Editorial – Page 3

16 Feb

Reimagining education in Namibia for a brighter future

info_e12wt4csEditorial

The current state of education in Namibia, characterized by overcrowded classrooms, inadequate foundational learning, and a curriculum struggling to meet the needs of its students, demands a radical reimagination. The recent revelations by Sanet Steenkamp, the Executive Director in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, and a troubling report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Science, ICT, and Youth Development paint a picture of an education system in dire need of reform and substantial investment. But how can Namibia navigate these turbulent waters to secure a prosperous future for its next generation? The crux of Namibia's educational dilemma…

09 Feb

Light at the end of the tunnel

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The sudden passing of President Hage Geingob shortly after midnight on Sunday, has the Namibian Nation still reeling with shock while at the same time having to cope with a sense of sadness never felt before in the country’s short history as a fiercely independent and sovereign state. As the reality of the situation where people went to bed on Saturday evening in a Namibia they knew and loved and waking up a few hours later to a country where opportunism might derail what they have built over the past 35 years is yet to set in. However the landscape…

02 Feb

Streamlining of policies is essential to ease doing business in Namibia

info_e12wt4csEditorialStreamlining of policies is essential to ease doing business in Namibia

With Namibia facing significant challenges but also possessing the potential for substantial economic growth and development, the country finds itself at a crossroads. Government initiatives to improve the business environment and legislative reforms aimed at easing the process of doing business indicate a commitment to fostering a more conducive climate for investment. However, addressing structural issues such as unemployment, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and economic inequality remains critical to unlocking the full potential of Namibia’s economy. Doing business in Namibia presents both challenges and opportunities, reflecting the nation’s commitment to improving its business environment while grappling with structural issues. Investors and businesses…

27 Jan

Is a fist full of dollars, worth it over the long run?

info_e12wt4csEditorialIs a fist full of dollars

Legislation and the direction of sound policies will play a crucial role in the expected transformation of the revolutionary transformation of the Namibian Economy. In anticipation of gains from green hydrogen projects and newly discovered oil off the coast, the Namibian Government must create effective policies and laws that will direct new industrial development in such a way as to secure the economic future. It was recently reported that China’s trade with Namibia amounted to N$18 billion over the past year and that it will increase. Multinational oil giants have been boasting about new and promising oil discoveries in the…

19 Jan

The year of expectation should be a year of new beginnings

info_e12wt4csEditorialThe year of expectation should be a year of new beginnings, year 2024 hopes

As dawn broke on the year 2024 hopes for a new beginning for the Namibian House in the year of expectations grew exponentially because it is also the year of elections. The imagery of dawn breaking signifies the end of darkness and the arrival of light, which is commonly associated with new beginnings and opportunities. At the break of dawn on Monday, roughly 150,000 members of the second generation of so-called ‘bornfrees’, while holding the hands of the hopeful parents, arrived at schools across Namibia with bright and wide eyes. Every parent who spent hours in the sun waiting in…

05 May

International Workers’ Day is a cliché

info_e12wt4csEditorialInternational Workers' Day, International Workers' Day is a cliché

May 1st is a holiday on automatic. With the theme of: 'Workers United in Ensuring Productivity for National Economic Growth and Guarding Against Unfair Labour Practices in the World of Work,' it is no wonder that International Workers' Day is not taken seriously. Whoever heard of a 19-word title that is so convoluted and cobbled together that it is meaningless? The holiday for workers is no longer an empowering call to arms for workers to unite around co-ownership of the means of production, profit sharing, better and safer working conditions, and labour union representation in all workshops and factories. Instead,…

14 Apr

Her Ladyship for a change

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Opposition leaders desperately in search of an issue are making noise about the recent appointment of Zimbabwean Justice Rita Makarau as Acting Judge of the Supreme Court in Namibia. We take issue with those unjustified rumblings. Ostensibly, statements about The Honourable Justice Makarau’s past connections to late President Robert Mugabe seem to headline opposition blustering both here and in Zimbabwe’s newspapers. Namibian opposition parties add whipped cream and a cherry on top of their hollow arguments against Makarau by appealing to xenophobia to whip up the usual uninformed nationalistic prejudices against any foreigner earning money in Namibia. Let us drop…

31 Mar

Weaponizing the police to silence Comalie

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The suggestion that the police were weaponized to scare or distract National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR) board Chairperson Jennifer Comalie away from taking action to address a disputed N$100 million payment to Sonangol, the Angolan national oil company, forces all of us to sit up and take notice. If N$57,000 in illegal narcotics were planted in Chairperson Comalie’s car and the police were anonymously tipped off as a part of a frame game, Namibian infighting and backstabbing in the halls of power have reached a new low.This entire saga is unfolding in the news daily, and background information fueling…

24 Mar

There is no miracle of loaves and fishes at events

info_e12wt4csEditorialThere is no miracle of loaves and fishes at events

This year’s embarrassment of an insufficient Independence Day budget was evident when the annual post-speech and program food handouts went sideways in Outapi. Who wouldn’t want something like a biblical miracle to provide more loaves and fish for the masses to eat at such a festive event? Reality check: in our secular world, there is no such thing as a free lunch. The loaves and fish—or brötchen and boerewors—for the masses have a price tag that the government can no longer afford. What happened with food chaos at underfunded Independence Day celebrations must serve as a wake-up call. Please note…

17 Mar

At 33, it is time to grow up

info_e12wt4csEditorialAt 33, it is time to grow up

Consider this situation: your 33-year-old underperforming offspring is sleeping each night on your sofa, usurping the remote control, not delivering on promises and obligations, demanding that you feed and clothe him, borrowing money from everyone, occasionally doing good things while having braai and beer parties with his circle of friends at your expense; it’s time for tough love.Your man-child needs to grow up and deliver on his promises. It’s time to put his bags in the street, block his calls, end the free meals, stop making excuses for him, give him a final loving hug, and change the locks on…