Kapofi defends his record ahead of ‘corrupt’ defence switch

OGONE TLHAGEWINDHOEKNewly appointed defence minister Frans Kapofi has defended his record on corruption ahead of his switch to the defence ministry, which finds itself at the centre of several investigations related to corruption.His appointment as defence minister, which Namibian Sun predicted days after former defence minister Peter Vilho had been removed, was confirmed on Wednesday evening.SME BankKapofi’s reputation came into question after his spell as board chairperson at the now defunct SME Bank, which lost millions of dollars in questionable investments.To this, Kapofi said when he left SME Bank, it was still a functioning entity and he was long gone when it was liquidated.“When I left the SME Bank, I did not preside over a bank that went down; I left the bank when it was running. On SSC, the records are there on actions that were taken. Somebody must show me where I failed, I need somebody to show me that,” he said.He is taking over after his predecessor Vilho was hounded out of that position over allegations of corruption – including allegations that he had a hand in the transfer of N$200 million from the defence ministry to its subsidiary August 26.Vilho has always maintained his innocence against these accusations.The Namibian Police’s commercial crime division is investigating August 26’s money transfer.Kapofi defended his appointment as defence minister and dispelled any notions linking him to corrupt practices.“I am taking the responsibility given to me; I am going in with an open heart,” Kapofi told Namibian Sun.“I am going there to establish what is there. If there are people with information, we will address it.”Kapofi was also chairperson of the Social Security Commission when it lost N$30 million in the Avid Investment scandal.“If you have a case against me, please take me to court. I have been in the civil service for a long time. If you want to hound me with that, be my guest,” he added.Corruption litmus testNamibian Sun asked analysts whether Kapofi would have the appetite to effectively deal with corruption within his ministry.“In terms of dealing with corruption, that ministry is infected with dubious dealings. I don’t know if Kapofi is the right person given his history. I doubt that he will be an effective person but let us also give him the benefit of doubt,” academic Ndumba Kamwanyah said.Political analyst Graham Hopwood held a similar view in light of Kapofi’s appointment.“It remains a moot point as to whether he will be committed to rooting out corruption in the Ministry and at defence-linked entities like August 26,” Hopwood said.Benefit of the doubtKamwanyah however felt Kapofi’s appointment signalled a clear separation of powers between the executive and the military, as he had not served within the current Namibia Defence Force set-up.“You need the NDF and the executive to be separate. If you put in a retired army official, the separation becomes blurred, that is why you want a civilian,” Kamwanyah said.Hopwood felt Kapofi’s appointment signalled a safe pair of hands of the ‘sensitive’ ministry.Breaking the Wall of Silence, which represents the interests of former exile detainees, also welcomed Kapofi’s appointment.“Mr Kapofi brings to the ministerial role significant understanding and experience as a result of his past participation in our War of Independence.“We equally believe that his experience, strength and vast knowledge as a member of cabinet will contribute to repairing the image of his ministry, which has been rocked by high-profile corruption allegations,” its acting chairperson, Oiva Angula, said.

Kapofi defends his record ahead of ‘corrupt’ defence switch

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-25

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Kapofi defends his record ahead of ‘corrupt’ defence switch

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-25

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