IMAGE: Namibia Fact Check / New Era
The state-owned New Era completely got it wrong when reporting on what the ruling party presidential candidate said recently
The wrong reporting of the number of jobs promised by the ruling Swapo Party presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, in a campaign speech on 16 November 2024 appeared in the front page feature article of the newspaper on Monday, 18 November 2024.
The headline of the article in question reads: ‘Swapo promises N$85bn for job-creation … intends creating 5 000 jobs in five years’.
Despite other media organisations having correctly reported about the same speech, made at a campaign rally at Eenhana in the Ohangwena Region, the New Era headline on the online version of the article had still not been corrected or updated with the accurate information by Wednesday, 20 November 2024.
The facts
In her speech at the rally, the Swapo Party presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, clearly states that the party would create “over 500,000” jobs over the next five years.
Her direct words were:
“It is true, and that is why in our election manifesto we put it in black and white. That … (inaudible) we will spend N$85 billion for job creation. And we are going to create more than 500,000 jobs.”
A recording of her making this statement can be listened to here.
Journalist’s response
Namibia Fact Check approached the journalist, Victoria Immanuel (or Victoria Kaapanda, which is the by-line on the online article), who wrote the story for comment on the wrong figure being attributed to the Swapo Party presidential candidate.
On 20 November 2024 the journalist indicated that she did not write the headline and that she had not cited a figure in her article (which is true, as the number of jobs being promised by the ruling party candidate does not appear in the article).
The journalist also indicated that she had forwarded a recording of what the ruling party presidential candidate had said to the editorial desk, so they could listen to it themselves.
Based on the recording in Namibia Fact Check’s possession, the New Era headline statement that the ruling party presidential candidate had said the party would create “5 000 jobs in five years” is clearly false.
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This is an output of and for the Elections Fact Checking Coalition of Namibian media and civil society partners combating election-related misinformation.