Opinions

The announcement that the newly appointed interim chairperson of the National Youth Council (NYC), Patience Masua, will earn N$100 000 per month for a three-month contract has ignited predictable outrage. Youth affiliates are questioning governance and priorities. Social media has been ablaze with indignation. Commentators ask how such a salary can be justified in a country where unemployment among young people remains stubbornly high. These concerns are valid and deserve scrutiny. Yet buried beneath the noise lies a deeper and far more dangerous national habit: Namibia’s persistent discomfort with rewarding talent, skill and leadership at competitive levels. This is not…

Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa has drawn a firm line in the sand. By banning the auctioning of land by local authorities and warning councillors that land belongs to the state, not to councils or private interests, he has confronted one of Namibia’s most enduring and destructive governance failures. His declaration that abuse of land allocation will no longer be tolerated is both timely and necessary. For too long, land has been treated as a commodity for speculation rather than a public resource meant to secure shelter, dignity, and opportunity for ordinary citizens. The price of land sits…

The latest declaration by the Former Refugees Repatriation Association of Namibia (FRRAN) that it will escalate its demands to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah should concern every Namibian who cares about the country’s future governance. Former refugees, camping at Swapo headquarters since October last year, insist that United Nations funds meant for their resettlement in 1989 were handed to Swapo and never paid to them. The United Nations denies this. Swapo’s records deny this. Yet the protest continues, and a new political audience is now being sought. At the same time, liberation struggle veterans, despite decades of gratuities, pensions, land allocations, business…

A.Shipena Secondary School has given Namibia a moment to celebrate. Emerging as the only public school in the Khomas region to place in the national top ten in the 2025 Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Advanced Subsidiary (NSSCAS) examinations, ranking seventh nationally, is no small achievement. Principal Moses Haufiku’s pride is justified. His words reflect not just institutional success but community spirit. “A community which works together can excel in so many other aspects,” he said, adding that A.Shipena brings a distinct “Katutura flavour” to excellence. In a country desperate for positive education stories, A.Shipena is a beacon. But while we…

The Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) diamond heist of N$315 million was not an ordinary crime. It was the most daring and audacious financial theft in recent Namibian history. It struck at the heart of national pride, shook confidence in public institutions, and traumatised a nation that rightfully regards its diamonds as part of its collective inheritance. Now, as investigations continue and an employee has been arrested in connection with the heist, Namdia has chosen to retreat behind a wall of secrecy, refusing to disclose even the arrested person’s identity, gender, or position in the company. The justification given is that…