Red Tape Rhapsody: When Unimaginative Bureaucracy Tackles Imagined Threats

On my recent return to Windhoek, I fell victim to the petty theft economy – my phone was nicked, and with it, my entire digital lifeline.

Being an urbanite, I am familiar with disruptions wrought by this sort of five-finger discount so I was ready for it.

I had a spare device back in South Africa, where I sometimes reside, and which I wanted to have couriered to Namibia.

That’s when I encountered the sort of Kafkaesque bureaucratic nonsense that makes one wonder whether some regulations are drafted just to test the public’s patience.

Before the courier could ship the phone, I was told I needed approval from the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) to verify that my spare iPhone (the exact same make and model as the one I donated to the sticky finger brigade) was authorised for use in Namibia.

Not only would this require a payment of N$550 but the process could take up to 40 days.

Let’s pause here: 40 days to determine whether an iPhone – sold in electronics stores across the country and already widely used in Namibia, including by Cran staff members – is “authorised” for use in the republic?

This isn’t a custom-built device.

It’s not a new technology needing regulatory vetting to ensure it is interoperable with the existing network infrastructure.

It’s a mass market consumer product, manufactured by a globally trusted brand, and in circulation everywhere from Katutura to Okombahe.

This kind of regulation fails what should be a basic rationale for sensible regulation: Sound regulation should not be an exercise in box-ticking – it’s about focusing attention where it matters most.

To this end, regulation must be proportionate and regulatory resources should be deployed where they protect real interests, not imagined risks. 

WHEN REGULATION BECOMES RITUAL

To be clear, I’m not opposed to regulation.

In fact, my daily job involves helping financial institutions make sense of banking and financial services regulations, so I have an above-average appreciation of the role regulations play in safeguarding the public interest and consumer protection.

But regulation must be proportional, purposeful and efficient.

A process that takes more than a month to confirm a matter plainly evident to anyone with eyes and a walk through a local shopping mall defies these principles.

The device-type approval process doesn’t involve testing a device. It doesn’t require physical inspection.

It amounts to an official glancing at a form with the device specification (literally around 40 characters describing the model number and type of phone) to verify whether the phone is on an approved list – a list that should, logically, already include the world’s most widely used phone models.

So assuming there is any logic to this regulation, why the 40-day wait?

Why the N$550 fee?

And why should a regulator spend time adjudicating a matter that could – and should – be resolved instantly via automation?

A GLOBAL OUTLIER

I did some digging, and Namibia’s approach is not only inefficient, it’s out of step with how much of the world regulates device approvals.

In the European Union (EU), the CE marking system allows self-certification by manufacturers.

Once a device meets EU standards, it can circulate freely – no further national approval needed.

Singapore’s regulator provides a searchable list of pre-approved equipment.

If your device is on the list, you simply fill out a declaration. The process is digital and typically takes a day or two.

In South Africa, regulators recognise approvals from certain international authorities and exempt devices imported for personal use from burdensome approval processes.

Even the United States, known for its strict telecommunications regulations, delegates device authorisation to manufacturers and importers – leaving individuals free to import personal-use devices without regulatory hurdles.

The wisdom behind the regulations in these jurisdictions is simple: Regulation should not become a bottleneck to everyday life.

The Namibian regulations, by contrast, seek to build a bridge (with a toll fare to boot) where there is no water. 

THE COST OF BUREAUCRACY

If the objective of the type-approval regulation is to safeguard some public good – consumer safety, network integrity or broader national security – the current process falls flat.

A desktop check of a model number does not screen for, or mitigate, any of these risks. It does not advance any public interests.

What it does do is impose an administrative burden on the regulator and a financial burden on the consumer – all for a result that could be predicted with 100% accuracy: Of course iPhones are authorised for use in Namibia!

So what purpose does this regulation serve?

To a cynic, it resembles an employment scheme more than a regulatory safeguard – a form of bureaucratic ‘busy work’ masquerading as oversight.

It is reminiscent of the old juvenile joke that littering creates jobs for street sweepers.

AN IMAGINARY SOLUTION TO A NON-EXISTENT PROBLEM

Cran’s current process is not just inefficient, it’s frankly insulting.

It treats the public like supplicants and wastes regulatory resources on matters undeserving of official attention.

It is regulation for its own sake – an imaginary solution to a non-existent problem.

Cran must surely have more important matters to detain its attention.

There is no shortage of real issues in telecommunications: Data affordability, market competition, internet access in rural areas.

Wasting 40 days and N$550 to approve the import of a single phone device (for personal use) already in daily use undermines public trust and trivialises the broader mission of Cran.

TIME TO RETHINK THE RULES

We deserve better.

We deserve regulation that is smart, responsive and grounded in reality.

That means streamlining outdated processes, automating where possible, and reserving human judgement for where it’s actually needed.

Because at the end of the day, if the regulator takes 40 days to decide what everyone already knows, the fault lies not with the phone but with the system at large. 

• Metumo Shilongo is a professional overthinker and Namibian citizen. He wrote this piece in less that 20 minutes with the assistance of open-source AI to underscore the efficiencies of matching reason to technology.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.