Namibian Journal for Research, Science and Technology
Namibian Journal for Research, Science and Technology (NJRST) is a high quality peer reviewed multi-disciplinary research journal published by the National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST). NJRST provides a platform for Namibian researchers and scholars in natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences. It offers an opportunity to impart and share knowledge in the form of high quality empirical and theoretical research papers, case studies, literature reviews and book reviews.
National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST)
Copyright (c) 2022 The Authors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The lived experiences of students in regard to their mental health at the University of Namibia
This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research study conducted among students at the University of Namibia. The study focuses on the lived experiences of students registered at the University of Namibia regarding their mental health. The study aimed to explore the mental health issues faced by students at the University of Namibia, investigate how students cope with these challenges, and examine the institutional support available to promote students’ mental health. The study adopted a phenomenological design and used a qualitative research approach to gain insight into the experiences of students at the University of Namibia. The participants included 10 students and four key informants, namely a lecturer, a Student Representative Council member, the Dean of Students, and a social worker. The study used exploratory and thematic analysis. The findings were categorised into codes, including stress, COVID-19, negative encounters with lecturers, coping mechanisms, and institutional support. Some participants displayed symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, which affected their mental well-being and contributed to poor academic performance.
Copyright (c) 2024 H.N.K. Kalimba & Z.U. Rukambe https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Predicting work engagement of employees at Dundee Precious Metals Mine in Tsumeb, Namibia
The profit margins of organisations are noticeably influenced by their competitive advantage inclusive of engaged employees. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of job demands-resources on job satisfaction and work engagement of employees at Dundee Precious Metals Mine in Tsumeb. Job resources play a critical role in the job attitudes employees experience/develop (job satisfaction). Job satisfaction is regarded as the key motivating factor that enhances work engagement of employees. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employed, and data was collected through a questionnaire. A sample of n=150 participants was selected using random sampling. This study found a positive relationship between job resources (growth opportunities and advancement opportunities), job satisfaction and work engagement. Growth opportunities and advancement opportunities predicted job satisfaction. Job resources (growth and advancement opportunities) and job satisfaction predicted work engagement of employees. This study recommends interventions such as job rotation and internal training to enhance growth opportunities. It is also recommended to involve employees in the decision-making process, establish/implement recognition and rewards policies, educate staff on financial planning and ensure that fair payment and benefits are provided throughout the organisation. The organisation may also consider investing in interpersonal training and conflict resolution skills. The study adds to the knowledge within Industrial Psychology and the Namibian work setting.
Copyright (c) 2024 W R Pieters, A Von Spiegel https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
‘By Grade 5, learners can read, right?’: Examining the reading ability of Namibian learners
By Grade 4, English as a second language (ESL) learners are expected to read fluently and be able to read to learn from their grade-appropriate texts. The purpose of this article was to examine the reading ability of learners in Namibian schools (in the Zambezi Region), with a view to enhance the learners’ literacy levels. A quantitative research method was used in which three literacy tests were used in four schools to assess 365 Grade 5 learners’ decoding and reading comprehension levels. The analysis of the results showed that the learners had low decoding and reading comprehension skills. Considering the low reading levels of the learners, it seems the schools do not provide effective instructional practices. The results suggest that there is a need to improve learners’ reading comprehension levels through teacher empowerment to enhance their instructional practices.
Copyright (c) 2024 Belden Liswaniso https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
An assessment of the challenges of gender disparity in the city of Windhoek’s management leadership structures.
The purpose of the study was to assess of the challenges of gender disparity in the City of Windhoek’s management leadership structures. The results of the study will help the City of Windhoek management in developing leadership and management positions and in addressing gender parity. The study will suggest possible ways on how to eliminate gender barriers and create opportunities in higher leadership and management positions. This study adopted a qualitative approach and case study research design. The researcher purposively selected 15 participants from all departments. Primary data for this study were collected using interview guides. Thematic analysis was used to analyses interview responses. The first key conclusion was that, gender disparity is prevalent at the City of Windhoek. The study revealed eight factors that lead to gender disparity in the city of Windhoek which included lack of implementation of strategic policy, stereotyping leads to discrimination of women in recruitment and selection policies, lack of gender-sensitive budgeting practices, inconsistent gender mainstreaming practices, inadequate gender analysis of information, poor implementation of gender responsive key result areas in performance management plans
Copyright (c) 2024 Sitali Brian Lwendo, Albert Isaacs, Collins Kazondovi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Positive psychology research within the workplace in Namibia: findings and prospects for the future
The field of psychology has been criticised for being overly focused on pathology and less focused on the positive aspects of human functioning. Positive psychology research assesses what is going well and seeks to identify ways to learn from these phenomena in order to enhance positive functioning among human beings. Using a desk-based review, this study discusses research related to positive psychology conducted in Namibia within the world of work. The study focused on research published between 2009 and 2019 across different industries, including education, health and social services, government institutions, the service industry, and the mining sector. The recommendations include enhancing positive human qualities, identifying factors that work against positive functioning, improving the working environment, promoting healthy leadership styles, and developing the overall well-being of organisations. This study aims to consolidate existing research within the Namibian context, take stock of current knowledge, and guide future approaches and areas of focus within the field of positive psychology. There is limited research in the field of positive psychology, and even less within the Namibian context. This study therefore aims to help reduce this knowledge gap within the field of psychology.
