Author: Prof Makala Lilemba (Prof Makala Lilemba )

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Opinion –  The veteran status controversy
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Opinion –  The veteran status controversy

Despite Namibia clocking 30 years of nationhood on 21 March this year, following the protracted and bitter liberation struggle for independence, the issue of veteran status remains thorny for many former freedom fighters.  The Sifwe expression says, ‘Bvonshe bvajowerla, kono bveni bvorlufu kabva rlubvwa’.  This means that, during a death, all may be crying and...

Opinion – The Prestigious Functions of Early Universities
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Opinion – The Prestigious Functions of Early Universities

University education is free and compulsory in some quarters, while expensive in others that ordinary citizens cannot afford it.  University education evolved and developed, becoming an economic pillar of any developing country. The word university comes from the Latin word universitas which means a corporation of teachers and students.  Many universities administrators carry titles such...

Opinion –  Necessity for vocational education 
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Opinion –  Necessity for vocational education 

Namibia has been experiencing a surge in student enrolment in primary, secondary, and tertiary education, with a fraction enrolling in vocational colleges.  This is a sad state of educational affairs, as the situation should be the other way round. Namibia, as a developing country, was expected to reinvest in the country the benefits of vocational...

Opinion – Political situational leadership on the line
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Opinion – Political situational leadership on the line

Although some strides are being made, it is difficult to state with certainty that the current Administration is winning the war against the scourge of corruption. One of the stigmas is the persistence of remnants of the previous regime within the Administration.  Of course, some ministers are trying to wedge into that area, sometimes adapting...

Opinion – Vulnerability of post-colonial political leaders
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Opinion – Vulnerability of post-colonial political leaders

All of Africa, except for Saharawi, has long shed the colonial yoke which, according to the nationalists, was an impediment to development and self-determination. Yet, after decades of independence and despite abundant resources, the continent appears to be spiralling back to the conditions of the colonial era—and, in some cases, to even worse circumstances. The...

Opinion – The Kapitao freedom fighter
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Opinion – The Kapitao freedom fighter

In 1992, during the peak of forming and organising constituencies for the first regional elections since Namibia gained independence in 1990, the national leadership of the Swapo Party assigned Jesaya Nyamu to carry out that task in what is now the Zambezi region.  A few days after his arrival, the team traveled to Sibbinda, where...

Opinion – Dearth of political conscience 
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Opinion – Dearth of political conscience 

Politics as a dirty game is a widely held view that political arenas are often riddled with manipulation, deceit, and self-interest.  While politics in its ideal form is about governance, public service, and the collective good, the phrase highlights how the pursuit of power can corrupt those ideals.  But contrary to this view, there are...

Opinion – Another forgotten hero of the 1968 catastrophe
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Opinion – Another forgotten hero of the 1968 catastrophe

The year 1968 is one of the fiercest years in the annals of the liberation struggles in the Caprivi, recently renamed the Zambezi region. During 1968, a terrible catastrophe befell the inhabitants of the region, which was never witnessed by the people during their lifetime.   The South African Security Forces swooped over the region,...