ONGWEDIVA – Oshana governor Hofni Iipinge has hailed the construction of a N$15 million oncology and medical imaging centre in Ongwediva as a major step towards decentralising healthcare in northern Namibia. Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony this week, Iipinge said the facility will serve more than 850,000 residents across the Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshikoto and Oshana...
Terrorism accused wants State lawyer
A Grootfontein resident facing a terrorism charge amongst a host of other charges has applied to be represented by a State lawyer. This was indicated on Tuesday by his current privately instructed lawyer, Wihan Brand, when Jona Hangula (34) made a third appearance in the Windhoek High Court for a scheduled pre-trial hearing. Brand told...
Govt allots N$75m for Farm 37 houses
WALVIS BAY – The government’s ambitious drive to address the national housing shortage has officially commenced in Walvis Bay, where the construction of 200 houses at Farm 37 is underway. The government has allocated N$75 million for the first phase, while the Walvis Bay council has budgeted another another N$6 million for the initiative. The...
Namibia’s reading crisis …7 in 10 children can’t read – Steenkamp
Lahja Nashuuta Namibia’s education system is under strain, with recent data showing that 70% of Grade 3 pupils struggle with basic reading and numeracy skills. This alarming revelation was confirmed by education minister Sanet Steenkamp, when she addressed Parliament recently. She described the situation as a “foundational literacy and numeracy emergency.” “This is not just...
Oil-rot: Bribes, beef and cronies
Iuze Mukube As the curtain fell on the ongoing Namcor corruption scandal case yesterday, details emerged pointing to a tale of how public resources were allegedly looted at an industrial scale by once-powerful individuals and their cronies. Playing out in court this week, arguments brought to light elements of close-knit ties and how beef was...
Opinion – Throwing out ministerial overreach with bathwater … Section 92 read in tandem with democracy, federalism, justice
At the centre of this debate lies Section 92 of the Local Authorities Act. This provision certainly grants the Minister of Urban and Rural Development the power to intervene when a local authority council fails to perform its statutory duties, for instance, where it cannot meet its financial obligations, mismanages assets or fails to hold...
opinion – The demise of mother tongue culture
The demise of mother tongue refers to the gradual decline or loss of native languages and cultural identities, traditions and knowledge systems tied to them. While many languages are endangered, others are being revitalised, as the latter keep on borrowing and creating new words to fit their environment. It requires intentional action from individuals, communities...
Opinion – Purpose of local, regional elections
As Namibia prepares for the upcoming local and regional authority elections, we are once again witnessing the unfortunate and misleading trend of national leaders dominating the local political stage – using State resources, government platforms and influence to campaign for their preferred candidates. This practice, though long criticised, has silently become normalised. It continues to...
Namibia, Tanzania fortify trade and investment opportunities
The country is actively working to finalise the Namibia Investment Promotion and Facilitation Bill as well as regulations that will form the foundation of Namibia’s investment landscape and provide incentives to attract investors. High Commissioner of Namibia to Tanzania Lebbius Tobias told New Era that both countries are members of the Southern African Development Community...
Swakop Uranium to add 1 000 jobs …eyes bigger role in Namibia’s nuclear energy future
Swakop Uranium this week revealed plans to create more than 1 000 jobs through new projects, including the construction of a desalination plant. Among Namibia’s biggest mining companies, as the operator of the Husab Uranium Mine, the company expressed readiness to support Namibia’s long-term dream of developing nuclear energy. The announcement came after President Netumbo...









