Opinions

By the President’s own admission in her 36th Independence Anniversary statement and speech, Namibia is facing poverty and inequality. That is a fact! However, what is not clear and what the country must come to terms with through a national dialogue is what these socio-economic evils, for a lack of a better term, represent.  Challenges as Her Excellency maintains. Or are they fundamental factors of the capitalist system? Because unless the country addresses these varying interpretations and understandings as they seem between and among those, like Her Excellency, who think poverty and inequality are just challenges, and those who think…

Paul T. Shipale (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) On 21 March 2026, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah stood before the nation and invoked a familiar but powerful refrain: “One Namibia, One Nation.” It is a phrase or slogan deeply embedded in the country’s post-independence identity and a moral anchor forged in the transition from colonial rule to sovereign statehood. Yet, in her speech, unity did not sound like a settled achievement. It sounded like a warning. Her emphasis on unity must be read not as ceremonial rhetoric but as a political signal. When a head of state stresses the dangers…

Hopolang Phororo Almost every day, Namibia’s newspapers carry a story about jobs. One day it highlights youth empowerment initiatives, such as MTC’s 4Life programme. Another day it is a sobering reminder that more than 70% of working individuals are unable to save or build generational wealth because unemployed relatives depend on them.  On another day, we read about efforts such as the National Youth Development Fund supporting young entrepreneurs. And we also hear about TVET as a pathway to economic emancipation. Different headlines. Different angles. But they all point to the same reality: jobs and livelihoods matter deeply to Namibians. …

Leena Kloppers In the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector, classrooms and workshops are far from neutral spaces. They are the soil in which seeds of knowledge and skills are sown, shaped and fertilised by both the conscious and unconscious thoughts of TVET trainers and trainees.  One powerful set of assumptions relates to which trades are ‘suitable’ for different trainees. This assumption translates into real-world actions where trades such as welding, construction, and automotive mechanics are usually male-dominated, and other trades such as office administration, hairdressing, and cosmetology tend to be dominated by women. While gender may influence…

Sem Billy David  Windhoek is a city of sharp contrasts: a two-faced city. On one side, there are modern suburbs with smooth roads, bright streetlights, shopping malls, and neatly planned houses. On the other side, there are vast informal settlements, where thousands of people live in shacks without proper water, toilets, electricity, or safe roads. These two realities stand side by side, often just a few kilometres apart.  Many residents have started calling it a “two-face city". The question is: Does it have to stay this way? And more specifically: can the Windhoek City Council decide to prioritise informal settlements…

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro So what about May 28, Genocide Remembrance Day? This question, ironically, some descendants of the survivors of the GENOCIDE of the Ovaherero, Ovambanderu and Nama have increasingly been asking themselves since the official inaugural commemoration of this day.  GENOCIDE Remembrance DAY, which since last May, has been officially observed by the Namibian government. But some descendants have been commemorating it since 2024 and shall once again be commemorating it for the fourth successive year this year. While the commemoration of the DAY by some descendants this year is a foregone conclusion, as they have become accustomed to doing…

Kae Matundu Tjiparuro OIL business usual or unusual? This question must occur naturally to Yours Truly Ideologically as indeed to any Namibian. Adding their voices to many and varied ones on the vexed subject of the discovery of oil. A subject that of lately has been invoking and receiving various perspectives from across a spectrum of diverse fields of competence, interests and studies. All zeroing in one way or the other on the discovery of oil in Namibia. Perspectives all intended to register authority in shaping the expected and much-anticipated nascent Namibian oil industry as it would be.  The postulation…

Paul T. Shipale (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) As Namibia marks its 36th Independence Anniversary on 21 March 2026, the nation rises in celebration, flags waving, anthems echoing, and memories of sacrifice honoured with pride. It is a moment of unity. A moment of dignity. A moment of remembrance. But beneath the celebration, a quieter, more uncomfortable question lingers. Will independence remain a symbol or become a lived reality for every citizen?  Indeed, the strength of a nation is not measured only by how far it has come but by how many of its people are able to…

Sakaria Johannes Independence is the condition in which a nation exercises full control over its political, economic, and social systems without external domination. It goes beyond symbolic sovereignty to include ownership of resources, self-determination, and mental liberation. True independence means that citizens are not only governed by their own people but also benefit equitably from the country’s wealth and opportunities. Namibia’s independence in 1990 marked a historic victory against colonial rule. The country established democratic institutions, constitutional governance, and international recognition as a sovereign state. Politically, Namibians gained the right to vote and determine their leadership, laying a strong foundation…