International stories with Namibia and SADC relevance.
Adam Hall (43) from Washington near Sunderland was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 23 years after being found guilty of deliberately infecting five young men and two boys aged 15 and 17 with HIV through rape and grievous bodily harm between 2016 and 2023 in Newcastle.
7 hours ago · The Namibian →
Adam Hall (43) from Washington near Sunderland was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 23 years after being found guilty of deliberately infecting five young men and two boys aged 15 and 17 with HIV through rape and grievous bodily harm between 2016 and 2023 in Newcastle.
7 hours ago · The Namibian →
President Cyril Ramaphosa must decide whether to suspend or place on leave National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola, who faces criminal charges tied to a dubiously awarded police tender worth R360-million. The decision comes as SAPS fractures over rival claims of cartel infiltration and corruption among senior officers.
17 hours ago · The Namibian →
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te cancelled a planned visit to Eswatini after Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked his aircraft's flight permits, which Taiwan officials attributed to Chinese pressure and economic coercion. China denied coercion and praised the three nations for upholding the "one-China" principle, while the US House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senator Ted Cruz criticised the permit revocations as blatant coercion.
17 hours ago · The Namibian →
Zambia's government has taken possession of former president Edgar Lungu's body, who died in South Africa in June, overriding his family's wishes for a private burial. A South African court previously ruled the government could repatriate the body for a state funeral, and the family's appeal has now lapsed, though they dispute this and have sought an urgent high court order to return it to the funeral home.
17 hours ago · The Namibian →
Zambia's government has taken possession of the body of former president Edgar Lungu, who died in South Africa 10 months ago, despite the family's wishes for a private burial. A South African court last August ruled the government could repatriate the body for a state funeral, and the family's appeal attempt has lapsed.
18 hours ago · The Namibian →
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on 25 March recognising the transatlantic slave trade as a crime against humanity, with 123 votes in favour and 52 abstentions. Namibian subject experts say the vote bolsters local calls for justice regarding colonial-era genocide and reparations, and could pressure countries such as Germany to reconsider responses to demands of Namibians affected by the 1904 to 1908 genocide.
22 April 2026 · The Namibian →
The Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs confirmed that the USS George HW Bush, a US nuclear-powered super aircraft carrier, is transiting in Namibia's exclusive economic zone under international maritime law without entering territorial waters. The vessel is sailing under provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which guarantees freedom of navigation, and is en route around the African continent to avoid heightened activity in the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz.
22 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Cynthia Shange, the first black woman to represent South Africa at Miss World in 1972, has died aged 76 following an illness. A trailblazer during apartheid and later a prominent film and television actress, she was honoured with a Life Time Achiever award in 2024.
22 April 2026 · The Namibian →
The world's largest condom maker, Karex, says it will raise prices by up to 30% or more if the Iran conflict continues to disrupt supplies of raw materials like ammonia and silicone-based lubricants that rely on oil. The disruption to the Strait of Hormuz has also driven up costs for air fares, fertilizers, helium, and other goods globally.
22 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibia has launched a national solidarity campaign backing Cuba and calling for an end to the United States' longstanding blockade, with National Assembly speaker Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila stating that parliament stands united across political parties on the issue and describing the embargo as a violation of international law and sovereignty.
22 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Following high-level talks between Namibian Foreign Minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in April 2026, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation across energy, oil and gas, mining, agriculture, science and technology, education, tourism, infrastructure, and human resource development. Namibia emphasised the importance of adding value to natural resources including critical minerals through local processing, while both sides committed to enhancing cultural and youth exchanges.
21 April 2026 · Informanté →
Aska Ndategako Orlale, a 32-year-old Namibian born to a Kenyan father who came to Namibia around independence, used Facebook and X to locate her paternal relatives and travelled to Kenya last month to meet them and visit her father's grave for the first time. During her two-week visit, she spent time with her uncles, visited her father's legacy school, toured national parks and cultural sites, and reconnected with her father's former colleagues and friends.
21 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibia and Zambia are negotiating a joint dredging project for the Zambezi River to deepen waterways and mitigate severe seasonal flooding. Over 1,510 people have been displaced in the Zambezi region, with the government preparing a dredging machine procured in 2015 to begin operations pending agreement renewal with Zambia.
21 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Algeria has committed to fully fund the construction of a medical polyclinic in Namibia, as confirmed during a State House meeting between President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Algeria's Ambassador Abdelkrim Diaf. The initiative strengthens bilateral ties and follows past health cooperation agreements dating to 2008.
21 April 2026 · Informanté →
Pope Leo XIV, on a four-country African tour, called Africa a "reserve of joy and hope" and urged leaders to abandon corruption and wasteful war spending while respecting human rights. During his Angola visit, he met President João Lourenço, prayed for victims of recent flooding, and reiterated his message of interfaith dialogue and youth engagement.
19 April 2026 · Informanté →
The Great Global Reconvergence Council (GGRC) has selected Mbakumua Tjaveondja as its diplomatic liaison for Namibia in a voluntary position. Tjaveondja, who joined the council in late 2025 after an application process, is a consultant with the One Economy Foundation and says he was drawn to the GGRC's proposition that the economic gap between richer and poorer nations is narrowing and that Namibia plays an indispensable role in that story.
19 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Julius Malema, leader of South Africa's Economic Freedom Fighters party, has been sentenced to five years in prison by the KuGombo Regional Court for unlawfully discharging a firearm at a 2018 public gathering in Mdantsane Stadium, with additional concurrent sentences on related charges. The prosecution argued the act was premeditated and posed serious danger to the 20,000 people present, while the defence contended the state misread evidence and that Malema should be treated equally under the law rather than receiving harsher punishment due to his public status.
18 April 2026 · The Namibian →