Sunday, 6 September 2026

Namibia’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026

Sunday, 6 September 2026

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Namibian press · Person

Hannelie Prinsloo

Also known as: deputy judge president Hannelie Prinsloo · Judge Prinsloo · Deputy Judge-President Justice Hannelie Prinsloo · Justice Hannelie Prinsloo · acting judge of appeal Hannelie Prinsloo

Deputy judge president who presides over High Court cases involving constitutional challenges and criminal matters.

2026-01-222026-09-06

What’s been said

Key points drawn from coverage. Tap a point to see the original sentence.

July 2026
22 JulInformanté
Judge Hannelie Prinsloo deferred judgment on in-camera application in terrorism case
Source
“HIGH Court judge Hannelie Prinsloo has deferred providing a judgment on an in-camera application by the State, which sought to have a closed-door court hearing on the trial of Jona Hangula, a 32-year-old Namibian accused of working with terrorist organisations ISIS and Boko Haram, with the aim of allegedly overthrowing the Namibian government to create a new nation-state.”
High Court judge defers secret trial application in terrorism case
16 JulThe Namibian
Deputy judge president Hannelie Prinsloo is presiding over the council's claim hearing
Source
“The hearing of the council's claim started before deputy judge president Hannelie Prinsloo on Tuesday.”
Hearing of city’s N$24.5m water pollution claim starts
9 JulThe Namibian
High Court deputy judge president Hannelie Prinsloo set aside Bank of Namibia's forfeiture decision
Source
“The Bank of Namibia appealed to the Supreme Court after High Court deputy judge president Hannelie Prinsloo reviewed and set aside a decision of the Bank of Namibia (BoN) to forfeit retired general François Olenga's funds in an account with Nedbank Namibia.”
Central bank wins N$40m appeal against DRC general
March 2026
19 MarNew Era
High Court Judge Hannelie Prinsloo postponed the matter to 22 April 2026 for State response and further to 28 April 2026
Source
“On Wednesday, Prinsloo postponed the matter to 22 April 2026 for the State to respond to the application to consolidate charges and the matter was further set down for 28 April 2026 for the conclusion of the pre-trial conference and the setting of trial dates.”
Amushelelo, Cloete seek 360 charges joinder
February 2026
4 FebNew Era
Deputy Judge President Hannelie Prinsloo granted the application and directed the finance minister not to interfere with PDMS deductions
Source
“Deputy Judge President Hannelie Prinsloo granted the application and directed the finance minister not to interfere in the loading of new deductions on the government's payroll system and not to issue instructions that no new deductions may be loaded onto the system.”
Entrepo takes payroll fight to Apex Court
3 FebThe Namibian
Deputy judge president Hannelie Prinsloo stated in judgement she found nothing compelling to justify declaring section unconstitutional
Source
“"I find nothing compelling in the case of the applicant to justify a finding that section 10 of the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act of 1971 must be declared unconstitutional," deputy judge president Hannelie Prinsloo stated in a judgement delivered on Friday.”
High Court rejects bid to declare cannabis possession law unconstitutional
January 2026
22 JanInformanté
Deputy Judge President Hannelie Prinsloo postponed the matter to 18 February 2026
Source
“Deputy Judge President Hannelie Prinsloo postponed the matter to 18 February 2026 to allow the defence attorneys to file a response to the State's pre-trial memorandum.”
Transgender murder trial moves to High Court

Business

Supreme Court changes severance pay calculation for Air Namibia employees

The News

The Supreme Court ruled that former Air Namibia employees' remuneration for severance purposes includes only basic salaries and housing and transport allowances, reversing a High Court decision that had also included pension contributions, medical aid and social security. The liquidators must recalculate amounts owed for leave, bonuses, severance and notice period pay based on this narrower definition.

