Podcasts about SWAPO

When Tanzania gained independence in 1961, Julius Nyerere saw publishing as a key part of decolonization and nation-building. In 1966, he founded the Tanzania Publishing House (TPH), putting state publishing at the center of building national identity and culture, and of bringing people together through language.Tanzania's influence grew throughout the 1970s and 1980s. During this period, Dar es Salaam served as the headquarters for several Southern African liberation movements, such as FRELIMO, SWAPO, and the ANC. TPH was central in this era, publishing and distributing anti-imperialist works like Walter Rodney's How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, Agostinho Neto's Sacred Hope, Samora Machel's Establishing People's Power to Serve the Masses, and Issa Shivji's Class Struggle in Tanzania.Integral to TPH's influence during these years was Walter Bgoya, who served as managing director from 1972 to 1990 and played a major role in making TPH and Dar es Salaam a center for progressive intellectuals from around the world. His leadership was instrumental in shaping the publishing landscape.For publishers like TPH, state-led publishing ended in the 1990s. when the IMF's Structural Adjustment Program brought austerity and privatization, which hurt state-owned companies. This directly impacted TPH and changed the country's publishing landscape.When the government stopped supporting state publishing, Walter Bgoya decided to leave TPH in 1991. He went on to start Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, carving out a new path in independent publishing. Since then, Mkuki na Nyota has continued this legacy as a key force in East African publishing, producing critical academic, historical, and literary works. In this episode, we interview Walter Bgoya. We focus on his leadership at TPH and his founding of Mkuki na Nyota. The conversation explores African publishing as a tool for decolonization, culture, and independence. This episode is part of the Africanist Press's New Democracy Series.

Namibia sits on the south-west coast of Africa. Below Angola, above South Africa, with Botswana to the east.Portuguese explorers first reached the coast here in the 1480s. No natural harbour, brutal surf, cold Atlantic fog, the Namib Desert running straight into the sea, little access to fresh water. They planted crosses to mark their claims, turned around and went home again, never to return.Today that coast is known as the Skeleton Coast because of shipwrecks and whale bones.Three hundred years later, having decided there was too much tropical disease in Gambia, the British looked at Namibia as a possible penal colony. They decided it was too inhumane.It was Germans and Finns who eventually settled on the coast another hundred years on.Namibia is about three and a half times the size of the UK, and yet its population is only 3 million. It is big and empty. Most of it is desert.I've got more endless expanse shots than I know what to do with. Here is just one of them. Plus a short vid shot from a hot air balloon which gives you an idea of the sheer endlessness of the place.Even in the capital city, Windhoek, there is just so much space.The only two places in the world that are less densely populated are Greenland and Mongolia. Namibia beats even Australia and Mauritania, which is mostly Sahara desert.Demographically, the country is roughly 87% black, 6% white and 5% mixed race, with the Ovambo people to the north making up about half the population. I saw a few Asians while I was there too.A country of extremesThere are still bushmen and other ancient hunter-gatherer people living as they have lived for centuries, yet other parts of the country are extremely modern. There are shopping centres to rival our own, good roads (the best in Africa, I was told), great restaurants, commercial farms and more. About half the population is urban. The national language is English, adopted after the country gained independence from South Africa in 1990, but I found that people, black and white, would as often speak amongst themselves in Afrikaans and, up north, Ovambo. On the coast German is widely spoken. (The country was a German colony from the 1880s until World War I, when South Africa, then British, invaded. Hence it has great beer.)The controlling political force is the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO), which has governed since independence in 1990. SWAPO is nominally social democratic, but there are still strong liberation-era left-wing instincts, as evidenced by streets in the capital renamed after independence: Fidel Castro Street, Robert Mugabe Avenue and so on.All being said, Namibia functions well.It is a stable democracy with rule of law, an independent judiciary (the government sometimes loses cases), relatively free markets and low crime by African (and European) standards. Immigration law is tight too. Having seen the problems stemming from mass immigration into South Africa, Namibia has taken a more controlled approach.Indeed I heard repeated frustrations from mining companies trying to obtain visas for geologists and mining engineers where the local expertise either does not exist or is employed elsewhere.Official unemployment is 37%, but I heard from several different sources that the real number is above 50%. 50%! Very sad.Nominal GDP per capita sits around US$5,000, roughly double that adjusted for purchasing power, which puts it above most of sub-Saharan Africa. The World Bank classifies Namibia as a lower-middle-income country, alongside countries such as Albania, Argentina and Belize. But these numbers are misleading.The country has vast wealth through its natural resources and related industries: uranium, copper, diamonds, fishing and tourism. Spread that revenue across just 3 million people and the averages look impressive.There is also serious rural poverty.Namibia combines first-world infrastructure with third-world unemployment.The currency is pegged to the South African rand, not one I would have chosen. Official inflation sits in the 2-3% range.About 88% of the country's sovereign debt is held domestically, and there appears to be healthy demand for its bonds. The country has also recently begun a sovereign wealth fund, which is reportedly growing at an impressive 16% since 2022. The central bank has recently also implemented a gold acquisition programme. Kudos.The country has high institutional savings and one the larger stock exchanges in sub-Saharan Africa.Food is cheap, protein in particular. The country has an enormous cattle herd, almost as large as its population. Recent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in neighbouring countries are therefore a cause for concern, as you can imagine. (Not my bag, but I reckon there is an opportunity exporting Namibian biltong to the UK, where it is expensive. I brought back loads). Other goods, however, can be expensive because the country relies heavily on imports.If you live in a third world country such as the UK, I urge you to own gold or silver. The pound will be further devalued, as will the euro and dollar. The bullion dealer I use and recommend is The Pure Gold Company. They deliver to the UK, the US, Canada and Europe. More here.The main industries - tourism and natural resourcesPorts are expanding. The railways are not great, though I hear they will be improved. The roads, however, are excellent, as I said. Namibia is also the world's third-largest uranium producer after Kazakhstan and Canada. Chinese interests hold majority stakes in the country's three largest uranium mines, not to mention other metals.Oil and gas have recently been discovered offshore. Shell plc is one of the pioneers.As for gold, Namibia only really became a meaningful gold player after independence, since when roughly 15 million ounces have been discovered, much of it alongside copper. Among the larger players is B2 Gold (BTO.TO), which is well known in the country. Large parts of the country remain un- or under-explored. And I think that is where a lot of the big opportuities lie.There also appear to be rare earth deposits in some abundance. Kendrik Resources (KEN.L) recently made some progress here. Solar, wind and hydrogen projects are also attracting investment tooChinese money helped build the SWAPO headquarters, and they are investing significantly in mines in the country. Of note is that the USA recently spent heavily developing their embassy. It is big. Former Trump attorney John Giordano is now ambassador, a surprisingly high -profile appointment for such a low-profile country.One theory I heard repeatedly was that, given deteriorating US relations with South Africa, Washington increasingly sees Namibia as strategically important in terms of Atlantic access, energy routes and influence in the south Atlantic. Not quite the Panama Canal or Strait of Hormuz, but it could be something of a chokepoint. Namibia feels like a country at the cusp of something.It has space, resources, energy, political stability and strategic importance.Next week I want to look in more detail at Namibia as an investment destination, particularly its mining sector, where some very interesting things may be developing.My thanks go to to Rowland Brown and Chanel Marais of Cirrus Capital for bringing me to Namibia and for organizing what was a brilliant and instructuve conference.Thank you for reading the Flying Frisby.Until next time,Dominic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe

