existing administrative roles. They say the U-turn by Nandindaitwah...
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UNDER WATER
... The Roads Authority (RA) over the weekend announced that eight roads in the ||Kharas region have been temporarily closed due to heavy rainfall and flooding. The RA says the closures are necessary to ensure the safety of all road users, who have...
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Govt hospital’s ‘elite wing’ raises eyebrows
THE establishment of a separate unit for senior government officials at Windhoek Central Hospital has drawn criticism from the opposition, with some saying it undermines equal public healthcare and borders on discrimination. This follows president...
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President’s 500 000 jobs explanation questioned Critics say registration and job creation differ
PRESIDENT Netumbo Nandi-ndaitwah’s clarification that the government will not directly create 500 000 jobs by 2030 has drawn criticism from opposition leaders and labour experts over unmet targets. Speaking during her state of the nation address in...
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RCC wants N$500m DBN loan for stadiums
THE Roads Contractor Company (RCC) has requested an additional N$500 million loan from the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) to construct sport stadiums in 14 regions. This request comes as the state-owned company, which was on the verge of bankruptcy...
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AND THE WINNERS ARE ...
Erongo players celebrate after beating Kunene 2–1 in extra time to win the football tournament at the Nedbank Namibian Newspaper Cup at Keetmanshoop yesterday.
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Similo’s NBC stint extended
DESPITE announcing veteran journalist Menesia Muinjo (59) as the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation’s (NBC) new director general, the institution’s board has extended the employment contract of its former director general, Stanley Similo (62), for a...
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Chaos at the pumps
LONG queues formed around service stations across the country yesterday as motorists tried to fill up their cars before major fuel price increases come into force today. Some service stations in Windhoek and Walvis Bay stopped selling fuel during...
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Govt battling to ‘net’ overseas Fishrot assets
GOVERNMENT-APPOINTED curators are facing significant legal and institutional hurdles while attempting to seize and manage domestic and foreign assets linked to the Fishrot fraud and corruption scandal. The curators are also frustrated by local banks’...
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Govt’s N$500m fuel cushion ‘unsustainable’
THE government’s plan to subsidise fuel in April is unsustainable. This is what economists say following the government’s latest fuel price announcement. Minister of industries, mines and energy Modestus Amutse announced on Friday that the government...
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Namibia imports 50% of fish from SA
NAMIBIA imported fish worth almost N$140 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), driven by declining quotas allocated to fishing companies in the sector. This is a 40% increase in imports over the same...
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Three new HIV cases per day
NAMIBIAN non-governmental organisations (NGOS) warn that HIV infections are rising, with three new cases reported daily, following the withdrawal of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) over a year ago. USAID stopped funding...
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Promised hospitals remain a distant dream
THE government has yet to build or upgrade at least five district or intermediate hospitals it promised at Ondangwa, Nkurenkuru, Otjiwarongo, Gobabis and Windhoek – in one case, 19 years ago. The hospitals are incomplete, stalled or have not yet...
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Swapo rejects Russian cash claims
SWAPO deputy secretary general Uahekua Herunga has rejected allegations that the ruling party requested Russian intelligence operatives for a N$3-million donation for its 2024 election campaign. The same operatives were also reportedly involved in...
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Doctors among suspects in N$1.9m Sanlam fraud
TWO doctors, along with several nurses, teachers, intern doctors and health ministry officials, are among those implicated in a N$1.9 million fake medical insurance claim from Sanlam between 2020 and 2024. Twelve of the accused, including two medical...
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Zambezi schools, clinics under water
FLOODS in the Zambezi region continue to wreak havoc, with some schools, clinics, and villages accessible by boat only. Zambezi governor Dorothy Kabulasimushi says the floods pose a threat to communities, with those in the Kabbe South and Kabbe North...
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‘Privatising Water’
POLITICAL leaders have blasted the government’s decision to hand a foreign company a 70% controlling stake in a coastal desalination plant, leaving the state with a minority 30% in a N$3-billion project. For years, Namibia’s only main desalination...
