The Namibian claimed several honours at the 2026 Namibian Journalism Awards as FNB Namibia's Carpio Minnaar urged journalists to uphold integrity, fairness and independence in their reporting.

At the ceremony in Windhoek on Friday night, Minnaar said press freedom is about more than the ability to publish.

"Press freedom is not simply the freedom to publish, it is the responsibilit™y to pursue the truth with integrity, fairness and independence," he said.

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The awards were organised by the Editors' Forum of Namibia (EFN) with sponsorship from various corporate entities.

EFN chairperson Toivo Ndjembela at the event highlighted the fact that journalists go the extra mile to ensure the public receives accurate and relevant news.

"A newspaper coming out every morning, or prime time news on television and radio, is not just a result of pressing a button, but there are men and women who sweat, cry or shed blood to bring news to various channels," he said.

The event honoured journalists for their work in print, broadcast and digital media.

Maria Kaalushu from the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation won the journalist of the year award for her investigative report 'Land Scammers'.

She also received the fraud and cybercrime transparency award for the same piece.

Kaalushu said winning the fraud and cybercrime transparency award highlighted the impact investigative journalism has on people's lives.

"This award has made me realise that reporting on difficult and sometimes overlooked issues can bring about real change.

During this investigation, I saw the raw tears of desperate Namibians who had fallen prey to the scam, and the reporting ultimately led to the arrest of the scammer, bringing a measure of justice to the victims.

"It reinforces my belief that journalism is at its most meaningful when it seeks truth, gives a voice to the vulnerable, and holds wrongdoing to account," she said.

She said being named journalist of the year was an honour and encouraged her to continue working even harder.

Tracy Tafirenyika and Dolly Menas from The Namibian walked away with the education, health and social development award for their reports 'Pastors from Hell - 32 children raped, sexually violated by pastors in four years' (Tafirenyika) and 'The widows Covid-19 made' (Menas).

Menas said winning the award recognised the first feature she had ever written.

"It took me four days to complete and my supervisors kept sending me back to revise it until I got it right. Although the process was challenging, it taught me the value of learning from feedback and paying attention to detail," she said.

Tafirenyika also received the agriculture and fisheries award for her report 'My asthma gets worse - Uis residents blame Andrada for air pollution'.

She described the recognition as a reminder that dedication and perseverance eventually pay off.

"While winning an award is a great honour, it is not the only measure of success.

To me, it is a source of motivation to keep pushing myself to produce impactful journalism that serves the public," she said.

She encouraged fellow journalists who did not receive awards to continue working hard, saying the impact of their work matters more than any trophy.

"This achievement would not have been possible without the guidance and support of my editors.

Thank you for constantly challenging me, believing in me and encouraging me to go beyond the obvious in every story.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported me, my husband and the rest of my family who have encouraged and trusted me along this journey.

This recognition belongs to all of you as much as it does to me," Tafirenyika said.

Kosmos news editor Yanna Smith also won the agriculture and fisheries award for her report titled 'Water crisis: The droughts not to blame'.

Journalists Timo Shihepo and Eliaser Ndeyanale from The Namibian won the business, finance and economics award for their report 'N$18m stolen from SME Bank paid to Mugabe's pilot'.

Sonja Smith from Namibian Sun (NMH) received the extractive industries and energy award for 'Deals, dollars & dirty oil: Unpacking Namcor's corruption saga', while Nikanor Nangolo and Mariud Ngula won the sport award for 'Bet, lose, repeat' and 'N$235m for 13 stadiums 'must be a typing error' - analysts slam paltry allocation'.

Michael Namaseb won the best digital/multimedia journalism award for 'Chasing the Namibian sunset'.

Joseph and Richolene Ouses walked away with the best television award for 'Open File: Himba Culture' and 'In the Community: Informal Formalisation'.

Gordon Joseph also received the best radio award for 'It was Genocide'.

He said the recognition was a reminder that journalism is ultimately about the people whose stories are told and the responsibility journalists have to protect the truth.

"Many of the accolades I have received as a young journalist are rooted in the pain, resilience and courage of ordinary people who trusted me with their stories and allowed me to amplify their voices.

"These awards are as much a tribute to them as they are to me.

In a time when misinformation spreads faster than facts and trust in the media is constantly tested, we must recommit ourselves to the truth. Facts must remain sacred and integrity must never be negotiable," he said.