Namibia sits on the south-west coast of Africa. Below Angola, above South Africa, with Botswana to the east.Portuguese explorers first reached the coast here in the 1480s. No natural harbour, brutal surf, cold Atlantic fog, the Namib Desert running straight into the sea, little access to fresh water. They planted crosses to mark their claims, turned around and went home again, never to return.Today that coast is known as the Skeleton Coast because of shipwrecks and whale bones.Three hundred years later, having decided there was too much tropical disease in Gambia, the British looked at Namibia as a possible penal colony. They decided it was too inhumane.It was Germans and Finns who eventually settled on the coast another hundred years on.Namibia is about three and a half times the size of the UK, and yet its population is only 3 million. It is big and empty. Most of it is desert.I've got more endless expanse shots than I know what to do with. Here is just one of them. Plus a short vid shot from a hot air balloon which gives you an idea of the sheer endlessness of the place.Even in the capital city, Windhoek, there is just so much space.The only two places in the world that are less densely populated are Greenland and Mongolia. Namibia beats even Australia and Mauritania, which is mostly Sahara desert.Demographically, the country is roughly 87% black, 6% white and 5% mixed race, with the Ovambo people to the north making up about half the population. I saw a few Asians while I was there too.A country of extremesThere are still bushmen and other ancient hunter-gatherer people living as they have lived for centuries, yet other parts of the country are extremely modern. There are shopping centres to rival our own, good roads (the best in Africa, I was told), great restaurants, commercial farms and more. About half the population is urban. The national language is English, adopted after the country gained independence from South Africa in 1990, but I found that people, black and white, would as often speak amongst themselves in Afrikaans and, up north, Ovambo. On the coast German is widely spoken. (The country was a German colony from the 1880s until World War I, when South Africa, then British, invaded. Hence it has great beer.)The controlling political force is the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO), which has governed since independence in 1990. SWAPO is nominally social democratic, but there are still strong liberation-era left-wing instincts, as evidenced by streets in the capital renamed after independence: Fidel Castro Street, Robert Mugabe Avenue and so on.All being said, Namibia functions well.It is a stable democracy with rule of law, an independent judiciary (the government sometimes loses cases), relatively free markets and low crime by African (and European) standards. Immigration law is tight too. Having seen the problems stemming from mass immigration into South Africa, Namibia has taken a more controlled approach.Indeed I heard repeated frustrations from mining companies trying to obtain visas for geologists and mining engineers where the local expertise either does not exist or is employed elsewhere.Official unemployment is 37%, but I heard from several different sources that the real number is above 50%. 50%! Very sad.Nominal GDP per capita sits around US$5,000, roughly double that adjusted for purchasing power, which puts it above most of sub-Saharan Africa. The World Bank classifies Namibia as a lower-middle-income country, alongside countries such as Albania, Argentina and Belize. But these numbers are misleading.The country has vast wealth through its natural resources and related industries: uranium, copper, diamonds, fishing and tourism. Spread that revenue across just 3 million people and the averages look impressive.There is also serious rural poverty.Namibia combines first-world infrastructure with third-world unemployment.The currency is pegged to the South African rand, not one I would have chosen. Official inflation sits in the 2-3% range.About 88% of the country's sovereign debt is held domestically, and there appears to be healthy demand for its bonds. The country has also recently begun a sovereign wealth fund, which is reportedly growing at an impressive 16% since 2022. The central bank has recently also implemented a gold acquisition programme. Kudos.The country has high institutional savings and one the larger stock exchanges in sub-Saharan Africa.Food is cheap, protein in particular. The country has an enormous cattle herd, almost as large as its population. Recent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in neighbouring countries are therefore a cause for concern, as you can imagine. (Not my bag, but I reckon there is an opportunity exporting Namibian biltong to the UK, where it is expensive. I brought back loads). Other goods, however, can be expensive because the country relies heavily on imports.If you live in a third world country such as the UK, I urge you to own gold or silver. The pound will be further devalued, as will the euro and dollar. The bullion dealer I use and recommend is The Pure Gold Company. They deliver to the UK, the US, Canada and Europe. More here.The main industries - tourism and natural resourcesPorts are expanding. The railways are not great, though I hear they will be improved. The roads, however, are excellent, as I said. Namibia is also the world's third-largest uranium producer after Kazakhstan and Canada. Chinese interests hold majority stakes in the country's three largest uranium mines, not to mention other metals.Oil and gas have recently been discovered offshore. Shell plc is one of the pioneers.As for gold, Namibia only really became a meaningful gold player after independence, since when roughly 15 million ounces have been discovered, much of it alongside copper. Among the larger players is B2 Gold (BTO.TO), which is well known in the country. Large parts of the country remain un- or under-explored. And I think that is where a lot of the big opportuities lie.There also appear to be rare earth deposits in some abundance. Kendrik Resources (KEN.L) recently made some progress here. Solar, wind and hydrogen projects are also attracting investment tooChinese money helped build the SWAPO headquarters, and they are investing significantly in mines in the country. Of note is that the USA recently spent heavily developing their embassy. It is big. Former Trump attorney John Giordano is now ambassador, a surprisingly high -profile appointment for such a low-profile country.One theory I heard repeatedly was that, given deteriorating US relations with South Africa, Washington increasingly sees Namibia as strategically important in terms of Atlantic access, energy routes and influence in the south Atlantic. Not quite the Panama Canal or Strait of Hormuz, but it could be something of a chokepoint. Namibia feels like a country at the cusp of something.It has space, resources, energy, political stability and strategic importance.Next week I want to look in more detail at Namibia as an investment destination, particularly its mining sector, where some very interesting things may be developing.My thanks go to to Rowland Brown and Chanel Marais of Cirrus Capital for bringing me to Namibia and for organizing what was a brilliant and instructuve conference.Thank you for reading the Flying Frisby.Until next time,Dominic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe

