Venaani slams new administration as govt of 'band-aids and selfies'

Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani has launched a scathing critique of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s administration, branding it “a government that has mastered the art of doing nothing” in a blistering assessment of its first 100 days in office.Addressing a media conference in Windhoek yesterday, Venaani described the new presidency as “caught between nostalgia and confusion”, accusing it of failing to deliver the promised transformation. Instead, he said, the administration had so far only offered “symbolic gestures, rhetorical gymnastics and endless photo opportunities”.“This is not 'business unusual'", he said, referring to the administration's catchphrase."It’s business as always, only this time with better lighting for the cameras,” he added. “The president came in whispering change, but now screams status quo.”Venaani, who previously led the official opposition before PDM’s electoral defeat in 2024, decried what he termed a “continuity of elite consolidation” and “platitudes over policy”. ‘Band-aid’ politics He also accused government of opting for cosmetic reshuffles rather than meaningful structural reform.Additionally, Venani took aim at the suspension of a promised increase to the elderly social grant, calling it a “betrayal wrapped in budget cuts”, and claimed the much-touted Swapo manifesto had yet to yield tangible outcomes. “Namibia needed surgery. Instead, we’re getting a band-aid and a selfie,” he remarked.On sports development, Venaani accused the administration of neglecting its commitments, noting that the national football team continues to play home matches abroad, while neighbouring countries like South Africa benefit economically from investments in local sports infrastructure.Economic stagnation and systemic rotTurning to the economy, Venaani said the president’s promise of “economic revival” rang hollow amid rising unemployment, mounting public debt – now at 66.3% of GDP – and the country’s recent reclassification to lower-middle-income status by the World Bank.“Namibia is becoming a nation of three million panhandlers on the international stage,” he said, blaming the administration’s dependence on donor funding and its failure to support the informal economy. He also dismissed government's green hydrogen ambitions as “pie in the sky.”Venaani furthermore condemned Nandi-Ndaitwah’s handling of corruption, labelling her recent comments on amnesty for past offences “confusing” and counterproductive. He pointed to years of unaccounted finances at state-owned military company August 26 Holdings as symbolic of the impunity plaguing state institutions.“If the president is serious about fighting corruption, start with the books of August 26,” he noted, pointing out that the entity has not produced audited financial statements since 1998.He further slammed what he described as “patronage politics” and “mafia-style dealings” at the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor), suggesting the administration lacks the decisiveness needed to root out systemic rot.His remarks come despite growing public sentiment that the new administration has taken a firmer stance against corruption, as evidenced by this week’s arrests of eight individuals linked to the Namcor-Enercon fuel procurement scandal. Ministers such as urban and rural development’s Sankwasa James Sankwasa have also received public praise for adopting zero-tolerance approaches.Disjointed governanceVenaani also took aim at Cabinet appointments, criticising an alleged lack of proper vetting and what he referred to as “governance as on-the-job training”. He singled out the health ministry, now led by a youthful Dr Esperance Luvindao without a deputy minister or an experienced executive director, as an example of poor leadership planning.“This is reckless. Governance is not an internship,” he said.While acknowledging some positives, such as the streamlining of ministries and the elevation of women to senior positions, Venaani argued these gains are undermined by a lack of urgency and strategic direction.The PDM leader accused ministers of dodging parliamentary accountability sessions and said the executive’s pace in introducing legislation was “glacial”, referencing delays in finalising the Whistleblower Protection Bill, the Access to Information Act and pending data protection legislation.Broken promises, blurred visionVenaani moreover criticised government’s reversal on free tertiary education, now limited to “specialised fields”, as evidence that campaign promises were made in bad faith.He also questioned the credibility of Nandi-Ndaitwah's pledges to create 500 000 jobs and attract N$85 billion in investment, especially in struggling sectors such as agriculture and fisheries.“What we’ve seen is slogans over substance – lofty goals that vanish once the cameras are off,” he said.Presidential spokesperson Alfredo Hengari did not respond to questions sent to him at the time of going to print.

Venaani slams new administration as govt of 'band-aids and selfies'

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-14

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Venaani slams new administration as govt of 'band-aids and selfies'

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-14

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