Pandemics and crises demand decisive leadership
Friday, March 27, 2020
After his administration-imposed travel restrictions on all official government travels, the President defied his own administration’s move to contain the spread of the coronavirus and travelled to Namibia for President Hage Geingob’s inauguration.
The COVID-19 outbreak has turned out to be an extremely politicised crisis of grave scale. The justification behind the ‘emergency trip’ to Namibia was insufficient and at most, a grave miscalculation on the part of the presidency.
While the political shift brings hope for change, it also places immense pressure on the new administration to deliver on its election promises in the face of serious economic challenges.On another level, newly appointed Finance Minister Ndaba Gaolathe’s grim assessment of the country’s finances adds urgency to the moment. The budget deficit, expected to be P8.7 billion, is now anticipated to be even higher due to underperforming diamond...