Copyright (c) 2024 Wesley Pieters https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Geomorphological-based Remote Sensing and GIS analyses to identify vulnerable zones of forest fire in Zambezi Region, North-eastern Namibia
Forest fires are a threat to biodiversity, lives, and livelihoods in many parts of the world. In Namibia, there is growing concern over the increasing frequency and severity of forest fires. The aim of this research was to map out fire-vulnerable zones in Zambezi Region in north-eastern Namibia using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. A forest fire risk zone map was developed from a combination of several forest fire-promoting variables. To assess vegetation condition, Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was calculated from Landsat TM images resulting in six classes. A toposheet map was used to classify land cover and land use into six density categories. Using SRTM imagery elevation data and topographic map, the slope, aspect, drainage density, and other coverages were determined. Geomorphologic and meteorological data were also used in the determination of forest fire risk zones. Forest fire vulnerable zones were defined by assigning subjective weights to each layer's classes based on the perceived sensitivity to fire or ability to cause fire. The final product categorized the Zambezi Region into four fire vulnerable categories: extremely high risk, high risk, moderate risk, and low risk. An area of 137000 ha (9.6%) was at very high risk, 665400 ha (46.5%) was at high risk, and 64600 ha (4.5%) was at low risk. Vegetation structure, geomorphology, land cover, and precipitation were major determinants of fire vulnerability. High elevation and low vegetation moisture status increased fire vulnerability. Lower fire risk (than expected) was recorded at low elevations due to the vegetation type being a limiting factor. Mid-elevated areas were at very high fire risk due to interactive effects of elevation, high temperature, and low humidity. Slope, aspect, and drainage density did not significantly influence fire risk due to low occurrence of pronounced slopes and aspects.
Copyright (c) 2024 Charlene Simataa, C.B Simataa, I Mapaure https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Nutritional value and antimicrobial activity of selected edible tubers of Namibia
Indigenous leafy vegetables have been extensively studied, but edible tuberous vegetables remain relatively underexplored in terms of their nutritional and medicinal value. This study aimed to evaluate the macronutrient, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, as well as the antioxidant, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities, of six edible tubers from Namibia. Proximate analysis revealed that the tubers had high total carbohydrate and energy contents, with the highest values recorded for Walleria nutans. The high protein content of 13 g/100 g dry mass recorded for Coccinia rehmannii supports the use of members of this genus as nutritional protein supplements. The best, albeit weak, antimicrobial activity was recorded for the dichloromethane (DCM) extract of Eulophia hereroensis, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2.5 mg/mL against Escherichia coli. Evaluation of the antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus showed that the DCM extract of Walleria nutans displayed the strongest biofilm formation inhibitory activity, whereas E. hereroensis exhibited the strongest biofilm eradication activity. A high total phenolic content and strong antioxidant activity were recorded for the aqueous methanolic extract of E. hereroensis, with IC₅₀ values of 0.056 ± 0.000 mg/mL and 0.041 ± 0.003 mg/mL obtained using the DPPH and H₂O₂ scavenging assays, respectively. All tubers showed little to no cytotoxicity, with CC₅₀ values > 200 µg/mL against the VERO cell line. The macronutrient content, in vitro antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity of the selected tuberous vegetables are reported here for the first time. Eulophia hereroensis and W. nutans showed potential as functional foods and merit further in-depth phytochemical study to isolate and characterise the phenolic compounds and potential antibiofilm agents.
Copyright (c) 2024 Renate Hans, Celine Mukakalisa, Kathithileni Kalili, Martha Kandawa-Schulz, Mervyn Beukes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Heritage Tourism Development and Marketing Model: a community-based intervention to address barriers hampering the heritage sector in Namibia
Heritage tourism is a form of tourism that attracts people to visit heritage sites to appreciate the natural heritage and to experience or learn about cultural heritage. It includes cultural tours, trips to festivals, visits to monuments and ruins, art viewing, and experiencing traditions and their vibrant expression in the target community. Marketing and development of the heritage tourism industry in Namibia have been experiencing numerous impediments. To address the status quo, this qualitative study adopted an interpretive paradigm and an interpretive phenomenological design to explore the key barriers hindering the heritage sector through in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion with 20 key heritage practitioners. In addition, secondary data from records and reports from various heritage institutions in the region were administered using document analysis. The study revealed that the development, promotion and preservation of Namibia’s heritage resources as tourism products poses many challenges, including inadequate funding, lack of basic infrastructure, weak documentation and poor marketing of heritage products. Therefore, the study proposes the Heritage Tourism Development and Marketing Model as an alternative strategy to address the identified challenges. The proposed model includes a road map with detailed activities to develop heritage tourism in a way that engages the local and all heritage stakeholders by adopting a participatory approach to valorization and marketing of local heritage resources as tourism products.
Copyright (c) 2024 Aina Paulina Muulila, Dr , Prof. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The individual effects of workplace bullying: experiences from Namibia
Workplace bullying has also been documented as having detrimental implications for employees, ranging from psychological to physical harm. Bullying in the workplace negatively influences organisational and individual performance, which has a knock-on effect on the workplace environment. Using a qualitative approach, twelve self-reported targets were interviewed in depth, and the data were analysed using content analysis. The themes that emerged regarding coping with workplace bullying were psychological effects, social effects, physical and mental fatigue, and work performance. The individual effects of workplace bullying included anxiety, feeling edgy, frustration, weight loss, fatigue, irritability, stress, sleep disturbances, fear, headaches, inability to concentrate, unhappiness, and loss of self-confidence. The present study contributes to workplace bullying research by describing workplace bullying as a process in which targets experience bullying. The data also provide insight into a new national context, namely Namibia. The researchers recommend in-house mental well-being checks, work-life balance mechanisms for human resources, and costing employee absence and reduced productivity.
