 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Free Press of Namibia |
| Editor-in-chief | Tangeni Amupadhi |
| Founded | 30 August 1985 |
| Language | English, Oshiwambo |
| Headquarters | Windhoek West, Windhoek |
| Website | www |
The Namibian is the largest daily newspaper in Namibia. [1] It is published in English and Oshiwambo.
The newspaper was established in 1985 by journalist Gwen Lister as a weekly newspaper reliant on support of donors, which aimed to promote Namibian independence from South Africa. Its first edition appeared on 30 August of that year with a print run of 10,000. [2] The Namibian became a daily newspaper on 1 April 1989. [3] It is owned by the private trust Free Press of Namibia, managed by its founding editor. [4]
On the 15th anniversary of its foundation, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan praised the newspaper: "The Namibian worked courageously in difficult and often dangerous conditions. Since then, it has contributed immeasurably to press freedom and nation-building in Namibia. Throughout, it has maintained its integrity and independent stance." [5]
The newspaper exposed human rights violations by South Africa's occupying forces and was thus perceived as overly critical and pro-SWAPO by the South African government. Even the name of the newspaper irritated the South African administration as they preferred the land to be called South West Africa, whereas Namibia was a notion closely related to the independence movement. [6]
There were several incidents of violence against The Namibian's offices, leased from anti-apartheid activist and architect Kerry McNamara, [7] in the months after its foundation. Shooting at the building necessitated the installation of bullet-proof glass, and there were several firebombing and teargassing attacks. [8] The newspaper offices were attacked by the Afrikaner white supremacist Wit Wolwe (Afrikaans : White Wolves) vigilante group in October 1988. The newspaper's offices were almost burned down. [9] South Africa's Civil Co-operation Bureau planned to poison editor Lister, [10] the newspaper was boycotted by the white business community, and "journalists and sympathisers" of The Namibian were denied entry in shops all over the country. [6]
The offices of the newspaper were again devastated by a phosphorus grenade attack shortly after Namibian independence in 1990 by a right-wing counterrevolutionary group whose plot to unseat SWAPO was covered by The Namibian. [8] However, the critical approach of the newspaper was also disliked by the SWAPO government. [6] Dirk Mudge, head of the South African-controlled government from 1978 to 1989 wrote at the occasion of the newspaper's 10th anniversary: [11]
"During the past ten years [...] The Namibian [...] did not show particular understanding nor sympathy towards me personally and my political views. Cognisance must however, be taken of the fact that The Namibian is also prepared to take the present government and its leaders to task whenever necessary."
The unpopularity of the newspaper within government led to a boycott on 5 December 2000 which was overturned only on 30 August 2011, the newspaper's 26th anniversary. In the more than ten years in between, government offices were not allowed to advertise in the newspaper, and it was forbidden to buy copies of The Namibian with government funds. [12]
A noteworthy feature of The Namibian are the SMS pages called "What you're saying!". These pages dedicated to "short messages to the editor" allow citizens from all over Namibia to comment on and raise topics, since mobile phones are widespread and cheaper and easier than mail or internet. According to former editor Gwen Lister, The Namibian was the first newspaper to offer such an open forum for discussion via text message, since similar programmes at other media (e.g. in South Africa) only allowed comment on chosen articles. [6]
The newspaper has offices in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Keetmanshoop, Rundu and Oshakati. [6] The current editor of the newspaper is Tangeni Amupadhi. Until March 2011, the newspaper was headed by its founder Gwen Lister. [13] Its circulation in 2010 was 40,000. [2]
The South West Africa People's Organisation, officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former independence movement in Namibia. Founded in 1960, it has been the governing party in Namibia since the country achieved independence in 1990. The party continues to be dominated in number and influence by the Ovambo ethnic group.
Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma, is a Namibian revolutionary, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served three terms as the first President of Namibia, from 1990 to 2005. Nujoma was a founding member and the first president of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) in 1960. Before 1960, SWAPO was known as the Ovambo People's Organisation (OPO). He played an important role as leader of the national liberation movement in campaigning for Namibia's political independence from South African rule. He established the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) in 1962 and launched a guerrilla war against the apartheid government of South Africa in August 1966 at Omugulugwombashe, beginning after the United Nations withdrew the mandate for South Africa to govern the territory. Nujoma led SWAPO during the lengthy Namibian War of Independence, which lasted from 1966 to 1989.
