Namibia

Africa’s quiet emergency: rising suicide rates meet a shrinking safety net When Namibia’s Vice President Netumbo Nandi‑Ndaitwah told Parliament this year that 542 people had died by suicide between 2023 and 2024, she broke a painful public silence. Her warning — that Namibia now has the highest suicide rate in Africa — landed alongside a stark global tally from the World Health Organization: more than 720,000 people die by suicide each year, and suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death for 15- to 29‑year‑olds, most…

Tragedy on the Roads: Namibia Faces Heartbreak After Collision On a quiet afternoon in Namibia, a devastating tragedy unfolded near Mariental, a town located 270 kilometers south of Windhoek. A head-on collision between vehicles belonging to the country's security services has taken the lives of 16 individuals, including 14 officers and two civilians, leaving a nation in mourning. The Aftermath of the Collision As news of the accident spread, the ripple effects were felt far beyond Mariental's immediate borders. President…

Wicknell Chivayo, a well-known and often divisive figure in Zimbabwe’s business landscape, has firmly rejected any suggestions of his involvement in a contract for supplying ballot papers to the Namibian Electoral Commission (NEC). Chivayo expressed his dismay, deeming the claims linking him to this contract both unfounded and alarming. A report by the Daily Maverick pointed to Chivayo's connections with Ren-Form, the firm awarded the task of designing, printing, and packaging ballot papers for Namibia's upcoming…

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has opted not to pursue charges against President Cyril Ramaphosa or anyone involved in the Phala Phala affair, which originated from a criminal complaint lodged by former intelligence official Arthur Fraser back in 2022. Known colloquially as "Farmgate," the controversy erupted when Fraser accused Ramaphosa of covering up the theft of $4 million after a burglary at the president's Phala Phala game farm. The president firmly rejected these allegations, asserting that the funds taken…

Namibia is taking decisive action to manage its wildlife amid a severe drought by planning to cull a total of 723 wild animals. Among those slated for removal are 83 elephants. This initiative aims to provide much-needed meat to local communities struggling with the effects of the prolonged drought. The cull will unfold in both national parks and communal lands, particularly in regions where wildlife populations are deemed to surpass the available grazing areas and dwindling water resources. As the drought continues to…

"Against a global downward trend since the beginning of May, the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated in Africa for the fifth week in a row. Africa Pointabove all. The trajectory of Covid cases in Africa is "very, very worrying", the WHO estimated on Friday, with the spread of more infectious variants and a dangerously low level of vaccination. According to data collected by the WHO, there were 116,500 new infections in Africa…

Since the announcement of an agreement on the recognition of the genocide in Namibia by Germany, criticism has increased in Namibia, focusing on the fact that the text does not prescribe compensation without development aid. The head of German diplomacy reacted on Wednesday in parliament. as reported from Berlin, Pascal…

Berlin has admitted for the first time, on Friday 28 May, that it committed a "genocide" in Namibia against the Herero and Nama peoples during the colonial period between 1884 and 1915. The Germans differ from other former colonizing countries, unwilling to admit their mistakes and sometimes their crime. This announcement is the result of long negotiations between the two states.…

Germany acknowledged for the first time on Friday that it committed genocide during the colonization of Namibia and promised more than one billion euros for projects in the African country. German colonial settlers killed tens of thousands of indigenous Herero and Nama peoples during the massacres of 1904-1908 - marked the first genocide of the 20th century by historians - poisoning relations between Namibia and Germany for several years. While Berlin had previously acknowledged that atrocities had…

Germany acknowledged for the first time on Friday that it had committed genocide during the colonization of Namibia and promised more than one billion euros ($ 1.2 billion) for projects in the African country. German colonial settlers killed tens of thousands of indigenous Herero and Nama peoples during the massacres of 1904-1908 - which historians called the first genocide of the 20th century - poisoned relations between Namibia and Germany for several years. While Berlin had previously acknowledged…