Copyright (c) 2024 Clifford Hlatywayo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Use of soil amendments in crop production
The fertility status of the Namibian soils is very low. In some parts of the country, such as the semi-arid Central Namibia, this phenomenon is much more extreme and, hence, a significant setback for crop growers. The soils are primarily sandy and lack organic matter, further worsened by low precipitation, high temperatures, and high evapotranspiration rates. This paper provides a background on soil amendments, including the two primary ways of categorising them based on the origin and the composition of the material(s) forming the amendments. Secondly, it offers a historical overview of the general agricultural use of soil amendments. Lastly, the paper discusses different soil amendments currently used and their effects on the fertility and productivity of agricultural soils. It is recommended that the effectiveness and the optimal application ratios of locally available soil amendments for crop production be studied. Keywords: Soil amendments, soil health, crop production, climate change, semi-arid, Namibia
Copyright (c) 2024 Kuume Enguwa, Lydia Horn, Simon Awala https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Exploring the post-independence experiences of the Namibian children of the liberation struggle: a qualitative study
*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id="request-6a0db3de-ec84-83ea-a8d2-f358af88ad63-17" data-turn-id-container="request-6a0db3de-ec84-83ea-a8d2-f358af88ad63-17" data-testid="conversation-turn-86" data-scroll-anchor="false" data-turn="assistant"> Namibia’s independence on 21 March 1990 signified the end of the struggle against German and South African colonial rule. Beginning in 1989, approximately 40 000–50 000 exiled Namibians, including children born and/or raised in exile, were voluntarily repatriated to Namibia. These children are referred to as the Children of the Liberation Struggle (CLS). CLS demonstrations and demands for employment, educational opportunities and national documents from the government have made headlines in the media in recent years. Because of these demands and protests, many Namibians often label the CLS as deviant and unproductive. The perceived demanding behaviour of some CLS in Namibia prompts consideration of the possible reasons for their behaviour. Understanding what drives behaviour can assist in making sense of it. The purpose of this study was therefore to explore the experiences of the CLS since their return “home” and to determine how these experiences have affected their behaviour. A qualitative approach was employed, with in-depth interviews conducted with 10 employed CLS in the Khomas Region. Participants represented two generations of CLS, born between 1972 and 1978 and between 1979 and 1986. The interviews were transcribed, and the data were categorised and analysed using thematic analysis. The CLS reported several post-independence experiences, including excitement and disappointment associated with the homecoming experience, feeling unsafe during and after repatriation, separation from biological parents and siblings, adjustment difficulties, lack of psychological support, the pursuit of educational opportunities, and negative labelling. The study recommends psychological interventions, such as therapeutic group sessions for employed and unemployed CLS, as well as an awareness campaign among Namibians to promote understanding of what the CLS endured both before and after independence.
Copyright (c) 2024 Manfred Janik & N.T. Kaxuxuena https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The impact of financial literacy on the sustainability of female entrepreneurship in the Namibian sosmetic industry
This paper analyses the impact of financial literacy on the sustainability of female entrepreneurship in the Namibian cosmetic industry. The aim of the study was to identify the financial literacy challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in Namibia when managing their businesses, analyse these challenges, and propose possible solutions. Previous studies have focused either on the overall financial literacy of the Namibian adult population or on the financial literacy of SMEs in general. This study therefore investigated the impact of financial literacy skills on the sustainability of female-run enterprises within the Namibian cosmetic industry. The study adopted a correlational research design, and the data were analysed using STATA 15 statistical software. The results confirmed that most entrepreneurs in Namibia are young, female and, for the most part, educated. However, the findings revealed that, despite their relatively high levels of education, female entrepreneurs still lack the necessary financial literacy skills. For example, female entrepreneurs had lower financial literacy skills than their male counterparts, which has negatively affected the sustainability of their businesses over the years. The study recommends that, as a matter of urgency, the Namibian cosmetic industry and other interested stakeholders make concerted efforts to provide financial literacy education to female entrepreneurs. Such training would equip them with the financial literacy skills needed to improve the sustainability of their enterprises.
Copyright (c) 2024 Sibusiso R Sibanda, Kuhepa Tjondu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Rethinking the implementation of the revised history curriculum: challenges faced by teachers, learners and principals in selected public secondary schools in Khomas region, Namibia
The purpose for this study was to rethink the implementation of revised History curriculum in Namibia focusing on the Khomas regions, Windhoek. In line with qualitative research the study adopted an interpretivism paradigm, qualitative approach and case study research design. The targeted population consisted of school principals, history teachers and learners in three selected schools in Immanuel Shifidi cluster. Purposeful sampling technique was used to select teachers with three and more years of experience as history teachers. Cluster sampling was used to select learners from School A, B & C. Face to face interviews, non-participant observation and document analysis were used as data collection methods and thematic analysis was used to analyse data collected using these instruments. The study revealed that training and workshops were conducted on the implementation of revised history curriculum but the majority of participants did not attend the in-service training and workshop because only few teachers were selected to be part of the training. The study also revealed that some teachers lacked knowledge in some history topics and concepts which affected the implementation of the curriculum. The challenges faced in the implementation of the revised curriculum were overcrowded in classrooms, lack of textbooks, inadequate resources such as libraries, lack of government funds and lack of time management. The study recommended teachers should make an effort to collaborate with other history teachers in the Immanuel Shifidi circuit. The collaboration forums are intended to aid them in sharing subject knowledge and assisting one another in teaching diverse historical themes and topics. The school administration should seek funding from various companies in Namibia to help create libraries, purchase textbooks for students, and purchase classroom desks. NIED should hold regular training and workshops in various circuits and have a followup system in place to ensure that the trainings are effective. This will aid teachers in understanding the varied expectations of the new curriculum as well as staying current on curricular revisions. The study further recommends that future researchers should focus on training topics that need to be covered during curriculum in-service trainings and workshops for efficient delivery of revised history curriculum.
