The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology has confirmed the dismissal of former New Era Publishing Corporation (New Era) managing editor Jonathan Beukes.
“Following the dismissal of the managing editor of the New Era Publication Corporation (NEPC), the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology has received numerous inquiries concerning its role in the matter and wishes to clarify its position and commitment to press freedom,” says ministry spokesperson Ngaevarue Katjangua.
Beukes on Monday announced that he is no longer employed at the state-owned newspaper in a Whatsapp message.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the ministry said their contact with public enterprises ends with the board and at policy level.
“There are processes, systems and procedures that are followed and the authorities vested with these powers. Therefore, the ministry would like to make it clear that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of NEPC,” Katjangua said.
She said government-funded media houses operate under self-regulation as much as those that are privately owned.
In his message on Whatsapp, Beukes highlighted the “great lengths the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology has gone to muzzle New Era’s principled voice through a harebrained proposed merger with the Namibia Press Agency,”
He said New Era’s board decision to cancel the appeal against a “colourful” High Court defamation decision will leave a lasting negative impact on the entire media sector.
“What is more troubling, however, is that the skillset on the current board would not allow them to recognise when they make a vacuous decision,” Beukes said.
He went on to urge the minister of justice, Yvonne Dausab, to make public the findings of the investigation that discovered 34% of magistrates qualify for appointment to the High Court.
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