Opinions – Windhoek Observer

19 Dec

Businessperson, community activist awaken to the reality of capitalism

ObserverOpinions

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro A local businessperson in the conservation and tourism sector, in an opinion article in The Namibian newspaper of December 6, 2024, headlined, “Breaking the Silence on Conservancies and Tourism Versus Mining,” took issue with threats posed by mining activities to the environment. Not long after the said article, who sounded like a community activist, a native and resident of the Kunene region, in the ancient and/or pre-colonial Ohopoho, today’s Opuwo, featuring on the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC)’s Omurari FM daily current affairs programme, Keetute. Who last Thursday, 12 December, 2024, also raised concern, albeit of a different nature,…

17 Dec

Telecom Namibia hack: Namibia’s Cybersecurity wake-up call

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Setson Tangeni Haidula The recent hacking of Telecom Namibia has exposed serious flaws in the nation’s approach to cybersecurity. Sensitive data was reportedly compromised, exposing vulnerabilities in critical systems—an event that underscores how unprepared we are for modern digital threats. This breach isn’t just Telecom’s problem; it reflects the vulnerability of Namibia’s digital infrastructure, including public institutions and government ministries. It’s a wake-up call to take cybersecurity as seriously as other countries have done. Namibia’s approach to cybersecurity is outdated and reactive. For instance, the United States established the National Security Agency (NSA) as a central pillar of its cyber…

16 Dec

President-Elect Nandi-Ndaitwah’s missed opportunities to show she is a unifier and set a reconciliatory tone for her presidency as done by Ghanaian President-Elect Mahama’s victory speech

ObserverOpinions

Paul Shipale The editorial in the Sunday Newspaper of 11 December 2024 titled; “Time for Netumbo to preach unity” says that since Namibians have bestowed the highest honour available on Vice-President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to take over as head of state for the next five years, “her rhetoric since being announced as president-elect has been lacking that ‘mother to all’ ingredient” the editorial said and questioned “…where’s that message of unity?” Indeed, elections are over and the President-elect is now the leader of even her fiercest critics. I agree with the editor when he said the acceptance speech by the President-elect…

16 Dec

Conscious choices for career success

ObserverFeatured, OpinionsConscious choices for career success

Junias Erasmus As you approach the end of your Grade 12 journey, you stand on the threshold of a new chapter in your life. The choices you make now will have a profound impact on your future, shaping not only your academic path but also the trajectory of your career and personal growth. This is an exciting yet critical moment, one that requires careful thought and strategic decision-making.Choosing a career is more than just selecting a field of study or a job title. It is about aligning your strengths, interests, and values with a profession that will bring you fulfillment…

16 Dec

Privacy Under Surveillance: Namibia’s SIM Card Registration and Biometric Data Collection

ObserverFeatured, Opinions

By: Jessica Uiras Introduction Namibia’s mandatory SIM card registration, established under the Communications Act of 2009[1],was passed to combat identity fraud, enhance national security, and align the country with global telecommunications practices. However, this law has extended into biometric data collection without comprehensive protections, raising significant privacy concerns. Mobile Telecommunication company (MTC), Namibia’s primary telecom provider, now requires citizens to submit fingerprints and facial scans to activate SIM cards, leaving Namibians vulnerable to state surveillance and potential misuse without the security of a dedicated data protection law. The rolling out of sim card registration is happening outside of a data…

12 Dec

Festive Season Financial Planning Tips

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Mbo Luvindao As the festive season approaches, many people are getting ready to take time off, go on holiday and spend quality time with loved ones. Yet, while the Christmas holidays are meant to bring peace, joy, and goodwill to all, they can also strain one’s finances, especially with added Christmas expenses and the start of a new year just around the corner. When I started my professional career, I had a colleague, whom for the sake of anonymity, we will call John. John was a young professional who, like me, was excited about the holiday season. One year he…

09 Dec

From protests to progress

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This year, Human Rights Day resonates with profound significance for Namibia. The echoes of 1959, when the women of the Old Location rose against apartheid's dehumanising policies, find a modern parallel in the struggles faced by women in the digital realm. Just as the Namibian women of the past fought for dignity and justice, today’s battlefields include the online spaces where their rights are challenged by technology-facilitated gender-based violence and harmful innovations like deepfake technology. Yet, this Human Rights Day is also a time for celebration. On the cusp of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,…

09 Dec

Most private sector companies still exclusive paradises of whites

ObserverOpinionsMost private sector companies still exclusive paradises of whites

“The practice of racial discrimination and the practice and ideology of Apartheid…..shall be prohibited and by an Act of Parliament such practices, and the propagation of such practices, may be rendered criminally punishable by the ordinary Courts by means of such of such punishments as Parliament deems necessary for the purposes of expressing the revulsion of the Namibian people at such practices.” Read Article 23 of the Namibian Constitution, titled Apartheid and Affirmative Action. This provision has been meant to eliminate, if not totally do away with, the exclusion of the indigenous, meaning the Africans, from the mainstream economy. This,…

09 Dec

Madame Ndemupelila Nandi-Ndaitwah the trailblazer as Namibia’s first female president

ObserverOpinionsMadame Ndemupelila Nandi-Ndaitwah, Paul T. Shipale

Paul T. Shipale “In accordance with Section 109 of the Electoral Act…I, Elsie Tuleingepo Nghikembua, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Namibia, do declare Her Excellency Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of the SWAPO party as the winner and president-elect of the 2024 presidential elections,” Nghikembua said in the capital, Windhoek, in a declaration of the poll results. African leaders congratulated the President-elect as she etched her name in the annals of history by becoming Namibia’s first woman President and Africa’s second elected female Head of State. Leading those who congratulated her was the Chairperson of the AU, the Presidents of Zimbabwe, Tanzania…

04 Dec

Netumbo makes history!

ObserverOpinions

Namibians are living in interesting times politically. The Electoral Commission of Namibia has announced official presidential and natipmnal assembly elections results that marked the start of a new era in the country’s body politics. NNN has won the presidential seat with 57.31 %, making her the first democratically elected female president for the Republic of Namibia. The ruling SWAPO Party of Namibia won 51 elective seats in the 96-member National Assembly. From the look of things, the recently concluded elections were undoubtedly the most hotly contested since the dawn of Namibia’s independence. Clearly the Namibian democratic and political environment is…