Ban on political activities on campus angers students

The Namibia National Students Organisation (NANSO) has come out strongly against an internal memorandum issued earlier in May by the University of Namibia’s (UNAM) Pro-Vice Chancellor for Finance, Administration and Resource Mobilisation, Ellen Namhila, to the effect that political activities are now banned on campus.

Dorothea Nangolo, the NANSO spokesperson, has described the move as “a huge concern”.

The Affirmative Repositioning, or AR, Student Command, which is part of a leftist political movement in Namibia, was the first organisation to be banned from hosting a meeting under the new directive, unsettling the university community, with various student organisations as well as academics accusing the university of stifling political rights, according to local news.

“As NANSO, we stand in solidarity with the SRC [Student Representative Council] and students who oppose this new policy,” Nangolo told University World News. She said this was “primarily, because students have the right to political affiliation and to participate in such activities, especially on campus (a breeding ground for identity and self-discovery)”.

Another student organisation that has condemned the directive is the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) Student Command.

A ‘senseless’ directive

Nangolo questioned the logic behind issuing a directive, saying: “The institution has registered political parties as societies on the campus; it, therefore, makes no sense to cut these duly registered societies’ mandate by limiting their activities.”

This is not the first time UNAM has moved to constrain the political activities of its staff or students. In 2008, the university gave two lecturers at the institution who were also office holders in the South West Africa National Union (SWANU) an ultimatum to relinquish their party posts. In 2014, the university banned lecturers from addressing political gatherings.

Curious timing

Nangolo expressed concern over the fact that this new directive was being introduced during an election year. “The biggest issue here is cutting and limiting the students’ right to self expression and political effect on campus, and that, for us, is a huge concern as it limits the exercise or expression of democracy, especially in a critical year such as this,” she said.

Namibia is set to hold general elections on 27 November. According to local press, the UNAM administration has been accused of taking political sides by banning the political activities of certain actors on campus while allowing those of others.

UNAM academics Rui Tyitende, Dr Ellison Tjirera and Professor Lesley Blaauw have since written a letter to Namhila, warning her that her directive is “unconstitutional”, reports the Namibian Sun.

Concerns over academic freedom

Junia Kaindjee, the leader of the Landless People’s Movement’s Youth Command, has raised concerns that the directive will have a negative impact on academic freedom.

According to The Namibian, Kaindjee described the directive as a violation of constitutional rights and academic freedom. The LPM’s Student Command has demanded that Namhila revoke the directive.

Talks

Asked what NANSO is doing to deal with the matter, Nangolo said the national student organisation had left the matter to be handled by the UNAM Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and would only step in if this proves necessary.

“We have engaged the SRC and, to this point, they are handling the matter at that level,” said Nangolo. “They have even begun talks with management to try to resolve the matter. We remain on standby should the university’s leadership fail in this regard.”

University World News contacted the University Of Namibia’s administration for comments and was directed to the public relations and media operations office. Several attempts to reach a spokesperson were unsuccessful. However, local press quoted UNAM’s spokesperson, Simon Namesho, regarding the ban and resultant backlash. He said the university “is studying the matter”, reported The Namibian.