The Namibian is in possession of copies of circulars from various Ministries giving the go-ahead for the move. At times The Namibian functions as if it is the Official Opposition. Shivute said the ban related only to advertising and did not stop Government departments from buying the newspaper. It is not clear whether Government leaders are also prohibited from reading Namibia s largest newspaper. Although Shivute did not state the motive for the ban, it appears to be aimed at throttling The Namibian financially.
Government is the single biggest advertising client in the country.
A similar boycott was instituted against the Windhoek Advertiser several years ago. At the time a report in the Windhoek Advertiser had falsely accused President Sam Nujoma of being involved in illicit diamond deals. The newspaper was forced to apologise. It later collapsed due to a lack of revenue. I would dispute to the death that we are anti-government.