EDITORIAL: Meatco must not be captured

There continues to be a relentless effort to capture state institutions - especially public enterprises - for narrow, factional gain. What is most nauseating is how these blatant, and often illegal, manoeuvres are tolerated and even facilitated.

At Meatco, the recent resignation of its respected board chairperson Sakaria Nghikembua is a glaring warning sign. Nghikembua stepped down after allegedly facing undue pressure to implement unlawful directives. Behind this pressure is a politically-connected cabal hellbent on capturing the institution for selfish benefit.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is well aware of who the masterminds are. These individuals are not only undermining laws but are manipulating the system to create a haven for looting under the guise of governance.

Attorney General Festus Mbandeka, the government’s chief legal adviser, has already made it clear: there is no legal provision empowering Cabinet to order the reinstatement of a CEO whose contract was not renewed by the board. According to the Public Enterprises Governance Act, the appointment and reappointment of CEOs lies strictly within the purview of the board. Cabinet’s role is merely ceremonial - to endorse, not override, such decisions. It cannot bulldoze its way into boardroom resolutions.

What message does it send when Cabinet defies its own attorney general? And how safe is the rule of law when the executive, entrusted to uphold the Constitution, is leading the charge in undermining it?

Meatco is not a political playground, nor is it a personal estate for the greedy. It is a national asset, and the president has a constitutional and moral duty to shield it from the jaws of capture.

National interest must always trump personal agendas - especially those fuelled by an insatiable thirst for looting. Namibia cannot afford another state-owned entity hollowed out by patronage.