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Govt flip-flops on N$194 million medical store
THE Global Fund is in talks with the Namibian government over its N$194 million donation that was meant to build a new central medical store but the Ministry of Health and Social Services has since redirected the money to lease the Ramatex Rhino...
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Mother of killed girl (5) thought she was in good care
THE mother of a girl (5) who allegedly died in the care of her father at Ongwediva after being abused and beaten, says she wants the man to rot in jail. Maceline Cloete (21) is still struggling to come to terms with the death of her firstborn child,...
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Teachers told to stop ‘side hustles’
OMUSATI region education director Paulus Kashimbi has ordered teachers in the region to cease all incomegenerating activities outside of their full-time job with immediate effect. Kashimbi says the education directorate in the region has noted with...
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Meatco: Liebenberg faces 26 charges
FORMER Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) acting chief executive Patrick Liebenberg is facing 26 disciplinary charges, including allegations that he misappropriated more than N$5.5 million. He is also accused of fraud, forgery and sabotage linked to...
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Roadworthy test delays
THOUSANDS of motorists at Swakopmund are allegedly facing delays of up to a month to secure roadworthy testing appointments at the National Traffic Information System (Natis) centre. An employee at the Swakopmund centre, speaking on condition of...
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Ithete unpaid for four months, turns to loans
FORMER deputy prime minister Natangwe Ithete has reportedly not received his parliamentary salary for four months due to administrative delays following his dismissal from the Cabinet. Ithete, who also served as minister of mines and energy from March...
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RCC gets N$140m sport facility deal
THE government has hand-picked the financially troubled Roads Contractor Company (RCC) to oversee a N$140-million project to build basic sport facilities across all 14 regions. Each of the 14 regions will receive N$10 million for two facilities – 28...
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‘It’s a horrible feeling’
AN unspecified number of Namibians are stranded at Dubai International Airport following the closure of the airspace as escalating conflict between Iran, the United States (US), and Israel raises safety and economic concerns. A well placed senior...
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Namibia to feel heat as Iran blocks oil
NAMIBIA faces potential fuel price hikes and supply disruptions following the reported closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to escalating conflict in the Middle East. The strait, positioned between Oman and Iran, is a critical port linking major Gulf...
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Nekundi defends president’s son’s company
TRANSPORT minister Veikko Nekundi has warned Namport bosses not to take business away from a company co-owned by president Netumbo Nandindaitwah’s son. Ministry of Works and Transport sources say the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) has complained...
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Mansions for presidents on chopping block
STATE House is currently reviewing the law that grants perks to former presidents, such as state-funded mansions, amid speculation that president Netumbo Nandindaitwah wants to end the practice. People familiar with her thinking say the president...
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‘It’s a blatant lie’
PRESIDENT Netumbo Nandindaitwah’s two sons say the claim by Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) leader Panduleni Itula that they are involved in the oil industry is a blatant lie. Itula yesterday publicly linked Nandi-ndaitwah’s sons to the oil...
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5% pay rise for civil servants
THE government has approved a 5% salary increase for civil servants for the 2026/27 financial year – and a further 5% for 2027/28. This is according to a leaked document outlining salary adjustments. The document also indicates there will be no...
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Govt bigwigs to swallow public health pill first
SENIOR government officials will transition to public healthcare facilities on 1 April, following a presidential directive aimed at reforming Namibia’s healthcare system. President Netumbo Nandindaitwah in 2025 directed that public servants under the...
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All presidents’ mansions
THE government paid N$38 million for former president Nangolo Mbumba’s luxury retirement home in Windhoek. The transaction is part of N$152 million that the state has spent on former presidents’ residences over the past decade. Mbumba served as...
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Fitty’s N$4.5 million house falling apart
A N$4.5 MILLION Windhoek house, owned by Fishrot accused Tamson ‘Fitty’ Hatuikulipi, in the upmarket Ausblick neighbourhood is falling apart. Hatuikulipi, who has a property portfolio of around N$40 million across the country, was arrested in November...
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Battle for 53 service stations
NASAN Energies has denied claims of a relationship with Vivo Energy after competitors opposing the merger alleged it would create a monopoly rather than eliminate one. Nasan agreed to acquire 53 Engen and Shell-branded service stations from Vivo...
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