Articles
Articles, statements and public commentary.
Read ESJT articles on inequality, labour, social protection, extractivism and the struggle for a just Namibia.
Arrest the Unemployment Crisis – Not the Youth!
Herbert Jauch condemns the Namibian police's use of the colonial-era Public Gatherings Act of 1989 to suppress youth unemployment protests on Independence Day 2023. Analyses the unemployment crisis (40–50% rate), argues Vision 2030 targets are unachievabl
Resistance to Marine Phosphate Mining in Namibia
Gaweseb and Jauch recount how they mounted a legal challenge against NMP's environmental clearance certificate. Details obstacles including a N$1,000 filing fee, risk of corporate lawsuits, and procedural pitfalls, framing it as a case study in citizen ac
Resistance to Marine Phosphate Mining in Namibia (Narrative Account)
First-person narrative by ESJT trustees of the appeal process against NMP's environmental clearance. Describes financial and legal obstacles, community organising, and the eventual success in having the clearance set aside, presented as a model for activi
Shoprite and Its War on Workers
Herbert Jauch argues Shoprite's use of illegal strike-breakers during the January 2021 strike reveals a deliberate strategy to starve workers into submission. Contrasts Shoprite's N$7.15 billion operating profit with workers earning under N$2,500/month, c
The Namibian Journal of Social Justice – Introduction
Editorial introduction to the NJSJ, established in 2021 as an open-source platform for left-progressive academic and activist writing. Argues that neoliberal intellectuals dominate Namibia's intellectual space and that the journal provides a counter-space
Covid-19, Inequality and the 'Great Reset'
Herbert Jauch uses the COVID-19 pandemic as a lens to analyse structural failures in healthcare, housing, and racial inequality globally and in Namibia. Critiques the World Economic Forum's 'Great Reset' as inadequate and calls for post-covid recovery bui
Selling Our Ocean
Rinaani Musutua writes in first person about the broken promise of fishing rights redistribution. Describes how thousands of poor black Namibians spent money registering companies after Minister Bernard Esau promised preference in 96 new fishing rights al
Namibia's Labour Act Undermines the Right to Strike
Herbert Jauch analyses how the Labour Act's procedural requirements effectively weaken the right to strike by allowing 'free riders' and failing to penalise employers who use replacement workers. Uses the 2018 UNAM strike as a case study and calls for leg
Justice for Shoprite Workers: A Call for Solidarity and Action
Detailed background document chronicling Shoprite's anti-union conduct from 2014–2015: refusal to bargain, selective wage increases used to punish union members, mass dismissals in Rundu (110 workers) and Gobabis (66 workers), and multiple Labour Act viol
Poverty Eradication and the Basic Income Grant (BIG)
Herbert Jauch makes the case for BIG as the cornerstone of Namibia's poverty eradication strategy. Reviews Otjivero pilot results, rebuts critics who claim BIG promotes laziness, and argues it must be paired with changes in economic ownership and elite ac