52 NAMIBIA multiplicity of interpretations (African Media Barometer, 2018) (93). There are also restrictive colonial laws such as the Official Secrets Act (94) and the Protection of Information Act, (95) which somehow have a constraining effect on media freedom and freedom of expression. In the same vein, parts of the Communications Act of 2009, Broadcasting Act (No. 9 of 1991), Public Service Act (No. 13 of 1995 as amended) and the Protection of Information Act (No. 84 of 1982) have been singled out as undemocratic and a danger to press and internet freedom. By Philip Santos Namibia has an enabling and free media environment, however over the past years verbal attacks on journalists by members of the executive branch of government may have created a chilling environment that undermines democratic politics. While Namibia’s constitution explicitly provides for the freedom of the press and other media, there are still restrictive laws inherited, especially from the apartheid era, stifling freedom of expression and the press. Namibia has been generally lacking in terms of providing legal guarantees of access to information in the absence of enabling legislation. As it stands, the country is still working towards having the Access to Information Bill passed into law. As a result, there is asymmetrical access to information between private and public media in favour of the latter. The major challenge faced by journalists is a lack of a collective body that can advance their interests and protect them from abuse by their employers and other powerful stakeholders. However, plans are at an advanced stage to establish a national union of journalists. MEDIA FREEDOM Namibia has consistently topped Africa on the Press Freedom Index (92) for years, owing to its progressive constitution and general tolerance towards freedom of expression and assembly. Although the constitution is praised as one of the most progressive pieces of legislation in SubSaharan Africa, there are restrictions based on spurious terms such as ‘morality’ and ‘decency’ that are broadly defined, hence subject to a However, this does not suggest that political and economic interference does not regularly occur. In the recent past, The Patriot newspaper had to go to court to force the Namibia Central Intelligence Service (NCSIS) to release certain public interest information (96). Additionally, private media has also complained about the government’s withdrawal of advertising budgets as a way of forcing them to report in a positive light. (97) Some of the press freedom concerns in Namibia have become worse during the Covid-19 global pandemic. In addition, the issue of media sustainability and viability has also been compromised due to the increasing role of the internet and the decreasing reliance on traditional media. During Covid-19, media houses have had to also resort to producing electronic copies of their newspapers. PERSECUTION OF JOURNALISTS Although physical attacks on journalists are generally rare in Namibia, civil society organisations have raised concern about the growing spate of verbal attacks on journalists covering contentious issues such election, and corruption. (98) In 2019, Reporters Without Borders condemned a wave of verbal attacks on journalists by government officials in the run-up to the November elections in Namibia, and the state-owned Namibian Press Agency’s decision to suddenly cancel freelance journalist Vita Angula’s contract after he participated in a TV discussion about corruption (Reporters Without Borders, 2019). The verbal attacks happened at a time when the ruling party, SWAPO, has seen their two thirds majority in parliament significantly slashed in the previous election and have been described by analysts as a subtle attempt to