Category: General

Swapo Party vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has defended her candidacy as the ruling party’s presidential nominee in the presidential elections later next year.

Nandi-Ndaitwah told party members at a rally in Windhoek on Saturday that she was duly elected by the party congress last year along with the Swapo president, secretary general, deputy secretary general, and members of the central committee.

However, she singled out some party members in the Khomas Region for refusing to accept her nomination as the presidential candidate of the party, stressing that the party membership across the country has ‘fully embraced and appreciated’ the outcome of the seventh Swapo ordinary congress.

‘Sadly, as we have learned, Khomas does not want, in totality. I am not saying all; there are still some leaders who are living in denial. There is a total denial among comrades, and I am saying this not because I came out as a winner, but because I know how the Swapo Party operates and I respect all the party rules, r
egulations, and, more importantly, the party constitution,’ Nandi-Ndaitwah said to the approval of over 1 000 supporters who attended the rally at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.

‘Those who think differently are anti-constitution. They are undermining our party, and we should not give them an opportunity to do that at all. We are law-abiding members of our party, and we want everything to be done per our constitution and our rules.’

Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is also the deputy prime minister and minister of international relations and cooperation, was elected Swapo vice president during the party’s ordinary congress in November 2022. As per the party’s constitution, this put her in line as the ruling party’s presidential candidate for the 2024 presidential elections. She contested the position against two other senior party cadres, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and Pohamba Shifeta, the minister of environment and tourism.

However, it appears that not all members of the ruling party have embraced Nandi-Ndaitw
ah’s candidacy, as there have been calls from within the party for an extraordinary congress to nominate the party’s presidential candidate.

This was shot down by Swapo Secretary General Sophia Shaningwa, who in her remarks said the extraordinary congress can only be held if either the president, vice president, secretary general, or deputy secretary resigns.

‘President Hage Geingob is not prepared to damage his image as a leader of the Swapo Party and leader of this country. And he said this in writing to my office as an administrator of the party, saying that he would be there. Not extraordinary; let it go,’ she said.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has cautioned Namibian Registered Game Dealers to guard against importing live White rhinoceros from South Africa (SA) to re-export to countries outside their natural distribution range.

This according to the Ministry’s Spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda has become a concerning trend to the Ministry which might disadvantage Namibian farmers or game dealers in case they want to export white rhinoceros of Namibian origin.

Muyunda in a press statement on Sunday said: ‘South Africa has stricter domestic measures in place that do not allow the export of some wildlife species. Namibian private farmers, especially registered Game Dealers are cautioned not to engage in such transactions as they will not be supported within the provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

We will not allow Namibia to be used to circumvent the South African Laws,’ Muyunda said, while noting the Ministry values and respects its r
elationship with the said registered game dealers and would like to maintain such.

‘Furthermore, we are committed to upholding the rule of law hence we cannot engage in activities that undermine either our domestic laws or those of other countries. In the long run, this would be detrimental to our conservation as it may lead to international trade suspensions for Namibia due to non-compliance with the provisions of the CITES Convention,’ Muyunda said.

Two male residents of Okahandja aged 26 and 19 years were reportedly shot and wounded after a security guard on duty opened fire on them during a fight at Okahandja’s Nau-Aib township.

Namibian Police Force (NamPol) head of community affairs in the Otjozondjupa Region, Inspector Maureen Mbeha on Sunday told Nampa that the two victims were transferred to the Katutura Intermediate Hospital in critical condition.

The 30-year-old suspect was arrested at about 20h30 on the same Saturday night on two counts of attempted murder, said Mbeha.

‘It is alleged that a quarrel erupted between the victims and the guard at a bar, and resulted in a physical fight which reportedly prompted the guard to shoot both victims in the abdomen, with a revolver,’ said the police officer.

The victims were treated by a team of medical personnel on the scene and transported by ambulances from there to Okahandja State Hospital and later to the Katutura Intermediate Hospital in the capital.

The suspect is expected to make his first co
urt appearance in the Okahandja Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Police investigations continue.

The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) in the Oshana Region are requesting the public’s assistance in tracing a suspect, Immanuel Ndaoya known as Cabana, who escaped from the Onandjokwe Hospital at Ondangwa, in the early hours of Sunday.

