Criminalising racism

The debate on racism, stirred by many recent incidents, including a racist rant by an assistant teacher in Walvis Bay who spewed obscenities about black people having “rotten mouths”, among other shocking Facebook comments, will never be solved without firm punitive measures to make public examples of culprits.To a large degree, racism has been replaced by the veil of classism in our nation, where the poor remain perpetually disadvantaged.The political elite have simply become a fattened layer in the strata of a society that continues to be mangled by separation, 30 years after apartheid supposedly ended.It may come as quite a surprise to many that Namibia in fact has a very strong law on racism called the Racism Discrimination Prohibition Act of 1991.The Act, among others, purports to create the space to criminally punish those who incite racial disharmony and victimisation. It also criminalises certain acts and practices of racial discrimination and apartheid in relation to public amenities, the provision of goods and services, immovable property, educational and medical institutions, employment, associations and religious services.It all sounds fantastic on paper, but without the appropriate action being taken when the foul spectre of racism rears its ugly head, it is not worth the paper it is written on.Examples in South Africa, where blatant racists have been dragged to the equality and criminal courts, should serve as a stirring example of what should happen right here in the Land of the Brave!

Criminalising racism

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-04

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Criminalising racism

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-04

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