Xim news

The Namibian rugby selectors yesterday announced a strong squad to take on Italy in a test match at the Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium on Friday afternoon.  The team shows five changes to last weekend’s starting lineup that lost 59-19 to the Pumas, while the pack of forwards has been strengthened with further reinforcements from abroad having joined the squad. The veteran Cheetahs prop, Aranos Coetzee, who has represented Namibia at three world cups, is back in the team as is his Cheetahs teammate and hooker, Louis van der Westhuizen, who has also been to three world cups. They replace Jason Benade and Armand Combrinck, who both move to the bench. Johan Retief, who has represented Namibia at two world cups and currently plays in Russia, comes in at lock in place of Ruan Ludick, who moves to the bench, while the latter’s younger brother, Adriaan Ludick, replaces Oliver Kurz at lock. The rest of the pack shows a lot of experience with the loose trio of captain Prince! Gaoseb, Max Kat...

Winning netball coach Julene Meyer is upbeat about Namibia’s international run and will use the AUSC Region 5 Games to scout more talent for the Debmarine Desert Jewels. The African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Games kicks off early next month in Windhoek and Swakopmund. Speaking to Desert FM, the UAE Netball Cup winning coach said she is always interested in the new, young talent Namibia has on offer. “I am looking forward to the AUSC Region 5 Games to see what’s happening at the under-19 level.” “They will be the game changers stepping up and we are into that. If they are good enough, we will enter them into the programme,” said Meyer. She said, normally, it takes about six months of training with the national senior technical team before the players have the necessary foundation. Meyer gave credit to the new talent that was introduced in Dubai, adding that it took about 14 months before they were properly ready, and they have, without a doubt, executed instructions in ...

Omupedu prima minista mukulu John Mutorwa okwa pula elelo loshitopolwahoololo shaKavango Ushilo noministili youndjolowele nomayakulo opanghalafano nosho yo oministili yeameno opo di yandje koshiwana olopota yoikulya tai feekelelwa oudiyo komukunda wedina Kayova ngee ya manifwa . Mutorwa eindilo eli okwe li ninga pefimbo loshoongalele shovakufimbinga Olomakaya, sha landula omafyo ovanhu ve li 20 va xulifa eshi taku feekelwa kutya ova lya oikulya i na oudiyo koshikandjohoololo shaNdiyona pokati komudo 2023 nomudo 2025. Ovaleli va yooloka vopashitopolwahoololo, mwa kwatelwa ngoloneya woshitopolwahoololo shaKavango Ushilo, komanda wopolifi moshitopolwahoololo, ovaleli vopamufyuululwakalo, ovaleli vopaikandjohoololo nosho yo oshiwana, okwa li va ongala va tambulafane omadilaadilo kutya otaku shonopekwa ngahelipi oiningwanima ei yoikulya i na omaudiyo moshikandjohoololo shaNdiyona. Ovakwashiwana ava va popya koshoongalele shovakufimbinga ova holola onghumwe ya kula kombinga yekateko loidj...

Sip some wine, have a laugh, share your feelings, see some art or run for a good cause! There’s something for everyone. Today There is a Namibian Artifact and Craft Exhibition opening tonight at the Namibian Arts Association in Windhoek from 18h00. Entry is free. This Weekend The National Youth Orchestra Festival is hosting two gala concerts on 20 and 21 June from 19h00 at the National Theatre of Namibia. This event, conducted by Chritian Ludwig, will feature the world premiere of ‘Otjihambarere’, a Namibian fairytale by Eslon Hindundu. Tickets are N$150. On 21 June there’s the ‘Breaking The Silence: Building Hope Through Connection and Suicide Prevention Education’ event at NeuriBloom Psychology Practice at Windhoek North. The session will run from 09h30 to 12h30 and is open to adults aged 19 and above. Psychological counsellor Ndina Kashaka will be the facilitator of the open dialogue. This Saturday, Drag Night Namibia makes its return for the ‘One Woman Africa Renaissance Show...

