Time in Namibia
| Light Blue | Cape Verde Time[a] (UTC−1) |
| Blue | Greenwich Mean Time (UTC) |
| Red | (UTC+1)[b] |
| Yellow | (UTC+2) |
| Ochre | (UTC+2) |
| (UTC+3) | |
| Green | East Africa Time (UTC+3) |
| Turquoise | (UTC+4) |
b During Ramadan, Morocco switches to Greenwich Mean Time (UTC) and returns to UTC+1 after it ends.
d Mauritius and the Seychelles lie to the east and northeast of Madagascar, respectively.
Winter time is the practice of setting clocks back during winter months by one hour. It has been observed in Namibia since 1994. As the only country in the world to implement winter time instead of daylight saving time, Namibian Standard Time is UTC+02:00 (West Africa Summer Time) in summer, and UTC+01:00 (West Africa Time) in winter. There are current[update] discussions to abolish winter time.
In the Zambezi Region in the far north-east of Namibia clocks are not changed and remain on West Africa Summer Time all year round.
Winter time
Namibia is the only country in the world to observe winter time since Czechoslovakia abolished the practice in 1946.[1] In a regular daylight saving time scheme, the "normal" time is observed in the winter, and clocks are turned forward during the summer. In winter time, normal time is observed in the summer, and clocks are turned back by one hour in the winter. It is therefore similar to daylight saving time, with a difference in which season is considered the regular time. However, the purpose is not to utilise additional hours of daylight in the evening, but to prevent children from walking to school in darkness in the morning, to decrease the risk of injuries and assaults.[2]
In Namibia, winter time begins on the first Sunday in April at 03:00, and lasts until the first Sunday in September, 02:00 hours.[2]
History
Upon Namibian independence the country used a single time zone, keeping time regulation as previously prescribed by the occupying nation, South Africa. Triggered by fears for school children walking to school before sunrise, discussions in the National Assembly started in 1992,[2] and on 10 November 1993 the Namibian Time Bill (#39 of 1993) was proposed. This bill defines the Namibian Standard Time.[3]
Since 1994 winter time starts on the first Sunday in April at 02:00 hours and lasts until the first Sunday in September, 02:00 hours. The Namibian Standard Time is UTC+02:00 (West Africa Summer Time) in summer, and UTC+01:00 (West Africa Time) in winter. The Zambezi Region in the far north-east of Namibia is excluded from changing time and remains at West Africa Summer Time all year round,[4] so that during winter time, Namibia spans two time zones.[2]
Criticism
In the 2010s repeated calls from businesses and private individuals were made to abolish winter time, citing incompatibilities with South Africa, Namibia's main trading partner, as well as a "loss of productivity".[2]
This resulted in an official investigation by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration. During the polls, 97% of the 3,507 questioned people were in favour of the +2 difference to Greenwich Mean Time, and about 88% wanted to abolish winter time. After Cabinet was likewise against changing clocks in fall and spring, minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana proposed a new bill to that effect in February 2017.[5]
References
- ^ Kušová, Tereza (14 April 2011). "Letní čas vymyslel Angličan, zaveden byl ve Švédsku, Rusko ho ruší a Česko se několik desetiletí přizpůsobuje" (in Czech). Novinky.cz.
To byla jediná doba, kdy byl u nás zaveden zimní čas, je to nejspíš i světový unikát, poté se měnil už pouze v ten letní.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ a b c d e "GRN evaluates winter time change". New Era. 24 March 2016. p. 1.
- ^ Dierks, Klaus. "Chronology of Namibian History, 136". klausdierks.com. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ Immanuel, Shinovene (23 February 2017). "Time change divides lawmakers". The Namibian. p. 1.
- ^ Konstantinus, Esme (23 February 2017). "Namibia's winter time might be repealed". New Era. p. 1.