4 September 2026 · The Namibian →

Friday 4 September

Supreme Court changes severance pay calculation for Air Namibia employees
The Supreme Court ruled that former Air Namibia employees' remuneration for severance purposes includes only basic salaries and housing and transport allowances, reversing a High Court decision that had also included pension contributions, medical aid and social security. The liquidators must recalculate amounts owed for leave, bonuses, severance and notice period pay based on this narrower definition.
4 September 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 3 September

Lady justice Tommasi sworn in as acting Oshakati High Court judge
Lady justice Marlene Tommasi has been sworn in as an acting judge of the High Court's northern local division at Oshakati, effective 1 September through 31 December.
3 September 2026 · The Namibian →

Wednesday 2 September

Justice Tommasi sworn in as High Court acting judge
Lady Justice Marlene Antoinette Tommasi was formally sworn in as an acting judge of the High Court on 1 September 2026, effective until 31 December 2026. She will serve at the High Court's Northern Local Division in Oshakati.
2 September 2026 · Windhoek Observer →

Friday 28 August

High Court finds Amushelelo in contempt of court for breaching order
The Windhoek High Court has found social activist Michael Amushelelo in contempt of court after he was sued by former Namibian Police Inspector General Joseph Shikongo for violating a court order prohibiting defamatory remarks about Shikongo on social media. Amushelelo faces a one-month suspended imprisonment sentence.
28 August 2026 · Informanté →

Sunday 23 August

Terrorism case translation quoted at N$462,000
A company has quoted N$462,000 to translate evidence from Arabic into English for a terrorism and high treason case involving accused Jona Hangula in the High Court, with the Namibian Police responsible for the cost and a procurement process required before the work can begin.
23 August 2026 · The Namibian →

Friday 21 August

High Court postpones Shoprite's N$16m Ongwediva franchise dispute
Shoprite Namibia is pursuing more than N$16 million from Amarula Investment CC and related parties over unpaid financial obligations tied to an OK Foods franchise in Ongwediva. The High Court postponed the case to 10 September 2026 pending an interlocutory ruling.
21 August 2026 · Windhoek Observer →

Thursday 20 August

NamPol to pay N$500,000 for Arabic translations in terrorism case
The Namibian Police Force's Procurement Unit has been ordered to pay N$500,000 for translation of Arabic documents in the High Court terrorism case involving Jona Hangula, after a lack of available court-admitted Arabic translators prompted the procurement of private translation services.
20 August 2026 · Informanté →

Tuesday 18 August

Amupanda withdraws court bid for ECN nomination records
Job Amupanda, leader of the Affirmative Repositioning movement, has withdrawn his court application seeking disclosure of documents related to the nomination of the Electoral Commission of Namibia's Chairperson and Commissioners by the President. Amupanda had argued that Parliament could not meaningfully assess the nominees without access to records of the selection process, including interview minutes and candidate scoresheets.
18 August 2026 · Informanté →

Monday 10 August

Gobabis municipality faces N$1.8m sewerage project claim
Gobabis municipality is facing a claim of nearly N$1.8 million from Bethlehem Builders over an eight-year-old sewerage project. The High Court hearing was postponed to 12 August 2026 after the municipality's legal representative failed to appear.
10 August 2026 · Windhoek Observer →

Sunday 2 August

Murder trial awaits confirmation of new legal representation
A Windhoek man accused of murdering his girlfriend by stabbing her 18 times with a knife cannot have trial dates set until his legal representation is confirmed; his current defence lawyer is returning his instructions to the Directorate of Legal Aid after leaving his law firm.
2 August 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 23 July

Two men plead guilty to murdering transgender woman Windhoek
Two young men accused of brutally murdering a transgender person in Windhoek intend to plead guilty to murder and related charges, though they will deny counts of rape. The victim, Christof Frederik, was stabbed 61 times in May 2024.
23 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Defence seeks English translations of Arabic evidence in terrorism case
Jona Hangula's defence lawyer has requested the state provide English translations of Arabic evidence in a pending High Court terrorism case. Hangula, 33, faces 19 charges including high treason, terrorism, and funding terrorist activities, and is the first person charged under Namibia's Prevention and Combating of Terrorist and Proliferation Activities Act of 2014.
23 July 2026 · The Namibian →