Vandag herdenk Namibië Cassingadag. Die vakansiedag word gevier ter ere van die meer as 600 mense wat in 1978 in die aanval deur Suid-Afrikaanse magte in 'n Swapo-vlugtelingkamp in die dorp Cassinga in Angola dood is. Swapo-veteraan Nahas Angula sê aan Kosmos 94.1 Nuus dat dae soos hierdie nie net oor simboliek moet gaan nie, maar 'n weerspieëling van die status van die sosio-ekonomiese situasie waarmee baie Namibiërs vandag te kampe het.

Good Sunday to youI'm still finding my feet having just got back from Namibia. I've got a full country report coming, as well as a portfolio piece. But I've been thinking further about the country's potential since Wednesday's note.Namibia has almost everything. Resources. Location. Roads. A small population. On paper, it should work.And yet.Driving through Windhoek, the capital, my guide pointed out a hospital: the Katutura State Hospital.“You don't want to get sick here,” he said.It didn't look too bad from the outside. A bit craggy. But I've seen worse.The place is infamous apparently. Rats. Endless waits. People lying untreated in corridors. People deliberately go at 3 in the morning, because it betters your chances of being seen the next day. My guide described his own time there when he broke his arm last year. Oof. It makes NHS Accident and Emergency waiting times look slick.Across the road, stood a gleaming monstrosity - the SWAPO (ruling party) headquarters. Brand new. Vulgar. Expensive. Impossible to miss.It wasn't discreetly tucked away. It was right there, bearing down on the hospital. My first reaction was simply how ugly it is. A few years and that will look truly horrible, I explained to my guide, who seemed baffled by my prediction.His point, however, that I hadn't yet thought of, was simply how the building had attracted controversy: all that money being spent on what is essentially a vanity project, with the hospital over the road.It was built by the Chinese, funded through a grant from the Chinese government, rather than a commercial loan, at a cost of $50–60 million (figures vary). Because it's a grant, it doesn't sit as formal public debt. What could the Chinese possibly want in Namibia. (Clue Namibia, among other things, is the world's 3rd largest uranium producer and the Chinese pretty much control the 3 largest uranium mining companies operating there. Then there are all those other resources too)There, in a single snapshot, lies the problem. A classic of the resource curse genre. Easy money distorts behaviour. In theory, natural resources should make a country rich. In practice, they often do the opposite. Incentives determine the outcome.If a government can fund itself from its natural resources, from its oil or metal, what does it care about tax payers? If it doesn't rely on its citizens, it doesn't feel accountable to them. Instead of serving the public, the state begins to serve itself.Money flows in. It gets spent badly, siphoned off, used to entrench power.At the same time, the rest of the economy suffers. Why build a broad industrial base when the ground is already doing the work for you? You end up with a narrow, fragile system built around extraction.Two countries with similar resources can end up in completely different places.Norway built institutions, saved its oil wealth, invested for the long term. Venezuela (which has greater oil resources than even Saudi Arabia), spent it, politicised it and hollowed out everything else.Don't get me started on what the UK did with its oil. (First thing the government should do Monday morning by the way is renegotiate North Sea division with Norway). Same starting point. Opposite outcomes. One has one of the lowest GDP per capitas in the world, the other has one of the highest. The difference is governance. Incentives. Culture.Namibia now has some choices to make. It is somewhere near the beginning of that path. It has oil discoveries offshore. It is already a major uranium producer. It has copper, gold, rare earths, diamonds, zinc, lithium and tin. Fish. The opportunity is obvious.But so is the risk. The easy choice is to follow the same path as most of the rest of Africa. The harder choice now, but one that will result in better outcomes, is one of good governance.The debate around that SWAPO headquarters touches on exactly this point. Despite what I've said, there is no single scandal you can point to and say “there it is”. It's all a bit more murky. But the criticism you hear, quietly and repeatedly, is about priorities. Why spend heavily on political infrastructure when basic services are under strain? Why is the party so well housed while public systems struggle? There are major questions too, as with much infrastructure in Africa, about foreign financing and influence, especially from China. You don't need a formal corruption charge to expose everything. You can see it in how capital is allocated.Oddly, the countries that often do best are those with very little as far as natural resources are concerned. Hong Kong, Singapore, even Venice a millennium earlier. There was no safety net. They were forced to trade, to manufacture, to compete. They had to create value because there was none sitting in the ground.Namibia doesn't have that pressure. So it has to choose discipline, and that is the hard part. When you see a failing hospital on one side of the road and a gleaming party headquarters on the other, it tells you something about priorities. Never mind what politicians say, look at what they do.I'll be back with more later this week.Thank you for being a subscriber to the Flying Frisby.Until next time,DominicIf you live in a third world country such as the UK, I urge you to own gold or silver. The pound will be further devalued, as will the euro and dollar. The bullion dealer I use and recommend is The Pure Gold Company. They deliver to the UK, the US, Canada and Europe. More here.PS Here is this week's piece. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe

