Disposing govt cars after 120 000km a joke, MPs say

Several members of parliament last week challenged the government’s policy requiring state vehicles to be disposed of after five years or 120 000 kilometers, arguing that selling vehicles – including ambulances – after just 120 000 kilometers wastes taxpayers’ money.Transport minister Veikko Nekundi told parliament that his ministry has undertaken “decisive and progressive steps” toward systematically disposing of vehicles that have reached the end of their operational lifespan and economic viability.According to Nekundi, 1 500 vehicles have exceeded the 120 000-kilometer or five-year threshold. “These vehicles are being finalised for disposal through the established framework, and the revenue generated will be used to replenish the government fleet. In addition, 306 vehicles damaged beyond economic repair, or whose performance had declined due to age, were auctioned between 16 June and 3 September 2025, generating N$24 million in revenue,” he said.MPs push backMPs, however, criticised the blanket policy. Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani rejected it outright, saying: “We are vehicle owners ourselves. You have personal cars older than 10 years with over 400 000 to 500 000 kilometers, and they are still running. For a government supervising people who are hungry, to say a Land Cruiser can only run up to 120 000 kilometers is unreasonable.”Venaani added that certain categories of vehicles could justify stricter limits, such as VVIP bulletproof cars, but the same rules should not apply to all government vehicles. “For police vehicles, maybe 200 000 kilometers is reasonable. But to sell ambulances or other service vehicles after 120 000 kilometers is a waste of taxpayers’ money,” he said.MP Nelson Kalangula echoed the concerns, noting that most of the fleet consists of Toyotas, which can often reach 500 000 kilometers. “We understand the safety aspects, but this is unfair to the people we represent. They are forced to drive old cars while we sit comfortably in new vehicles. This is not the way to govern or represent the public,” he said.Landless People’s Movement (LPM) leader Bernadus Swartbooi added that some government garage officials abuse the system, using luxury 4x4s for personal trips while essential services go without. He also called for a departmental prioritisation framework and raised concerns over vehicles being deliberately devalued before auctions, creating opportunities for corruption.Minister concedes policy flawsIn response, Nekundi acknowledged the policy’s shortcomings. “The department is analysing utilisation and technology options, and this will be addressed comprehensively. But in the meantime, we cannot deviate too much from the existing policy,” he said.He explained that government vehicles experience heavy use by multiple users, accelerating wear and tear. “Some vehicles reach maintenance costs of over N$20,000 within six months while their market value is only about N$100,000,” he said.Nekundi added that many vehicles earmarked for disposal have clocked around 500 000 kilometers and include older models, such as 2011 vehicles. “After a cost-benefit analysis, we concluded that certain vehicles must be disposed of. The first 306 vehicles auctioned were either accident-damaged or required repairs exceeding their economic value,” the minister concluded.

Disposing govt cars after 120 000km a joke, MPs say

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-09-15

Please login to leave a comment

Disposing govt cars after 120 000km a joke, MPs say

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-09-15

Please login to leave a comment

Login