EDITORIAL: A government that signed first and thought later

The scandal surrounding the rental of businessman Chicco’s building in Windhoek’s CBD is not merely an embarrassing administrative blunder. It is a devastating indictment of how casually public money can be treated in Namibia – often without consequence.

Government has reportedly been paying N$1.1 million per month following a lease agreement concluded in December 2023, yet the building has allegedly remained vacant because it is unsuitable for office use. Now, after millions have already been spent on rent, the education ministry suddenly wants out of the agreement.

So, who approved this deal? Who identified the building? Who recommended it? Who signed off on the assessment? Who ignored the obvious warning signs?

Buildings do not magically become unsuitable overnight. A property either meets government requirements before a lease is signed, or it does not. Were processes ignored, bypassed or manipulated? Or was anyone rewarded for facilitating a deal that, under normal circumstances, should never have survived scrutiny?

This is not a clerical oversight. It is negligence on a massive scale.

To make matters worse, the attorney general’s office has reportedly warned that government may not even be able to terminate the agreement without incurring further costs, because the lease remains legally binding.

In other words, taxpayers are trapped in a deal that should never have been signed in the first place.

In functioning jurisdictions, scandals of this magnitude trigger resignations, disciplinary action, forensic investigations and, where necessary, criminal prosecution. But this is Namibia – where failure is rarely punished.

The attorney general reportedly noted that responsibility may rest primarily with the ministry if officials identified and approved the premises as suitable. That statement cannot simply drift past unnoticed.

Because if nobody is held accountable, we are simply perpetuating a national culture of impunity.