Doctors challenge health minister's claim on medicine stock improvement
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·Windhoek Observer
… iggest burdens on her administration. “If there is one of the things that gives me sleepless nights, in all sincerity, it is when I’m hearing no medicines in our hospitals,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said during her visit to the FabuPharm pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Otjiwarongo …
… Garab also referred to recent fatal crashes, including the 29 April head-on collision between Arandis and Swakopmund that killed eight people and the 1 May crash between Otjiwarongo and Okahandja that claimed ten lives. …
… f the victims who died in the accident. “This is to support the bereaved families in this traumatic time,” //Howoseb said.The three victims were among 11 people killed in a fatal crash involving a truck and a hospital patient bus on 1 May, about 30 kilometres south of Otjiwarongo …
… Masuku recounted that the GIPF launched an investigation in August 2022, after its Otjiwarongo office received a complaint from one of its beneficiaries, who informed the fund her children had not received payments from the fund that were due to them for the 2019 school year and …
… Religious leaders of the region were also called to attend the prayer session at the scene, which was situated about 30 kilometres south of Otjiwarongo on the Otjiwarongo-Okahandja B1 road. …
… The Okondjatu incident, together with two other recent police shooting cases in Otjiwarongo and Walvis Bay, has renewed public debate around the use of force by police officers and whether the public can trust internal police investigations. …
… NamPol also acknowledged two separate police shooting incidents reported on 11 May 2026 at the Outjo Taxi Rank in Otjiwarongo and on 14 May 2026 along Nataniel Maxuilili Street in Kuisebmond. …
For Namibian artist Anne Lacheiner-Kuhn, art begins with memories of growing up on a farm outside Otjiwarongo in the 1980s, where isolation and creativity went hand in hand.“Farm life taught me how to solve problems and work with what you have,” she says. …
An unidentified person died in a road accident at Otuvingo village near Okakarara in the early hours of Saturday when a Nissan NP200 lost control, left the road and collided with a tree, with the victim's remains burnt beyond recognition. The remains have been taken to Otjiwarongo police mortuary and are expected to be transferred to Windhoek for forensic examination.
An unidentified person died in a road accident at Otuvingo village near Okakarara in the early hours of Saturday when a Nissan NP200 lost control, left the road and collided with a tree, with the victim's remains burnt beyond recognition. The remains have been taken to Otjiwarongo police mortuary and are expected to be transferred to Windhoek for forensic examination.
A toddler died after a boundary wall collapsed in Otjiwarongo's Ombili settlement on Friday, allegedly struck by a reversing vehicle whose spare wheel hooked a metal gate. A six-year-old boy was also injured and remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition; a culpable homicide case has been opened.
Doctors at Otjiwarongo State Hospital are severely overworked due to a staffing shortage that has left only eight medical practitioners doing the work of 40. The shortage forces doctors to juggle multiple departments simultaneously, with patients often waiting hours for treatment.
Residents of Otjiwarongo staged a demonstration over the municipality's alleged delays in writing off pensioners' accumulated debt, claiming some eligible pensioners were excluded from a government initiative and accusing councillors of favouritism. The demonstrators demanded a response by 8 September and called on the ministry to extend an 31 August deadline.
An editorial argues that while Namibia's upgraded highways efficiently move traffic between destinations, they may unintentionally harm towns along the routes by redirecting economic opportunity away from them. The piece uses Okahandja's experience with the upgraded Windhoek–Okahandja route to illustrate how bypasses can negatively impact local economies despite improving journey times.
Carbonsate, a startup that removes biomass and buries it underground to reduce atmospheric carbon, is working with Namibian farmers to tackle bush encroachment through terrestrial biomass storage. The company recently announced a 50,000 tonne carbon removal agreement with Senken to sell carbon credits generated from the project.
The Capricorn Foundation is expanding its Be Your Own Boss programme to three additional towns, providing entrepreneurship coaching and business development support to 32 vocational graduates, following a successful pilot phase launched in Swakopmund in May 2026.
A National Council committee investigating Namibia's road-crash crisis found that shortages of traffic officers, weak enforcement, dangerous roads, and delayed emergency response are driving fatalities beyond reckless driving alone. Between January 19 and August 19, 1,905 crashes resulted in 3,592 casualties and 304 deaths across regions.
The Namibian Police arrested five suspects over the weekend on allegations of livestock theft in Nkurenkuru, Gochas and Otjiwarongo. Seven donkeys valued at N$8,400 and two sheep valued at N$3,200 were stolen in separate incidents; most of the animals were slaughtered and meat or remains recovered.
Police arrested five suspects — one female and four males — over the weekend in Windhoek, Keetmanshoop, Otjiwarongo and Walvis Bay on attempted murder charges. Three of four victims are in hospital in critical condition; incidents include a security guard's negligent rubber-bullet discharge in Walvis Bay, a knife stabbing in Windhoek, and a domestic violence attack in Keetmanshoop.
Several people died in separate road accidents across Namibia, including six in a head-on collision between Onethindi and Oshigambo on Friday evening. Police recorded multiple arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless or negligent driving.
