Time to Reward the Vaccinated
Recently, local financial services company Cirrus Capital produced a chart showing that, at current rates, Namibia will only reach its target for COVID-19 vaccinations (1 478 756 people or approximately 60% of the population) midway through 2026. This extremely sluggish vaccination rate means that Namibia will have little protection against a potentially damaging fourth wave […]
Role and Responsibilities of the Ombudsman
In a statement released on 19 July 2021, the Office of the Judiciary announced that Ruth Herunga, Tousy Namiseb and Basilius Dyakugha would be interviewed for the Ombudsman post. The post was advertised and only four candidates applied with the aforementioned three being selected for the interview stage. The successful candidate will succeed John Walters […]
The Changing Political Landscape
The recent local and regional elections produced few surprises. Swapo would have been hoping to maintain the 65% of the popular vote they achieved in 2019’s National Assembly elections. But with a year of more Fishrot revelations and an already battered economy coming under further pressure from COVID-19, the prospect of stabilising the Swapo vote […]
Curt von Francois – Time to Go
Namibians are calling for the removal of the Curt von François statue in Independence Avenue. See the petition on the issue here – https://www.change.org/p/mayor-of-the-city-of-windhoek-fransina-kahungu-a-curt-farewell Von François is most notoriously known for carrying out the 1893 Hoornkrans Massacre in which mainly women and children were killed. In 2015 Swanu President Usutuaije Maamberua called for the statue […]
Who owns the national flag?
Google any of the recent headline-making protests anywhere in the world and you’ll see images of many demonstrators waving their national flags proudly or in anger. As political protests have gripped various countries around the world, anyone with a newsfeed would have seen the flags of Chile, France, Iran, Iraq, India, Lebanon, Peru, Sudan, to […]
Electoral Justice in Namibia
A quick explainer on how the Electoral Act of 2014 deals with challenges to the results of elections. Independent candidate Dr. Panduleni Itula, along with other four other presidential candidates, is seeking to have the Presidential election of November 27 2019 declared void and for the election to be held again. If an electoral challenge […]
Is the ACC fit for purpose?
Even before this weekend’s botched warrant of arrest (for Bernard Esau), the Anti-Corruption Commission’s independence and competence have long been questioned. Several key corruption cases have either collapsed in court or seen the Prosecutor General decline to prosecute – suggesting shoddy investigations by the ACC (although questions about the PG’s own performance and delays in […]
Why does two-thirds matter?
Swapo has enjoyed a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly since 1994 and in the National Council since 1993. In theory, if Swapo has two-thirds majorities in both the National Council and the National Assembly it can change the Constitution without the agreement of the other parties (Article 132). Since Independence there have been three […]
Week in Review: 8 – 10 October 2019
During the week in review, the National Assembly covered a wide range of its duties, including ministerial statements, reports, bills, and motions. The issue of quorum and questions and answers were discussed as follows: On Tuesday 8 October, the Speaker of the National Assembly announced that his office received a petition from members of Fridays […]
The 5th Children’s Parliament
The 5th Children’s Parliament convened at the National Assembly over the 19th to 23rd August 2019. The group comprised 91 learners from all 14 regions who met under the theme “Engaging Young People in the Legislative Process”. In his opening statements, Hon. Prof. Peter Katjavivi stated that “the fundamental aspect of the Children’s Parliament is […]
