diff --git a/config/manager/image_config.yaml b/config/manager/image_config.yaml
index 27a78f66..115e9cd1 100644
--- a/config/manager/image_config.yaml
+++ b/config/manager/image_config.yaml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ kind: ImageConfig
 metadata:
   name: image-config
 images:
-  system-logger: "k8ssandra/system-logger:v1.18.0-dev.30764ce-20231002"
+  system-logger: "k8ssandra/system-logger:latest"
   config-builder: "datastax/cass-config-builder:1.0-ubi7"
   k8ssandra-client: "k8ssandra/k8ssandra-client:v0.2.0"
   # cassandra:
diff --git a/config/manager/kustomization.yaml b/config/manager/kustomization.yaml
index 75978fd5..7621efda 100644
--- a/config/manager/kustomization.yaml
+++ b/config/manager/kustomization.yaml
@@ -14,4 +14,4 @@ kind: Kustomization
 images:
 - name: controller
   newName: k8ssandra/cass-operator
-  newTag: v1.18.0-dev.30764ce-20231002
+  newTag: latest
diff --git a/pkg/reconciliation/construct_podtemplatespec.go b/pkg/reconciliation/construct_podtemplatespec.go
index bbea88a4..0ab215bc 100644
--- a/pkg/reconciliation/construct_podtemplatespec.go
+++ b/pkg/reconciliation/construct_podtemplatespec.go
@@ -710,7 +710,7 @@ func buildContainers(dc *api.CassandraDatacenter, baseTemplate *corev1.PodTempla
 		{Name: "CLUSTER_NAME", Value: dc.Spec.ClusterName},
 		{Name: "DATACENTER_NAME", Value: dc.DatacenterName()},
 		{Name: "RACK_NAME", ValueFrom: selectorFromFieldPath("metadata.labels['cassandra.datastax.com/rack']")},
-		{Name: "NAMESPACE", Value: dc.Namespace},
+		{Name: "NAMESPACE", ValueFrom: selectorFromFieldPath("metadata.namespace")},
 	}
 
 	loggerContainer.Env = combineEnvSlices(loggerEnvDefaults, loggerContainer.Env)
diff --git a/pkg/reconciliation/construct_podtemplatespec_test.go b/pkg/reconciliation/construct_podtemplatespec_test.go
index 4a9bf76a..6e923ccd 100644
--- a/pkg/reconciliation/construct_podtemplatespec_test.go
+++ b/pkg/reconciliation/construct_podtemplatespec_test.go
@@ -461,6 +461,7 @@ func TestLoggerContainerEnvVars(t *testing.T) {
 	podNameEnvVar := corev1.EnvVar{Name: "POD_NAME", ValueFrom: selectorFromFieldPath("metadata.name")}
 	nodeNameEnvVar := corev1.EnvVar{Name: "NODE_NAME", ValueFrom: selectorFromFieldPath("spec.nodeName")}
 	rackNameEnvVar := corev1.EnvVar{Name: "RACK_NAME", ValueFrom: selectorFromFieldPath("metadata.labels['cassandra.datastax.com/rack']")}
+	namespaceEnvVar := corev1.EnvVar{Name: "NAMESPACE", ValueFrom: selectorFromFieldPath("metadata.namespace")}
 
 	templateSpec := &corev1.PodTemplateSpec{}
 	dc := &api.CassandraDatacenter{
@@ -487,9 +488,9 @@ func TestLoggerContainerEnvVars(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.True(envVarsContains(loggerContainer.Env, podNameEnvVar))
 	assert.True(envVarsContains(loggerContainer.Env, nodeNameEnvVar))
 	assert.True(envVarsContains(loggerContainer.Env, rackNameEnvVar))
+	assert.True(envVarsContains(loggerContainer.Env, namespaceEnvVar))
 	assert.True(envVarsContains(loggerContainer.Env, corev1.EnvVar{Name: "CLUSTER_NAME", Value: dc.Spec.ClusterName}))
 	assert.True(envVarsContains(loggerContainer.Env, corev1.EnvVar{Name: "DATACENTER_NAME", Value: dc.DatacenterName()}))
-	assert.True(envVarsContains(loggerContainer.Env, corev1.EnvVar{Name: "NAMESPACE", Value: dc.Namespace}))
 }
 
 func TestCassandraDatacenter_buildContainers_override_other_containers(t *testing.T) {