Namibia has launched its Ethical Use of Social Media campaign in response to alarming statistics regarding online crime in the Southern African nation.
Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo of the Namibian Police Force shared concerning figures from 2022-2025, highlighting significant issues like fraud, defamation, and theft facilitated through social media platforms.
In addition to these crimes, the report included serious offences such as threats, extortion, cyberbullying, online child sexual exploitation, human trafficking, the spread of explicit content, hate speech, and incitement to violence. This prompted a government crackdown on such activities.
At the campaign’s launch, Shikongo disclosed that from April 2022 to April 2025, police recorded 11,990 fraud cases, alongside 9,039 incidents of crimen injuria facilitated via the internet. The figures also included 4,835 instances of defamation and 165 cases of theft under pretences.
Shikongo noted that there were six reported cases of human trafficking, where 38 Namibians were recruited by foreign nationals, as well as four non-Namibians brought in for work. He mentioned ongoing legal proceedings concerning a cryptocurrency scam out of Namibia that affected international victims.
“The Namibia Police Force is committed to enhancing our cybercrime unit and will focus on improving our ability to detect, investigate, and prosecute social media-related crimes in collaboration with the legal system,” Shikongo stated. “This campaign promotes responsibility, urging all Namibians to think before posting, verify information before sharing, and engage without causing harm.”
The police will partner with telecommunications firms and other service providers to identify offenders.
Emma Theofelus, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, officially introduced the Ethical Use of Social Media campaign at the Namibia University of Science and Technology. She expressed concern about these crimes’ negative impact on many Namibians.
“We have lost a significant number of productive individuals due to the dangers of misinformation, disinformation, and privacy breaches, which are contributing to rising mental health issues,” she said.
Theofelus encouraged citizens to support this initiative and report both online and offline crimes, emphasising that “crimes perpetrated online carry the same weight as those committed offline and deserve equal attention from law enforcement.”
