Namibia can no longer afford to treat cybercrime as an abstract, future-facing risk. It is here. It is organised and it is devastating lives in real time.
In recent years, the country has witnessed a disturbing rise in cyber-enabled crimes, with ordinary Namibians losing millions of dollars to criminals operating in an unregulated digital environment. From pensioners stripped of their life savings to young people lured into sophisticated investment scams, the damage is no longer theoretical. It is personal, painful and, in many cases, irreversible.
The elderly have emerged as particularly vulnerable targets. Many pensioners, unfamiliar with digital platforms and trusting by nature, have been systematically monitored, contacted and manipulated by cybercriminals who obtain their personal details and gradually coax them into willingly surrendering bank information. In too many cases, entire pensions — built over decades of hard work — vanish overnight.
What compounds the tragedy is that many of these crimes go unpunished. Law enforcement agencies are often powerless to fully pursue perpetrators who hide behind fake online identities, foreign phone numbers and encrypted platforms. The absence of comprehensive cybercrime legislation has left critical gaps, limiting the use of technology and international cooperation to trace criminals “to the T”.
But cybercrime in Namibia has expanded far beyond pension fraud.
As Information and Communication Technology Minister Emma Theofelus rightly noted, cybercrime does not respect borders, and neither can the response. Criminals exploit jurisdictional gaps; the law must close them.
Across the country, hundreds — if not thousands — of Namibians have fallen victim to so-called “investment opportunities” masquerading as cryptocurrency mining, forex trading, online investments and wealth-creation schemes. Promised exponential returns and financial freedom, victims are persuaded to invest thousands of dollars, often through nothing more than WhatsApp messages and glossy social-media posts flaunting luxury lifestyles.
The patterns are eerily consistent. Fake testimonies, fabricated success stories and manipulated screenshots are used to lure victims into pumping more money into schemes that appear legitimate on the surface. Months — sometimes years — pass before the operation suddenly disappears. WhatsApp numbers go silent. Websites vanish. Social-media profiles are deleted.
Even more alarming is the psychological manipulation involved. Many scammers pose as women, spinning elaborate personal narratives to maintain trust. A recurring storyline involves a mysteriously ill husband who later “runs off with the money”, followed by pleas to start over. Desperate to recover what they have lost, victims reinvest — again and again — until communication abruptly ends. In many cases, victims have never heard the scammer’s voice; the entire relationship exists through text messages. The “upliners”, as scammers refer to themselves, often claim to be female, exploiting social trust and emotional vulnerability.
Yet financial theft is only one dimension of cybercrime’s reach.
Cyber-enabled crimes now intersect with some of the most serious human rights abuses. There are growing reports of individuals lured through online platforms to physical locations where they are assaulted, trafficked, forced into prostitution or disappear altogether. Some Namibians have been allegedly enticed out of the country under false pretences – some returned to tell the story, while others – families are left searching for answers. These crimes blur the line between the digital and physical worlds, proving that online deception can have fatal offline consequences.
It is against this sobering backdrop that the announced Cybercrime and Data Protection Bills must become a law as a matter of urgency.
The MICT minister confirmed that stakeholder consultations on the draft Cybercrime Bill will commence on 2 February 2026. Crucially, the Bill aims to address the surge in technology-facilitated crimes, including gender-based violence. Provisions are expected to tackle doxxing, cyberstalking, online harassment, image-based abuse, deepfake exploitation and coordinated digital attacks — threats that disproportionately affect women in public office and female journalists.
This is a necessary and overdue intervention.
Cyberbullying, disinformation and digital harassment have become normalised in Namibian online spaces. The unethical and irresponsible use of social media, as the minister warned, has contributed to a worrying moral decay. Personal images are shared without consent. False accusations spread unchecked. Targeted online attacks destroy reputations, mental health and, in extreme cases, lives. Globally and locally, cyber abuse has been linked to suicides and acts of violence — outcomes that underscore the real-world stakes of digital misconduct.
Without clear rules governing how personal data is collected, stored and used, citizens remain exposed to exploitation. Privacy violations fuel cybercrime, and safeguarding data is a cornerstone of any secure digital society.
Importantly, Namibia’s Cybercrime Bill will align with the recently signed United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime. This international cooperation framework is critical.
However, legislation alone will not solve the problem.
Public awareness, digital literacy and ethical online behaviour are essential complements to the law. The “Ethical Use of Social Media” campaign is a step in the right direction, but it must be embraced beyond slogans. Namibians must learn to question online offers that seem too good to be true, protect personal information, and understand the consequences of sharing unverified or harmful content.
Cybercrime thrives on silence, shame and lack of knowledge. Victims often suffer quietly, embarrassed or uncertain about where to report. A robust legal framework must, therefore, be matched with accessible reporting mechanisms, victim support and visible enforcement.
The urgency is undeniable. Every delay leaves more Namibians exposed — pensions drained, futures derailed and lives endangered. Cybercrime is no longer a virtual inconvenience. It is a national security, economic and social crisis.
Parliament must act decisively. Society must adapt responsibly. The digital space — now central to modern life — must be governed with the seriousness it demands.
The cost of inaction is simply too high.
