The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) condemns the Government of Namibia (GRN) Bill virtually banning the marking of December 10 as International Human Right's Day in Namibia. "Bearing in mind GRN’s general anti-human rights agenda over the years, NSHR is not surprised at this virtual banning of marking December 10 as International Human Rights Day. This state of affairs appears to be perfectly in line with the ruling SWAPO Party’s deplorable pre-independence human rights record", observed NSHR executive director Phil ya Nangoloh.

Workers at a white-owned farm in Namibia have decided to take over the property in three weeks' time to protest the government's failure to implement a decision to expropriate land owners, a union official said on September 24th. A Namibian newspaper separately said that the workers were also planning to seize several other farms from owners that they say are exploiting them.

At least 11 wild animals, all elephant and buffalo, have died of anthrax in the eastern Caprivi region of Namibia. Sacky Namugongo, deputy director of parks and wildlife management in the environment and tourism ministry, said seven dead elephants and four dead buffaloes were tested on Saturday and Sunday and found to have had anthrax symptoms. The carcasses were found in the areas between Masikili and Kasika in the Caprivi strip and residents have been urged not to eat the meat.

The United Nations has praised Namibia's efforts to fight desertification in the country by involving communities in the proper use of natural resources. Executive secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Hama Arba Diallo, says Namibia has made great strides in the fight against desertification and its experiences could help other Southern African countries.

The Namibian Farmworkers' Union (Nafwu) has accused the government of using land expropriation as a political tool and dragging its feet in giving land to the landless.

Namibia is drafting three pieces of legislation that will guide the management of wetlands in the country. A recently launched booklet, 'Wetlands of Namibia', says the three laws will be: the Water Resources Management Bill, Environmental Management Bill and the Parks and Wildlife Management Bill. Lenka Thamae, the Manager for the World Conservation Union SADC Wetlands Projects based at WCU regional office in Harare, has urged Namibia to preserve its wetlands so that they can benefit future generations.

To help speed up the process of land allocation for over 300 000 registered landless citizens, the Namibian Government has to raise enough funds for the process to gain momentum. This was said by Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba when he unveiled the Provisional Valuation Roll in Oshakati.

"This volume offers access to a unique aspect in the history of the Namibian struggle for self-determination during a crucial period of time. The testimony is aimed particularly to serve a new generation in Namibia, who has not lived through this important part of our history. The re-publication will help them to achieve a fuller understanding of a difficult and bitter time. It will also foster a better and clearer perspective on events in our present societies. Given our current rite de passage or interregnum, the insights presented in these republished texts are more than historical evidence. They offer lessons from the past for the present and the future." - Dennis Brutus

The Popa Falls Dam proposed for the Okavango River in Namibia has a “potential fatal flaw,” according to the project’s preliminary environmental assessment. The report, which was released in June, warns that the dam would pose “significant ecological risks” to the Okavango Delta by trapping the river’s vital sediment, which serves a variety of key functions in the complex ecosystem. Twenty-six additional environmental impacts are listed that would require effective mitigation if the project is to move forward.

Namibia's existing human capital is being worn away by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. An estimated 20 percent of Namibia's adult population who are living with HIV and AIDS are rapidly eroding the chances of economic growth, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF). UNDP country-based communication officer John Thynne echoed the IMF's sentiments and described the HIV/AIDS prevalence as the "worst humanitarian crisis in southern Africa".

Speaking about the "genocide" committed by imperial German troops 100 years ago, German Development Minister, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul referred to the "colonial madness" that had led to racism, violence and discrimination. "All what I have said has been an apology by the German government," the Minister concluded her speech, followed by loud applause by listeners.

Wednesday marks the 100th anniversary of Germany's brutal crushing of an ethnic uprising in Namibia. The German government has refused to consider any compensation claims, pointing to its role as development aid provider in Namibia, as proof of its commitment to mend fences. But the descendents of the Herero insist on compensation as well as a public apology from Berlin, just as other countries did for the crimes of the Nazi era.

An article on the BBC's website presents the contrasting emotions in the land reform process in Namibia. Whilst the land minister, Nifikepunye Pohanma, stresses the importance of pushing ahead with the compulsory purchase of white farms to acquire 9m hectares, some of the farmers are concerned at the way the government is going about it and for what lies ahead for them once they leave their farms.

Government has rejected claims of human rights violations contained in the latest National Society for Human Rights for Namibia (NSHR) annual report, which was released last week. The report, titled Namibia Human Rights Report 2004, according to the Government, paints a grossly distorted picture of the human rights situation in the country, portraying it as dramatically depreciating over the past months of review, and the Government being out of touch and losing hold.

Last Friday the donor community heaped praise on the Ministry of Health and Social Services for expanding to several hospitals its anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to HIV/AIDS patients and the prevention of mother to child transmission programme (PMTCT). As a result of the launch, the rollout programme of anti-retroviral therapy will cover six additional state hospitals at Engela, Outapi, Grootfontein, Otjiwarongo, Gobabis and Omaruru, one hospital managed by Lutheran Medical Services at Onandjokwe in the Oshikoto Region and three health facilities run by the Catholic Health Services at Oshikuku in the Omusati Region, Andara and at Nyangana in the Kavango Region.

The Namibian Government’s bi-weekly New Era newspaper went daily on Monday, August 2 2004, amid questions about its financial viability and the possible burden on the taxpayer. The Chief Executive Officer of the New Era Publication Corporation, Protasius Ndauendapo, said that while the company expected its costs to escalate "the bottom line is that by going daily we will be making a profit".

In a recent report, the United Nations has called upon Namibia to consider establishing an independent body which would have access to all places of detention and conduct investigations into violations of rights and abuses in prison. Other areas of concern noted by the report were the high number of customary marriages that continued to be unregistered, depriving women and children of their rights as a consequence, and the fact that torture was still considered a common law offence to be charged as assult or criminal injury and was not defined in domestic criminal law.

The leader of Namibia's largest opposition party on Friday criticised the government's plan to expropriate white farmers, saying that it would destroy agriculture and harm black farm labourers. Speaking at the opening of a party conference, Ben Ulenga of the Congress of Democrats also called on former colonial ruler Germany to help with land reform through more financial aid.

Community-based natural resource management is an important strategy to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and wildlife in Namibia, according to this World Bank paper. The authors examine the extent to which conservancies have been successful in meeting their primary goal of improving the lives of rural households. The results suggest that community conservancies have a positive impact on household welfare.

Despite the increase in awareness of women and children's rights, many cases of abuse remain unreported to the authorities. And concerned with the situation, Lifeline/Childline, which implements other programmes, such as counselling and hotline services, has identified the need for a child-focused programme. Through the programme, the organisation uses educational drama for young children as a means of interacting with primary school learners, informing them about sexual assault and building skills to address it.