State-owned daily newspaper New Era has reneged on its decision to appoint Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) commercial services head Confidence Musariri as its new managing editor.
A reliable source has confirmed this development.
Musariri was set to take over the job after the controversial exit of the newspaper’s previous managing editor, Johnathan Beukes.
Nampa chief executive Linus Chata revealed this to the staff in an email last week Tuesday.
“His secondment has been made necessary by the evolving process of the merger between Nampa and New Era Publications Corporation. While the merger is not complete, there is an urgent need now at the New Era that requires Musariri’s services,” the email read.
However, following recent criticism of the New Era-Nampa merger, it seems the company has decided to not go ahead with the appointment.
Concerns were raised that the merger will muzzle media freedom and increase state control in public media outlets.
Meanwhile, Affirmative Reposition president Job Amupanda took to social media on Friday evening to say: “We have successfully intervened in preventing the capture of New Era by the political forces of the corrupt party that fired the former editor (Beukes) and brought a deployee from Nampa to be editor. As you read this, Musariri’s contract with New Era, which lasted for two days, has been revoked with immediate effect! He won’t go to New Era on Monday.”
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