#PatronageAppointmentsMustFall

When President Hage Geingob took over as Number One in March, he gave us all hope for a better Namibia and inspiration to dream big. His maiden State of the Nation Address was characterised by fresh thinking, as he clearly proved to be a wise leader who has taken note of the challenges facing ordinary Namibians. Yes, the war on poverty was declared, and rightly so, considering the huge inequality gap in our society. His decision to increase the old-age pension by N$400 from N$600 to N$1 000 also speaks volumes about his concern for the very poor. Six months down the line, and the President is now becoming known for his patronage appointments. Apart from the six presidential advisors who joined Geingob at State House, he further appointed Jeff Mbako as advisor on community affairs. The advisors didn’t come cheap as most of them - bar Maritz and Mbako - hail from the private sector, where they used to earn big money. I doubt that the status quo has changed. This week, The Namibian reported that Geingob is now set to appoint former RDP President Hidipo Hamutenya and former Speaker of the National Assembly Theo-Ben Gurirab as presidential advisors on trade and parliamentary affairs respectively. These revelations sparked unusual outrage on social media yesterday and was seen by many as a way for Geingob to reward those close to him. And while the President has a great deal of power to appoint whomever he pleases to a range of positions, the reality on the ground is that there is no need for such positions, given the top-heavy government structure already in place. What is the work of the minister, deputy minister, and permanent secretary responsible for trade if we now have to appoint a presidential advisor? We do not doubt the solid struggle credentials of Hamutenya and Gurirab and we know that most politicians, having once tasted power, cannot bear to be away from it. They should be allowed to enjoy their retirement, while much more needs to be done to end all patronage for the greater good. ?