Download - Media Institute of Southern Africa

NAMIBIA
State of the media in Southern Africa 2002
told the state broadcaster, the
Namibian Broadcasting Corporation
(NBC), to stop broadcasting foreign
films and series that have a bad influence
on Namibian youth.
While addressing staff members at
a meeting at the NBC offices on the
afternoon of 30 September 2002,
Nujoma instructed the broadcaster to
show films that portray Namibia in a
positive light. The “bad” foreign movies,
the president stated, should be replaced
with locally made programmes
and documentaries on Namibia’s
wildlife and environment.
Immediately after the president’s
directive, the NBC changed its schedule
and started showing local productions
made several years ago.
On August 27, President Nujoma
took over the Information and Broadcasting
Ministry, claiming it was a bid
to tackle problems at the NBC, and
promising to discipline NBC employees.
At the time, MISA noted that the
NBC, the Namibian Communications
Commission (NCC) and the “New
Era” newspaper (all government institutions)
should be operating independently
and in the public interest
without government interference and
control.
The NBC is immersed in a financial
crisis - reportedly triggered by a
number of factors ranging from extensive
foreign travel by some staff
members, abuse of overtime claims,
fuel card fraud and financial mismanagement.
On March 11, the NBC
board appointed a consulting firm,
Executive Management Services, to
design and implement performance
and management contracts for the
state broadcaster.
ALERT
DATE: 2002-101-0319
INSTITUTION(S): The Namibian
VIOLATION(S): Threatened
On November 17, 2002, the Namibia
Food and Allied Workers’ Union
(NAFAU) threatened to take “The
Namibian” newspaper to court if the
newspaper refused to divulge the
names of its sources for a report which
stated that NAFAU President Dawid
Namalenga was under pressure to resign.
On October 16, “The Namibian”
reported that Namalenga was facing
calls to resign as NAFAU leader after
he joined the Roads Contractor
Company (RCC) as human resources
manager. Last month, workers at
NAFAU branches in a number of
Namibian towns presented submissions
to NAFAU Secretary General
Cuana Angula opposing Namalenga’s
continued presidency, arguing
that it contradicted the union’s
constitution.
“The Namibian’s” journalist Max
Hamata told MISA that Namibian
politicians and union leaders have a
poor understanding of freedom of
speech and journalists’ need to protect
their sources - one of the basic
tenets of press freedom.
ALERT
DATE: 2002-101-0327
INSTITUTION(S): The Namibian,
Die Republikein, Society of Advocates
VIOLATION(S): Victory
Prosecutor General Hans Heyman has
decided not to prosecute “The
Namibian”, “Die Republikein” and
So This Is Democracy? 97