Nathaniel-Koch decries ‘witch-hunt, tribalism’ over land tribunal snub

Rachel Nathaniel-Koch has described the allegations that derailed her nomination as Land Tribunal chairperson as a “witch-hunt” with an “element of tribalism”, claiming agriculture minister Inge Zaamwani withdrew her name without giving her an opportunity to respond.

Zaamwani withdrew Nathaniel-Koch’s nomination in the National Assembly on Wednesday and proposed Ngakumbirue Katjivena as her replacement.

The minister stressed that the decision was not an admission that allegations recently made against Nathaniel-Koch were true but said replacing her would allow parliament to proceed with appointing the tribunal.

IPC MP Rodney Cloete had objected to Nathaniel-Koch’s nomination over expenditure incurred while she served on the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB).

Nathaniel-Koch told Namibian Sun yesterday that she was more shocked by the decision and concerned about the damage to her reputation than the loss of the position.

“This is a witch-hunt of the highest order with an element of tribalism against Kavango people,” Nathaniel-Koch said. “I categorically want to clear my name of the alleged corruption and false allegations that were made against me in parliament,” she added.

Nathaniel-Koch did not identify everyone she believed was involved in the alleged witch-hunt or provide evidence supporting the alleged element of tribalism.

Cloete referred to approximately N$3.4 million allegedly spent on travel, including 21 foreign trips undertaken by NTB board members, first-class tickets allegedly purchased contrary to board policy and legal costs linked to the dismissal of a finance manager who questioned the expenditure.

He did not present evidence showing that Nathaniel-Koch personally undertook all 21 trips, authorised the disputed expenditure, benefited improperly from it or was found guilty of financial misconduct.

Nathaniel-Koch denied wrongdoing and said the claims should have been checked against NTB records before being raised publicly.

She maintained that board members travelling outside Namibia required ministerial approval and that all her international trips were authorised and budgeted for.

“There's no corruption involved in that,” she said.

She rejected the suggestion that receiving subsistence and travel allowances for official trips amounted to misconduct and questioned why she had been singled out from the seven-member board.

'No one spoke to me'

Nathaniel-Koch said the ministry did not approach her for an explanation before her nomination was withdrawn.

“Nobody communicated with me from the office, from the agricultural ministry pertaining to this issue. No one ever, ever, ever spoke to me,” she said.

She said she initially refrained from responding publicly because Cloete’s questions were directed to the minister and she expected them to be investigated before an answer was provided.

Nathaniel-Koch also questioned how the allegations were allowed to derail a selection process in which she had been shortlisted and nominated after applying for the publicly advertised position.

“When I read the requirements, I knew that I do qualify. I possess all the requirements, all the qualifications. That's why I submitted my application,” she said.

She argued that her progression through the shortlisting, vetting and Cabinet processes indicated that no disqualifying information had been established against her.

“I must have gone through that whole process without them finding anything that was untoward. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made even the shortlisting,” she said.

Nathaniel-Koch maintained that she had been the strongest applicant, although no selection scores or evaluation report were provided to Namibian Sun to support that claim.

“I know for sure from my own experience and my qualifications that I was the top candidate among those that applied,” she said.

Manager's dismissal

Nathaniel-Koch also rejected attempts to hold her personally responsible for legal costs associated with the dismissal of an NTB finance manager.

She said she was one of seven directors, board decisions were not made by her individually and the manager was dismissed following an independent disciplinary process.

“How is the firing of a manager, a junior manager, by the way, who went through a disciplinary hearing, an independent disciplinary hearing, who was fired for his own misconduct, how is that attributed to me?” she asked.

Nathaniel-Koch said the disciplinary matter involved alleged audit irregularities and was unrelated to her foreign travel. Namibian Sun has not independently verified the disciplinary record or the grounds for the manager’s dismissal.

She said she reserved the right to pursue legal remedies to clear her name.

‘False and misleading’

NTB has rejected the allegation that N$3.4 million was spent on excessive travel.

In a letter dated 9 September and addressed to acting agriculture ministry executive director Petrus Nangolo, NTB chief executive officer Sebulon Chicalu described the allegation as “false and misleading”.

Chicalu said NTB records showed that N$2.63 million was spent on the collective activities of the seven-member board between 1 April 2024 and 26 June 2025.

He said the N$3.4 million figure incorrectly presented institutional expenditure as personal misuse by Nathaniel-Koch.

“The amounts relate to the collective activities of all seven board members and should not be attributed to one individual,” Chicalu stressed.

Chicalu also disputed the allegation concerning legal fees, saying the expenditure was incurred institutionally. He argued that the claims should not be treated as proof of misconduct without a final audit finding, investigation, disciplinary determination or court judgment.

The material reviewed by Namibian Sun contains no audit finding, disciplinary ruling or court judgment holding Nathaniel-Koch personally responsible for the disputed expenditure.