A Recent Experience during my lunch break made me reflect on something many working Namibians experience daily: One hour no longer seems to be enough.
I found myself sitting in traffic and thinking about how quickly time disappears. I noticed parents travelling with children in school uniforms and started thinking about the daily balancing act faced by working parents who have to manage school runs, traffic, work responsibilities and personal commitments. Many employees are constantly trying to balance two worlds: being committed workers while also meeting responsibilities outside the workplace.
The reality is that Namibia has changed. Our cities have grown, the number of vehicles on our roads has increased, and daily life has become more demanding. Windhoek’s congestion is no longer only a road issue; it is an urban mobility challenge that requires long-term solutions, including improved public transport, better infrastructure and smarter city planning.
But while we wait for these solutions, perhaps we should also rethink how we organise our time. Could Namibia consider rethinking the traditional working day? One idea worth debating is introducing more flexible working arrangements, where practical. This could include a schedule that starts at 08h00, allows a longer lunch break from 12h00 to 14h00, and ends at 18h00.
This should not be viewed as a one-size-fits-all solution. Different sectors have different operational needs. Some workplaces may continue with the traditional 08h00 to 17h00 schedule, while others may find that a different arrangement better serves their employees and operations.
Flexibility would not completely solve traffic congestion, as schools, businesses and public services would still operate according to their own schedules, however, it could provide employees with something many people currently lack: time and choice.
Today, many employees are forced to choose between responsibilities. Should they use their limited lunch hour for a school run, attend an appointment, visit a bank, go to the municipality or handle another urgent personal matter?
A longer midday break could allow employees to attend to personal responsibilities, ease pressure on roads by spreading movement throughout the day, and create more opportunities for economic activity.
People will have more time to support restaurants, shops, pharmacies, banks and other service providers. Instead of rushing after work when businesses are closing or when queues are already long, employees would have more opportunity to participate in the economy. When people have time, money has more opportunities to circulate.
Beyond traffic and economic activity, this conversation is also about wellbeing. A society that values productivity should also value the wellbeing of the people who contribute to it. Namibia has shown before that it is willing to rethink systems when circumstances change. The country previously adjusted its approach to time by ending seasonal clock changes in 2017 after years of debate about its impact on daily routines and regional alignment.
Perhaps our working hours deserve the same conversation. Sometimes progress is not only about building more roads but about creating more time for people to live. – Indira Tjongarero
