Outrage over journalist’s removal from State House

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has come under scrutiny after forcefully removing journalist Jemima Beukes from State House yesterday.

Beukes was removed while attempting to pose a question to the president regarding her family’s alleged interest in the oil industry.

The president declined to answer her question and the journalist was escorted from State House by security officials.

Beukes was attending the opening of the first Cabinet meeting of the year.

The journalist later said on her official social media that she asked the president whether she could pose a question.
“She said no. I asked anyway.

The question was: ‘There are concerns that your family is moving into controlling the country’s oil industry.’ Immediately after, I was escorted away.

A phone belonging to a colleague, which I had used to record the officers manhandling me, was confiscated. I was escorted out of State House.

Officers took photos of my car and threatened me with arrest for asking a question after the president had said no,” Beukes said.

Namibia Media Trust executive director Zoé Titus in a media statement yesterday said the physical manhandling, threats of arrest and interference with journalistic equipment fall outside acceptable security or protocol management and require clear consequences for those responsible.

Titus says respect for media freedom extends beyond public statements and requires public officials and security personnel to act within the limits of their authority and in line with constitutional obligations and democratic norms.

“Such conduct by public officials or political actors represents a failure to uphold constitutional values and undermines stated commitments to media freedom. These actions require firm leadership and accountability,” she says.

She adds that Beukes now faces heightened vulnerability due to the absence of institutional protection and the direct link between access, livelihood and safety, noting that intimidation and uncertainty place severe psychological strain on journalists and increase risks to their well-being.

The foundation urges the Presidency to ensure its commitment to press freedom is reinforced through accountability for misconduct, protection of journalists’ safety and clear signals that intimidation, abuse and xenophobic attacks against journalists will not be tolerated.

The Popular Democratic Movement has demanded the Presidency to issue a public apology to Beukes and the nation, saying that fundamental rights must be protected at all times.

The party’s secretary general, Manuel Ngaringombe, in a statement yesterday said journalists have the right to carry out their work without intimidation, harassment or fear of reprisal.

“State House, as the seat of the executive and the first arm of government, carries a constitutional responsibility to protect, uphold and promote democratic values. Respect for the media is not optional in a constitutional democracy – it is essential,” he said.

He advised against making Namibia a copycat of such practices nor sliding towards authoritarianism under any guise.

The Namibia Media Professionals Union says the forceful removal of Beukes represents an escalation in the erosion of Namibian media freedom.

“We condemn such actions and the attempts by intelligence to further intimidate her.

This behaviour is the hallmark of an administration that has become increasingly hostile to transparency,” says information officer Tuyeimo Haidula.

In a statement yesterday, State House press secretary Jonas Mbambo says the president values engagement with the media.

“There are defined moments and platforms designated for questions and formal interactions.

Once the head of state has indicated that a session has concluded or that questions should be directed through the appropriate official channels, such guidance is expected to be respected.”

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