Copyright (c) 2022 Ndinelao N. Mothowanaga, Bhebhe Gladwin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
An ecological adjusted random effect model for property crime in Windhoek, Namibia (2011-2016)
Count data that are zero inflated are often analysed using Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial Generalized Linear Mixed Model (ZINB-GLMM) when observations are correlated in ways that require random effects. This study investigated ecological factors influencing the number of property crimes in Windhoek by using data obtained from the Windhoek police over the period of six consecutive years (2011 to 2016). The ecological concepts were measured at different levels of aggregation. Limited studies in Windhoek have considered analysing crime data on Generalized Linear Mixed Model via Template Model Builder (TMB) R-package. Crimes were counted with respect to Month, Season, Year, Location and Density. Property crime data contained more zeros than expected. When comparing models fitted, it was found that the Relative Risks (RR) were highly significant for models fitted via Negative Binomial distribution. By adopting a ZINB-GLMM, the study attempted to address the potential covariates for Property crimes. The study showed that most of the variation property crimes was due to locations. Crime was high during spring and winter time during the study period. The study further discovered that areas with high population densities had high crime intensity. Security patrols and surveillance should be stepped up in Windhoek in high density suburbs especially during winter and spring seasons.
Copyright (c) 2022 J Amunyela, I Neema, L Pazvakawambwa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
A Logistic Regression Model to Assess Factors Influencing Schizophrenia Symptoms in Namibia
Schizophrenia is a common mental disorder in Namibia and affects about 20 million people worldwide. Risk factors for schizophrenia in Namibia have not been extensively investigated. The objective of the study was to establish prevalence and factors influencing schizophrenia symptoms based on secondary data from the 2013 Namibia Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). Descriptive statistics were computed to profile the background characteristics of the sample. Chi-square tests were conducted to assess association between socio-demographic variables and schizophrenia symptoms. Binary logistic regression was performed to establish determinants of schizophrenia symptoms. The prevalence of schizophrenia symptoms was 12.4% (13.6% among females and 11.0% among males). Regression results indicated that females (OR=1.159, 95% CI: 1.022-1.314, p=0.021) were more likely to have schizophrenia symptoms compared to their male counterparts. Those who resided in urban areas (OR=0.699, 95% CI: 0.609-0.803, p<0.001) were less likely to have schizophrenia symptoms compared to those who resided in rural areas. Those with no formal education (OR=0.378, 95% 0.273-0.523, p<0.001); those with primary education (OR=0.646, 95% CI: 0.501-0.834, p<0.001) and those with secondary education (OR=0.619, 95% CI: 0.495-0.775, p<0.001) were less likely to have schizophrenia symptoms compared to those with higher education. Results also showed that those who had never married (OR=0.275, 95% CI: 0.225-0.335, p<0.001); the married (OR=0.229, 95% CI: 0.184-0.284, p<0.001); and those living with a partner (OR=0.283, 95% CI: 0.225-0.355, p<0.001) were less likely to have schizophrenia symptoms compared to those who were on separation. Respondents who did not consume alcoholic drinks (OR=0.597, 95% CI: 0.526-0.677, p<0.001) were less likely to have schizophrenia symptoms compared to those who consumed alcoholic drinks. Schizophrenia symptoms were not significantly influenced by wealth index (p>0.05). There is need to step up gender-specific mental health programs especially in rural areas. Efforts to stabilize marital relationships at national level should be strengthened. Mental health could also be improved through drug abuse prevention and rehabilitation programs.
Copyright (c) 2022 E. N.N. Nakunipa, L Pazvakawambwa, P Iiyambo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Socio-Demographic Variations on Age-Sex Mortality in Namibia: An Analysis of the 2016 Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Data
Mortality studies are important for the effectiveness of subsystem of health services in a country. Before the Coronavirus pandemic outbreak, there has been a gradual decline in the global mortality indicators, which can be linked to the improving economic development and social wellbeing of the global population, especially, in developing regions such as East Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. This decline in mortality and the high fertility in developing countries are the contributing factors to the increase on global population. Apart from the aggregated frequencies of deaths and crude death rates reported in population census reports, little to no attention has been paid to detailed inference mortality analysis with respect to the age-sex variation perspective in Namibia. Thus, this paper used the negative binomial regression modelling technique to perform an inference mortality analysis across all ages and both sexes in the country as well as across regions and marital status using the 2016 Civil Registration Vital systems data from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration. Results showed that there was a significant relationship between mortality and theindividuals' age, sex, marital status and region. In addition, Oshana, Kavango East, Khomas, Hardap and Omaheke regions had high mortality rates, while infants and elderly individuals had a high probability of dying. Furthermore, the study revealed that individuals who were single and aged 15-59 and 5-14 years had less expected death count. Hence, it is recommended that interventions (such as affordable and proper health care and well-being services) targeted at the (most) vulnerable age groups, marital group and regions be made a priority, in order to meet Sustainable Development Goal 3.
Copyright (c) 2022 Immanuel Shipanga, Opeoluwa Oyedele, Tarcy C. Matengu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Application of Longitudinal Analysis to Crime Data: Windhoek Case study (2011-2016)
Crime in the Windhoek municipal area continue to be on an increase trend as the population grow over time. Despite past effort done to reduce crime, crime seems to be on a continuously increasing trend; mostly in area regarded as crime hotspots by Windhoek municipal Police. Past study done to analyse the crime record have concentrated mostly on cross-sectional analysis, which does not take correlation into account, thus makes it difficult to compare snapshots of crime over time. The main aim of this research was to analyse reported crime data for the period (2011-2016), using a more robust method known as longitudinal data analysis. This method helped us to visualise the different crime frequencies at different time points (month, day or time of day) in all identified police zones. Furthermore, the use of Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) was also done, to model these crime data, where the best correlation structure was identified to be the exchangeable correlation structure, which assume constant correlation over time.
