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President orders government ban on newspaper

    JOHANNESBURG

    Namibia’s President Sam Nujoma has ordered a total ban on the purchase of the independent ‘Namibian’ newspaper by his government, the paper reported on Wednesday. This latest directive by Nujoma was issued on the heels of an earlier cabinet decision to ban government ministries from advertising in the newspaper on grounds that it maintained an “anti-government stance”.

    In a government memorandum leaked to the newspaper, Nujoma said: “I hereby instruct with immediate effect from May 31, 2001 the purchase of the ‘Namibian’ newspaper with state monies must be ceased forthwith.” The authenticity of the memorandum was confirmed on Tuesday night by Secretary to the President, Isaac Kaulinge.

    A member of government who was approached as to the reason for the move, said that it was felt that the ban on government advertising in the paper was “inadequate”, and that a ban on bulk purchase of the newspaper would possibly “teach the newspaper a lesson”.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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