Namibia is locking free university tuition behind higher grade requirements that kick in next year, and Education Minister Sanet Steenkamp says the government will only cover first-time undergrads at schools that hit new minimum standards set by the National Council for Higher Education. Bachelor's degrees require 26 points on the school-leaving certificate, while professional programs require 32 points, and postgrad students must score at least 60 percent average.
Former Prime Minister Nahas Angula thinks the whole thing is backwards because primary schools still lack basic teaching materials and proper desks, and he questions how kids can hit those entry targets when they cannot even get enough textbooks. Opposition figures are...
Zambezi locals marched to regional governor Dorothy Kabula-Simushi with a petition demanding that authorities shut down United Democratic Party rallies since the banned group keeps pushing for secession from Namibia. Petition reader Dobson Kwala said residents cannot figure out why the UDP still gets to hold demos when the party officially got blacklisted after Mishake Muyongo tried breaking away the region back in 1999.
Kwala pointed out that UDP activities scare off investors who think the area is politically unstable, and the secession talk reopens trauma for families who lost people during the failed breakaway attempt. The petition called out both the regional and national governments for staying silent while an unregistered...
Entrépo Finance says Namibia's money chief Ericah Shafudah is ignoring a court order about keeping the payroll system running for government worker loan deductions. The microlender wants Judge Lotta Ambunda to make Shafudah file paperwork explaining how she plans to get the Payroll Deductions Management System working again, and they might push for contempt charges with jail time or fines if she keeps dodging compliance.
Shafudah claims she never blocked new deductions from getting loaded into the system, but Entrépo boss Liffie Champion says the company got locked out after the ministry ditched its contractor Avril Payroll Deduction Management and switched to some manual process run by humans. Champion is sweating over 70,327 pending...
Lukas Muha got voted back in as National Council chair and promised to keep things orderly while pushing the council's constitutional duties forward. The Mankumpi constituency rep has held his seat since 2015 without facing opposition, and he ran the council from 2020 until his recent reelection.
Muha said he wants the seventh National Council to stay tight with the National Assembly and regional councils while grinding through legislation like mental health reforms, land policy updates, and public enterprise governance changes. He plans to use past council reports as a roadmap for the next five years.
The Windhoek West councillor snagged the vice chair position during the same swearing-in ceremony.
NamPower is sitting on N$912 million in unpaid bills from local governments, state-owned companies, and power distributors across Namibia. Electricity Control Board boss Robert Kahimise said Mariental Municipality leads the deadbeat list with N$233 million owed, while Gobabis owes N$70 million, and smaller towns like Karasburg and Aranos are deep in the red. Angola's utility company, RNT, also hasn't paid up N$70 million for cross-border electricity purchases.
Kahimise pointed out that Rehoboth Town Council is already on a prepaid system, but somehow racked up a negative N$12 million balance, which could get their power cut instantly. He explained that many municipalities are losing money by buying electricity at higher rates than they...
The DPP told MCP to quit whining about legal cases against their people and let the courts do their thing. Spokesperson Shadrick Namalomba said the ruling party used to bend the rules when they had power, and anyone who broke the law should deal with the fallout.
MCP went off after cops grabbed Secretary General Richard Chimwendo Banda on attempted murder charges, plus Vitumbiko Mumba and Jessie Kabwira for undisclosed reasons. The party called it a witch hunt designed to mess with opposition leaders while the country deals with food shortages, currency problems, and expensive fuel.
MCP wants the arrests to stop, and they still trust judges to handle things fairly despite political pressure from above.
Vice President Jane Ansah wrapped up a virtual SADC Organ Troika Summit that dealt with Madagascar's political and security mess. She thanked reps from Eswatini and Tanzania for showing up, and she pushed for quick action on recommendations from a fact-finding mission report. Ansah said Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika will track how things progress since Malawi chairs the Organ.
She stressed that everyone needs to stick to deadlines to prove SADC actually cares about helping Malagasy people. Ansah praised the technical team for doing solid groundwork that shaped the summit's calls to action.
The VP hopes the meeting becomes a turning point for Madagascar's situation, and she wants member states to keep talking and working together...
Unik Construction Company is catching heat around Mzimba Boma after workers say the firm booted them without hearings or proper paperwork and still owes them money. Former employees claim they got axed suddenly with no written termination notices or legit reasons, which violates labor rules in Malawi.
A media outlet sent the company's HR team questions about how many people got fired, whether they followed the Employment Act, and why paychecks are late. The Labour Office reportedly got complaints from some ex-workers about wrongful dismissals. Someone named Elisha responded through WhatsApp, saying he won't share company info with strangers, even though the reporters already gave their credentials.
The company hasn't explained if it...
Zomba District Council Gender Officer Ruperth Kamtsendero said that teaming up with cops and NGOs is helping reduce violence against women and girls. The remarks came at Naisi Ground in Senior Chief Malemia's area during a closing event for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, and the theme centered on stopping social media misuse in Zomba. Kamtsendero stressed that tackling abuse needs multiple departments working together since victims end up dealing with police, healthcare workers, social welfare staff, and different organizations.
Both Kamtsendero and Vice Chairperson Esther Mbalame warned people against sharing explicit photos through digital platforms, calling it a serious crime. Mbalame promised to set up youth...