Good Sunday to youI'm still finding my feet having just got back from Namibia. I've got a full country report coming, as well as a portfolio piece. But I've been thinking further about the country's potential since Wednesday's note.Namibia has almost everything. Resources. Location. Roads. A small population. On paper, it should work.And yet.Driving through Windhoek, the capital, my guide pointed out a hospital: the Katutura State Hospital.“You don't want to get sick here,” he said.It didn't look too bad from the outside. A bit craggy. But I've seen worse.The place is infamous apparently. Rats. Endless waits. People lying untreated in corridors. People deliberately go at 3 in the morning, because it betters your chances of being seen the next day. My guide described his own time there when he broke his arm last year. Oof. It makes NHS Accident and Emergency waiting times look slick.Across the road, stood a gleaming monstrosity - the SWAPO (ruling party) headquarters. Brand new. Vulgar. Expensive. Impossible to miss.It wasn't discreetly tucked away. It was right there, bearing down on the hospital. My first reaction was simply how ugly it is. A few years and that will look truly horrible, I explained to my guide, who seemed baffled by my prediction.His point, however, that I hadn't yet thought of, was simply how the building had attracted controversy: all that money being spent on what is essentially a vanity project, with the hospital over the road.It was built by the Chinese, funded through a grant from the Chinese government, rather than a commercial loan, at a cost of $50–60 million (figures vary). Because it's a grant, it doesn't sit as formal public debt. What could the Chinese possibly want in Namibia. (Clue Namibia, among other things, is the world's 3rd largest uranium producer and the Chinese pretty much control the 3 largest uranium mining companies operating there. Then there are all those other resources too)There, in a single snapshot, lies the problem. A classic of the resource curse genre. Easy money distorts behaviour. In theory, natural resources should make a country rich. In practice, they often do the opposite. Incentives determine the outcome.If a government can fund itself from its natural resources, from its oil or metal, what does it care about tax payers? If it doesn't rely on its citizens, it doesn't feel accountable to them. Instead of serving the public, the state begins to serve itself.Money flows in. It gets spent badly, siphoned off, used to entrench power.At the same time, the rest of the economy suffers. Why build a broad industrial base when the ground is already doing the work for you? You end up with a narrow, fragile system built around extraction.Two countries with similar resources can end up in completely different places.Norway built institutions, saved its oil wealth, invested for the long term. Venezuela (which has greater oil resources than even Saudi Arabia), spent it, politicised it and hollowed out everything else.Don't get me started on what the UK did with its oil. (First thing the government should do Monday morning by the way is renegotiate North Sea division with Norway). Same starting point. Opposite outcomes. One has one of the lowest GDP per capitas in the world, the other has one of the highest. The difference is governance. Incentives. Culture.Namibia now has some choices to make. It is somewhere near the beginning of that path. It has oil discoveries offshore. It is already a major uranium producer. It has copper, gold, rare earths, diamonds, zinc, lithium and tin. Fish. The opportunity is obvious.But so is the risk. The easy choice is to follow the same path as most of the rest of Africa. The harder choice now, but one that will result in better outcomes, is one of good governance.The debate around that SWAPO headquarters touches on exactly this point. Despite what I've said, there is no single scandal you can point to and say “there it is”. It's all a bit more murky. But the criticism you hear, quietly and repeatedly, is about priorities. Why spend heavily on political infrastructure when basic services are under strain? Why is the party so well housed while public systems struggle? There are major questions too, as with much infrastructure in Africa, about foreign financing and influence, especially from China. You don't need a formal corruption charge to expose everything. You can see it in how capital is allocated.Oddly, the countries that often do best are those with very little as far as natural resources are concerned. Hong Kong, Singapore, even Venice a millennium earlier. There was no safety net. They were forced to trade, to manufacture, to compete. They had to create value because there was none sitting in the ground.Namibia doesn't have that pressure. So it has to choose discipline, and that is the hard part. When you see a failing hospital on one side of the road and a gleaming party headquarters on the other, it tells you something about priorities. Never mind what politicians say, look at what they do.I'll be back with more later this week.Thank you for being a subscriber to the Flying Frisby.Until next time,DominicIf you live in a third world country such as the UK, I urge you to own gold or silver. The pound will be further devalued, as will the euro and dollar. The bullion dealer I use and recommend is The Pure Gold Company. They deliver to the UK, the US, Canada and Europe. More here.PS Here is this week's piece. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe

Die parlement het vanmiddag 'n spesiale sitting gehou ter ere van Swapo-parlementslid en voormalige Otjozondjupa-goewerneur James Uerikua. Hy is oor die Paasnaweek in 'n motorongeluk saam met sy 14-jarige seun oorlede. AR-parlementslid Ester Haikola-Sakaria het Uerikua geprys vir sy diep toewyding aan regering.