The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) is an amalgamation of political parties in Namibia, registered as one singular party for representation purposes. In coalition with the United Democratic Front, it formed the official opposition in Parliament until the parliamentary elections in 2009. The party currently holds 16 seats in the Namibian National Assembly and one seat in the Namibian National Council and is the official opposition. McHenry Venaani is president of the PDM.
The Republican Party is a political party in Namibia. Henk Mudge was its President and its sole representative in the National Assembly. Prior to the 2004 parliamentary election, the Republican Party was part of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA). It was revived as an independent party in 2003, and won 1.9% of popular votes and one National Assembly seat.
Dirk Frederik Mudge was a Namibian politician. He served in several high-ranking positions in the South African administration of South West Africa, was the chairman of the 1975–1977 Turnhalle Constitutional Conference, and co-founded the Republican Party (RP) of Namibia as well as the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), now known as the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM).
Herman Andimba Toivo ya Toivo was a Namibian anti-apartheid activist, politician and political prisoner. Ya Toivo was active in the pre-independence movement, and is one of the co-founders of the South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) in 1960, and before that, its predecessor the Ovamboland People's Organization (OPO) in 1959.
Cassinga or Kassinga is a town and commune in the municipality of Jamba, province of Huíla, Angola.
Gwen Lister is a Namibian journalist, publisher, anti-apartheid and press freedom activist.
The Transitional Government of National Unity (TGNU), was an interim government for South West Africa (Namibia) between June 1985 to February 1989.
Parliamentary elections were held in Namibia between 7 and 11 November 1989. These elections were for the Constituent Assembly of Namibia, which, upon independence in March 1990, became the National Assembly of Namibia.
White Namibians are people of European descent settled in Namibia. The majority of White Namibians are Dutch-descended Afrikaners, with a minority being native-born German Namibians. There are also some Portuguese and English immigrants. 53,773 Namibians identified as White in the 2023 census.
The Turnhalle Constitutional Conference was a conference held in Windhoek between 1975 and 1977, tasked with the development of a constitution for a self-governed South West Africa (Namibia) under South African control. Sponsored by the South African government, the Turnhalle Conference laid the framework for the government of South West Africa from 1977 to independence in 1989.
Breaking the Wall of Silence (BWS) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. It is named after Siegfried Groth's book Namibia. The Wall of Silence, and was formed at the occasion of the book's release in 1996.
Omugulugwombashe is a settlement in the Tsandi electoral constituency in the Omusati Region of northern Namibia. The settlement features a clinic and a primary school. In 1966, the first battle of the South African Border War was fought in Omugulugwombashe. The government of Namibia erected a monument on the 30th anniversary of the battle in 1996.
Parliamentary elections were held in South West Africa between 4 and 8 December 1978. These were the first elections conducted under universal adult suffrage, all previous elections had been Whites-only. The 1978 elections were won by the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, which claimed 41 of the 50 seats. The elections were conducted without United Nations (UN) supervision, and in defiance of the 1972 United Nations General Assembly's recognition of the South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) as the "sole representative of Namibia's people". The UN henceforth declared the elections null and void. The resulting government, dependent on South African approval for all its legislation, was in power until its dissolution in 1983.
The Windhoek Observer is an English-language Saturday weekly newspaper, published in Namibia by Paragon Investment Holding. It is the country's oldest and largest circulating paper. As of 2009 it had a circulation of 45,000 copies.
Hosea Nico Kaiyamo is a Namibian politician, an author and businessman who was the first regional councillor for the Tsumeb Constituency and a member of parliament in the National Council. He was an activist for South-West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) in its long struggle against South African rule until Namibia obtained independence on 21 March 1990. He was elected Regional Councillor for the Tsumeb Constituency in 1993 and remained in office until 2003. He was a member of parliament in the National Council from 1993 to 2003.
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