Copyright (c) 2022 Lazarus Unandapo, Augustinus Ntjamba https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Customer relationship management (CRM) and passenger loyalty in delivering high quality service at Air Namibia: A structural equations approach
Air Namibia, like any other airline, faces challenges as it operates in the global economy. Extreme scrutiny and debate about Air Namibia's viability has highlighted some of the airline's major issues of strategic, operational inefficiency and inability to create customer value. The study's aim was to establish the impact of passenger loyalty on customer relationship management (CRM) in delivering high quality service to passengers and value creation. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyze survey data collected from 181 international, regional and domestic passengers using Air Namibia for passengers travelling through the Hosea Kutako International and Eros Airports. The study further identified the primary factors affecting passenger satisfaction with Air Namibia's value chain activities, these factors included: customer orientation, operational specialties, domain expertise, and service recovery and information technology. While factors contributing to passenger retention and loyalty towards Air Namibia's products and services included Marketing and Promotional Activities, Loyalty aspects, Value for Money and Comfort Issues. In exploring the relationship between customer relationship management (CRM) and passenger loyalty, the study found that interpersonal relationships between staff and the customers are crucial to CRM initiatives as they result in a better understanding of customer needs, which in turn leads to passenger loyalty.
Copyright (c) 2022 Albert J Isaacs, S B Lwendo, Lawrence Kazembe https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
An application of survival analysis on the determinants of employmentlongevity in Namibia: Evidence from 2018 Labour Force Survey
Employment longevity shapes the total work experience of an employee's career, in addition to providing additional information about the employment stability of the employee and employer. However, in recent years, employment stability has decreased globally, with Namibia being amongst the highly affected countries where workers are having a high number of short-term employment records over the course of their careers. In this paper, the Kaplan-Meier and Cox Proportional Hazard techniques were used to estimate the survival of employment longevity for employed adults in Namibia using the 2018 Namibia Labour Force Survey. Results showed that majority of the employees were working in the private enterprises and government institutions, attained junior and senior secondary education, never married, worked for a paying job and were from the Khomas, Erongo and Otjozondjupa regions. Likewise, majority of the employees employed for less than 1 year and for 1-2 years were aged 20-29 years, while majority employed for 3-5 years and 6-10 years were aged 30-39 years. The employed adults' characteristics such as age group, type of employer, highest education attained, marital status, region, current schooling status and sex had a significant association with their survival of employment longevity. In addition, employees aged 30-39 and 40-49 years, employed in non-profit institutions, parastatals and government institutions, and from the Oshikoto, Omaheke, Oshana, Khomas, Erongo and Otjozondjupa regions had a high survival of employment longevity, while employees employed in privately owned informal enterprises and had already attained a technical or vocational certificates/diplomas, junior and senior secondary education had a low survival. It is therefore recommended that all relevant organizations and governmental ministries that deals with employment and labour matters should frequently engage all employers through their respective human resources departments, to further assist in the creation and implementation of favourable employment contracts that best suits their respective employees, especially, for those employed in privately owned informal enterprises, employed for less than 1 year, 1-2 years and 3-5 years, who are in their 20s and 30s (age-wise), and already attained a technical or vocational certificates/diplomas, junior and senior secondary education
Copyright (c) 2022 Opeoluwa Oyedele, Liina E.M. Angula, Klemens T. Mutorwa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Household poverty levels in Namibia and their associated sociodemographic factors: An empirical investigation of the 2015/16 Namibia household income and expenditure survey
Despite the intervention strategies that have been put in place to fight poverty, Namibia continues to experience prevalence of poverty with large numbers of households still living in poverty conditions and unable to afford the minimum daily essentials for a decent life. In this quantitative cross-sectional study design, the impact of sociodemographic characteristics of households on their poverty levels was statistically analysed using an ordered probit regression on data from the 2015/16 Namibia household income and expenditure survey. Results showed that sociodemographic characteristics such as the types of household dwelling unit, highest education attainment of the head of household, household main language, household tenure and household main source of income had a significant impact on the household's poverty levels. Households living in a mobile home dwelling unit, whose heads had secondary education as their highest educational attainment as well as households that were mortgaged and whose main source of income were from other sources were less likely to be severely household poor and more likely to be household poor. Furthermore, households living in a singlequarters dwelling unit and whose main language were Setswana were more likely to be severely household poor and less likely to be household poor. It is therefore recommended that the Namibian government and policy makers put more efforts in improving the sociodemographic characteristics of households, particularly those living in a single quarter dwelling unit and whose main language were Setswana.
Copyright (c) 2022 Opeoluwa Oyedele https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Assessing the Impact of Proximate and Non-Proximate Determinants of Fertility in Namibia: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach
Fertility rate has been declining over the years in Namibia, and a number of studies have been conducted to investigate how socio-economic and physiological factors influenced fertility decline. This study was aimed at modelling the direct and indirect effects of socio-economic, socio-demographic and health attributes on fertility, as well as the proximate and nonproximatedeterminants of fertility using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique and the data from the 2013 Namibia Demographic Health Survey. To be precise, the confirmatory factor analysis part of the SEM technique was used to test the theorized model of the proximate and non-proximate determinants of fertility, while the factor modelling part was used to measure the effects that these two constructs of fertility determinants had on fertility. Results from this study showed that the proximate determinants had a direct negative impact β = -0.023) on the number of children ever born, while there was a (significant) positive effect β = 0.053) between the non-proximate determinants and the number of children ever born. In addition, age at first birth had a (significant) positive effect on the number of children ever born by Namibian women while the effect of contraceptive use was found to have a minor effect. Moreover, women who had their first birth at the beginning of their reproductive period were more likely to have more children born to them, while women who had their first marriage at younger ages were more likely to have more children. It is therefore recommended that there is a need to promote contraceptive use among Namibian women to further reduce fertility, especially among women from poor households as the cost of rising children has become high as the year progresses. Additionally, there is also a need to promote and strengthen the education of young females in order to increase their age at first birth and at first marriage in Namibia.
