namibia - The African Mirror

May

2023

Namibia and South Africa’s ruling parties share a heroic history – but their 2024 electoral prospects look weak

NAMIBIAN president Hage Geingob used his recent state visit to South Africa to also address a meeting of the national executive committee of the governing party, the African National Congress (ANC). This underscored the ANC’s historic ties to Namibia’s governing party, South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo). According to President Cyril Ramaphosa, who also heads the ANC, the party had a “wonderful engagement” with Geingob, who posted on Facebook: As former liberation movements, we learn from one another, a manifestation of the deep bonds of solidarity formed during our struggle against oppression. Authors HENNING MELBER, Extraordinary Professor, Department of Political…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Namibia makes third oil discovery in the Orange Basin

NEWS

NAMIBIA state-owned oil company NAMCOR has made a third oil discovery with partners Shell and QatarEnergy in the Jonker-1X deepwater exploration well, in the Orange Basin offshore southern Namibia, it said. New discoveries could make Namibia, the southern neighbour of OPEC member Angola, another oil producer along the African Atlantic coast. "We are delighted to announce this third oil discovery after the success of the Graff-1X and Venus-1X discoveries by Shell and TotalEnergies in 2022," Immanuel Mulunga, managing director of NAMCOR, said in a statement. The acquired data is being evaluated, and further appraisal drilling is planned to determine the size and…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Jill Biden arrives in Namibia on Africa tour

NEWS

U.S. first lady Jill Biden has arrived in Namibia on the first stop on a five-day Africa tour, part of a push by the United States to strengthen its ties on the continent. Biden landed at the airport in Namibia's capital Windhoek on Wednesday afternoon before heading to Heroes' Acre, a war memorial, with the first lady of Namibia. Her trip will focus on education, health and empowering youth and women, she said in a statement on social media. After Namibia she will go to Kenya where she will hear from those affected by drought and food insecurity, she said.…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Namibia rhino poaching surged 93% in 2022

NEWS

THE number of endangered rhinos poached in Namibia reached an all-time high last year after 87 animals were killed compared to 45 in 2021, official government data showed. Africa's rhino population has been decimated over the decades to feed the demand for rhino horn, which, despite being made of the same stuff as rhino hair and fingernails, is prized in East Asia as a supposed medicine and as jewellery. The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said poachers killed 61 black and 26 white rhinos mainly in Namibia's largest park, Etosha, where 46 rhinos were found dead.…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Namibia, EU strike deal on rare earth minerals

NEWS

NAMIBIA has provisionally agreed on a deal with the European Union to sell its rare earth minerals, critical to the renewable energy sectors, mines and energy minister Tom Alweendo said. EU and Namibian officials told Reuters in July they were planning a deal on hydrogen and minerals as the bloc works to reduce its dependence on Russian energy. "In principle, we have agreed on conditions, whatever the materials, we are going to process them here," Alweendo said about the approaches being taken to ensure the southern African country reaps the benefit of its resources. Namibia has significant reserves of rare earth…

Mar

2022

By The African Mirror

Masks, PCR tests no longer needed in Namibia as COVID cases fall

COVID-19

THE wearing of masks in public in Namibia and negative PCR tests for vaccinated visitors are no longer required, President Hage Geingob said on Tuesday, as active COVID-19 cases fall to just a couple of hundred. Infections peaked at more than 30,000 per month in June 2021 but the southern African country has averaged 14 cases per day during the last seven days, with the total active cases at 222. "Wearing of masks in public places is no longer mandatory," Geingob said in a televised briefing. People in closed spaces such as on public transport or in indoor public meetings…

Aug

2021

By The African Mirror

More countries hike climate pledges, piling pressure on major emitters

ENVIRONMENT

KATE ABNETT A group of mostly smaller countries submitted new, more ambitious climate pledges to the United Nations this week, raising pressure on big emitters including China to do the same ahead of a major U.N. climate summit in November. U.N. climate chief Patricia Espinosa said that as of Saturday the United Nations had received new pledges from 110 countries, out of the nearly 200 that signed the 2015 Paris climate accord. "It is still far from satisfactory since only a little over half the parties (58%) have met the cut-off deadline," Espinosa said in a statement, urging laggards to…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Vaccine-starved Namibia receives boost

COVID-19

NAMIBIA, whose COVID-19 inoculation programme was halted by a lack of vaccines, has received a boost with the arrival of 250,000 Sinopharm doses bought from China. Namibia has temporarily suspended delivering shots at major vaccination centres across the country after supplies ran low. It is classified as an upper-middle-income country and had to pay to participate in the global vaccine distribution scheme COVAX. But it has only received 67,200 doses out of 108,000 allocated by the facility. It has also received donations of 100,000 Sinopharm doses from China and 30,000 AstraZeneca doses from India. Out of a population of 2.5…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

Namibia to suspend first doses as COVID-19 vaccine supplies run low – memo

COVID-19

NAMIBIA will from Tuesday temporarily suspend administering first doses of COVID-19 vaccines as supplies run low, a health ministry memo seen by Reuters showed. The southern African nation, in the midst of a deadly "third wave" of infections, recorded more than 2,500 new cases on Thursday, the highest daily tally since the virus was first detected in the country in March last year. The memo seen by Reuters said vaccine stocks had almost been depleted due to delays in the delivery of procured doses. It said remaining doses of the AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines should be reserved for people getting…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

UAE to suspend entry from three countries, Dubai updates travel protocols

COVID-19

THE 0 (UAE) will, from today, suspend travellers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Namibia from entering the country on national and foreign flights, state news agency WAM has reported, citing a statement by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). The GCAA said the restrictions would also include transit passengers, with the exception of transit flights travelling to the UAE and bound for those countries. Cargo flights between those countries and the UAE will continue, as usual, the statement added. It said the restrictions were being introduced to limit the spread of COVID-19. The GCAA added that exemptions to its decision…