NAMIBIA: A MIXED BAG FOR THE MEDIA INDUSTRY Despite this impressive movement, Namibia was knocked out of its position of being first on the African rankings by Seychelles.(1) Namibia’s primarily incident free scenario is a combination of government’s political will to uphold rights and an enabling and unrestricted environment that allows for civil society organisations to thrive. This enables CSOs to vigorously push back when policy frameworks or government actions are considered unwarranted. By June Shimuoshili INTRODUCTION N AMIBIA has been steadfast in maintaining its reputation for upholding media freedom in Africa. In 2022 Namibia moved six places up on the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index rankings from 24 to 18. However, the freedom that Namibians have come to enjoy is subtly and slowly being chipped away. This indiscernible shift on the Namibia political landscape is translating into the narrowing of civic space as the ruling party focuses on the retention of power. Under the COVID-19 emergency regulations of 2020, which remain in force, publishing false news about the pandemic was criminalised. Those committing such an offence could be fined N$2,000 (US$108) or given a maximum prison sentence of six months. 53