Copyright (c) 2022 Tobias Shinyemba, Opeoluwa Oyedele, Lawrence Kazembe, Martin Shaalukeni https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Zero-augmented models for exploring the factors affecting the pass rate of 2016 grade 10 learners in Khomas region, Namibia
The poor performance of grade 10 learners has been a big concern over the last few years and in the effort to understand this phenomenon there has been efforts to present models that explain it. This study aimed at exploring the factors which influence Khomas Region grade 10 learners' pass rate using Generalized Linear Models (GLMs). The data used for this study was obtained from the Directorate of National Examination and Assessment for the year 2016, with permission from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education (DNEA). With the presence of excess zeros in the study data, six GLMs were explored (Poisson, Negative Binomial, Hurdle Poisson, Hurdle Negative Binomial, Zero Inflated Poisson and Zero- Inflated Negative Binomial) to assess their goodness of fit on modelling the zero-inflated DNEA count data. Afterwards, the better performing GLM was used in achieving the study aim. The Zero- Inflated Negative Binomial performed better based on its lowest Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) values among the six fitted GLMs. Results from the fitted Zero- Inflated Negative Binomial model revealed that the age of the learner, school location and the type of school (private/state) had significant differential in the pass rate of grade 10 learners, with p-values < 0.05 in the Zero- Inflated Negative Binomial model. Thus, it is recommended that for densely populated areas, emphasis should be put on building more schools in these areas so that classrooms are not overcrowded per subject. In addition, overaged learners should also be given extra assistance such as extra classes and extra motivation.
Copyright (c) 2022 Rapikama Mumbuu, Lilian Pazvakawambwa, Opeoluwa Oyedele https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Modelling state preferences among airline travellers in Namibia: a case study at Eros airport and Hosea Kutako international airport
Stated preference experiments are become an increasingly popular survey methodology for investigating air traveler's choices. Analysis of this behaviour, which is an element of the demand prediction, helps for a better future planning and development of competing airlines. In this paper, emphasis is stressed on the stated preferences of passengers in choosing between low cost carriers (LCC) and full service carriers (FSC). A binary logit, probit and latent class models were employed on the primary data collected from departing air passengers at Eros and Hosea Kotako International airport in Windhoek, Namibia, to model passengers' stated preferences and examine the determinants of carrier choice between LCC and FSC in Namibia. Major findings show that airfare, age, income, and purpose of travel are significantly important with respect to passenger choice. Furthermore, it was observed that passengers have different preferences for different destination region be it domestic, regional and international. For domestic and regional flights (short haul) they prefer LCC, while for international flights (long haul) they opted for FSC. In addition, majority of the passengers were travelling for business purposes, hence their tickets were bought by their respective employers. Most passengers indicated that they were willing to fly LCC if it was available in Namibia because of it's low fares. There was an indication that air tickets were not affordable and these are a big concern to passengers. Presumably, if ticket prices can come down or introduce a LCC in Namibia then many consider flying. This study concluded that, based on the interviewed passengers' profiles, the best and appropriate carrier in Namibia is a low-cost carrier. Introducing a LCC in Namibia might be a viable alternative which may ensure sustainability.
Copyright (c) 2022 Alisa M. Amwaama, Opeoluwa Oyedele, Lawrence Kazembe https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Guest Editorial Commentary: Statistics: An Intrinsic Part of Everyday Life
Fast becoming an ever-present reality in our day-to-day lives, statistics play an intrinsic and contemporary role in our everyday activities, especially, in today’s data-driven world. Owning to its definition as the science of collecting, summarizing, presenting and interpreting information, statistics helps us understand the world a little bit better through numbers as well as other quantitative and qualitative source of information. Although statistics originated many centuries ago, its impacts and applications have evolved in recent years as modern statisticians have advanced applications of statistics through innovative, problem-solving approaches, far beyond its historic use by governmental offices to capture censuses in order to track population sizes and growths (Michigan Technological University, 2021). One of these modern statisticians was Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher (1890 - 1962) who was active as a mathematician, statistician and geneticist. Although trained as an (evolutionary) biologist, Fisher was referred to as the “father of the modern science of statistics” as he single-handedly created the foundations for modern statistical science (Anders, 1998). He further pioneered the design of experiments principles, small samples statistics and the analysis of real data. He went on to published a book titled “Statistical Methods for Research Workers” in 1925, which later became one of the 20th century's most influential books on statistical methods and even to date. His notable works includes the popularly used F-test, F-distribution, Fisher’s exact test, maximum likelihood estimation, random effects models and analysis of variance, to mention a few. The importance of statistics being relevant to nearly every area of our lives cannot be overemphasized enough, to the extent that all countries over the world have at least one national statistical agency operating within their respective countries that manages critical information related to labour trends, health, education, political campaigns and many more. Statistics has influenced and is still influencing the operations of industries such as the sales and financial markets, profit and non-profit organizations, meteorological services, medical care services, manufacturing, urban planning, education, law, and even social media analytics (to mention a few). In this present world, we as individuals and organizations regularly use statistics to make daily financial and non-financial planning and budgeting decisions that affects our lives. For example, consider the daily forecasted weathers, lending risks at banks, impacts of economy crises, healthcare financial policies, traffic flow operations, investment payoffs, urban planning with respect to population growths and declines, predicting diseases, stock markets, human psychology behaviours, insurance pay-outs, and political election results. All these, and more, are statistics and/or derived from statistics. Another simple life application of statistics is the global daily recorded number of COVID-19 cases, deaths, recoveries and vaccination numbers. As of 23 August 2021, a total of 212,679,403 COVID-19 cases were recorded, with 4,446,610 deaths and 190,301,359 recoveries, with majority of these cases reported in the United States of America, India, Brazil, United Kingdom, France, Russia, Turkey and Italy (Worldometer, 2021). Again, all these basic figures were all compiled through the use of statistics in various regions, states, countries, provinces and continents all over the world. Thus, statistics is heavily used in many different fields for a variety of applications as showcased in this journal issue.
