Key points drawn from coverage. Tap a point to see the original sentence.
May 2026
The Namibian
Toivo Ndjebelasaidefforts underway to ensure all journalists accountable to media ombudsman
Source
“Meanwhile, Editors' Forum of Namibia chairperson Toivo Ndjebela said efforts are underway to ensure all journalists and media houses are accountable to the media ombudsman – regardless of whether they belong to the forum.”
Editor's Forum of Namibia chairperson Toivo Ndjebelasaysbar on press freedom was set high during tenure of former president Hage Geingob
Source
“Meanwhile, Editor's Forum of Namibia chairperson Toivo Ndjebela says the bar was set high on press freedom during the tenure of former president Hage Geingob.”
Forum chairperson Toivo Ndjebelasays the decision aims to ensureall future participants fall under media ombudsman's authority
Source
“Forum chairperson Toivo Ndjebela says the decision is aimed at ensuring that all future participants fall under the media ombudsman's authority and are bound by the forum's code of ethics.”
Toivo Ndjebelasayssharing information proactively should be a cornerstone of democratic governance
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“Editor's Forum of Namibia chairperson Toivo Ndjebela says sharing information proactively with the public should be a cornerstone of democratic governance.”
Toivo Ndjebela, chairperson of the Editors' Forum of Namibianoted that such actions endangermedia workers and weaken media's democratic role
Source
“As the chairperson of the Editors' Forum of Namibia, Toivo Ndjebela rightly noted that actions of this nature do not only endanger media workers, but they weaken the role of the media in a democratic society.”
EFN chairperson Toivo Ndjebelasaidthe incident was viewed with serious concern
Source
“Reacting, EFN chairperson Toivo Ndjebela said the incident was viewed with serious concern, stressing that any form of intimidation, harassment or obstruction of journalists is unacceptable.”
Former Namibian editor Gwen Lister has urged the government to urgently operationalise Namibia's Access to Information Act, signed in 2022 but not yet in effect, warning that delays are exposing journalists to growing legal and digital harassment amid increasing global threats against the media.
Why it matters
Journalist calls for urgent implementation of Access to Information Act stalled since 2022, essential for press freedom and government transparency.
Former Namibian editor Gwen Lister has urged the government to urgently operationalise Namibia's Access to Information Act, signed in 2022 but not yet in effect, warning that delays are exposing journalists to growing legal and digital harassment amid increasing global threats against the media.
Education Minister Sanet Steenkamp has urged government public relations officers to improve their responsiveness to media enquiries, warning that delayed communication fuels misinformation. She made the remarks during World Press Freedom Day commemoration in Windhoek on Friday, noting that Namibia is ranked 23rd globally and second in Africa for press freedom.
The Editors' Forum of Namibia will bar non-member journalists from entering its annual journalism awards from 2027 onwards, with 2026 as a final transition year. The forum says the change aims to ensure all award participants fall under the media ombudsman's authority and are bound by the code of ethics.
The Editors' Forum of Namibia will exclude non-member media houses from its annual journalism awards from 2027 onwards, citing the need to ensure all participants are subject to the same ethical standards and accountability mechanisms. The 2026 edition, sponsored by First National Bank with N$250 000, will remain open to all journalists and introduces a new cybercrime reporting category.
Civil society organisations have accused the government of lack of transparency on oil and gas information access, with various agencies declining to provide petroleum licence details and citing organisational restructuring. Multiple officials and institutions have refused to respond to inquiries, prompting warnings that withholding critical sector information undermines public trust and the right to know.
The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation has denied allegations that it intends to conduct re-interviews for the director general position, a role vacant since outgoing chief Stanley Similo's contract expired last year. NBC board chairperson Lazarus Jacobs said the recruitment process remains incomplete and that any claims about re-interviews are "speculation, innuendo and rumour mongering."
The New Era editorial argues that journalists, likened to the hardworking mbangula woodpecker in Oshiwambo tradition, are summoned to expose injustice but then discarded or abused once their work is done. It condemns the recent verbal abuse of reporters by former liberation struggle veterans at Swapo Party headquarters, arguing that such treatment undermines democracy and the public's right to information.
The Editors' Forum of Namibia has condemned the harassment of a Namibia Broadcasting Corporation news crew by members of the Former Refugees Repatriation Association at Swapo Party headquarters, stating that intimidation and obstruction of journalists performing their duties is unacceptable and weakens democracy.
The Editors' Forum of Namibia has condemned verbal abuse of NBC journalists by members of a repatriated refugees association camping at the Swapo head office in Windhoek. EFN chairperson Toivo Ndjebela warned that such conduct undermines media safety and the democratic mandate of journalism, and called on authorities to ensure journalists' security while reporting on public interest matters.