Swapo will hold its 66th anniversary celebrations this Sunday while respecting a court order allowing ex-combatants to continue their months-long protest at the party's head office in Windhoek. The group has been camping since October, demanding accountability over funds they claim were allocated for repatriated refugees before independence.
Why it matters
Swapo's 66th anniversary celebration highlights ongoing tensions within the ruling party, as war veterans maintain a court-protected protest at party headquarters over unresolved accountability issues from the struggle for independence. The court ruling protecting the ex-combatants' encampment signals public scrutiny of how the party addresses grievances from those who fought for the nation's freedom.
Swapo will hold its 66th anniversary celebrations this Sunday while respecting a court order allowing ex-combatants to continue their months-long protest at the party's head office in Windhoek. The group has been camping since October, demanding accountability over funds they claim were allocated for repatriated refugees before independence.
Swapo's application to evict former freedom fighters camping at its headquarters since October was struck off the High Court roll. The move has triggered internal party divisions, with former secretary general Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana questioning whether the legal action was authorised by the central committee, while deputy secretary general Uahekua Herunga says the politburo made the decision.
The Windhoek High Court has struck Swapo's urgent application to evict a group of people camping at the party's national headquarters since October last year off the court roll, with the judge finding it did not meet the requirements for an urgent hearing. The group, led by Matheus Nangolo, are demanding clarification about funds allegedly provided by the United Nations for the repatriation of Namibian exiles in 1989.
Windhoek High Court Judge Gabriel Komboni dismissed Swapo's urgent application to evict war veterans camping at its headquarters, ruling the application lacked urgency. The veterans, who have occupied the site since October 2025, are demanding payment of benefits from the 1989 liberation struggle that they say remains unresolved.
Rossmund Golf Course was sold for N$41 million at a judicial auction, with businessman Bokkie Thorburn as the winning bidder. The sale followed a default judgment obtained by the Development Bank of Namibia against the golf course operator for N$19.9 million plus interest.
Swapo has filed an urgent application in the Windhoek High Court to evict about 50 people who have been camping at the party's national headquarters since October 2024, demanding clarity on alleged UN funds for repatriated exiled Namibians in 1989. The hearing is scheduled for 27 March after the court gave respondents time to obtain legal representation.
The Windhoek High Court rejected an urgent application by Rossmund Golf Course CC to stop a judicial auction of the course near Swakopmund, with Judge Gabriel Komboni ruling the applicants had not met the requirements for urgent hearing. The 53.6-hectare golf course was set to be auctioned on Wednesday following a default judgment for N$19.9 million owed to the Development Bank of Namibia.
The Judicial Service Commission says it has appointed three judges from southern African countries to Namibia's High Court on fixed-term contracts to address a shortage of civil judges caused by retirements and the reluctance of senior legal practitioners to accept permanent positions. The commission states the measure is temporary while it develops domestic solutions, including a training programme for aspirant judges.
The Office of the Judiciary has appointed five judges to the High Court, including three from other southern African countries on temporary contracts to address capacity constraints in the civil stream. The appointments are part of a temporary measure while longer-term domestic solutions are pursued.
The Office of the Judiciary appointed judges from Zimbabwe and Botswana to Namibia's High Court, effective March 2025, as part of efforts to address critical shortages in the judiciary. Esi Schimming-Chase was sworn in as Namibia's first permanent female Supreme Court judge, and Chief Justice Peter Shivute noted that women now constitute the majority of the High Court bench.