Major cabinet shakeup
In what can be seen as a clear pointer to an imminent massive cabinet reshuffle, President Hage Geingob yesterday unceremoniously dumped two of the leaders of 'Team Swapo' from his executive.
Youth and sport minister Jerry Ekandjo, along with his home affairs colleague Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, were fired from their cabinet positions with immediate effect yesterday.
The day of reckoning came barely two months after Ekandjo had lost the Swapo presidential race to head of state Hage Geingob, while Iivula-Ithana was soundly defeated by deputy prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in the vote for the party vice-presidency.
The axing of the two senior cabinet members has long been anticipated following their utterances ahead of the congress, in which they criticised both Geingob and some of his initiatives, such as the food bank programme and his handling of the country's economic meltdown.
At the time, Iivula-Ithana and Ekandjo had emerged as the leaders of a faction calling itself Team Swapo, which had fought tooth and nail to stop Geingob and his running mates from Team Harambee from securing the top leadership of the ruling party.
While Iivula-Ithana's tenure at the formerly troubled home affairs ministry has been widely praised by friend and foe alike, Ekandjo has overseen a woefully run sport ministry beset by financial challenges.
In a last-ditch effort to save face shortly before the Christmas holiday, Ekandjo had pledged his “unconditional loyalty” to the head of state, after Geingob had asked him to explain some of the comments he had made on the congress campaign trail.
“I am duty bound to direct you to advise how your utterances can be reconciled with your duty to serve as a member of my cabinet and as my appointee, whom I expect to serve with due diligence, loyalty and objective support when you stated that I am weak,” the president wrote to Ekandjo.
In response, Ekandjo denied he had breached any ministerial obligations, among other excuses.
“Nor have I in any manner or form breached my ministerial obligations and accountability in relation to the ministry I head and/or any cabinet decisions that may have been taken to which I am bound by collective responsibility to adhere [to] even if I held an adverse view,” Ekandjo wrote.
At his year-end media briefing last year, Geingob explicitly warned that 2018 would be the year of reckoning.
Geingob's letters to the two ministers appear to have been copied and pasted, as he at one point referred to Ekandjo as home affairs minister.
“By virtue of the powers vested in me by Article 32 (6) of the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia, I have decided to relieve you of your duties as minister of home affairs and immigration with immediate effect,” Geingob wrote.
“The termination of your appointment should in no way be interpreted as a blight on the immense personal sacrifices, as well as the immeasurable contribution you have made in the interest of the Republic of Namibia, during our struggle for independence, as well as after independence. These are feats for which the people of Namibia shall always hold you in the highest regard.”
Cabinet vacancies
The dismissal of the two ministers now opens the door for Geingob to make wholesale changes to his cabinet, given that he already has to replace urban and rural development minister Sophia Shaningwa, who is now the full-time Swapo secretary-general following her victory against Armas Amukwiyu in November.
There was no immediate comment from the two fired ministers as both their cellphones went unanswered.
Political commentators said the firing was long overdue but were quick to caution the president against angering the two ministers' political constituency.
“This is definitely a politically motivated firing,” said Ndumba Kamwanyah.
“Given the context of the campaign, which was vicious and personal, it is long overdue.”
Constitutional law expert Nico Horn said despite Namibia being a democracy, the president has the right to surround himself with people that he can trust in his cabinet.
In fact, Geingob repeatedly made it clear during the congress battle that he could only work with people he trusted.
“The fact that they stood up during their campaign trail is not so bad, but the fight was not so smart. Pendukeni said very ugly things and sometimes she was very angry. The trust relationship is definitely broken and their levels of competency are not relevant,” said Horn.
JEMIMA BEUKES
The day of reckoning came barely two months after Ekandjo had lost the Swapo presidential race to head of state Hage Geingob, while Iivula-Ithana was soundly defeated by deputy prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in the vote for the party vice-presidency.
The axing of the two senior cabinet members has long been anticipated following their utterances ahead of the congress, in which they criticised both Geingob and some of his initiatives, such as the food bank programme and his handling of the country's economic meltdown.
At the time, Iivula-Ithana and Ekandjo had emerged as the leaders of a faction calling itself Team Swapo, which had fought tooth and nail to stop Geingob and his running mates from Team Harambee from securing the top leadership of the ruling party.
While Iivula-Ithana's tenure at the formerly troubled home affairs ministry has been widely praised by friend and foe alike, Ekandjo has overseen a woefully run sport ministry beset by financial challenges.
In a last-ditch effort to save face shortly before the Christmas holiday, Ekandjo had pledged his “unconditional loyalty” to the head of state, after Geingob had asked him to explain some of the comments he had made on the congress campaign trail.
“I am duty bound to direct you to advise how your utterances can be reconciled with your duty to serve as a member of my cabinet and as my appointee, whom I expect to serve with due diligence, loyalty and objective support when you stated that I am weak,” the president wrote to Ekandjo.
In response, Ekandjo denied he had breached any ministerial obligations, among other excuses.
“Nor have I in any manner or form breached my ministerial obligations and accountability in relation to the ministry I head and/or any cabinet decisions that may have been taken to which I am bound by collective responsibility to adhere [to] even if I held an adverse view,” Ekandjo wrote.
At his year-end media briefing last year, Geingob explicitly warned that 2018 would be the year of reckoning.
Geingob's letters to the two ministers appear to have been copied and pasted, as he at one point referred to Ekandjo as home affairs minister.
“By virtue of the powers vested in me by Article 32 (6) of the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia, I have decided to relieve you of your duties as minister of home affairs and immigration with immediate effect,” Geingob wrote.
“The termination of your appointment should in no way be interpreted as a blight on the immense personal sacrifices, as well as the immeasurable contribution you have made in the interest of the Republic of Namibia, during our struggle for independence, as well as after independence. These are feats for which the people of Namibia shall always hold you in the highest regard.”
Cabinet vacancies
The dismissal of the two ministers now opens the door for Geingob to make wholesale changes to his cabinet, given that he already has to replace urban and rural development minister Sophia Shaningwa, who is now the full-time Swapo secretary-general following her victory against Armas Amukwiyu in November.
There was no immediate comment from the two fired ministers as both their cellphones went unanswered.
Political commentators said the firing was long overdue but were quick to caution the president against angering the two ministers' political constituency.
“This is definitely a politically motivated firing,” said Ndumba Kamwanyah.
“Given the context of the campaign, which was vicious and personal, it is long overdue.”
Constitutional law expert Nico Horn said despite Namibia being a democracy, the president has the right to surround himself with people that he can trust in his cabinet.
In fact, Geingob repeatedly made it clear during the congress battle that he could only work with people he trusted.
“The fact that they stood up during their campaign trail is not so bad, but the fight was not so smart. Pendukeni said very ugly things and sometimes she was very angry. The trust relationship is definitely broken and their levels of competency are not relevant,” said Horn.
JEMIMA BEUKES
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