Editorial Commentary: Science for All: Boosting knowledge through communication
Excellence is an art won by training and habituation* - Aristotle The need for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to spearhead development has increased steadily, while communication and dissemination fall behind. In a world continuously influenced by scientific development, STEM communication grows ever more important to enable active engagement and participation of citizens in society. The intention is to engage society to increasingly recognize and illustrate the important of STEM for daily life, while boosting science motivation among students to learn STEM subjects, thus creating a critical mass of scientists, engineers and technologists for the world's tomorrow. This need is even more of a challenge in developing countries, like Namibia, where there is limited funding towards STEM. Since 2015, the National Commission for Research, Science and Technology, in Namibia, has engaged in science fairs, public talks, or participatory projects, including publications as channels on reaching and engaging underserved audiences of STEM. One such publication is this journal. Now in its fourth volume, a special collection of articles on applications of statistics is showcased in this journal issue. The articles, edited by Dr Opeoluwa Oyedele, a senior lecturer in the Department of Computing, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences - formerly Department of Statistics and Population Studies, in the School of Science, are drawn from a selection of research done by postgraduate students and staff in that department. The collection tries to showcase the breath to which statistical techniques and methods are applied in a real world. All case studies are drawn from the Namibian context. The list of the articles is: • Statistics: an intrinsic part of everyday life - commentary • Modelling state preferences among airline travellers in Namibia: a case study at Eros airport and Hosea Kutako international airport • Zero-augmented models for exploring the factors affecting the pass rate of 2016 grade 10 learners in Khomas region, Namibia • Assessing the impact of proximate and non-proximate determinants of fertility in Namibia: a structural equation modelling approach • Household poverty levels in Namibia and their associated sociodemographic factors: An empirical investigation of the 2015/16 Namibia household income and expenditure survey • An application of survival analysis on the determinants of employment longevity in Namibia: evidence from 2018 Labour Force Survey • Customer relationship management (CRM) and passenger loyalty in delivering high quality service at Air Namibia: A structural equations approach • Application of longitudinal analysis to crime Data: Windhoek case study {2011-2016) • Socio-demographic variations on age-sex mortality in Namibia: an analysis of the 2016 civil registration and vital statistics data • A logistic regression model to assess factors influencing schizophrenia symptoms in Namibia • An ecological adjusted random effect model for property crime in Windhoek, Namibia {2011-2016) This collection is the first of its kind, and we look forward to many more, in line with the four main goals of NJRST, which is to inform, innovate, educate and debate, hence boosting scientific communication. We invite our readers to appreciate the beauty of statistics as presented here.
Copyright (c) 2022 Lawrence Kazembe, Jairos Kangira https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Healey's first law of holes is, "if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging". Over the years others have added to that law. The second law say "if there is any open hole fill it" - and third law says "any hole not filled now will cause more damage in the future". The first law is attributed to a British politician Healey- following an interview with the Statesman magazine in 1986. Thus, others have referred to it as "Healey’s first law of politics" (Guardian, 2015). Although popularized by Healey, the first recorded use of this saying dates back to 1911, where the Washington Post published the original saying on the sixth page. This saying reads: nor would a wise man, seeing that he was in a hole, go to work and blindly dig it deeper. The First Law of Holes simply mean "know when to stop". There are many societal lessons we can learn from this concept of stop digging. You may find this law relevant to your business, your political beliefs, or even your financial situation. But the message remains all the same; if you find you are in trouble, it’s best to quit whatever it is you are doing that has gotten you to this point. But first, recognize the hole you have dug. That is to say, the first step in finding a solution is admitting there is a problem. It might take a lot of pride-swallowing, but it is worth it, to be honest about what you are struggling with. To rise above your challenges, you can’t continue to go downward. There are usually many factors at play when it comes to finding a solution. The holes adage speaks to the society we live in. It has been littered with too many "may-tries", a great many experiments to the detriment of the economy, and people around. Tragically, citizens are often taken as pawn. In the 1980s - following the oil crisis - developing countries were faced with the need for structural reforms of their economies - which drove the privatization programme. While the idea was meant to promote efficiency, countries eventually were found in a hole. Each dug a hole. Many state-owned companies were sold, leading to massive unemployment and deepened poverty. The working class was sacrificed. However, the best thing to do was to realize that they (countries) were in a hole, and then stop digging. The first step was to stop doing harm. Stop approving any more expenses and assess the situation at hand. This was never done. Following at the heals of structural adjustments was outsourcing, which further shed more jobs. More also it led to a culture of profit making, and ballooned costs - again to the detriment and neglect of delivery of social services for the benefit of the citizenry. This leads to lessons of the second and third laws of holes. The existing holes were left open and are causing societal damages. Of course, the history of outsourcing dates back to the time of the Industrial Revolution, which began in Europe in 1750s. The Industrial Revolution led to the mass production of goods and caused the growth of markets and profits. Many companies experienced a shortage of local human resources, so they started contracting with third-party firms to delegate the accounting, legal, and insurance tasks. Outsourcing is based on the economic principle of "opportunity cost". Outsourcing was not formally identified as a business strategy until 1989 (Kim, 2018; Gonzales et al. 2020). However, most organizations were not totally self-sufficient; they outsourced those functions for which they had no competency internally. One of the best examples of outsourcing, outstaffing, and recruiting is Japan during the reign of Meiji. The period that marked a place for itself in the history books as the Meiji Restoration, became a major reason for Japan’s industrial rise later in the 1900’s. Outsourcing is the buzz word of the new millennium – while companies are increasingly moving jobs offshore to cut down costs, the public is feeling cheated that their jobs are being “stolen” by cheap, foreign labour.
Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19 prevention measures among private clinic patients in Windhoek, Namibia
In December 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and later spread rapidly to other parts of China and eventually across all countries around the world, including Namibia. Despite causing severe to fatal acute respiratory syndrome, there are no known cures for the SARSCoV-2 virus, only preventive measures such as social distancing, hands sanitizing, hands washing, wearing masks, and full-dosed COVID-19 vaccination. For this reason, this study was aimed at assessing the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 prevention measures among private clinic patients in Windhoek during 1 October to 30 November 2021. A cross-sectional analytic study using quantitative method was used with data collected in a single round among patients visiting two private clinics in Windhoek. Results showed that more than half (62%) were females, 58.5% were single and 70% attended tertiary education and 71% were employed as of 30 November 2021. In addition, at least 90% of the participants knew each of the COVID-19 prevention measures, while more than three-quarters (79%) had comprehensive knowledge of the measures, with 65% of them knowing that one needs two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine for immune protection against the virus. At least 90% of the participants were in favour of practicing each COVID-19 prevention measure, while more than three-quarters (81.5%) had comprehensive positive attitude towards the measures in general. However, less than half (48%) of the participants believed that the COVID-19 vaccines can prevent one from the virus. Moreover, more than 95% of the participants were practicing each COVID-19 prevention measures, with 90% practicing all the prevention measures at the same time, with the exception of the COVID-19 vaccination as only 37% of the participants were vaccinated. Seeing as the participants had very good knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19 prevention measures, with barely more than a quarter of them vaccinated against COVID-19, the health education and awareness of COVID-19 in the country must continue in order to maintain the very good KAP of its prevention measures in Windhoek.
Copyright (c) 2022 Alexis Ntumba, Opeoluwa Oyedele, Lawrence Kazembe https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Qualitative approach in evaluating service delivery in Namibia: The case of the decentralized Khomas Basic Education Directorate
Decentralisation, in the Namibian public sector, was aimed at improving service delivery by regional and local authorities to the communities in Namibia. This research paper evaluates accountability of service delivery in the educational sector of the Directorate in Khomas Regional Council. This research paper used the qualitative approach and followed a triangulated method of data collection by using open and closed ended questions only. The findings of the research revealed that the understanding of the decentralisation policy and concepts are different among the participants. The paper recommends more sensitization, advocacy and training on the purpose and benefits of decentralization.
Copyright (c) 2022 Sitali B Lwendo, Albert Isaacs https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
This issue of the Journal starts volume 3, an occasion to pause, give thanks, and reflect on the past year or so. Two major events in recent times have shed a true meaning to the saying "think globally, act locally". The Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war underscored that we exist in a globalizing and “boundaryless” economy. There has been no escaping of the ripple-effects of these two events. The result has been heightened unemployment across all industrial sectors, particularly worsened in vulnerable sectors such as tourism and hospitality. The informal sector has also particularly been hit. Food insecurity has increased, and inflation has picked across the globe. Economic growth has stalled, and standards of living have plummeted in the past three years. Countries have acted differently - a true realization of acting locally - to tame the effects on the economy and population. Developed countries acted much faster, while developing countries acted laggards. In laggard countries, policies have lacked evidence. Attributed to Scots town planner and social activist Patrick Geddes (1915), and popularized in the 1970s (Heaps, 2010), the catch term think global-act local has evolved. It has been used in various contexts, including planning, environment, education, and towards business strategies. Thinking globally and acting locally, in its simplest form, is a commitment to personal change. It is a liberating journey of small, deliberate changes to dismantle inconsistencies that exist (Barash, 2002; Groom 2012). This acting is not only at country level, but also applies at a community sphere. For example, geographic proximity and local networks influence diverse practices at a local level, and it not uncommon for organizations to act differently in different settings. Having a long-term vision to offset the impacts of globalization is important for a country. But how much of these locally tailored solutions can be informed by research and science? This call for local action is increasing been made in the case of mitigating for the impacts of climate change. The emphasis has been that global warming requires local solutions. The options are many: Make buildings tighter, maximize passive solar applications, substitute higher-efficiency appliances and motors, encourage telecommunications instead of physical meeting, among others. This problem can be eradicated easily through the introduction of many county-wide regulations, such as tax breaks on households that recycle, readily-available recycling bins and trashcans among many. Africa too needs local solutions for global challenges. One can not overemphasize the power of local solutions to address global challenges. And so, in the Namibian context, we argue that local solutions should be informed through active research and scientific inquiry. However, just like everywhere around the world, local efforts to protect our planet are too often underfunded and overlooked. Nevertheless, we must not tire. There is need to develop a knowledge hub, we require a critical mass of experts, there is need to get others inspired by reaching out, that knowledge must be shared or disseminated through civic participation in advancing scientific and research discovery to support the country's development.