Opinions

Sem Billy David I  On 5 August, the Samora Machel Constituency Regional Councillor, Hon. Nestor Kalola, offered one of the most incredulous reasons for being absent from his office: “the office key was lost.” This reasoning is both reckless and an insult to the intelligence of the very people he was elected to serve. A difficult question arises: what if his cellphone had been locked inside that same office – would he not have urgently found a way to retrieve it? The excuse is nothing more than a fabrication to cover up poor leadership and failure in office. As an…

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro FOR what it is worth! Yours Truly Ideologically could not but title this week’s column as such. Urging to join the ongoing debate pertaining to the dichotomy between the Minister of Urban and Rural Development and elected local authority councils. Thinking whether the debate is worth the time and energy that seems to be expended on it. As if there’s ever any unclarity between the functions of these councils and the central government, and thus ministers and/or Cabinet if you wish, let alone the Minister of Urban and Rural Development (MURD).  As far as Yours Truly is concerned,…

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) Abstract In his column Yours Truly Ideologically, Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro wrote a moving tribute in honour of the late Comrade Charles Kauraisa, who was at one point SWANU's Chairperson and Foreign Affairs Secretary at its External Council, established in Sweden in 1965. I don't personally know him, but I know my niece Ujama's father, also a Kauraisa, and I am not oblivious to the fact that they are truly grounded in revolutionary and Marxist theory. May his soul rest in peace. Sentimentality apart, what prompted us to write this piece is…

Mandy Hattingh Namibia is well known for its biodiversity and ecotourism appeal. Equally, its rich endowment of mineral resources has, for over a century, fuelled economic growth, infrastructure development, and job creation. As the government considers the Revised National Policy on Prospecting and Mining in Protected Areas and Other Environmentally Sensitive Areas, it does so at a moment that demands nuance and pragmatism. This policy will test whether Namibia can meaningfully balance two cornerstones of its national identity: its global conservation standing and its status as one of Africa’s most stable, investment-friendly mining jurisdictions. Achieving this balance is both possible…