• ALERT Date: December 2007 Persons (affected): Citizens of Namibia Violation: Legislation (threatening) The ruling Swapo Party, at its fourth Congress, held in Windhoek, resolved among others that the Namibia Government should establish a media council to regulate the activities and operations of the media in the country. UPDATE: In February 2008 the Namibian government announced its plans to establish a Media Council to ‘police’ media ethics and to provide a platform for the public to complain about media reports. This was announced by Government spokesperson, Information and Broadcasting Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, alledgely as part of the country’s commitment to implementing the SADC Protocol on Culture, Information and Sport, to which it is a party. • ALERT Date: November 28, 2007 Persons: Citizens of Namibia Violation: Censored On November 27 2007, Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) radio presenter Tebs Xulu caused a public outcry when he announced that callers to the popular live radio call-in show, the Chat Show, would not be allowed to discuss issues concerning either the ruling South West African People’s Organisation (Swapo) or the newly established Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP). The restriction, he said, would apply for the rest of the week. MISA Namibia vehemently opposed the action, labelling it an attempt to control or censor the flow of information in the public domain. MISA Namibia later confirmed from Xulu that the restriction would only apply for one day, November 27, and that it had been his personal decision and not imposed by management or any other individual or institution attempting to influence the content of the programme. MISA Namibia noted that Tebs Xulu had overstepped his responsibilities as a radio presenter and stressed that the Open Line platform was created for people to express their opinions freely, taking into consideration the responsibility that goes with doing so. November 28, 2007: the NBC issued a public apology. In the apology, read out on the same show the following morning, the acting director general of NBC, Umbi Karuaihe-Upi, apologised on behalf of the NBC management and staffers, Tebs Xulu and Corry Tjaveondja, for violating the rights of other citizens who wanted to freely express their opinions and exercise other participatory rights as provided for in Articles 17, 21 and 95(k) of the Namibian Constitution and for overstepping their boundaries by making unauthorized and untruthful statements on the national broadcaster. Karuaihe-Upi further indicated that the involved parties would be reprimanded according to NBC disciplinary rules and regulations. • ALERT Date: October 24, 2007 Persons: Private media Violation: Censored Private media journalists were cordoned off from filming and taking photos of the arrival of the Angolan President, Jose Eduardo Dos Santos in Windhoek on October 24, 2007. Only state owned media was allowed to film the arrival of the President at close range, while others were cordoned off and kept at a distance. Several journalists who were present at the airport complained about the discriminatory action. President dos Santos jetted into Namibia for a State visit, which culminated in the signing of 11 bilateral agreements ranging from power generation to security matters and law enforcement. So This Is Democracy? 2007 -69- Media Institute of Southern Africa