Category: Letters

By Josephat Inambao Sinvula, Public Policy and Development Analyst and Management Consultant, Ongwediva, Oshana Region Namibia gained independence in 1990 to empower Namibians. Thirty-six years on, what went wrong? Botswana offers a lesson. Under its Trade Act (Act 25 of 2019) and Industrial Development Act (Act 23 of 2019, in force from 1 June 2020),…

By Josephat Inambao Sinvula The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) loves to call itself the “alternative government.” Yet when asked what it has done for the social development of Namibians with the public money it receives, its answer has been about rules, not results. A Question Left Hanging Official Opposition Leader Imms Nashinge has publicly…

𝘽𝙮 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙖𝙤 𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙪𝙡𝙖 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝟯𝟲 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙉𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙖 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝘽𝙤𝙩𝙨𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙖, 𝙕𝙞𝙢𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙕𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙙: 𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙖 𝙡𝙖𝙬 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙨. 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙚? 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙭𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙬𝙨, 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙧𝙪𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙧-𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢? Walk through Katima Mulilo, Ongwediva, Oshakati, Windhoek or Rundu. The barbershop, the retail…

By Josephat Inambao Sinvula Namibia’s first woman president has spent more than eighteen months building consensus rather than chasing populism. Her transformation agenda is far from finished, and it cannot be completed in a single five-year term. A Historic Mandate On 21 March 2025, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was sworn in as Namibia’s fifth president and its…

An Analytical Synthesis of the Mudabeti, Mudengi, and Mulele Debates, and a Visionary Path Forward for Regional Progress By Mr. Nawa Nawa Native Resident — Katima Mulilo, Zambezi Region EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The vibrant public debate over renaming the University of Namibia (UNAM) Katima Mulilo Campus must not degenerate into a zero-sum conflict between honouring liberation…

By Othero S. Mulele The debate over the proposed renaming of the University of Namibia’s Katima Mulilo Campus has generated strong views, with some supporting the proposal and others questioning whether the institution should retain its current name. Both positions deserve to be heard. But perhaps there is a bigger question we should be asking:…

Renaming a local university in a town with multiple ethnic communities requires a highly sensitive, inclusive, and structured approach to prevent social division and ensure community buy-in. Below is a step-by-step framework for navigating this process successfully. 1. Form a Representative Steering Committee Do not let a single group drive the initiative. Establish a committee…

There’s a proposal on the table: rename UNAM’s Katima Mulilo Campus after the late Brendan Kangongolo Simbwaye. It deserves real, thoughtful conversation — not a quick yes or no. By Liwakala Mudengi The suggestion that the University of Namibia’s Katima Mulilo Campus should be renamed after the late Brendan Kangongolo Simbwaye deserves thoughtful public discussion.…

By Josephat Inambao Sinvula For 35 years, Namibia’s four presidencies have presided over a country that achieved political liberation but has struggled to translate that liberation into broad-based economic emancipation. The central contradiction remains difficult to ignore: Namibia is rich in natural resources, yet large sections of its population continue to experience poverty, unemployment and…