On a cold Friday evening, playwright Ndayola Ulenga opens the door to ‘Koko’, a semi(auto)-biographical performance that draws a full house to Windhoek’s Theatre School. The crowd that squeezes into the intimate arena has been promised an evening with Ulenga, a rising theatre star, but gets more than they anticipated. Opening with a duo of heartfelt performances by Siiri Jukkola and Jandjakuje Muundjua, two University of Namibia creative drama students, who recite pieces from ‘The Gaza Monologues’, ‘Koko’ pays homage to the Palestinian people and announces that some of the proceeds from the show will be pledged in support of Gaza. While the monologues invite a melancholic and reflective tone, ‘KoKo’ begins with some levity as Ulenga emerges from backstage and begins to collect firewood from in-between the audience who lean into the change of pace. Launching into stories from her mother’s childhood at Donkerhoek, Ulenga exuberantly ushers the audience into the past through a combina...

Representative of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have reached a draft agreement that could end decades of conflict. The breakthrough, mediated by the United States (US) and Qatar, provides for the “disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration” of armed groups fighting in eastern DRC. It also includes provisions for a joint security mechanism to prevent future flare-ups. The peace deal is expected to be formally signed next week. The deal could open the way for billions of dollars of western investment in the mineral-rich region, which has been plagued by conflict for three decades. However, analysts say many questions still remain about the contents of the peace deal. The US state department said technical teams had initialled the draft text on Wednesday, ahead of a formal signing ceremony next Friday to be witnessed by US secretary of state Marco Rubio. In a statement, it said the deal was reached during three days of “constructive dialogue regardin...

Affirmative Repositioning member of parliament Vaino Hangula has proposed that Namibia only has one election every five years, with voters being allowed to use their ID cards. He gave notice of motion in the National Assembly on Wednesday. “Having noted the logistical, financial and administrative burden of holding multiple separate elections, let’s have only one election every five years, and you only queue once and get to use your ID,” Hangula said. He said this growing call is from various stakeholders, including political parties, civil society and citizens. Hangula believes a consolidated electoral calendar could combine all major elections in one single event. He said the current separate presidential and National Assembly, as well as regional and local authority elections cost Namibia N$500 million per year. This means about N$5 billion is spent in five years. Hangula was calling for public consultation and engagement with stakeholders. The post AR MP suggests one nation...

The Namibia Football Association (NFA) has accused the CEO of Debmarine Namibia, Willy Mertens, of tarnishing their image and defamation of character following their public spat that burst into the open this week. Following the conclusion of the 2024/25 Debmarine Namibia Premiership and prize-giving ceremony on Saturday, Mertens issued a statement the next day, saying that they did not feel respected or valued by the NFA leadership. “Our wish is that the NFA leadership, although absent today, would start to value, respect and appreciate sponsors, and put the development of football, the welfare of the players, and the interest of the clubs above their personal objectives,” he said. “We, at Debmarine Namibia, as a sponsor, certainly did not feel respected and valued by the NFA leadership – especially over the past two years. Only then will we move football forward in this country,” he added. The NFA yesterday, however, issued a statement through its interim general secretary, Cassiu...

The government of Zambia has confirmed that the remains of former president Edgar Lungu will be repatriated from South Africa on Wednesday, following his death earlier this month. Lungu, Zambia’s sixth president, died at a hospital in South Africa on 5 June. In a statement issued on Monday, Zambia’s minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Mulambo Haimbe, expressed gratitude to the South African government for the support extended during the period of mourning. “We are grateful to the South African government for the hospitality and solidarity shown to the Zambian government, the bereaved family and mourners following the passing of his excellency, Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu,” he said. The Zambian government also acknowledged the South African authorities’ decision to accord the late president full military honours upon repatriation, an act Haimbe described as a sign of the deep diplomatic ties between the two countries. “The cooperation and respect demonstrated by th...

Sudan’s war is in strategic stalemate. Each side stakes its hopes on a new offensive, a new delivery of weapons, a new political alliance, but neither can gain a decisive advantage. The losers are the Sudanese people. Every month there are more who are hungry, displaced, despairing. The Sudan armed forces triumphantly announced the recapture of central Khartoum in March. It broadcast pictures of its leader, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, walking through the ruins of the capital’s Republican Palace , which had been controlled by the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), since the earliest days of the war in April 2023. The army deployed weapons newly acquired from Egypt, Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries including Qatar and Iran. But its offensive quickly stalled. Much of the centre of Khartoum has been left in ruins following the battle for the capital The RSF, headed by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti”, responded with a devastating drone attack on...

