Opinions

Hidipo Hamata In Namibia, the right to information is guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, which ensures freedom of expression and the press. Likewise, many newspapers, including The Namibian, Namibian Sun, and Confidénte, struggle to report from rural areas due to limited resources. Covering town councils, urban crime, and government announcements is far cheaper than sending reporters hundreds of kilometres to remote communities, where roads are poor, fuel is expensive, and audiences are small. Consequently, rural issues remain underreported, investigative journalism suffers, and newsrooms increasingly rely on press statements, Facebook posts, WhatsApp messages, or court documents instead of original…

Sybille Lindner Have you ever felt your shoulders pull up when you got a fright or your belly pull tight when you thought you had forgotten something important? Have you ever felt a current of restlessness in your legs when you really wanted to do something fun, or your heart expanding with joy when you realised someone had thought of you for your birthday? These experiences are so innately part of being human that we often forget that they are part of us every day. Our feelings and emotions are not just happening in our brains – they are felt…

Monika Shafuda  Being a single mother is two-way traffic – meaning that you have to juggle household responsibilities alone, work and childcare and carry the weight of two parents at the same time. In Namibia we have brave women who endured the hardship of raising children alone, not simply because it is what they want, but because it appears to be caused by many circumstances which are sometimes uneasy to mitigate, such as untimely death, cultural norms, and laws like protection orders and divorce, just to mention a few. While the road of single motherhood is filled with love and…

Uvatera Maurihungirire Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men in Namibia, with an alarmingly high rate of 63.8 cases per 100 000 men. In Sub-Saharan Africa, this number is predicted to at least triple by 2040. This means that prostate cancer has now overtaken other leading malignancies in Namibia, including breast and cervical, making it a critical public health concern that requires urgent attention. Despite this, many men are diagnosed only when the disease has advanced, which limits treatment options and reduces survival rates. Why are the numbers so high? Several factors contribute to the high prostate cancer…

Mutindi Lydia Jacobs As the Ministry of Industries Mines and Energy (MIME) continues it’s nationwide consultations on the draft National Upstream Petroleum Local Content Policy, a critical public debate has emerged. Some stakeholders have voiced concerns over the policy's perceived lack of teeth, specifically its absence of penalties and a concrete institutional framework. This criticism, while understandable, stems from a common misconception about the fundamental difference between a government policy and a law. Understanding this distinction is essential for anyone wishing to contribute meaningfully to shaping the future of Namibia's promising oil and gas sector. The Blueprint vs. The Building: What…