Chronicles of Fly

On a balmy day in October, in the heart of Katutura , a man set off on a walk that would change the landscape of political campaigning in Namibia. He would proceed to power walk the streets of every major town in Namibia, suit and tie in the middle of some of the most scorching heat waves of the year. It became his signature, it endeared him to many frustrated citizens – the majority of whom are jobless and frustrated youth. Instead of driving around in a convoy of expensive cars, this man rubbed shoulders and walked side by side with the most disillusioned and discontented members of our society (straight out of the Julius Malema campaign playbook), that man is Dr Panduleni Filemon Mbango Itula – Independent Presidential Candidate. A few months earlier, I attended a talk that he gave. The dude is extremely smart, that I deduced from the 90 minutes he spent explaining medical malpractice to an auditorium full of medical health professionals – like they were five year old

“Are you voting in this year’s parliamentary/national assembly election?” If you are Namibian and are of legal age and fulfill all the legal requirements (registered voter), then the answer should be a simple yes or no, not a forlorn look at the sky and a shrug of the shoulders. However, when most young Namibians contemplate their choices at the ballot box in the upcoming national assembly elections, they look up at whichever God they pray to as if to ask, “Why have you forsaken us.” The choices are not inspiring, at all. It is either stick or twist? Stick? The devil we know: the ruling SWAPO party has been in power for 29 years, they are the reason there is ‘peace’ and ‘stability’ as they state at every rally. By the standards of a post independent African country, Namibia under the SWAPO government is doing okay. Free primary and secondary education, great environment for investors, reasonably stable economy (tourism, agriculture, mining), good infrastructure

Mrs. Brown Everyone who knew Mrs. Susan Brown has a story about her, it is either funny, heartwarming, or both. I first met Mrs. Susan Brown on a warm Wednesday morning in November 2017. I was shortlisted for a position at Combretum Trust School and she chaired the interview panel. We had spoken a few minutes earlier on the phone, because I had gone to the wrong place, ended up lost and subsequently late for my interview. I sat down apprehensively, slightly worried my tardiness had made the wrong impression. The normal interview questions fell down on me like an avalanche: 1.   Tell us about yourself – my favorite story to tell. 2. How do you deal with conflict – I avoid it. 3.   What makes you the best candidate for the job – I have a very unique skill set . 4. What your ideal salary – peanuts are fine, but I’m not sure that’s a healthy diet. Just so you know; those were the responses in my head, not the ones that came out of my mouth. Mrs. Brown liked a lot