NAMIBIA 25TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY EDITION REPORT OHANGWENA ZAMBEZI OSHANA WEST KAVANGO OMUSATI EAST KAVANGO OSHIKOTO KUNENE OTJOZONDJUPA OMAHEKE ERONGO KHOMAS HARDAP KARAS FOR MORE ON THE BEST JOURNALISM AND WRITING IN NAMIBIA VISIT US ONLINE @ WWW.INSIGHT.COM.NA 21ST MARCH 1990 2015 HAPPY 25TH INDEPENDENCE NAMIBIA 1990 2005 2015 s we celebrate the silver jubilee as a free Nation, we remember the many sacrifices made by our compatriots during the struggle for national Aindependence. These sacrifices inspire us to continue to build a Namibian Nation as envisaged in Namibia Vision 2030. Kalahari Holdings (Pty) Limited wishes all Namibians a memorable and rewarding silver jubilee. May peace, stability and prosperity continue to be the hallmark that KALAHARI HOLDINGS defines our Nationhood. (PTY) LIMITED T: (+264 61) 225 333 F: (+264 61) 221 158 | [email protected] www.kalahariholdings.com 1 CONTENTS Frederico Links 3 LEADER: ASSESSING THE FIRST QUARTER 5 STATE OF DEMOCRACY: in search of DEMocrats 6 POLITICS: Deconstructing GeingoB 10 LAND: BURNING LAND 14 CORRUPTION: Graft fight reBoot neeDED 16 HEALTH: Great Progress, But still critical 18 TOURISM: UP all the WAY 21 POLITICS: THE reluctant PresiDent © 2015 Namibia Report. All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part Sales & advertising: Kasiku Siteketa: [email protected] of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form Anya Links: [email protected] or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, Distribution: Salmi Enkali: [email protected] without the prior permission of Namibia Report. Layout & Graphics: Caroline de Meersseman insight Namibia cc PO Box 40738, Windhoek, Namibia Contributors: Frederico Links, Brigitte Weidlich, Graham Hopwood, 70-72 Dr Frans Indongo Street, Windhoek Jackie Asheeke, Rachel Coomer, Ellison Tjirera Telephone: +264 61 301 437/8 Photo Contributors: Frederico Links, Shutterstock, Caroline de Meersseman Fax: +264 61 240 385 Cover Design: Caroline de Meersseman Website: www.insight.com.na Printer: John Meinert Printing Editor: Frederico Links: [email protected] ISSN: 1812-9943 insight Namibia Report 2014/15 Congratulations... The Managing Director, Management and Staff of Namibia Wildlife Resorts congratulate His Excellency Dr. Hage Geingob on his inauguration and assumption of duty. We also congratulate all members of cabinet on their appointments. We have full confidence that Dr. Geingob and his team will take over from where his predecessors left off, and continue to steer Namibia towards prosperity for all. We wish him and the entire cabinet the best of luck as they take up their assignments. 3 LEADER MANAGEMENT SHOULD NOT FORGET that EVERYONE IS ultiMatelY A SHAREHOLDER IN THE NAMIBIAN ENTERPRISE AND THUS IT IS IN THE INTEREST OF EVERYONE that ALL ARE PROPERLY taKEN CARE OF ASSESSING THE FIRST QUARTER resident Hage Geingob has we probably still could have achieved more. Consider that since independence 25 started his term in office by That said, important gains have been years ago, while the country’s GDP has shot making all the right noises, as made across a wide spectrum of socio- up, inequality too has spiraled out of con- he should. economic sectors and no-one can deny that trol, to the extent that the gap between the However, it is what follows Namibia is much better off than it was 25 well-off and the poor has pushed Namibia Pthat he will ultimately be judged on. And in years ago. Even so, on important indicators, literally off the charts. This is no exaggera- this regard, with especially the increase in many, if not most, people’s lives have hardly tion, for a management type chart exists the social grant to the elderly, the admin- budged beyond hardship over the years. that shows how Namibia and South Africa istration has gotten off to a good start. So the important question begging an fall outside the measurement boundaries By the same token, a good start is what answer at this stage is: To what extent can on inequality. Namibia has definitely gotten over the past we build out opportunities so as to draw This is worrying, and is something that 25 years. more people at an increased pace into the cannot be left to stand unaddressed, for this That said, if we were to consider the economic mainstream, thereby improving introduces instability into the structure of country a new business, then Namibia has living standards, social conditions and sat- the enterprise. just emerged from its first quarter, and the isfaction – even happiness – levels across Inequality of course speaks to the qual- question is what have we learned from this the board? ity of health, education and general welfare period, so as to readjust for the second In answering this question, necessarily afforded the majority, and on these factors quarter