Bewerings dat Rusland Swapo gehelp het om tydens die laaste verkiesings te wen, bly in die nuus. Hierdie keer sê die IPC se skadu-handelminister, Rodney Cloete, dit is verdag dat Swapo se adjunk-sekretaris-generaal, Uahekua Herunga, sê hy sal nie regstappe doen nie, na bewerings dat hy miljoene dollar van Russiese intelligensie-agente gewerf het om Swapo se 2024-verkiesingsveldtog te ondersteun. Cloete sê daar kan ook 'n skakel wees met die onlangse druk deur die regering om Russiese maatskappye toe te laat om in-situ-mynbou in die Leonardville-gebied te begin, ten spyte van sterk teenkanting.

Namibië verdiep bande met Rusland ten spyte van daardie land se oorlog in Oekraïne en Westerse moondhede wat veiligheidskwessies opper. Bewerings van Russiese inmenging in Namibië se 2024-verkiesings het ook na vore gekom, hoewel Swapo dit sterk ontken. Politieke ontleder Henning Melber het aan Kosmos 94.1 Nuus gesê dat die verskuiwing van wêreldwye magsdinamika internasionale reg uitdaag, en sê die regering moet oop kaarte met Namibiërs speel oor sy buitelandse beleidsprioriteite.

Die speaker, Saara Kuugongelwa Amadhila het IPC-lid Rodney Cloete se kennisgewing vir ‘n vraag in die parlement geweier. Cloete wou weet oor Forbidden Stories, wat berig hulle het bewyse dat Rusland met die 2024 verkiesing ingemeng het en briewe, video's en persverklarings gefabriseer het in ‘n veldtog om die IPC se beeld skade te berokken, ten gunste van Swapo. Forbidden Stories beweer voorts hulle het korrespondensie tussen Swapo en Rusland gesien waarin die regerende party onder meer vir geldelike bystand gevra het. Voor Cloete sy vraag kon voltooi is hy stilgemaak.

Die parlement dring daarop aan dat NamPower sy energieproduksievermoëns verbeter deur verskeie metodes in te sluit. Swapo-parlementslid Charles Mubita het in die Nasionale Vergadering gesê dat die land te veel bestee aan die invoer van elektrisiteit, terwyl daar potensiaal is vir die land om sy energiemengsel te diversifiseer en selfs genoeg te produseer om uit te voer.

Reaksie word ontvang oor 'n artikel deur 'n groep ondersoekende joernaliste op die bekroonde aanlynplatform Forbidden Stories. Daar word berig dat Rusland ten gunste van Swapo in die 2024 verkiesing ingemeng het en dat Swapo ook geld van Rusland gevra het vir sy veldtog. Intussen het die Speaker vrae hieroor in die Nasionale Vergadering geweier. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het met Frederico Links van Fact Check Namibia gepraat. Links sê hy het die dokumente onder oë gehad en meer sal in die komende weke daaroor gepubliseer word. Hy sê die kwessie moet gedebatteer word.

Die regering het hom tot dusver nie by enige kant in die oorlog in die Midde-Ooste geskaar nie, maar net die geweld veroordeel en 'n neutrale standpunt ingeneem. Swapo sekretaris-generaal Sophia Shaningwa het egter met die ambasadeur van Iran, Mohammad Baqer Beigi, by Swapo se nasionale hoofkwartier vergader. Sy het daarna op sosiale media haar meegevoel met die mense van Iran betuig oor die moord op opperleier Ali Khamenei en gesê Swapo staan in solidariteit met Iran. Volgens analis Pius Dunaiski dui dit op interne faksies in die party. Hy het met Kosmos 94.1 Nuus gepraat.

Swapo-parlementslid Elifas Dingara het uit die Nasionale Vergadering bedank. Hy sluit 'n dekade in sy amp af om te gaan boer en sal vervang word deur Christine Haindaka, adjunksekretaris van die Swapo Party Jeugliga. Dingara, wat in Junie 2023 opslae gemaak het nadat hy voorgestel het dat elke Namibiese burger 1 miljoen Namibiese dollar van die staat moet ontvang, het die omstrede mosie tydens sy afskeidstoespraak verdedig.

Ekonome is versigtig optimisties oor die 2026/27 nasionale begroting wat volgende Donderdag ter tafel gelê sal word, maar sê die fokus moet ferm op werkskepping bly. In 'n onderhoud met Kosmos 94.1 Nuus sê ekonoom dr. Omu Kakujaha-Matundu dat die finansminister haar toespraak moet belyn met die Swapo-verkiesingsmanifes deur duidelik te vermeld hoeveel werksgeleenthede in die 2025/26-boekjaar geskep is, veral deur groen skemas en die Jeugontwikkelingsfonds, terwyl sy ook opdaterings gee oor ander beloftes wat gemaak is.

Die parlement het Woensdag in chaos verval toe Swapo-parlementslede opgestaan het om hul steun vir die Wysigingswetsontwerp op Petroleum, waarvolgens die stroomop olie- en gasbedryf onder die president se kantoor sal val, uit te spreek. Lede van die opposisie het aangevoer dat die uitvoerende gesag reeds beplan het om die wetsontwerp te implementeer voordat dit behoorlik deur die parlement gedebatteer is. Swapo-LP Charles Mubita het die opposisie versoek om Swapo-lede toe te laat om hul steun sonder onderbreking uit te spreek.

Huldeblyke stroom steeds in vir die veteraan Swapo-lid en voormalige kabinetsminister Erkki Nghimtina, wat Sondagmiddag in sy huis op 77-jarige ouderdom oorlede is. Nghimtina het tussen 1997 en 2020 in vier ministeriële portefeuljes gedien, insluitend verdediging, myne en energie, werke en vervoer, en arbeid. In 'n onderhoud met Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het die leier van die Swapo-jeugliga, Ephraim Nekongo, gesê Februarie bly 'n somber maand vir Namibië omdat die land ook twee voormalige presidente gedurende hierdie tydperk verloor het.