South African rugby legend Joggie Jansen, 78, died after suffering a suspected heart attack during a church service in Otjiwarongo on Sunday. Jansen represented South Africa in 10 Test matches between 1970 and 1972 and was renowned for his defensive abilities, including a famous tackle against New Zealand that became part of Springbok folklore.
Works and Transport Minister Veikko Nekundi has proposed that every driving instructor in Namibia be tested on driving competence, teaching ability, defensive driving knowledge, and psychometric assessment before being allowed to continue teaching, regardless of years of experience.
US Ambassador John Giordano, following a three-day field mission in Namibia, urged stronger law-enforcement focus on transnational criminal networks behind rhino poaching, arguing efforts must extend beyond arresting poachers to identifying traffickers, following money flows, and disrupting overseas markets.
The Teachers Union of Namibia has raised concerns that tribal favouritism in promotions has resulted in unequal representation in senior teaching positions in some regions. A National Council standing committee acknowledged the concerns but cautioned that such claims should be supported by statistics, and stressed the need to balance inclusivity and diversity with merit and good performance.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah announced the completion of a 12-year process to bring liberation struggle heroes home, with the remains of six reinterred at Heroes' Acre on Monday and symbolic graves established for two others whose remains remain missing.
The Hai||om San Royal House has petitioned the government to relocate its people to resettlement farms acquired in the Otavi, Otjiwarongo and Etosha Pan areas, citing loss of ancestral land near Otavi after 1904 and seeking recognition of their former chief's grave as a national heritage site.
Namibian police recorded several driving-under-the-influence cases and a serious road crash in Otjiwarongo, where a Mercedes-Benz and Toyota Hilux collided head-on on the B1 road, injuring both drivers. Multiple motorists were arrested in Rehoboth, Stampriet, Kalkrand and Otjiwarongo for alleged drunk driving.
A 29-year-old woman was arrested in Otjiwarongo after allegedly striking her 32-year-old boyfriend on the head with a stone during a domestic violence incident. The victim sustained serious internal injuries and lost consciousness and was transferred to Windhoek for treatment; the suspect faces attempted murder charges under the Combating of Domestic Violence Act.
The U.S. Ambassador to Namibia reaffirmed U.S. support for Namibia's efforts to combat wildlife trafficking, highlighting the country's Environmental Crimes Court in Otjiwarongo as crucial in tackling transnational organised crime. Since its inauguration in August 2024, the court has heard 50 wildlife crime cases, resulting in 47 convictions.
A truck carrying Exo Vodka Energy Mix crashed and caught fire near Otavi, and residents who collected and drank the recovered cans became sick and sought treatment at Otavi Health Centre. A fight broke out among intoxicated patients at the clinic, leaving one man injured.
Eventing teams from Namibia and South Africa will compete in the annual Africa Shield Competition at Otjiwarongo this weekend, featuring dressage, cross-country, and show jumping disciplines. The competition, which was introduced over a decade ago, aims to give regional eventers the chance to compete against each other and prepare for higher-level competitions.
Protasius Kuvirua (35) was found guilty in the High Court of murdering his girlfriend Auguste Jonas (28) with a knife at her flat in Otjiwarongo on 19 March 2023. He was also convicted of assault by threat after chasing another man while wielding a knife; Jonas died from a stab wound to the heart and had thirteen stab injuries recorded during post-mortem examination.
Firefighters at the Otjiwarongo Crocodile Farm tackled a blaze that reached a thatched roof on Monday, working around large crocodiles that had to be herded to safety because they are sensitive to smoke. Neither the reptiles nor the firefighters were injured, and the fire was prevented from spreading to the restaurant and accommodation facilities on the property.
The ministry of works and transport will conduct nationwide stakeholder consultations from August 2026 to March 2027 on proposed regulations for driving schools and instructors aimed at improving driver training quality and road safety. The framework will address instructor certification and competence, standardised training, consumer protection, and requirements for training vehicles and facilities.
High Court Judge Marelize Du Plessis has found Prostasius Kuvirua guilty of the murder of his girlfriend Auguste Jonas, whom he stabbed multiple times with a knife in March 2023 at Otjiwarongo's Telecom location. Kuvirua was also found guilty of assault by threat, but acquitted of malicious damage to property and obstructing or defeating the course of justice.
The Kunene Regional Council's 2026/27 budget has remained frozen since March due to a legal dispute over the reinstatement of chief regional officer George Kamseb, leaving the council unable to pay utilities and halting operational and capital projects. The council is only managing to pay staff salaries through a monthly arrangement involving two finance officials travelling to Windhoek, and is awaiting the Supreme Court's pronouncement on the matter.
Joseph Ndatipo, known locally as 'Tate Fish', begins his day at 02h00 preparing fried fish and vetkoek in Otjiwarongo. After leaving home and experiencing hardship, he has built a business selling his food in the streets and at the hospital entrance.
FNB Namibia has expanded its local banking network in Khorixas from two merchants in 2017 to seven CashPlus agents and seven Cashback merchants, allowing residents to withdraw cash, make deposits, and access eWallet services at retailers including Shoprite, Choppies, Caltex, and NamCor without traveling to Outjo or Otjiwarongo.