Advocacy, Government and Rule of Law

1.         Overview of the Namibian Constitution

2.         The three branches of Government

3.         The executive branch

4.         The legislative branch

5.         The judicial branch

6.         Local and regional government

7.         Elections in Namibia

8.         Government watchdogs

1.         Rule of law

2.         Understanding the law

3.         Statute law

4.         Common law

5.         Customary law

6.         International law

Know Your Constitution

Everyone in Namibia should understand the Namibian Constitution, which is the Supreme Law of Namibia. GR&AP has produced a simple overview of the most important provisions in the Constitution: Know your Constitution. The first version of this booklet was published in 1990. It was updated and re-printed in 2015 and then again updated and revised in 2018. Translations into local languages are available in Afrikaans, Oshiwambo, Otjiherero and Rukwangali.

Presidential immunity

In 2018, GR&AP published a research brief on “Presidential Immunity” in Namibia. The concept of presidential immunity refers to the degree to which the courts can hold a head of stat) accountable. It can refer to either the personal accountability of the individual who holds the office or to the accountability of the institution. The Namibian Constitution has an extensive provision on Presidential immunity which gives Namibian presidents who have left office without being impeached lifelong immunity from civil or criminal responsibility for anything they did whilst in office, official or unofficial. This seems out of sync with the constitutional values of equality before the law and the general progressive spirit of the Namibian Constitution. The current provision on immunity violates the principles of accountability and the idea that everyone is subject to the rule of law.