Lucas Muha is terug aan die stuur van sake by die Nasionale Raad, en sal die sewende raad lei nadat hy ook die sesde voorsitter was. Elke streek word verteenwoordig deur drie raadslede, verkies in die streeks- en plaaslike owerheidsverkiesings in November. Swapo se Emma Muteka tree in as adjunkvoorsitter en volg Victoria Kauma op. Muha belowe om met deursigtigheid en integriteit te lei.

Die administrasie van president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah het vandag die laaste kabinetsessie van die jaar gehou. Die president het die kabinet toegespreek en haar ministers herinner oor dienslewering en sê verder dat die ondersteuning vir Swapo versterk moet word.

Die uiters lae stempersentasie in verlede week se streeksraad- en plaaslike owerheidsverkiesings het dalk ‘n rol gespeel het in Swapo se goeie vertoning by die stembus. Die stempersentasie in die streeksraadverkiesing was 40,6 persent en 36,3 persent in die plaaslike owerheidsverkiesing. Swapo het 63,35 persent van die stemme in die streeksraadverkiesing gewen, en 52,4 in die plaaslike owerheidsverkiesing. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het politieke ontleder Ndumba Kamwanyah om kommentaar genader:

Net 36,3 persent van mense wat geregistreer het om in die afgelope plaaslike owerheidsverkiesing te stem, het hul kruisies Woensdag gaan trek, toon amptelike uitslae wat Saterdag deur die Verkiesingskommissie van Namibië, die ECN, vrygestel is. Swapo het 52,4 persent van alle stemme in die plaaslike owerheidsverkiesing gewen, gevolg deur die Independent Patriots for Change met 15,01 persent en die Landless People's Movement met 5,85 persent. Die voorsitter van die ECN, Elsie Nghikembua, het tydens die bekendmaking van die finale uitslae ‘n beroep op Namibiërs gedoen om die uitslae te aanvaar:

Dit wil voorkom asof Swapo skoonskip gemaak het en lei ver voor in verkiesingsuitslae. Die IPC het ver teruggesak en so ook die Affirmative Repositioning-beweging en die LPM. Verskeie onafhnaklike kandidate het baie goed vertoon in die streeksverkiesings. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het met politieke ontleder, dr. Ndumba Kamwanyah wat sê president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah het nuwe lewe in Swapo geblaas.

Die LPM het teruggekap nadat die Teenkorrupsie-kommissie twee van sy raadslede by die Karas-streeksraad op korrupsieklagte in hegtenis geneem het. Partypresident Bernadus Swartbooi het tydens 'n perskonferensie in Keetmanshoop gesê dat raadsvoorsitter Joseph Isaacks en raadslid Jeremia Goeieman hulself sedertdien aan die polisie oorgegee het, en daarop aangedring dat die saak polities gedrewe is. Hy het selfs 'n beroep op die Amerikaanse president Donald Trump gedoen om in te gryp en hulle te beskerm teen wat hy onderdrukking deur Swapo noem.

Die Khomas-goewerneur Sam Nujoma het homself gedistansieer van sy beloftes in April vanjaar om 5 000 huise in een jaar te bou en aan The Namibian gesê die teiken is deel van die Swapo-verkiesingsmanifes en nie 'n persoonlike verbintenis nie. In April vanjaar het Kosmos 94.1 die uiters verdagte teiken met die oud-hoof van die Namibiese Behuisingsonderneming Mike Kavekotora gepraat. Hy het ook gesê die teiken is twyfelagtig.

Die debat oor die Grond-wetsontwerp duur voort in die parlement, met Swapo-parlementslid Nono Katjingisua wat dit 'n transformerende stap in Namibië se grondhervormingsreis noem. Katjingisua sê die wetsontwerp kan die ekonomiese potensiaal van gemeenskaplike grond ontsluit, landbou bevorder en boere langverwagte grondregte en toegang tot finansiering gee.

Die eerste minister, dr. Elijah Ngurare vier sy 55ste verjaarsdag vandag. Ngurare het met sy politieke aktivisme in 1983 begin en die daaropvolgende jaar is Namibië Nasionale Studente-organisasie, Nanso gestig. In 2015 het die party se top vier leiers hom van sy pos as Swapo se jeugleier gedwing. In 2021 het hy weer sy debuut gemaak in die landbouministerie en in 2025 is hy aangestel as die eerste minister. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het met Michael Amushelelo gepraat, politieke aktivis wat onder Ngurare se leierskap in die Swapo jeugliga opgekom het.

Die Landless Peoples Movement, LPM, het 'n perskonferensie gehou oor die middeltermyn-begroting. Die partyleier, Bernadus Swartbooi, het ook sy mening gelug oor ander kwessies in die land. Een van sy reaksies was oor die afdanking van die minister van energie, Natangwe Ithete, volgens Swartbooi was hy onervare in sy pos. Hy sê ook die Swapo regering het nie daarin geslaag om 'n opdatering te gee oor die finansiële vordering van semi-staatsinstellings nie.

In 2024 was daar 'n wêreldwye afname in ondersteuning vir partye wat vir jare die meeste stemme getrek het. Plaaslik het Swapo ook net 53 persent van die stemme in die algemene verkiesing gewen. Met die streek- en plaaslike owerheidsverksiesings op 26 November wonder politieke ontleders en ondersteuners wat vanjaar gaan gebeur, want opposisiepartye is ook nie sterk nie. Max Weylandt, 'n navorser by die Instituut vir Openbare Beleidsnavorsing, het sy bevindinge in sy inligtingstuk, "Inside the numbers of Namibia's 2024 vote: Fraying Dominance, Fragmented Opposition", gedeel.

