A fortnight ago, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation suspended its executive editor, Anna Nicodemus. This came after Nicodemus made comments in an interview on Newzroom Afrika about the health of president-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, nicknamed NNN. Following her suspension, it has been felt within the media fraternity that press freedom is under attack. Therefore, should the media worry about the incoming government of NNN?
NNN is currently Namibia’s Vice President and President-elect, following her victory in the just-concluded presidential elections that were held last month. She stood as a Swapo Party presidential candidate, and defeated Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) and others. Her victory has made her the first female president-in-waiting of the Republic of Namibia. However, her victory has not been received well among her detractors.
Since NNN won the presidential elections, her detractors have made a lot of noise. They have debated about her fitness to execute presidential duties. Surprisingly, she has already been executing those duties as vice president. But still, they hold different reservations. There are comments that NNN collapsed twice during her presidential campaign, running up to elections. But this statement did not just surface now; it was whispered among the public towards elections. Yet, nobody has publicly come forward with evidence to substantiate this claim.
Many detractors have made similar comments, including party members who wanted to hold an extraordinary congress, as well as political analysts appearing to share similar reservations. For example, Ndumba Kamwanyah has stressed the importance of transparency among politicians in disclosing their health status since they serve the people. Yet, these are general comments made by a political analyst without insights into health matters.
So far, the media are worried that politics is interfering in press freedom. This interference has been perceived as having far-reaching implications on the independence of the media, and transparency and accountability in information-gathering. Worse, Namibia’s press freedom ranking has decreased. Data provided by the Reporters without Borders Press Freedom Index indicate that Namibia’s global scores have decreased from 80.91% in 2023 to 74.16% in 2024. This decline has appeared to confirm the perception that press freedom is under political attack, but there are other factors at play, aside from political interference.
From a pragmatic standpoint, Namibia has a clear framework for safeguarding press freedom, including the rule of law. The current Namibian Constitution safeguards the freedom of expression and thought. More importantly, the media has helped shape the political dispensation in Namibia since independence. Therefore, there is a need for a more collective engagement on how the media and government can strengthen relations, and safeguard press freedom.
*Collen Kurana is a freelance writer and doctoral candidate in Public Administration (Peace Studies) at the Durban University of Technology.