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has signed into law an amendment that will allow, once again, civilians to be tried in a military court under certain circumstances. A previous law permitting such trials was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in January. Before that ruling, civilians could be taken to a military tribunal if they had been found with military equipment like guns or army uniforms. Activists had complained that the law was used to persecute government critics. Parliamentarians passed the amendment last month amid a heavy police presence and a boycott by opposition lawmakers, who argued that it violated the ruling by the country’s highest court. In January, the judges said that the military courts were neither impartial nor competent to exercise judicial functions, the International Society for Human Rights reported at the time. The amendment appears to try and address some of the issues. It says that those presiding over the tribunals should have relevant...

Debmarine Namibia chief executive Willy Mertens slammed the Namibia Football Association (NFA) on Saturday, saying they do not feel respected or valued by its leadership. Speaking at the prize-giving ceremony of the Debmarine Namibia Premiership on a cold winter’s night at Independence Stadium, Mertens said the company’s relationship with the NFA has become quite chilly. “Our wish is that the NFA leadership, although absent today, would start to value, respect and appreciate sponsors, put the development of football, the welfare of the players and the interest of the clubs above their personal objectives,” he said. “We, at Debmarine Namibia, as a sponsor certainly did not feel respected and valued by the NFA leadership – especially over the past two years. Only then will we move football forward in this country,” he said. Mertens called on the NFA to launch an independent league as part of a transformation project that was lagging behind. “It is time for the league to transcend to...

Fears of crime and gang violence in the notorious townships on the outskirts of South Africa’s city of Cape Town are forcing some parents to make difficult decisions to send their children on long daily commutes to former white-only schools. “Thugs would go into the school carrying guns threatening teachers, forcefully taking their laptops in front of the learners,” Sibahle Mbasana told the BBC the about the school her sons used to attend in Khayelitsha, Cape Town’s largest township. “Imagine your child experiencing this regularly. There’s hardly any security at the school and even if there is they are powerless to do anything about.” It is more than three decades since the end of white-minority rule in South Africa, but there are still black students who have to endure the vast inequalities that were the bedrock of the racist system of apartheid. Mrs Mbasana feels her three children are the inheritors of this legacy – particularly affecting her oldest son Lifalethu who was at a to...

Stella Naruses is one of the few female musicians that belongs to the ‘elite family’ of Namibian musicians. She is one of the rare artists in the country who has mastered the art of singing with a live band from a young age. The energetic performer, known as Stella or Stella Kapepo after her 2004 debut album, ‘Kapepo’, is also one of the few musicians who has reached stardom with their first project. The title track, ‘Kapepo’, from the album did not only earn her fame in Namibia, it also earned her continental recognition after it was nominated for the now-defunct Kora Awards. Despite her early fame, the Omaruru-born songstress has remained humble, something she attributes to the late Timothy Duwe, known as the ‘King of Ma /Gaisa’. “I was born at Omaruru, a small town in the Erongo region. I was raised at Swakopmund, where I also started my educational journey. I am now an artist, wife, mother and, most importantly, I am a woman with principles. I started singing while in Sub B [G...

The Ministry of Health and Social Services says Namibia’s 2024 census has found that the country has roughly 38 000 people with albinism. This was revealed by state dermatologist Dr Salem Nambahu at an Albinism Awareness Day at the Nkurenkuru Expo Hall in the Kavango West Region on Friday. This year’s event took place under the theme ‘Demanding our Rights: Protect our Skin and Preserve our Lives’. “This important day raises awareness of albinism and advocates the rights and protection of people with albinism in our community,” Nambahu said, adding that the decision to launch the campaign in the region was strategic and data-driven. “We decided to begin this campaign here, because the Kavango has been reported to have a high number of people with albinism, and many of the late-stage skin cancer cases we’ve seen have come from this region,” she said. A specialised medical outreach team successfully screened 101 people with albinism across the region in four days as part of a skin ca...

