One case in point was the #Shutitalldown protest against gender-based violence which erupted in 2020 where journalists ended up being detained by the police while doing their job. (2) Although they were not prosecuted, the police later explained that they had mistaken them for protesters as their media garb was not visible to them. This was despite the fact that the journalists had accreditation cards, which they presented to police officers. Another incident that drew media attention was the abuse of senior journalist, Jemima Beukes from The Namibian Sun, by a police officer, and she ended up having to open a case with the police. (3) New Era managing editor, Festus Nakatana, argued that journalists’ security has somewhat been compromised since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020. which drastically limits the interference of government in the operations of the media and media practitioners in general. Journalists in Namibia are guided by a code of ethics, which is crafted and supported by journalists, editors and the media industry. The country also has a media ombudsman, who works as an adjudicator in disputes between the media and people or institutions affected by their stories. The COVID-19 pandemic presented a myriad of challenges for journalists as certain media houses would be barred from attending certain events, which the public broadcaster would be allowed to cover. This is serious interference in the work of journalists who are supposed to be granted access to cover events first hand without having to rely on their competitors. INTERNET ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY Latest data shows that as at 2020, internet penetration stood at 51 percent, compared to 14.8 percent in 2014. (4) The 2020 Inclusive Internet Index ranked Namibia 84th out of 100 countries on internet availability, affordability, relevance of content and readiness. A majority of Namibians cannot access the internet because they cannot afford smart phones and the cost of data is beyond the reach of many. The country’s technology sector remains largely underdeveloped and is characterised by poor service. MEDIA INDEPENDENCE Namibia has a thriving private media that is critical of the government, a phenomenon which does not show itself in the state-run media like the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) and the New Era. This has been notable in cases where state institutions, particularly State House, would invite the NBC to cover an event, and instruct other newspapers to source information from the public broadcaster. Namibia follows a selfregulatory policy for journalists, Journalist Jemima Beukes CREDIT: Hopewell Chin’ono/Twi�er STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA REPORT 2021 47 when covering protests.