Namibia - 61.45
68
South Africa in a microcosm
In the twilight hours of apartheid, a new nation was born. Namibia, formerly known as South West Africa, separated from South Africa after a war for independence that lasted nearly three and a half decades. Now one of the most sparsely populated countries on Earth covered almost entirely by the vast wastelands of the Namib Desert, Namibia has separated itself from much of the rest of the African continent due to its high standard of living. The country boasts a relatively strong democracy and guarantees better human rights than almost any other country on the continent. Namibia is almost as free as the United States. This is not to say that the country is without problems. Namibia suffers from many of the same issues as its neighbor from which it won its independence. While boasting an economy stronger than most other Subsaharan African countries, Namibia’s economy remains weak and highly economically disparate. It heavily favors Namibia’s small white upper class. Diseases keep Namibia’s life expectancy one of the lowest in the world. Less than a third of Namibs have access to clean, running water in their homes. However, Namibia’s future is bright. It is relatively uncorrupt, fostering a good environment for development. There may be hope for Namibia yet.
Human Rights - 67
Namibia has fully abolished the death penalty. Police used excessive force to enforce quarantine measures. In at least one instance Namibian police beat a man to death for violating COVID lockdown measures. Torture is not specifically prohibited under Namibian law, meaning that cases of torture are instead simply prosecuted as assault or homicide. Detainees were often held for long periods without charge or trial in rural areas far from courts. This was not an issue in Namibia’s few urban areas with ready access to courts. Homosexuality is illegal in Namibia, though this statute goes unenforced and a change to this law has been proposed. Trans Namibians can change their legal gender without sex reassignment surgery. Namibia does not guarantee any other rights or protections. Abortion is legal to preserve the physical or mental health of the woman, as well as in cases of rape, incest, or fetal impairment.
Democracy - 69
The president is directly elected. The upper house of Namibia’s parliament is appointed by regional councils and the lower house is directly elected. Regional councils are usually directly elected but they sometimes contain appointed or hereditary tribal leaders. Elections are generally free and fair with some minor irregularities. Presidential elections were ostensibly free and fair but outside observers noted a lack of a paper trail as well as a long wait before official results were released. Issues were reported with electronic voting machines, causing them to be ruled out for future elections. The Supreme Court ruled that the Electoral Commission acted unconstitutionally in removing several candidates from party lists. Several polling stations closed a few hours early, largely in rural areas. The South African Development Community noted that electoral irregularities did not change the overall outcome of the election. The South West African People’s Organization (SWAPO) has ruled the country since its independence. Elections have been free and fair, while SWAPO has been winning elections by an ever-slimming majority and losing seats in parliament. Much of Namibian politics happens within SWAPO, which is highly ideologically diverse and home to a number of different factions. Intraparty conflicts are often a major part of Namibian politics. Voting is difficult in many of the country’s rural areas. Chinese development firms are very close with SWAPO and exert significant sway over the government.
Freedom - 87
Police used excessive force to enforce COVID lockdown measures. People were often beaten for violating these measures, and in at least one instance a man was beaten to death. Namibia has virtually no transparency laws, which often serves to impede investigative journalism. The Namibian government allegedly has the capability to establish a comprehensive surveillance network, but claims about the real existence of this network have not been verified. Namibian hate speech laws exist in constitutional purgatory and go largely unenforced. All drugs are illegal in Namibia, but laws prohibiting cannabis consumption go largely unenforced. Namibia may issue gun ownership licenses for semi-automatic rifles and handguns. Namibia received a five-point penalty for draconian and excessive COVID lockdown measures.
Economy - 47
Health - 28
Namibia has a life expectancy of 64 years and an infant mortality rate of 3.1%. 17.2% of Namibs are obese and 7% are malnourished. Namibia has a network of public hospitals providing free care to anybody. These hospitals offer generally high-quality care in urban areas but many of Namibia’s rural areas lack any access to modern medicine. Only 31.7% of Namibs have access to clean, running water. Namibia has major problems with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
Corruption - 55
Public services must be bribed into action where they are even available. Namibian borders are highly porous. Customs agents frequently extort bribes during the import and export process. Public contracts are impossible to obtain without bribery.
Competency - 46
The government is failing to provide for people, especially rural citizens. The government is failing to repeal or use unenforced laws. This is largely the result of quasi-one party rule, which has resulted in a party that is accountable to few and does not have significant incentive to repeal such laws. The government is failing to control disease.
Future - 67
The Namibian economy has been contracting for several years. Additionally, it took a major hit due to COVID-19. However, Namibia’s uncorrupt, democratic, and business-friendly economy offers the prime environment for development, so some may still be in the works. Additionally, Namibia’s quasi-one-party rule may soon come to an end, as its majority has been shrinking every year.
Actions Abroad - 67
Namibia is a member of the African Union, Commonwealth of Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, and the South African Development Community. Namibia maintains close relations with Angola dating back to their respective independence struggles. The MPLA and SWAPO worked closely together in their respective days as underground insurgencies before joining the dark side of politics. Post-independence, Namibia has deployed troops to aid the MPLA government in Angola. Namibia participated in the United Nations mission to Liberia. Namibia maintains very close relations with South Africa and is very heavily reliant upon them. Namibia’s economy is closely intertwined with South Africa’s and the Namibian Dollar is pegged to the South African Rand. Outside of Africa, Namibia is largely isolationist and maintains good relations with most countries.
13.8% of Namibs live below the international poverty line and 17.4% live below the national poverty line. 20.35% of Namibs are unemployed, but significant portions of the population are subsistence farmers. Namibia has some of the highest economic disparity in the world. The minimum wage in Namibia is $0.61 per hour. Namibia has a decent universal healthcare system. The country has a network of public hospitals providing free care to anybody. Healthcare is of generally high quality in urban areas but many rural areas lack access to modern medicine of any kind. Most wealthy Namibs pay for private healthcare. The Namibian economy shrunk 8% in 2020 and grew 0.6% in 2019.