The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) held its traditional send-off ceremony today before dispatching its reporting teams for the 2025 Regional Councils and Local Authorities elections to the country's 14 regions. 

The news teams will be deployed from 18 November until after the polls on 28 November. 

Director General Stanley Similo urged journalists to uphold the highest standards of accuracy and public service when representing the public broadcaster's brand.

Similo stressed that national deployment is a core mandate of the public broadcaster, ensuring that communities across the country receive timely, credible, and verified information.

At the send-off event, he said the NBC represents the highest standard of journalism and noted that media freedom continues to be upheld in Namibia. He reminded staff that they are "custodians of truth" rather than ordinary employees, underscoring the broadcaster's national responsibility during the elections.

"Namibia is one of the beacons when it comes to democracy. And equally, media freedom has always been guaranteed. That is why you will find that NBC on the continent is normally running between the first and third spots. That talks volumes about what we do as a contributing entity to media freedom. And I think you need to applaud yourselves. Also, be mindful, we are not just NBC employees. We are the custodians of truth."

Chief of News and Programming Menesia Muinjo urged reporters to uphold the brand and bring compelling stories reflecting national and community voices throughout the election period.

"They rely on the story we will tell accurately, which may be retold 30 years from now through our archives. So all I can say here again is that please let's keep to the do's and avoid the don'ts."

Head of News and Current Affairs Peter Denk urged reporters to verify and double-check every piece of information during a time when misinformation is widespread.

"Integrity above all; make sure about your facts, do not report opinions, and verify every detail before publishing. You know, at times when there is heightened political activity, there is also likely to be misinformation. So that's why checking and double-checking our credibility is very much at stake."

NBC's 11 radio stations broadcasting in 10 languages will provide extensive election coverage. Franlin Thomas, Head of National FM, reminded the team that radio remains a powerful medium for capturing and sharing community stories.

"Even though we come from different departments, the one thing that we should keep in mind is that when we are out there representing the NBC, we are not radio, we are not technical, we are not public relations, we are one NBC team."

Heads from various departments also addressed the gathering, urging teams to uphold and protect the NBC brand throughout their coverage.