Wednesday 22 July

High Court defers in-camera ruling in terrorism trial case
High Court judge Hannelie Prinsloo has deferred a judgment on the State's application for a closed-door hearing in the trial of Jona Hangula, a 32-year-old accused of working with ISIS and Boko Haram to allegedly overthrow the Namibian government. The in-camera application will be decided by the trial judge once assigned to the case; the matter was postponed to 20 August 2026 pending translation of Arabic-language evidence documents.
22 July 2026 · Informanté →

Thursday 16 July

Windhoek sues Namibia Dairies for N$24.5m water pollution damages
The Municipal Council of Windhoek is suing Namibia Dairies for N$24.5 million over a February 2019 heavy fuel oil spill at the company's factory that contaminated the city's Gammams Water Care Works and caused damage to water treatment processes. The hearing before the Windhoek High Court began on Tuesday, with Namibia Dairies opposing the council's claim.
16 July 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 9 July

Bank of Namibia wins Supreme Court appeal on DRC general's funds
The Bank of Namibia won a Supreme Court appeal upholding its decision to forfeit more than N$40 million in a Nedbank Namibia account belonging to retired Democratic Republic of Congo general François Olenga to the state, reversing a High Court decision from June last year that had set aside the forfeiture.
9 July 2026 · The Namibian →

Tuesday 7 April

Supreme Court upholds asset seizure in Fishrot corruption case
Namibia's Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by three Fishrot accused—former attorney general Sacky Shanghala, James Hatuikulipi, and Pius Mwatelulo—challenging the prosecutor general's use of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act to seize their assets. The court upheld the High Court's restraint order covering bank funds, properties, vehicles, and luxury goods, finding that the prosecutor general may rely on Anti-Corruption Commission evidence rather than police investigations alone.
7 April 2026 · The Namibian →

Friday 3 April

Fishrot accused lose Supreme Court appeal on asset restraint
Three accused in the Fishrot fraud case—former attorney general Sacky Shanghala, James Hatuikulipi, and Pius Mwatelulo—lost their Supreme Court appeal against an assets restraint order imposed under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. The court upheld the High Court's 2023 confirmation of the restraint, which freezes assets including bank funds, property, vehicles, and luxury goods belonging to six of the accused, and ordered the three appellants to pay the prosecutor general's legal costs.
3 April 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 19 March

Amushelelo and Cloete seek consolidation of 360 fraud charges
Social activist Michael Amushelelo and business partner Gregory Cloete have asked the High Court to consolidate 360 fraud and money laundering charges against them, claiming several counts are duplications. The two face allegations of defrauding investors through an investment scheme known as Project One Million between 2018 and 2019.
19 March 2026 · New Era →

Thursday 19 February

Accused claims lack of disclosure halts trial proceedings
Theodor Shipanga told the court that his trial is ongoing without proper charges or full disclosure, stating he has not received the docket, charge sheet, post-mortem report, witness statements, or the full police investigation file. The State disputed his claim of non-disclosure, and the case was postponed to 18 March 2026 pending assignment of a trial judge.
19 February 2026 · New Era →

Wednesday 4 February

Entrepo appeals High Court payroll deductions ruling to Supreme Court
Microlender Entrepo Finance is seeking leave to appeal to the Supreme Court after the High Court dismissed its application for contempt of court against Finance Minister Ericah Shafudah over her alleged non-compliance with a court order requiring the continued operation of the Payroll Deductions Management System.
4 February 2026 · New Era →

Tuesday 3 February

High Court rejects challenge to cannabis possession law
The Windhoek High Court rejected an attempt to declare section 10 of the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act unconstitutional, dismissing arguments that the provision infringed on the right to be presumed innocent. Deputy judge president Hannelie Prinsloo found the law justified and noted the applicant's own admissions of intent to deal in cannabis had established his guilt.
3 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 22 January

Murder trial of trans woman moves to High Court
Two men accused of murdering trans woman Christoph Frederick, whose mutilated body was found in a Windhoek riverbed in May 2024, appeared in the High Court today. The case has been postponed to February 2026, with LGBTQ+ activists calling for stronger legal protections for transgender people.
22 January 2026 · Informanté →