EDITORIAL: Deodorants for Donatus a huge stink
Deodorant, body cream and even ice cream – these are among the items allegedly purchased at Metro Swakopmund using the Erongo Regional Council’s credit card, leading to the arrest yesterday of councillor Florian Donatus of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC).
A staggering N$116 000 was allegedly spent at the store over time – unapproved, unauthorised and unmistakably indulgent. If true, it signifies typical fat-cat behaviour.
It is a story that echoes familiar scandals. Years ago, a senior executive at one of our public enterprises made headlines when condoms appeared on a list of unauthorised purchases from his company credit card. In Windhoek, the mayor’s card was reportedly used to buy cooking oil and maize meal at Choppies in Khorixas.
Before elections, leaders like Donatus parade their flags under the promise of integrity, transparency and service. Once elected, however, some seem to interpret their mandate differently: according to the allegations, deodorants on the council card, ice cream to soothe their conscience and a blatant disregard for the public they swore to serve.
Politicians lie. All the time. They promise servitude and deliver the opposite: pilfering from the very citizens they vowed to uplift. Buying condoms, body sprays and cooking oil with taxpayers’ money is not service – it is insatiable greed in its lustful form. And despite years of such misdeeds, accountability has remained elusive.
In a rare break from tradition, IPC suspended Donatus days before police arrested him. The message is clear – alleged theft and abuse of public resources will not be tolerated, even on your own party’s ticket. But more must be done. Namibia’s citizens deserve accountability, not occasional disciplinary gestures. Public office is not a shopping spree. These credit cards belong to the people, not the fat cats who sit in council chambers.
A staggering N$116 000 was allegedly spent at the store over time – unapproved, unauthorised and unmistakably indulgent. If true, it signifies typical fat-cat behaviour.
It is a story that echoes familiar scandals. Years ago, a senior executive at one of our public enterprises made headlines when condoms appeared on a list of unauthorised purchases from his company credit card. In Windhoek, the mayor’s card was reportedly used to buy cooking oil and maize meal at Choppies in Khorixas.
Before elections, leaders like Donatus parade their flags under the promise of integrity, transparency and service. Once elected, however, some seem to interpret their mandate differently: according to the allegations, deodorants on the council card, ice cream to soothe their conscience and a blatant disregard for the public they swore to serve.
Politicians lie. All the time. They promise servitude and deliver the opposite: pilfering from the very citizens they vowed to uplift. Buying condoms, body sprays and cooking oil with taxpayers’ money is not service – it is insatiable greed in its lustful form. And despite years of such misdeeds, accountability has remained elusive.
In a rare break from tradition, IPC suspended Donatus days before police arrested him. The message is clear – alleged theft and abuse of public resources will not be tolerated, even on your own party’s ticket. But more must be done. Namibia’s citizens deserve accountability, not occasional disciplinary gestures. Public office is not a shopping spree. These credit cards belong to the people, not the fat cats who sit in council chambers.
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