Labour commissioner faces accusations of abuse of power

Media ombudsman John Nakuta has accused the labour commissioner’s office of abusing its power.

This comes after a prolonged delay in registering the Namibia Media Professionals Union (Nampu), which advocates for journalists’ rights.

Nakuta was speaking at the observation of International Human Rights Day yesterday.

“In my opinion, it appears as if the labour commissioner is abusing his power by not granting recognition to journalists, and perhaps the leadership of Nampu needs to seek a legal practitioner to challenge this administrative injustice,” he said.

“The Constitution says whenever our rights are threatened, not just violated, we need to seek redress in a court of law,” he added.

“The rights of journalists to organise themselves into a trade union and to speak for themselves is a constitutionally guaranteed right. Article 18 states that you can challenge a decision that seems unfair, unreasonable, or unlawful.”

In response to the allegations, labour commissioner Kyllikki Sihlahla says there are due processes that must be followed for Nampu’s application to be accepted.

“There is a need for due processes to be followed and requirements according to the act, and Nampu is aware of this process. There were errors in their application, and it was not registered because of that. We are not abusing our power, and the union is aware of that,” she says.

Ingrid Husselmann from the ombudsman’s office says Namibia’s judiciary being under attack is an indication that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing.

“Let us work towards a Namibia that is inclusive, regardless of gender. We do have the power to represent equality.

As we celebrate this day, to the media professionals, you are so valued and important.

Keep on using your platforms to continue telling stories of resilience and hold the government accountable,” she says.

She urges journalists to also cover marginalised stories.

“By covering marginalised stories and reporting on inequality, the media achieves the goal of social justice,” she says.

The Namibian last year reported that Nampu secretary general Jemima Beukes said the union had been struggling to be registered by the Office of the Labour Commissioner for the past three years.

“The prolonged struggle to register Nampu over the last three years has had a profound and distressing impact on the lives of journalists in Namibia,” she says.

She says the union has observed media bosses enjoying the status quo of the union and referring to it as a “briefcase union”.