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: What does the debate tell us about the development, identity and future of the Zambezi Region?

For me, the issue goes beyond simply putting a new name on an existing institution. It should form part of a much broader conversation about development, recognition, investment and the legacy we want to leave for future generations.

The Zambezi Region remains one of Namibia’s slower-developing regions. A 2023 Africa Press article quoted the former Governor of the region as attributing some of the region’s development challenges to failed or underperforming government institutions. Among the projects mentioned were the Kongola Crocodile Farm, the Liselo/Katima Mulilo Green Scheme and the Zambezi Waterfront Tourism Park.

The Zambezi Waterfront Tourism Park is perhaps one of the clearest examples of a missed opportunity. Reportedly developed at a cost of approximately N$189 million, the facility had the potential to become a major tourism attraction and economic asset.

With proper planning, investment and management, it could have become a landmark for Katima Mulilo and the wider region. It could even have provided an appropriate space to honour sons and daughters of the region who sacrificed their youth and, in some cases, their lives for the liberation of Namibia.

Instead, the infrastructure remains underutilised and, regrettably, lacks the aesthetic appeal and economic impact that such a major investment should have generated.

This is why the naming and renaming debate cannot be separated from the question of development.

Development creates landmarks, and landmarks create opportunities for recognition.

A region that continuously builds schools, universities, hospitals, government institutions, roads, cultural centres, sporting facilities, tourism attractions and economic infrastructure will naturally create more opportunities to honour people who have contributed to its history and development.

There have nevertheless been important investments in the Zambezi Region.

The recently completed Namalubi–Isize–Luhonono Road, named the Brendan Simbwaye Road, reportedly cost approximately N$700 million. Beyond improving connectivity, the project created economic opportunities during construction and provided an opportunity to honour one of the region’s prominent historical figures.

Other major public investments include the Zambezi Regional Council offices, reportedly constructed at approximately N$70 million; the Zambezi Regional Police Headquarters, at approximately N$40 million; and the Judiciary offices, at approximately N$84 million.

These investments are important not only because they improve public services and create economic opportunities, but also because they represent physical landmarks that can carry the history and identity of the region.

Yet many public facilities remain known mainly by their functional descriptions—the Judiciary Offices, Police Headquarters and Katima Mulilo Sports Complex, for example.

Some facilities may have names, but those names are not necessarily widely known or publicly recognised.

There are also examples of successful renaming. The Simon Mutumba Police Training Centre, formerly known as the Katounyana Police Training Centre, demonstrates that changing the name of a public institution is not necessarily an extraordinary or divisive undertaking when there is a legitimate reason and an appropriate process.

But the larger issue is this: How many more institutions and landmarks will the Zambezi Region create in the coming decades?

The answer to that question matters because development should not be concentrated around Katima Mulilo alone.

At present, Katima Mulilo remains the region’s principal established town, while Bukalo Village and Kongola Settlement are gradually emerging as potential growth centres.

This should not be the end of the story.

The Zambezi Region has numerous communities with the potential to become important centres of economic activity, service delivery and local development. Sangwali, Linyanti, Ngoma, Iibbu and Impalila, among others, could benefit from deliberate and strategic investment.

Such development would require more than isolated projects. It would require investment in roads, tourism, agriculture, education, health services, telecommunications, commerce, water infrastructure and other productive sectors.

If properly planned, these investments could stimulate local economies, create employment and reduce the concentration of opportunities in Katima Mulilo.

They could also create something else: more places worthy of names and legacies.

That is why the people of the Zambezi Region should not allow the current naming debate to become a narrow argument over one institution.

Whether the Katima Mulilo Campus is renamed or retains its current name should be determined through an inclusive, transparent and legitimate process involving the relevant authorities and the people of the region.

But whatever decision is ultimately taken, it should not distract us from the bigger developmental challenge.

We should be asking government, the private sector, traditional authorities, investors and communities: What are we doing to build the Zambezi Region of tomorrow?

A region that wants recognition must first create something worth recognising.

A region that wants investment must create an environment that attracts investment.

And a region that wants to preserve the memories and contributions of its heroes and heroines must create institutions, public spaces and landmarks where those legacies can live on.

The naming debate, therefore, should be viewed as part of a much bigger conversation about identity, history, development and the future.

As we debate the name of the Katima Mulilo Campus, let us also ask ourselves:

What infrastructure are we building today?

What growth centres are we creating?

What opportunities are we giving our young people?

And perhaps most importantly:

What kind of Zambezi Region will we leave for future generations?

A region’s identity is not defined only by the names attached to its institutions and infrastructure. It is also reflected in the development it creates, the opportunities it provides and the legacy it leaves behind.

Perhaps, therefore, the debate should not simply be about whether to name, rename or retain a name.

It should be about creating many more institutions, landmarks, towns, economic opportunities and public spaces worthy of carrying the names and legacies of the people who have shaped—and will continue to shape—the Zambezi Region.

So, to name, rename or neither?

The debate may continue.

But development must not wait.

Othero S. Mulele is a native of Katima Mulilo with an interest in regional and national affairs. He writes in his own capacity.