Foreign ministry denies favouritism as more family ties emerge

The international relations and trade ministry has again denied that favouritism or nepotism influenced hiring within its ranks, after a Namibian Sun investigation identified additional family links involving serving and former diplomats and prominent political families.

Responding to an investigative report published last week, which found that at least 17 influential families have relatives serving across the ministry, the ministry yesterday doubled down on its defence, insisting nothing improper occurred in the recruitment of officials related to one another.

In a follow-up response to an initial statement issued last week, the ministry said audits conducted by the Public Service Commission (PSC) had found no evidence of nepotism, favouritism or administrative irregularities.

"The ministry re-emphasises that all employees mentioned in the report entered the public service through standard, transparent and competitive recruitment procedures governed by the Public Service Commission," the ministry said.

It said all vacancies are publicly advertised, while members of selection panels are required to declare conflicts of interest and recuse themselves where necessary.

"Audit checks by the PSC have yielded no findings of nepotism, favouritism or administrative irregularity within [the ministry's] recruitment processes," the statement added.

The ministry argued that relatives of serving and former officials cannot be barred from public employment simply because of their family connections.

"Every Namibian citizen, regardless of their family ties, surname or parentage, possesses the fundamental constitutional right to apply for public employment and compete for career opportunities in their individual capacity as adults," it said.

The ministry described last week's exposé as “sensationalist”.

Kaapanda connection

The original report omitted that Joel Kaapanda, Namibia's first high commissioner to India from 1995 to 2002 before serving as a member of parliament and later Cabinet minister, is the father of Mekondjo Kaapanda-Girnus.

Kaapanda-Girnus served as Namibia's ambassador to Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, as well as head of mission to the European Union, from January 2021 until September 2025.

Last month, she was appointed deputy director-general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), becoming the organisation's second-highest-ranking official.

Nujoma family links

Also omitted from last week's report was Marianne Nujoma, a nurse by profession, who was appointed deputy director responsible for Central and East Africa in the ministry's bilateral relations department in 2012.

At the time, her husband, Utoni Nujoma, was serving as minister of foreign affairs.

Utoni held the portfolio from 21 March 2010 until 4 December 2012, when he was moved to the justice ministry during a Cabinet reshuffle. He is the son of Namibia's founding president, Sam Nujoma, who served as head of state from 1990 to 2005.

Another member of the extended Nujoma family, Benjamin ‘Ben’ Shingenge, was a long-serving diplomat who served as first secretary at Namibia's permanent missions to the United Nations in New York and Geneva before retiring from the ministry in July 2021.

Shingenge is married to Utoni Nujoma's cousin Justina Asino-Shingenge, deputy director of finance at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). She is the daughter of Sam Nujoma's late sister, Sofia Asino.

Mboti-Haufiku-Heelu network

Namibian Sun reported last week that former diplomat and multilateral affairs official Lineekela Mboti is married to Tunga Mboti, formerly Nambili, who joined the ministry from the trade portfolio and later served as a commercial attaché.

Lineekela Mboti served as Namibia's ambassador to Angola from 2003 to 2010 and to Brazil from 2010 to 2014 before heading the ministry's multilateral relations and cooperation department.

Tunga Mboti is also a cousin of the ministry's chief of protocol, Bonny Haufiku, as their mothers are sisters.

Another family link connects the Haufiku and Heelu families.

Bonny Haufiku's wife, Sara Haufiku, works as a secretary at the ministry. She is the sister of senior ministry accountant Evangeline Heelu, who is married to David Heelu, first secretary at Namibia's mission in Pretoria.

Met at work

Another family connection uncovered this week involves Namibia's ambassador to Switzerland, Elvis Shiweda, and his wife, Rachel Shiweda, who previously worked in the ministry's human resources department.

Shiweda served as Namibia's ambassador to Senegal from December 2020 until October 2023 before returning to headquarters. In April this year, he was appointed ambassador to Switzerland.

“Yes, I can confirm that my wife worked there," he said, underlining that the pair met while working for the ministry.

"We met in the ministry, and there is nothing wrong with it. Neither was I recruited because of her, nor was she recruited because of me,” Shiweda told Namibian Sun yesterday.

Growing up in the foreign service

The ministry said the number of diplomats' children entering the foreign service should be viewed against the backdrop of diplomatic life.

"By the very nature of foreign postings and established diplomatic protocols, children and spouses naturally accompany diplomats on tours of duty abroad," it said.

The ministry argued that such exposure often inspires diplomats' children to pursue studies in international relations, diplomacy, public management and law before applying for advertised positions.

"Their qualifications and competencies, not their lineage, form the sole basis of their recruitment," the ministry said.