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Elektronische Zeitschrift

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  • Namibia’s years of advocacy for an Access to Information (ATI) law has only just begun to bear fruit. There has been positive news of the ATI law being passed within the next year, although that remains to be seen given similar promises in the past.
    The Communications Act of 2009, the Official Secrets Act of 2004, and the Research Act, to name a few, are existing Namibian laws civil society feels impede freedom of expression. The laws have still not yet been repealed despite pressure from concerned human rights lobby groups.
    Furthermore, the 2018 AMB Namibia notes the dwindling action from the lobby groups themselves in advocating for media freedom, access to information, and, essentially, freedom of expression and opinion. According to the report, “of over 400 civil society organisations in Namibia, aside from the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), only the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) are actively engaged with these issues.”
    Journalists in Namibia are not unionised in a media-specific workers’ union. This has had a negative influence on the ethics and professionalism in the field, although the presence of a Media ombudsman and an Editor’s Forum have made self-regulation a viable avenue.