SADC states get tough on illegal fishing

Eight Southern African coastal states have agreed to set up a regional task force to deal with illegal fishing in their waters and save fish stocks.

100 years of Namibian diamonds

From men inching along on their bellies in hot sand and grit whipped up by 90kph winds to satellite-guided ships manipulating 250-ton remote-controlled crawlers hovering around the ocean floor, Namibia's diamond-mining industry has come a long way since 1908.

The body and loot of Dias?

The final resting place of Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias, who in 1488 was the first European to discover the Cape of Good Hope and open up the East Indian trade route, may have been found 500 years after his caravel disappeared in a storm off the south-west African coast in 1500.

Centuries-old shipwreck found off Namibian coast

A hunt for diamonds along the coast of Namibia has led to the discovery of a shipwreck dating back about five centuries, with its booty of gold coins and bronze cannons still intact. A spokesperson for Namdeb, the company whose miners made the discovery last month, said the ship was believed to have been the oldest wreck to be discovered in sub-Saharan Africa.

Namibian consumers vote by SMS on power tariffs

Namibia's electricity supplier asked consumers whether they wanted higher rates or less power -- and the result, based on responses sent by SMS: rates will rise by 18,3%. The country has been grappling with shortfalls from South Africa, from which it imports the bulk of its supplies.

Multinational cuts and runs in Namibia

Five years after opening its arms to globalisation, Namibia is left nursing a R200-million hangover, polluted groundwater and thousands of angry workers after the showcase Malaysian textile plant Ramatex Berhad suddenly closed last month. Namibia rolled out the red carpet for Ramatex in 2002.

Windhoek, Pyongyang cement ties

Namibia and North Korea said on Thursday they hoped to strengthen their economic ties, as North Korea's head of state warned against countries plundering resources from poor African countries.

Namibian court halts expropriation of farms

A Namibian court on Thursday halted the seizure of four farms owned by German citizens, saying the government had acted unconstitutionally. German land owners Guenther Kessl and Martin Riedmaier last year took the Lands Ministry to court, arguing that expropriation orders discriminated against foreign investors.

Floods in Namibia kill 42, displace thousands

Floods in Namibia have killed 42 people and displaced thousands since early February and officials said on Tuesday more flooding can be expected. Gabriel Kangowa, head of the Emergency Management Unit of Namibia, said 4 500 people have been displaced from their homes in central and northern Namibia.

Swapo not used to competition

Political violence has reared its head in northern Namibia's political heartland of Owambo, where a new Namibian political party, the Rally for Democracy and Progress, is contesting a local election against the ruling party, Swapo. The election outcome is widely seen as an indication of the future of Namibian politics.

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