Al sewe amptenare van die Verkiesingskommissie wat Sondag in 'n motorongeluk naby Ongolo beseer is, is ontslaan en is vanoggend weer aan diens. Die span was op pad om toesig te hou oor vandag se tussenverkiesing in die Outapi-kiesafdeling, waar kiesers na die stembusse op pad is om te kies tussen Swapo se Selma Asino en IPC se Fillemon Shikwambi. Woordvoerder De Wet Siluka het 'n opdatering aan Kosmos 94.1 Nuus gegee.

‘n Standbeeld van die ontslape Namibiese vryheidsvegter en een van Swapo se stigterslede, Andimba Toivo ya Toivo, is Saterdag op Robbeneiland naby Kaapstad onthul. Toivo ya Toivo was 16 jaar ‘n gevangene op Robbeneiland, onder andere saam met Nelson Mandela. ‘n Muur van herinnering met die name van 5 000 voormalige gevangenes is ook tydens Saterdag se geleentheid onthul. Onderwys- en kultuurminister Sanet Steenkamp het dit bygewoon:

Suid-Afrika vier Erfenisweek met 'n geskiedkundige Robbeneiland-gevangenesreünie ter ere van voormalige politieke gevangenes. By die reünie, wat vandag en môre plaasvind, word 'n Muur van Herdenking onthul, saam met ses lewensgrootte standbeelde, insluitend een van die Namibiese bevrydingsikoon Andimba Toivo ya Toivo, wat 16 jaar op die eiland gevange gehou is. Hy was onder 61 Namibiërs wat daar tydens die bevrydingstryd gevange gehou is. In 'n onderhoud met Kosmos 94.1 Nuus sê Swapo-veteraan Nahas Angula dat die huldeblyk lank al agterstallig is.

Voormalige Windhoek-burgemeester Muesee Kazapua maak 'n politieke terugkeer. Hy is gelys as 'n Swapo-partykandidaat vir die Khomas-streekraad om die Katutura Sentrale Kiesafdeling te verteenwoordig voor die komende verkiesings in November. In 'n onderhoud met Kosmos 94.1 het Kazapua gesê dat sy gemeenskap hom versoek het om te staan. Met jeugwerkloosheid, armoede en misdaad hoog op sy agenda, belowe hy om sosio-ekonomiese toestande in sy kiesafdeling te verbeter.

'n Wetsontwerp om die hekke by die Etosha Nasionale Park te hernoem word deur die justisieministerie hersien. Die kwessie het aandag getrek nadat Swapo-parlementslid Tobie Aupindi die Nasionale Vergadering versoek het om die Galton-hek na Otjozovandu te hernoem. Aupindi het Sir Francis Galton, na wie die hek genoem is, gekritiseer vir sy bande met eugenetika en rassisme. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het met Ndeshipanda Hamunyela, die woordvoerder van die toerismeministerie gepraat, wat sê dat vyf hekke hernoem sal word. Hamunyela verduidelik.

Die PDM het 'n vlaag bedankings beleef, met ses lede wat in die laaste twee weke bedank het. Die jongste is Julia Nekwaya, die party se jeugliga-sekretaris-generaal. Onder die ander bedankings is die voormalige skaduminister van onderwys, Charmaine Tjirare. Die bedankings kom ná PDM se groot verlies in die 2024-verkiesing, en hulle van 16 setels in die Nasionale Vergadering na vyf gedaal het, wat ook die party se finansies onder druk plaas. Die PDM blameer Swapo en noem die bedankings "politiek van die maag". Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het met Nekwaya oor haar besluit gesels.

Politieke spanning styg weer by die Universiteit van Namibië, waar Swapo se sekretaris-generaal, Sophia Shaningwa, toegelaat is om by 'n studentegeleentheid te praat, ten spyte van 'n voortgesette kampuswye verbod op politieke aktiwiteite. Die universiteit sê die geleentheid was in ooreenstemming met sy reëls, maar kritici, insluitend die LPM Jeugkommando, sê Unam buig die reëls vir die regerende party. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het met die Jeugkommando se woordvoerder, William Minnie gepraat.

Lede van alle vlakke van die Swapo-party, saam met senior regeringsamptenare en familielede, het by Ohakweenyanga Village No. 1 naby Ondangwa vergader vir die staatsbegrafnis van die omstrede voormalige leërhoof, Solomon ‘Jesus' Hawala. Swapo se sekretaris-generaal, Sophia Shaningwa, het Hawala tydens die seremonie geprys vir sy bydraes tydens die bevrydingstryd.

Vandag is die Internasionale Dag van die Slagoffers van Gedwonge Verdwynings. Hierdie Verenigde Nasies-herdenking beklemtoon die ernstige ongeregtighede en lyding wat aan slagoffers en hul families wêreldwyd veroorsaak word, en om aksie te bevorder om dié misdaad teen die mensdom te voorkom. Dr. Leefa Martin 'n oorlewende van Swapo se Lubango-kerkers in Angola, en 'n lid van Conquerors – Survivors of Lubango Dungeons and Other Atrocities in Exile, het met Kosmos 94.1 gesels.

Die IPC beskuldig Swapo daarvan dat hulle die ontbinding van die Katima Mulilo-stadsraad gebruik om die opposisie te verswak voor November se verkiesings. Die IPC se streekkoördineerder, Elvis Lizazi, het die stap ongrondwetlik genoem en gesê Swapo betrek ander partye by sy korrupsieskandale. Die minister van stedelike en landelike ontwikkeling, James Sankwasa, het die raad op 15 Augustus ontbind en sewe raadslede verwyder. Die sekretaris van die Swapo-jeugliga, Ephraim Nekongo, het bewerings van politieke teikenstelling van die hand gewys en gesê die besluit raak alle partye, insluitend Swapo, wat die meerderheid gehad het. IPC streeksekretaris-generaal en LP Rodrick Likando het meer.