Despite concerns over ticket sales and player fatigue, FIFA’s new expanded Club World Cup will throw up several intriguing storylines this summer in the United States. AFP Sport picks five things to look out for on the pitch as teams compete to conquer the world and claim their share of $1 billion in prize money. Messi back in the spotlight Former Barcelona great Lionel Messi has spent the last two seasons at MLS side Inter Miami but the Club World Cup pits him against European opposition once again. The 37-year-old superstar still possesses supreme quality but there are question marks over whether he and former top level stars Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets can seriously compete against the cream of the crop. Inter Miami face Porto in their second group match in Atlanta, a team Messi has faced once before, beating them with Barca in the UEFA Super Cup back in 2011. Messi also featured against Porto in a friendly with Barca back in 2003, which was his first ever appe...

A 43-year-old man died on Thursday after a police vehicle collided with his oxcart while attempting to cross the Rundu–Nkurenkuru road. According to Kavango East crime investigation coordinator deputy commissioner Bonifatius Kanyetu, the incident occurred on the road, opposite the Hilka Park residential area. A case of culpable homicide and reckless driving has been opened against the police officer involved in the crash, he says. It is alleged that the police vehicle was travelling from west to east when it struck the ox cart, which was crossing the road from south to north, around 19H30. The driver was identified as Ndara Kasera, from Satotwa village, along with two oxen. Both the oxcart and the police vehicle sustained significant damage in the accident. The police officer, who is the station commander at Ndama Police Station at Rundu, was also injured and is currently receiving treatment at the Rundu State Hospital. Kasera’s body was transported to the Rundu State Mortuary f...

Two men, aged 48 and 43, are expected to appear in the Karasburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday after they were allegedly found in possession of drugs worth over N$5 million near Ariamsvlei. Police crime investigations coordinator for the //Kharas region deputy commissioner Nicodemus Mbango on Friday said the two men, a Tanzanian national and an Eswatini national, were arrested on Thursday around 23h20 between the Ariamsvlei Borderpost and Nakop Borderpost of South Africa. “The operation team was busy conducting random patrols between the two borders and saw five persons with five big bags who seemed suspicious as they were hiding behind the bushes. Officers reacted immediately by jumping off the moving vehicle to apprehend them as they fled the scene, leaving the big bags behind,” said Mbango. The commissioner added that the three men who fled were pursued until they entered South Africa and could not be arrested. “They were chased down and managed to apprehend two suspects, bringin...

The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has registered two new political parties, the People United for Change (PUC) and the Namibia Progressive Party (Nappa). This is in accordance with Section 137(1) of the Electoral Act. Both political parties received their certificates of registration at the ECN headquarters in Windhoek on Thursday. ECN spokesperson De Wet Siluka, however, says the new parties will not be getting any funding yet from treasury. “The commission registered the two new political parties. Any political party that has no seat in parliament does not get any funding from treasury (National Assembly), hence such funds will be from their own coffers for campaigns,” he says. The two parties join the Association of Localised Interests of Josef Kauandenge gunning for the uocoming regional and local authority elections. Wilson Hange represented Nappa, while Ernestus Axakhoeb represented PUC. This brings the number of registered political parties to 25. The post ECN re...

As the Government of National Unity marks one year in power, Daily Maverick staffers give their take on who’s dithered and who’s delivered in Cabinet. TOP OF THE CLASS Leon Schreiber  Less than one year at the helm of one of South Africa’s most dysfunctional departments, crippled by years of corruption and capacity constraints, is a short time to make an assessment of the Minister of Digitisation… Oh, wait, sorry, Home Affairs. But with the GNU reaching its first anniversary, it’s time to rank Schreiber on the work he has done to transform “Hell Affairs”. When he delivered his inaugural budget speech, he promised to digitise Home Affairs, tackle network issues (how many times have you heard “the system is offline”) and crack down on corruption. Schreiber has launched Home Affairs @ Home, a comprehensive five-year strategy to transform Home Affairs into a fully digital department and earlier this year, the DHA upgraded its once-problematic and inefficient digital verification ...