Nekundi threatens to fire officials over road safety failures
Transport minister Veikko Nekundi has issued a strong warning to agencies responsible for road safety, saying he will fire officials who fail to deliver concrete action to curb Namibia’s rising road fatalities.
“If you can’t explain, I will fire you," he said on Monday.
"But I am just smiling. It is not because I don’t like you, I just don’t like your performance," he said during his off-script keynote address at the opening of the 10th Annual Road Safety Conference in Swakopmund.
He said the country’s annual road safety gatherings had failed to produce results.
"Conferences after conferences. Have you seen change? Positive change? What results have we achieved?” he asked, referring to the number of fatal crashes that have occurred in recent weeks.
Nekundi said the time for “business as usual” was over.
“We know what must be done, but possibly we are not doing it. But I assure you, all of us know what must be done to change the carnage on our roads. I don’t want papers. I don’t want conference reports. I want executions to save the lives of our people," he demanded.
He accused stakeholders of wasting money on meetings instead of implementing preventive measures, saying the situation had become so dire that “undertakers are the happiest business people in Namibia.”
The minister said most road deaths were due to human behaviour rather than vehicle defects and called for strict behavioural regulation.
Life-saving orders
He ordered the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund and National Road Safety Council (NRSC) to table new proposals before parliament early next year, warning that failure to do so would lead to dismissals.
“You have the money – it must not be used to deliver talks or pay for medical expenses and funerals,” he said.
Among the radical measures proposed were the revocation and suspension of licences for non-compliant drivers, mandatory defensive driving courses for all professional drivers, probationary periods for new licence holders, compulsory dashcams in all vehicles, and reflective tagging of livestock for night visibility.
“Spend money as part of mitigating measures to save our lives,” Nekundi stressed. “We must invest in matters that matter.”
Millions forked out
The three-day conference, held under the National Road Safety Council, aims to review road safety projects and present action plans for 2025/26.
MVA Fund CEO Rosalia Martins-Hausiku said Namibia loses an average of 14 lives per 100 000 people annually – a 12% increase from 2024.
“We are in a crisis as a country,” she said, noting that the MVA pays about N$250 million in claims yearly, mostly for medical costs. She said the money “would be better spent on equipping public hospitals” and urged data-driven enforcement and public accountability.
Meanwhile, Erongo governor Nathalia /Goagoses questioned the value of hosting the conference in a “luxury hotel” while road safety conditions deteriorate.
“Saving lives on our roads must be our primary objective,” she said.
She called for scrutiny of speeding by high-profile motorists, alcohol sales at fuel stations and illegal driver’s licence issuance.
National Road Safety Council chairperson Eliphas !Owos-Ôab said Namibia’s road deaths have risen sharply this year and that the Council is “severely constrained” by operating under the outdated Road Safety Act of 1972.
He also appealed to the transport minister to expedite the new Road Safety Management Bill to modernise the system and empower the NRSC.
“If you can’t explain, I will fire you," he said on Monday.
"But I am just smiling. It is not because I don’t like you, I just don’t like your performance," he said during his off-script keynote address at the opening of the 10th Annual Road Safety Conference in Swakopmund.
He said the country’s annual road safety gatherings had failed to produce results.
"Conferences after conferences. Have you seen change? Positive change? What results have we achieved?” he asked, referring to the number of fatal crashes that have occurred in recent weeks.
Nekundi said the time for “business as usual” was over.
“We know what must be done, but possibly we are not doing it. But I assure you, all of us know what must be done to change the carnage on our roads. I don’t want papers. I don’t want conference reports. I want executions to save the lives of our people," he demanded.
He accused stakeholders of wasting money on meetings instead of implementing preventive measures, saying the situation had become so dire that “undertakers are the happiest business people in Namibia.”
The minister said most road deaths were due to human behaviour rather than vehicle defects and called for strict behavioural regulation.
Life-saving orders
He ordered the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund and National Road Safety Council (NRSC) to table new proposals before parliament early next year, warning that failure to do so would lead to dismissals.
“You have the money – it must not be used to deliver talks or pay for medical expenses and funerals,” he said.
Among the radical measures proposed were the revocation and suspension of licences for non-compliant drivers, mandatory defensive driving courses for all professional drivers, probationary periods for new licence holders, compulsory dashcams in all vehicles, and reflective tagging of livestock for night visibility.
“Spend money as part of mitigating measures to save our lives,” Nekundi stressed. “We must invest in matters that matter.”
Millions forked out
The three-day conference, held under the National Road Safety Council, aims to review road safety projects and present action plans for 2025/26.
MVA Fund CEO Rosalia Martins-Hausiku said Namibia loses an average of 14 lives per 100 000 people annually – a 12% increase from 2024.
“We are in a crisis as a country,” she said, noting that the MVA pays about N$250 million in claims yearly, mostly for medical costs. She said the money “would be better spent on equipping public hospitals” and urged data-driven enforcement and public accountability.
Meanwhile, Erongo governor Nathalia /Goagoses questioned the value of hosting the conference in a “luxury hotel” while road safety conditions deteriorate.
“Saving lives on our roads must be our primary objective,” she said.
She called for scrutiny of speeding by high-profile motorists, alcohol sales at fuel stations and illegal driver’s licence issuance.
National Road Safety Council chairperson Eliphas !Owos-Ôab said Namibia’s road deaths have risen sharply this year and that the Council is “severely constrained” by operating under the outdated Road Safety Act of 1972.
He also appealed to the transport minister to expedite the new Road Safety Management Bill to modernise the system and empower the NRSC.
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