From the optimism of independence in 1990 to the latest financial crises — including the N$53 million Namcor debacle — Dr. Rauna Shipena traces the patterns of failure, bailout, and public disillusionment that have defined Namibia’s SOE landscape. Drawing on public records, parliamentary reports, media investigations, and historical archives, the book reconstructs a year-by-year account of key institutions such as NamPower, NamWater, Telecom Namibia, GIPF, Social Security Commission, SME Bank, NamPost, Road Fund Administration, and many others.

Through vivid analysis and accessible storytelling, Dr. Shipena reveals how a culture of “business as usual” became institutionalized — and how reform efforts were often hijacked by vested interests. Each chapter peels back the layers of policy contradictions, leadership failures, and missed opportunities that left the state as both the rescuer and the victim of its own enterprises.

Yet this is not just a story of decay. It is also a call to renewal — to uproot entrenched governance habits and rebuild accountability systems grounded in ethics, transparency, and service. The book dares Namibia’s citizens, policymakers, and scholars to confront a simple truth: a nation that repeatedly rewards failure cannot afford to call it development.