Letters

Part 1  So you have decided to embark on the highest academic journey, the doctoral journey? You have either registered for your doctorate, or doctor of philosophy, PhD (whatever other name it is called, as long as it is a doctorate), or you are at proposal stage or data-collection stage of your study. You want...

As the global push for decarbonisation accelerates, the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is emerging as a key policy shaping international trade.  The CBAM imposes carbon tariffs on high-emission imports to ensure they meet the EU’s climate standards and to discourage carbon leakage, the practice of outsourcing manufacturing and its associated emissions to...

In his classic book ‘Servant Leadership: Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness’, Robert K. Greenleaf suggests that the concept of the servant as leader emerged from reading Hermann Hesse’s ‘Journey to the East’.  In that story, Leo accompanies a party on a journey as the servant who does their menial chores, and...

Congratulations, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah for being the first female President of the Republic of Namibia, and the second elected female Prisident in Africa.You have achieved a historic milestone in the political landscape of the Republic of Namibia.  Namibia has shown the rest of the world that it’s not only about men ascending to the Presidential...

The notion that a president should be blessed or receive holy communion from the church before assuming the nation’s highest office is not a misnomer. What does this signify for an incoming president in terms of religion, politics and the economy?  Despite its Western roots, it is no coincidence that Africans also observe this tradition....

After the country gained independence in 1990, one of the items on the agenda was to promote women’s equality and equity, something that seemed challenging to achieve.  However, those given that responsibility ensured that it was not just a dream. One cannot discuss equality and equity without appreciating the artistic contributions of women, which later...

The Public Procurement Act 15 of 2015 came into operation in 2017, with the objective of harmonising procurement policies, systems and practices across Government and State-owned Enterprises (SOEs). Prior to the implementation of the Act, SOEs managed their procurements completely differently from the Government. Public procurement serves as a socio-economic empowerment tool in most African...

Our generation has been blessed to have seen and experienced the enigma that is Sam Nujoma, the quintessential iconic leader. The one who taught us that we rebel not out of choice, but because we refuse to be a leaf in the centre of the whirlwind.  I remember the excitement and curiosity when we were...

Lila Quin in his thesis “Apartheid’s Last Hope: The International Fight for Walvis Bay, 1966-1994” narrates that in 1959, a young man was travelling around southern Africa with a Bible in hand, dressed as a preacher and looking ready to give a sermon. However, his plan was not to give a hearty Christian session to...