Public Gatherings Bill – Windhoek Observer

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) member of parliament Nico Smit has warned that the proposed Public Gatherings Bill could regress the country to the repressive conditions of the apartheid era. Apartheid restricted citizens' ability to gather and express their political views. Smit made these comments on Tuesday in Parliament while participating in the discussion of the bill that Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security Albert Kawana introduced last month. “This bill, reminiscent of apartheid-era restrictions, emerges precisely as Namibians increasingly exercise their right to public gatherings to voice critical concerns about the current administration,” Smit said. The…