Research. Rights. Public accountability.
Justice needs witnesses.
ESJT turns evidence, lived experience and community action into campaigns for economic and social justice in Namibia.
2012
Founded
40+
Campaigns
12+
Research themes
About ESJT
A civic trust shaped by evidence, community voice and public accountability.
Mission manifesto
Activism with receipts. Policy with a human pulse.
The Economic and Social Justice Trust was formed by Namibian activists to promote the social and economic rights of working people and communities. The work is grounded in evidence, lived experience and sustained organising.
Read about ESJTIndependence
Non-partisan civic research and advocacy.
Evidence
Public records, fieldwork and community testimony.
Solidarity
Campaigns built with people affected by injustice.
Key focus areas
Find the issue. Follow the evidence.
ESJT's work is organised around the justice questions shaping everyday life in Namibia. Each pathway leads to related campaigns, publications or journal analysis.
Economic Justice
Fair distribution, budgets, inequality and basic income.
Open pathwaySocial Justice
Access to services, dignity and community rights.
Open pathwayClimate Justice
Just transition, extractives and environmental accountability.
Open pathwayLabour Rights
Living wages, worker power and decent work.
Open pathwayBasic Income Grant
Policy advocacy for social protection.
Open pathwayAnti-Corruption
Transparency in public and private power.
Open pathwayPolicy Advocacy
Evidence for progressive democratic reform.
Open pathwayHuman Rights
Defending constitutional and socio-economic rights.
Open pathwayActive campaigns
Current campaigns driving change now.
Follow ESJT's live advocacy work, public actions and campaign priorities across Namibia.
Active
Appeal for the Implementation of a Universal Basic Income Grant
Open letter to President Geingob from civil society organisations urging urgent BIG implementation of N$500/person/month for ages 0–59. Cites UN FAO data showing 1.5 million Namibians are food insecure and warns that mass youth unemployment will fuel social instability. Notes Namibia's ranking as the 2nd most unequal country in the world.
Active
Motivation for the Call for a Moratorium on Oil & Gas Exploration in the Kavango Regions
Multi-organisation civil society petition to President Geingob, four ministers, and the Ombudsman calling for a halt to ReconAfrica's Kavango drilling. Details the company's lack of land rights and community consent, unlined waste pits, radioactive material risks, and argues Namibia's international climate commitments are incompatible with new fossil fuel extraction.
Active
An Invitation to Join the Activist School
ESJT recruitment document for its 14-month Activist School launching August 2020. Invites 20–25 young activists from grassroots backgrounds to participate in monthly seminars covering inequality, housing rights, living wages, climate justice, and political economy. Emphasises participatory democracy and hands-on learning.
Latest articles
Latest articles and analysis.
Read ESJT's newest investigations, commentary and public-interest reporting on Namibia's social and economic justice issues.
Newest updates
3 latest
Analysis
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May 28, 2026 / 6 min read
Analysis
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and the Quest for Social Justice
Herbert Jauch assesses incoming President NNN's prospects for tackling Namibia's structural crises of unemployment, starvation wages, and inequality. Argues meaningful change requires moving beyond SWAPO's continuity platform to embrace redistributive pol
Dec 19, 2024 / 4 min read
Analysis
The Politics of Poverty in Namibia
Kamwanyah and Musutua argue that the Harambee cash grant introduced in //Karas region is being misrepresented as a Basic Income Grant. Contend it reaches less than 2% of the population and suggest its rollout is politically motivated to recover SWAPO elec
Aug 14, 2023 / 4 min read
Featured research
Namibian Journal of Social Justice – Volume 4: Climate Justice and Resource Extractivism
Fourth volume (March 2025) examining the intersection of climate change and resource extraction in Namibia. Includes research on climate vulnerability, effects on women, seed banking as climate resilience, and critical analysis of oil, gas, and mining projects including ReconAfrica's Kavango operations.
Latest press statements
Official Statements.
Downloadable statements and briefings give media, partners and communities a clear public record of ESJT positions.
View all statements ->Aug 26, 2024 / Press statement
Appreciation for Taking a Stance Against Genocide
ESJT thanks the Namibian government and media for preventing an Israeli-bound vessel (MV Kathrin) carrying military equipment from docking at Walvis Bay. Credits ESJT's open letter to Namport's CEO as the catalyst, and calls on Namibia to consistently deny port access to arms shipments destined for Israel.
Open statement
May 28, 2024 / Press statement
ESJT Supports Kavango Conservancy Leaders Standing Up to ReconAfrica
ESJT backs Kavango conservancy communities challenging Canadian oil company ReconAfrica's illegal drilling. Details the company's pattern of violations since 2020: drilling without permits, unlined waste pits, relocating rigs without permission into community conservancies, and circumventing EIA requirements through a procedural amendment loophole.
Open statement
Oct 17, 2023 / Press statement
End the Silence on the Human Suffering in Palestine
ESJT media statement urging Namibian civil society to speak out against Israeli military action in Gaza, characterising it as genocide under international law. Draws on Namibia's own history of genocide and apartheid to argue that silence constitutes complicity, and calls for a principled human rights stance independent of donor funding pressures.
Open statement
Jul 12, 2022 / Press statement
Open Letter to the Minister of Environment re Marine Phosphate Mining
ESJT writes to Minister Pohamba Shifeta criticising the Chamber of the Environment's CEO Dr Chris Brown for aggressively promoting NMP's marine phosphate mining despite having no marine science qualifications. Challenges the Chamber's claimed independence, given it was founded with seed money from B2Gold mining company.
Open statement
Documentary media
Images from campaigns, dialogue and community work.
