SECTOR 3

Scores:
Individual scores:
1

Country does not meet indicator

2

Country meets only a few aspects of indicator

3

Country meets some aspects of indicator

4

Country meets most aspects of indicator

5

Country meets all aspects of the indicator

Average score:

2.7 (2005: 1.8; 2007: 2.7;
2009: 2.9; 2011: 3.6)

3.2 Broadcasting is regulated by an independent body
that is adequately protected by law against interference and whose board is not dominated by any particular political party and is appointed – in an open way
– involving civil society and not dominated by any particular political party.
Ideally, the independence of the CRAN Board would already be guaranteed
through its setup and structure.
The Communication Act of 2009 makes provision for the Board to have different
members representing different interests.
In Section 106 (1) it is stated that CRAN is managed and controlled by a Board of
Directors consisting of five directors of whom:
(a) three are nominated by an organisation that in the opinion of the Minister
is representative of the information technology and telecommunications
industry in Namibia;
(b) one is a Staff member whose duties relate to information technology in
the government;
(c) one represents the Namibian public.
The Minister of Information and Communication Technology appoints all the
Board Members and designates a chairperson of the Board, hence leaving room
for interference.
Mr. Lazarus Jacobs, the Chairperson of the Board, has an economic interest in
the media as the Co-founder and Executive Director of Paragon Investment,
which, under Paragon Media, owns advertising agency TBWA/Paragon, and the
Windhoek Observer newspaper.

AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NAMIBIA 2015

45

Select target paragraph3