South African state intelligence allegedly targeted journalist Marianne Thamm, raising press freedom concerns
via The Namibian5 min read
Allegations have surfaced that South African state intelligence may have targeted journalist Marianne Thamm, highlighting a significant threat to press freedom and democratic accountability. Testimony at the Madlanga Commission revealed a WhatsApp exchange from January 2021 where a Crime Intelligence divisional commissioner, General Feroz Khan, and a colleague allegedly discussed activating a "counter" against Thamm after she reported on an alleged R200-million PPE procurement fraud investigation within the South African Police Service SAPS. Thamm's report focused on officers investigating then Crime Intelligence boss Peter Jacobs. Less than two months later, in March 2021, Thamm's Cape Town home was burgled, with two laptops, an iPad, and jewelry stolen. While no conclusive link has been established between the WhatsApp exchange and the burglary, the commission's evidence leader, advocate Adila Hassim SC, stated that the sequence of events warrants further investigation. Hassim emphasized that Crime Intelligence should not be used for monitoring or intimidating anyone, including journalists, and that such actions would not constitute a lawful policing objective. The Madlanga Commission is tasked with determining the implications of this evidence, which has raised concerns about the potential misuse of state capabilities against journalists whose reporting is disliked by certain officials.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
The Namibian Presidency has stated that the more than 200-member business delegation accompanying President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to China was not funded by taxpayers. This clarification follows public criticism regarding the delegation's size. According to a statement from State House, the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board coordinated the business delegation through an open expression of interest, allowing companies to apply for participation. The businesses are in China to explore commercial opportunities, establish partnerships, identify suppliers, attract investment, and secure export markets. The Presidency emphasized that participating businesses made their own travel and participation arrangements. The large turnout is seen as a reflection of the private sector's confidence in opportunities within China, the world's second-largest economy. The Presidency also noted that it is common international practice for business leaders to accompany heads of state on official visits to promote trade and investment, strengthen bilateral economic relations, and support industrialization, job creation, and market access.
Zambezi governor Dorothy Kabula-Simushi announced a significant increase in cargo at the Katima Mulilo and Ngoma borders, with import values reaching N$71 billion and export values at N$20 billion in the 2025/2026 financial year. This surge in trade, she noted, underscores the need to expedite the One Stop Border Post initiative, with progress made on the Katima Mulilo project through a bilateral agreement between Namibia and Zambia. The governor also reported that 30,683 heavy goods vehicles were weighed at the Katima Mulilo weighbridge, with 8,806 found to be overloaded. Of these, 126 trucks overloaded above the 5% requirement resulted in N$406,000 in duties paid, and 424 summonses for general traffic offenses totaled N$667,150. Kabula-Simushi highlighted challenges at the weighbridge, including limited operating hours 08h00 to 17h00 compared to the 24/7 border, and a shortage of staff, with only four members instead of the required twelve for 24-hour operation. Plans are underway to upgrade the Katima Mulilo weighbridge to a multi-deck system and introduce 24-hour operations at both Walvis Bay and Katima Mulilo weighbridges in the 2026/2027 financial year. Additionally, the region's 15 conservancies generated N$33 million from conservation hunting and tourism, with over N$3.7 million reinvested into community development. However, human-wildlife conflict incidents increased to 563, up from 411 the previous year.
Must ReadThe Trump administration is offering hundreds of millions of dollars in health aid to African countries, but some governments are resisting these new deals due to attached conditions. Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia are among the nations that have declined the offers. Ghana rejected a proposed $109 million health deal in April over data protection concerns, specifically regarding the scope of data required and the lack of reciprocal measures for Ghanaian data sovereignty. Zimbabwe also cited concerns about requests for medical data, particularly its potential sharing with US pharmaceutical companies without guarantees of drug or vaccine availability for its people. Zambia's Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe criticized an American effort to link health funding to US economic interests, specifically access to critical minerals, which Zambia wanted to negotiate separately. The new US global health strategy, which follows the closure of USAID, requires recipient governments to increase their own health spending and aims to build self-reliant systems. While the US contributes significantly, recipient nations are also expected to pledge funds, as seen in Kenya's $2.5 billion deal where the US contributes $1.6 billion and Kenya pledges $850 million over five years. This approach shifts from traditional donor-NGO relationships to direct agreements with individual governments, tied to US strategic and commercial interests. The US withdrew from the World Health Organization earlier this year