Local News Summary : News Headlines : Discussion Forums

Monday, April 22, 2002 - Web posted at 9:12:27 pm GMT

SWAPO Secretary General and Minister of Lands, Hifikepunye Pohamba, has blamed "unpatriotic and disloyal" Namibians for the under-performance of some parastatals.

Pohamba charged in the National Assembly last week that the situation will persist unless Government replaces such people with loyal cadres.

He said mismanaged parastatals had contributed to the Budget deficit.

Pohamba urged Swapo not to entertain the situation any longer "because it gives ample room to managers of departments or parastatals to deliberately delay or even ignore orders and directives from the political authorities".

"In other words, such persons would not implement decisions and directives of Cabinet and Ministers. They would, instead, elect to receive orders and directives from opposition parties, to which they are affiliated," Pohamba claimed.

He said in democracies the world over, people in certain positions vacate their seats when their party is defeated in democratic elections and thus he could not understand why Swapo was being criticised for making such a call.

"I would like to propose that Namibia copies the USA system where the winning party moves into office with its own trusted staff. The USA, I believe, does this to ensure that the programmes of the elected party are implemented by its trusted cadres," he said.

He said not all parastatals were mismanaged and mentioned NamPower and Telecom as examples of the "right cadres placed in right positions".

"As long as we have disloyal persons heading important offices in Government and parastatals, we shall remain prey to criticism by the same people (opposition) who order or direct their members employed in strategic positions in both Government and parastatals to sabotage from within. Now is the time for us to open our eyes to see the danger and act accordingly," he said.

•  'DRC refugee' arrested at airport
•  Keetmanshoop grapples with debt, at odds with Receiver
•  Namibia plagued by gender-based violence
•  'Struggle Kids' are happy campers
•  Teachers 'plot to kill' principal
•  Zero tolerance for road hogs
•  Nujoma Foundation raises N$300 000 at gala dinner
•  Young man sent to jail for killing older brother
•  Three die in lorry crash
•  Henties Bay 'in a mess'
•  High Court upholds labour-hire ban
•  Oshakati nervously eyes the sky
•  Shamil Dirk's graft case postponed again
•  ACC nabs Otavi Village Council CEO
•  Justice driver accused of looting
•  Job equity has improved
•  Ombudsman complains about Justice Ministry
•  New plan for Cuvelai Basin
•  APP postpones congress
•  Zim to ignore tribunal ruling
•  Immigration locks up SA journalist
•  Youth gets four years for rape
•  Swapo closes ranks