and beyond? our management team plays a crucial role. a great deal more needs to be done. In this of course we have to consider For given that we are still somewhat wobbly For in the end, management should lessons learned and data gathered – of on our feet as an enterprise, despite all the not forget that everyone is ultimately a systems and processes and the nuances potential, things can still go wrong and set shareholder in the Namibian enterprise in conditions and environments – in order us back considerably. and thus it is in the interest of everyone to assess the impacts and health of our This is where visionary and accountable that all are properly taken care of. endeavours and plan out the way forward. management with a mind to execute their The threats of course are hubris and Considering Namibia in this light, we duties responsibly is of critical importance. corruption at the top, which could make can certainly assert that the results of the In this regard, the executive manage- the whole structure crumble from above first quarter have been mixed – a lot of ment team has largely prosecuted their if care is not taken and such instances are progress, a lot of lag, a lot of missteps and duties in a satisfactory manner, while not immediately and decisively dealt with, and even some failures. On the whole we can exactly having been exemplary or above are of course seen to be dealt with. say the picture is largely promising, and reproach in how they have acted towards In the final analysis, the majority of ripe with potential. those lower down in the structures. steps taken to here and those being stepped However, this does not mean that The latter is evidenced by the loud into come across as taking the enterprise we should be overly positive about our grumblings coming from some quarters in the right direction. approaches, merely that to a large extent we of the rank and file in recent times, many of It behooves every single one of the have been lucky so far – a significant factor who consider themselves, rightly or wrongly, stakeholders in this enterprise to ensure in entrepreneurial success – and that we outside the income sharing. This is largely this remains the case. have to be wise enough to realize that even because trickle-down economics has failed in those areas where we can claim success to deliver to any significant degree. insight Namibia Report 2014/15 OUR COUNTRY BUILT FROM GENERATIONS OF PEACE STABILITY & PROSPERITY. THANKS TO THE BRAVERY OF OUR PEOPLE WE HAVE REACHED FOR SUCCESS AND CAN CELEBRATE GROWTH. WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE OVER W&CO 5000 DIVERSE NAMIBIANS IN OUR TEAM. VIVA TO US ALL! TOGETHER WE CREATE A PROSPEROUS FUTURE. Sven Thieme Executive Chairman 5 STATE OF DEMOCRACY A DEMOCRACY IN SEARCH OF DEMocrats DEMOCRACY CAN ONLY FLOURISH WHEN THERE IS A CRITICAL MASS OF DEMocrats WILLING TO MAKE THE SYSTEM WORK, WRITES GRAHAM HOPWOOD en years ago IPPR research- ers Christie Keulder and Tania Wiese coined the phrase ‘a democracy Twithout democrats’ for Namibia. The expression was a reference to an Afrobarometer finding that only just over half of Namibians favoured democracy over other systems such as military or one- party rule. The conclusion was worrying – a large proportion of Namibians did not see much value in the dem- indicate that high proportions of ment we need to see a reduction ers that be. It takes an unusually ocratic system that had been put Namibians are not yet willing in the percentage of people that enlightened form of political lead- in place after decades of valiant to exercise their full democratic feel they should avoid criticising ership to create and give succour struggle against apartheid colo- rights even if they generally feel government from 36 percent to a to institutions intended to oversee, nialism. Democratic consolidation free in the country (91 percent figure that is negligible. Critical check, and call to account those appeared to be faltering. said they were free to say what debate is crucial if good govern- who have power. Since then regular Afroba- they think). ance is to be achieved. Further- Namibia remains one of rometer surveys have found that One of the issues facing more, we can only forge sound Africa’s most stable and endur- more and more Namibians think Namibia at the start of the 21st and workable policies out of the ing democracies – something we democracy is preferable to any century is that while many peo- crucible of open dialogue. All too can all be proud of. But having other form of governance. In last ple have started to recognise the often government figures are quick consolidated democracy over the year’s survey it was 74 percent – importance of democracy, the to claim critics ‘have no mandate’ past 25 years, there is a sense up from 64 percent in 2012.