NamPol Community Affairs Inspector Thomas Aiyambo on Sunday said Ndaoya is wanted in an alleged housebreaking case at Ondangwa with CR97.

The suspect was seriously injured by corrugated iron sheets during the housebreaking incident at Omwandi on Saturday, where they cut the roof to gain entry into the shop, he said.

‘He was then arrested at Onandjokwe where he went for medical treatment and was admitted. However, he escaped in the early hours of Sunday from the hospital.’

Aiyambo indicated that the suspect is a habitual criminal in housebreakings and is suspected to be in the areas of Onesheko, Oniipa, Onambambi, Onethindi, Okaku village and Ondangwa town.

He said the public should avoid capturing the suspect, as he might be dangerous and instead contact the Ondangwa police
station.

Meanwhile, a 29-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly robbed a 43-year-old man of two cellphones valued at N.dollars 9000, at Oshakati on Friday.

Aiyambo said the suspect reportedly fled the scene and drove to Okahao Hospital to be treated for a stab wound inflicted on him by a co-suspect while trying to rob the items from the victim.

‘The suspect allegedly sustained a stab wound on the right arm and was taken to Okahao Hospital by his co-criminals who thereafter went hiding so that the police could not connect him to the robbery case,’ he said.

He is currently under police guard pending his discharge from the hospital.

Police investigations in both matters continue.

An adult man succumbed to the three stab wounds which were inflicted on him by an unknown attacker at Okahandja, on Friday evening.

The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) head of community affairs in the Otjozondjupa Region, Inspector Maureen Mbeha on Sunday said, the incident occurred in 2nd Street, in town and the deceased was identified on Saturday by his close relatives as Amon Mutsitani Naseb, age unknown.

According to Mbeha preliminary police investigations indicate that Naseb was allegedly attacked with a knife in 2nd Street where he was staying, while on his way home at about 18h30.

‘Three visible deep stab wounds were seen on his right upper chest, behind the left ear, and on his right lower arm,’ said the police officer.

It is suspected Naseb was walking alone and was found lying on the ground dead on that Friday evening, she said.

No arrest has been made in connection with the matter so far, and police investigations continue.

The Tjikuirire Stephanus Royal House on Saturday coronated Aaron Stephanus as the new Chief of the Orlam Vaalgras Traditional Authority (OVTA).

Stephanus becomes the fifth successor following the death of Chief Joel Stephanus who died in 2021 due to COVID-19 complications and served as chief of the OVTA for 46 years.

In his acceptance speech, Stephanus called for unity among the Vaalgras community, saying the community has enjoyed peace, unity and tranquillity for the past 115 years and the community should build on that.

‘One of my and my council’s objectives is to unite the divided traditional community and lead them into the unity of prosperity and success. I pledge to work together with everybody in the jurisdiction of the Vaalgras traditional authority and I thus call on everybody to work together with the authority entrusted with this noble responsibility,’ he said.

The traditional authority, he said is open for developmental opportunities with all government ministries, agencies and offices to ben
efit the rural impoverished neglected communities as his noble responsibility is set to specific targets, aims and objectives within specific timeframes.

‘This will revitalise the traditional community from the situation in which we find ourselves in terms of socio-economic development and the government projects and programmes. We must always strive to share the little that we have to distribute the wealth equally and equity to bring everybody economically on par,’ he said.

Stephanus added that the Orlams clan were described as a very progressive and prosperous clan which compels the OVTA to reclaim and restore human dignity and respect among all the other traditional communities.

Ovaherero Paramount Chief, Hoze Riruako on the sideline of the event, also joined the new chief in calling for unity among the community of Vaalgras for them to find a common purpose that is beneficial to the whole community.

‘You have seen that all almost every ethnic group in Namibia there is disunity. Now coming to the peopl
e I was appointed to lead, I want to reduce the level of hostility, anger and threats among these groups because people are misrepresenting one another and my idea is to try to work with every group for them to look for the common purpose that is beneficial to all,’ he said.

He added that disunity among communities can be retained through the youth citing that if one cultivates the idea of unity in them through the changing of their mindset that will help in breaching the disunity.

A delegation from the Ovaherero traditional authority as well as health deputy minister and National Unity Democratic Organisation president, Utjiua Muinjangue witnessed the coronation that that took place at farm Willemsput.