University of the Free State

2025-08-092026-10-06

What’s been said

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

March 2026
8 MarThe Namibian
University of the Free State clarified that study did not claim short-term use causes specific health conditions
Source
“The University of the Free State has issued clarification about the intent of its research following the widespread attention the study received. The institution states that the study did not claim that short-term use of menstrual products causes specific health conditions.”
Sanitary pads are safe despite chemical study concerns – SA Govt reassures women

World & Region

UN adopts resolution to correct distorted African map projections

The News

The UN General Assembly adopted a "Correct the Map" resolution on 4 September with 164 votes, aiming to address centuries-old map distortions that have made Africa appear much smaller than its actual size—the African continent is 14 times larger than Greenland, which the Mercator projection falsely portrayed as similar in size. The resolution promotes the "Equal Earth projection" cartography developed in 2018 as a correction to the colonial-era Mercator projection, with the United States being the only UN member to vote against it.

22 September 2026 · The Namibian →

Tuesday 22 September

UN adopts resolution to correct distorted African map projections
The UN General Assembly adopted a "Correct the Map" resolution on 4 September with 164 votes, aiming to address centuries-old map distortions that have made Africa appear much smaller than its actual size—the African continent is 14 times larger than Greenland, which the Mercator projection falsely portrayed as similar in size. The resolution promotes the "Equal Earth projection" cartography developed in 2018 as a correction to the colonial-era Mercator projection, with the United States being the only UN member to vote against it.
22 September 2026 · The Namibian →

Saturday 25 April

Bank of Namibia announces senior leadership promotions and appointments
The Bank of Namibia has announced several senior leadership changes, including the appointment of Moudi Hangula as director of legal, governance, risk and compliance, Anthea Angermund as director of financial markets, and Helvi Fillipus as economic adviser to the governor. The central bank said the changes reflect a forward-looking approach to building institutional resilience and serving Namibia's evolving economic landscape.
25 April 2026 · The Namibian →

Friday 20 March

Namibia at 36: Liberation promises betrayed, inequality persists
An analysis marking Namibia's 36 years of independence contrasts the jubilation of 1990 with present-day inequality and governance failures, arguing that the liberation movement's slogans of "Solidarity, Freedom, Justice" have been compromised by elite self-enrichment and a persistence of class-based oppression under continued Swapo rule.
20 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Friday 13 March

Former netball star Liezel Garbers reflects on career
Liezel Garbers, a former TransNamib Netball Club and Namibian national team goal-attack, recalled her international netball career, including representing Namibia at the 1995 Netball World Cup in Birmingham where she was the team's top scorer. Now coaching at Windhoek Gymnasium for 17 years and organising the Capricorn Schools Netball Super League, Garbers has raised four daughters and advises young players to use their God-given talent to the best of their ability.
13 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Sunday 8 March

South Africa reassures on sanitary pad safety amid chemical study concerns
Following a University of the Free State study that detected endocrine-disrupting chemicals in menstrual products, the South African government and health experts have reassured women and girls that sanitary pads remain safe, noting that detected chemical concentrations are well below permissible limits and that the study did not establish a causal link between the products and health conditions.
8 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 5 March

Mosiuoa Lekota's legacy beyond apartheid struggle honored
The Namibian's analysis of Mosiuoa Lekota, who died on Wednesday, argues that his role in forming the Congress of the People in 2008 was equally vital to his anti-apartheid activism. By breaking the ANC's political dominance, Cope's 1.3 million votes prevented Zuma's government from securing a two-thirds majority, shifted South African politics from racial to policy-based competition, and inspired the formation of other parties including the EFF and ActionSA, fundamentally changing the country's democratic trajectory.
5 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Sunday 15 February

Germany backtracks on colonial accountability as new government sidelines Namibia
Germany's commitment to reckon with its colonial past in Namibia has weakened significantly under the new CDU/CSU-SPD government, which mentions colonialism only briefly in its coalition agreement and makes no reference to Namibia. A newly appointed state secretary for culture dismisses adding colonialism to official memory culture as "dangerous relativism," citing the Holocaust as the singular reference point for German state ethics.
15 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Wednesday 11 February

Bank of Namibia appoints two new members to Monetary Policy Committee
The Bank of Namibia has appointed Helvi Fillipus and Dr John Steytler to its Monetary Policy Committee. Fillipus, an economic advisor at the bank and its youngest MPC member, brings expertise in macroeconomic research and public finances, while Steytler, a distinguished economist and former senior BoN official, joins as the first independent member for a three-year term.
11 February 2026 · New Era →

Wednesday 28 January

Namibia faces choice between multilateralism and unilateral alignments
An opinion piece argues that Namibia must openly debate and declare its foreign policy position amid global tensions, cautioning that the country's current alignment with Russia and China—despite rhetoric of non-alignment—could jeopardize trade benefits and put it at odds with multilateral principles that facilitated its independence. The author contrasts Namibia's closed policy discussions with South Africa's public commitment to strengthening the UN-based multilateral order.
28 January 2026 · The Namibian →