When British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood warns that the UK may suspend or restrict visas for Namibians, accusing our government of “insufficient cooperation” in accepting the return of failed asylum seekers, she is not speaking in diplomatic platitudes. She means business.
And her threat must be answered not with soothing press statements full of generic platitudes, but with bold and strategic leadership from our Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation.
Mahmood’s blunt language, that the UK will penalise states that “do not play ball”, cuts straight to a hard reality: bilateral cooperation is not a game of polite back-slapping. This is about sovereignty, respect, and real reciprocal engagement. For too long, on our side, we have allowed the discourse to be framed in abstractions: “meetings and visits focused on strengthening cooperation”, “exploring new areas”, “strategic issues of mutual interest”, and “shared priorities and objectives”. These phrases, while diplomatese, often mask a worrying lack of urgency, clarity and teeth.
Make no mistake: this is not a technical negotiation in which both sides are happily on equal footing. It is a direct threat to Namibian citizens’ mobility, dignity, and to the integrity of our foreign-policy posture. The UK’s warning must prompt a response founded on more than mere process; it calls for principle, strategy, and resolve.
We must confront the root of the problem. Mahmood is not wrong when she says illegal migration is “tearing the country apart.” Her framing suggests that the UK is shifting from generosity to defensive retrenchment, and as the visa regime demonstrates, this shift can come swiftly. The UK imposed a visa requirement on Namibians in July 2023, citing a “sustained and significant increase” in asylum applications. That move, while justified in their narrative, has made travel far more difficult and costly for our genuine travellers. Meanwhile, more than 90% of Namibian asylum claims are rejected by the UK. Yet the UK continues to press for returns.
Where, then, has our Ministry of International Relations and Trade (MIRT) been? The public record is thin. Our foreign-policy leadership seems stuck in a cycle of formal diplomacy, those same “meetings and visits … exploring strategic interests”, without publicly articulating a clear, robust strategy for protecting our nationals. That silence is dangerous. It signals, both to the UK and to our ordinary citizens, that we are passive in the face of pressure. We risk being perceived not as a sovereign partner, but as a supplicant.
We must demand more from MIRT under Minister Selma Ashipala–Musavyi’s stewardship. As our Minister of International Relations and Trade, she holds the authority and the diplomatic experience to push back forcefully and purposefully. It is time for a reset: a clear articulation of Namibia’s priorities when dealing with the UK, anchored in sovereign dignity and mutual respect.
Here’s what such a strategy might look like:
Public accountability and communication. MIRT should stop speaking in diplomatic clichés and begin informing Namibians, in clear, direct terms, what is at stake, what is being negotiated, and what our red lines are. Citizens deserve to know whether their government is seriously defending their right to travel without being smeared by asylum implications.
Leveraging reciprocity. We need to revisit visa and migration policy through a frank lens of reciprocity. If the UK is threatening restrictions, we must not shy away from mirroring or responding cleverly. Indeed, Namibia has already made moves: in 2024, the government announced visa requirements for non-reciprocating countries, including the UK. That is the kind of posturing that protects sovereign dignity.
Strategic negotiation on returns. If the UK demands better cooperation in returns, we must demand better terms. That means rigorous verification of returnees’ nationality, fair reintegration packages, and guarantees around human rights. It means refusing lip service when Mahmood talks about “cooperation” without substance.
Multilateral leverage. This is not just a bilateral issue; it sits within the Commonwealth, international law, and multilateral norms. Namibia must pull in allies, regional partners, and international institutions to underscore that returns must happen in compliance with international standards, not through coercion.
Domestic policy clarity. We need honest debate inside Namibia about why some citizens risk leaving to seek asylum and what that says about our economic and social reality. If asylum-seekers are pushed abroad by economic desperation, that is a challenge for our own development agenda, and we must face it.
Now is not the time for passivity. In the face of increasingly restrictive global migration regimes, Namibia cannot afford to be seen as a weak partner. As the world closes its borders, those who do not assert their interests risk being shut out or sidelined.
Minister Ashipala–Musavyi has both the experience and the platform to lead a bold reorientation. The days of safe-sounding diplomatic language must give way to clarity, courage, and concrete strategy. The future of Namibian sovereignty, dignity, and opportunity depends on it.
Over to you, Madam Minister, now is not the time for incompetence or complacency. The world is changing, the rules are shifting, and Namibia must do more than talk. We must act.
