A premium will be placed on the right people for the right jobs in State-owned enterprises, foreign affairs trips will be curbed, Ministerial accountability will be enforced, the Public Service Act amended to speed up costly disciplinary hearings, and a host of other measures aimed at enhancing efficiency and eliminating graft enforced.

President Pohamba unveiled the measures at his first Cabinet meeting.

They were, he said, aimed at addressing inefficiency, corruption, negligence, abuse of Government property and other forms of administrative malpractice.

He said his Government "is fully committed to addressing corruption with a sledgehammer".

In keeping with this, he directed all Offices, Ministries and Agencies "to reduce drastically the number and frequency of their international travels".

The President told political office-bearers that they must also obtain his permission before they travel outside the country.

He directed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marco Hausiku, to ensure that Namibian missions abroad represent the country at some international conferences and meetings to avoid waste and a duplication of efforts.

Cabinet members were told to be more hands-on in the activities of their ministries and agencies and were reminded that they were answerable to Pohamba, Cabinet and Parliament in how they run their offices and perform their duties.

"This constitutional requirement and call to duty must be strictly adhered to at all times," Pohamba warned Cabinet members.

The President said the long-awaited Anti-Corruption Commission will be established and will work closely with the Police, the Office of the Ombudsman and the courts to root out corruption, which he said was "a cancer that eats away at our social and moral fabric".

Pohamba also vowed to be tough in the recruitment of chief executive officers and the running of parastatals.

He directed Prime Minister Nahas Angula "to put in place immediately effective legislative measures necessary for the efficient and proper management of our parastatals".

He said the boards of parastatals would no longer just comprise diligent and dedicated individuals, but professional people with technical know-how and who had distinguished themselves in the relevant fields of the parastatals' activities.

"It goes without saying that chief executives offices who do not possess the requisite academic qualifications and who have little or no experience in the activities of the parastatals in question will be unable to lead, control, supervise and direct their subordinates to achieve the goals of the parastatals," he said.

Prime Minister Angula will soon start a process to streamline and shorten disciplinary procedures in the public service.

Pohamba said current disciplinary procedures were costly and drawn-out and disrupted work.

"This will also ensure that public servants who are accused of misconduct get to know about their fate in the shortest possible time," Pohamba said.

Throughout his speech he placed emphasis on improved implementation and service delivery and the efficient utilisation of Government resources.

He said his Government would soon introduce policy evaluation mechanisms to determine whether the State received adequate returns from its efforts.

Three years ago, former President Sam Nujoma told Cabinet members to reduce international trips to the "absolute minimum".

Yesterday, Pohamba said the public resources at Namibia's disposal were limited.

"Therefore it is imperative that we are guided by prudent financial management.
In other words, strict financial discipline will be enforced."

He underlined that those who indulged in corrupt practices were doing so at the expense of the majority of Namibians.

"They use and abuse public resources for personal or private gain.

The end result is the diminished ability of the State to deliver crucial services to the public.

It also leads to the erosion of public confidence and trust, as well as public contempt for the State and private institutions."

Corruption had to be fought at all levels and in all spheres of Namibian society, including the private sector, he said.

It was a mammoth task, but one that had to be tackled, the President emphasised.

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