Our country is not tainted In the spirit of Harambee, where no one, according to President Hage Geingob, must be left out, we are astounded that there is so little local procurement, especially on platforms that are so very public.A case in point is the issue surrounding Miss Namibia’s preparation for the Miss Universe pageant. Make no mistake about it, we are very supportive of our reigning Miss Namibia and we wish her well in her endeavours for the year. Our beef lies with the organisers of the pageant. How is it that they prepare our princess for the global stage by dressing her in a South African designed garment, photographing her with a South African photographer and ensuring that her make-up and hair are done to perfection… yes, you guessed, by South Africans!
The photographs depict her in a ‘magical Namibian bushveld sunset’ setting.
This is cause for pause as we wonder whether those photos were even taken in Namibia.
However, besides this, we have the skills in the fashion and beauty industry – skills which are sorely underutilised and rarely have a proper platform, or as in this case – an international platform – on which to showcase their talents.
We have, for decades, suffered from the Big Brother syndrome… one which says that all that comes from South Africa is of a higher standard than that which is local.
Government, even parliament and State House, often offer bottled water that is imported from South Africa. If our government procurement is not locally focussed, who then, is left out?
It is high time that we begin to keep our dollars at home. Every dollar spent here is a dollar that can help to create a job, to alleviate the desperate poverty so many of our people find themselves in.
It is shameful that we cannot shake off the shackles of being the ‘fifth province’ of South Africa, a country whose politics puts democracy to shame – a country that is on fire from within. While we continue to enjoy peace, a clean environment and some of the best meat in the world – and our own hormone free milk.
Namibia is not tainted. Let us not act as though it is.