A letter, drafted and circulated by the NBC Shop Stewards Council on April 10, 2007, highlights that the salaries of employees have not been adjusted for close to three years. The letter further states that while promises have been made that there will be an adjustment, staff were left with no explanation when the time came to implement the salary increases. The Shop Stewards Council said NBC seems to have an Executive Management team that is incapable of steering the corporation, adding that notable exceptions are there, but there are no business and strategic visions at all. The also say there is a huge lack of leadership skills. In response to the demonstration, MISA Namibia, pointed out that there is a distinct link between the social environment in which journalists work and media freedom. This link has been recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) which, at its 2004 General Conference, included the right to decent working conditions as part of the enabling environment for media freedom and allocated resources to support work in this area. The Bellagio statement also explicitly recognised this link between living standards and working conditions to media freedom. • ALERT Date: March 20, 2007 Persons: William J. Mbangula Violation: Threatened Senior headman of the Onamutayi traditional district, Amon Sheefeni Shipanga threatened to take unspecified action against New Era journalist, William J. Mbangula for publishing an article in which Shipanga is alledged to have cheated a widow from Omusheshe village, Rachel Kakoto, of more than N$50 000 and fellow villager, Nalweendo Margaret Weyulu, of the money paid by private construction companies mining gravel in their mahangu fields. Shipanga allegedly warned Mbangula not to publish the article after he was initially approached for comment, and then after the publication of the article on the March 12, 2007, under the headline “Senior headman accused of cheating and abuse”, he confronted Mbangula at the New Era offices in Oshakati. Shipanga allegedly demanded to know who had complained to the newspaper that he had received money and how it emerged that other matters related to the traditional issues are reported in the newspaper. He did not deny the content of the story (allegations against him) but was only worried about who had leaked the information to the newspaper. The journalist would not reveal his sources. Shipanga promised “to deal with” Mbangula. • ALERT Date: February 21, 2007 Persons: Jonathan Cobra Violation: Threatened During the First Session of the Fourth Parliament at National Assembly in Windhoek on February 21 2007, members of the ruling South West African People’s Organisation (Swapo) party accused the opposition and independent media of being “disrespectful” towards some Swapo leaders. Deputy Health Minister Petrina Haingura claims that she and former President Sam Nujoma have fallen victim to hostile media, describing the situation as “unhealthy and unpatriotic”. Haingura strongly feels these are acts of political vilification and demonization of others through the media. She also said it is one thing to exercise one’s democratic right to free speech and association but quite another to transform such right into launching vituperative attacks against fellow members of the Namibian society. Expressing the same sentiments, Lands Minister Jerry Ekandjo cited a report of a certain Jonathan Cobra in South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper. He noted that negative articles on the “Founding Father of the nation” only appear in the local Windhoek Observer, written by the So This Is Democracy? 2007 -72- Media Institute of Southern Africa