Namibia civil society organisations mostly dormant since 2016 – report
WINDHOEK – The Namibian Civil Society Organisations (CSO) remained mostly dormant during the last two years due to a decrease in donour funding, a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) launched on Wednesday stated.
Funding, politics threatening civil society
This was revealed in the CSO Sustainability Index report released by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) on Wednesday in Windhoek.
IPPR director Graham Hopwood said on the whole the political and funding climate within which Namibian civil society functions has deteriorated in 2017, the year for which the assessment was done.
5% of corruption cases finalised since 2006
Out of the 6 605 corruption reports registered with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) since its inception in 2006, only 347 have been finalised in the courts.
A total of 605 cases have been submitted to the prosecutor-general (PG) for a decision. Of this figure, 212 cases are still pending trial, while 24 are pending the PG’s decision.
This leaves much to be desired in the anti-graft fight, according to ACC’s director-general, Paulus Noa.
Criminal case delays fail justice system – Noa
Members of the public with evidence implicating suspects of corruption but were not prepared to testify also failed the criminal justice system.
These were the remarks by Anti-Corruption Commission director general Paulus Noa during the commemoration of International Anti-corruption Day held in Windhoek last week.
Noa said the criminal justice system was made up of multiple stakeholders, and that the success of the ACC in fighting corruption depends on the cooperation of all stakeholders involved.
Fighting gender-based violence (GBV)
While in many societies women have achieved a great deal of equality and freedom to define who they are rather than be defined by the expectation of others, endemic patterns of oppression and repression continue to exist even within the same societies.
Violence against women is still common everywhere. We know, for instance, that a women’s class, social status, level of professional achievement, race, religion or cultural heritage will neither protect her nor make her more vulnerable to experiencing violence within her intimate relationship, or from rape, verbal and psychological harassment – which are also forms of violence that occur in a workplace, home or on the street.
Business confidence still dropping
Staff Reporter – The IJG Business Climate Monitor stood at 52.5 points in August, continuing the downward trend that started in July 2018.
“However, the decline of the IJG BCM slowed down to 0.7 points compared to July when it lost 1.2 points,” says the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), compilers of the monitor.
The leading indicator, which predicts future trends, increased by 0.5 points to 41.2 points by the end of August.
“Although remaining under the 50 point mark and therefore still indicating an economic contraction, the slight upward trend, if continued, indicates that the economy is gaining some momentum again,” the IPPR says.
Land Conference Interview: Graham Hopwood
NBC TV News spoke to Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Executive Director Graham Hopwood on the deliberations of the second National Land Conference.
Swapo MPs mum during question time
Only one Swapo MP asked questions last year during National Assembly question-and-answer sessions (Q&As).
An overview, which forms of a study by the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), authored by Max Weylandt and Ndeapo Wolf, showed that out of 159 parliamentary questions, only eight (around 5%) were asked by Swapo, and all by one MP, Veikko Nekundi.
IPPR stands by its Afrobarometer survey on government’s slow pace to address poverty
The Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) says the outcome of the Afrobarometer survey is reliable and not misleading.
IPPR was reacting to comments made by the Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, Zephania Kameeta and Deputy Minister of Urban and Rural Development Derek Klazen that the survey was aimed at tarnishing the government’s image.
Afrobarometer Survey Reflects What Ordinary Namibians Think About – IPPR
The local partner of the Afrobarometer survey, the IPPR, notes with concern some of the comments made by Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare Rev. Zephania Kameeta and Deputy Minister of Urban and Rural Development Derek Klazen regarding the Afrobarometer survey in Namibia.
The Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) reported that Minister Kameeta suggested, “it is clear that [Afrobarometer research] has an agenda to turn the people of this country against the government, and for the citizens not to work with the government in place.”
Minister Klazen was quoted as saying: “Who sent them, and where are they coming from? They just want to pump lies into the people of this country, and discourage the good work the government is doing.”