Sowat 50 Walvisbaai-inwoners wat verlede week van private grond gesit is, het 'n petisie aan Erongo-goewerneur Nathalia /Goagoses oorhandig en die uitsetting barbaars en onmenslik genoem. Die petisie, wat deur die Swapo-jeugliga ingedien is, erken die eienaar se regte, maar dring aan op 'n meer deernisvolle benadering, veral omdat die uitsetting in die winter gedoen is. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het met die Walvisbaai raadslid Ryan Gordon gepraat.

Swapo-president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, het vryheidsbewegings in Suider-Afrika gemaan om eksterne dreigemente wat hul onafhanklikheid en prestasies betref, teen te staan. Sy het die naweek in Johannesburg die beraad vir vryheidsbewegings in Johannesburg toegespreek. Nandi-Ndaitwah het medeleiers herinner dat bevryding volgens haar ʼn voortgesette proses is wat volgehoue toewyding, waaksaamheid en aktivisme vereis. Sy vra bevrydingsbewegings om hulle te verbind tot wêreldwye koalisies om hul stem en stryd te versterk:

Die Swapo-jeugliga herbevestig sy steun vir president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah na die eerste maande van haar administrasie en die bekendstelling van NDP6. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het gesels met Ephraim Nekongo, die sekretaris van die jeugliga.

Reaksie word ontvang op die Namibiese Beleggings- en Ontwikkelingsraad se uitvoerende hoof, Nangula Uaandja, wat beraam dat meer as 200 miljard Namibiese dollar benodig word om 800 000 werksgeleenthede teen 2030, volgens Swapo se manifes te skep. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het gepraat met dr. Omu Kakujaha-Matundu, van Unam se departement ekonomie, wat sê daar moet eerder gefokus word op wat realisties bereikbaar is.

Die LPM-leier Bernadus Swartbooi het onlangs in 'n persverklaring uitgevaar teen Swapo. Hy het dit veral gehad oor stedelike en landelike ontwikkeling-minister James Sankwasa en ook verwys na gesondheidsminister dr. Esperance Luvindao se herkoms. Die Swapo-jeugliga het gesê die LPM moet om verskoning vra en die verklaring oor Luvindao terugtrek want dit is xenofobies. Die LPM het in antwoord gesê Swapo is stamgebonde en hulle gaan nie Luvindao om verskoning vra nie. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het gepraat met Ephraim Nekongo, die leier van die Swapo-jeugliga, wat sê die LPM probeer relevant bly.

LPM-leier Bernadus Swartbooi sê die sentrale regering is nie die enigste regering nie, maar bestaan ook uit streek- en plaaslike owerhede, en moet dus samehangend funksioneer. Hy het Swapo ontmoedig om sy manifes op opposisiepartye, veral op plaaslike en streeksvlak, af te dwing.

Reaksie word ontvang op berigte in die plaaslike media dat Swapo lede van die opposisie, die Independent Patriots for Change, omkoop met 10 000 Namibiese dollar om terug te keer na die regerende party. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het met Ephraim Nekongo, Swapo-LP en die jeugligaleier van die party gepraat oor die berigte.

Berigte dat die oud-SWATF troepe wat aandring op 36 miljoen Namibiese dollar wat glo met onafhanklikheid deur die Suid-Afrikaanse regering na die Swapo-regering oorgedra is om hulle uit te betaal, bly in die nuus. Ombudsman Basilius Dyakugha het gesê hy kan hulle nie help nie, want daar is nie bewyse dat die geld ooit oorbetaal is nie. Die troepe kry steeds nie veteraan voordele of uitbetalings nie en hulle beweer Swapo het die geld gebruik. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het gepraat met Dyakugha, wat uitbrei.

Kry die nuus soos dit breek.

Die Swapo Manifes-Uitvoeringsplan met sy groot planne is in die nuus. Beleidmaking in Namibië word dikwels gekritiseer vir 'n gebrek aan voorbereiding en beplanning, wat dikwels lei tot vertraagde of nie-geïmplementeerde beleide. Die uitvoeringsplan erken dié tekortkoming en beklemtoon die belangrikheid van kosteberekening. Die plan se 18 prioriteitsprojekte en sewe subprojekte beloop na raming 85,7 miljard Namibiese dollar. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het met die bestuurskenner dr. Marius Kudumo gepraat, wat die plan se bedoelings bevraagteken.

“The emphasis now is not on Netumbo the person, the emphasis is on a woman… If anything happens, like it can happen in any administration under men, there are also those that won't talk about Netumbo, but rather say: “look at women!””Today sees the inauguration of Namibia's first-ever female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. The 72-year-old is a former freedom fighter and veteran of the ruling South West Africa People's Organization – better known as SWAPO.In a special interview recorded in Windhoek, she speaks to Mpho Lakaje about land reform, the challenges of being a woman politician, and how she still likes to go back to the village and to play with her grandchildren.

Namibians will head to the polls on Wednesday in what is expected to be the most competitive election yet for the ruling SWAPO party, which has governed the country since independence. We'll get analysis and hear from young voters. Also young Nigerians caught up in the gold rush in rebel controlled areas in Mali. But do they know that the sale of gold is funding something sinister? And why the grass may not always be greener for African migrants working in the Gulf States.Presenter: Charles Gitonga Producers: Bella Hassan, Victor Sylver and Nyasha Michelle in London. Blessing Aderogba in Lagos and Frenny Jowi in Nairobi. Technical Producer: Gabriel O'Regan Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi