EDITORIAL: Namibia’s press freedom under siege

Namibia's long-standing reputation as Africa's guiding light for press freedom is dimming. A steady decline is casting shadows on this once-bright example, and when the next press freedom rankings emerge, our worst fears may be grimly vindicated.The mourning period for our late founding president Sam Nujoma has brought these fears into sharper focus. In a disheartening display of state power, journalists found themselves at the receiving end of heavy-handed tactics by members of the Namibian police and defence force -barred from accessing key locations, while doors swung open effortlessly for the national broadcaster. Such selective access is not merely discriminatory; it is a blunt assault on Article 21 of our constitution, which enshrines equality and press freedom as sacrosanct rights.Namibians, like children in a candy store, have long been spoilt for choice in their preferred sources of news. It is not for state actors to dictate these choices. It is particularly painful that these acts of exclusion unfolded during the mourning of a man who fought so valiantly for the freedoms we now risk taking for granted.Equality of opportunity is not just a line in our constitution; it must be a reality lived daily by journalists and every Namibian. It is a travesty that, 35 years after independence - after so much blood was spilled to end the discriminations of a dark past - we should still confront such ghosts in our republic.If our leaders are listening, let them hear this: the freedom of the press is the canary in the coal mine of our democracy. To silence it is to invite darkness. The cracks in our beacon of press freedom may yet be mended, but only if we act before they widen into chasms.

EDITORIAL: Namibia’s press freedom under siege

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-04

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EDITORIAL: Namibia’s press freedom under siege

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-04

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