Nandi-Ndaitwah mulls new ambassador appointments to Germany, France and US

• • Esther Muinjangue tipped for Berlin
• • Alfredo Hengari linked to France

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is expected to announce a new slate of ambassadorial and high commission appointments, with former National Unity Democratic Organisation president Esther Muinjangue reportedly under consideration for the post in Germany.

Presidential spokesperson Alfredo Hengari is reportedly being considered for a post in France to take over from Albertus !Aochamub who is tipped to serve as the new ambassador to Ghana.

Former minister of justice Yvonne Dausab is tipped for Washington to take over from Margaret Mensah-Williams.

The president is expected to announce a new round of diplomatic appointments next week, with envoys scheduled for deployment in September.

Up to 28 ambassadors were recalled early this month, to give way for a diplomatic deployment. Sources in the diplomatic circles have confirmed that the current diplomats in 28 missions were served with letters of notice two weeks ago.

The Namibian understands that Nandi-Ndaitwah appears to be indecisive in some appointments, while some of the proposed ambassadors appear to favour other postings or positions.

The Namibian checked with at least five sources familiar with the ambassador reshuffle.

They add a disclaimer that the process is ongoing as some names might emerge or switch to other positions.

Sources say the term of the ambassadors and high commissioners has been cut from four years to two.

International relations minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi did not respond to questions sent to her by the time of going to print.

BONJOUR

Muinjangue, a former deputy health minister under president Hage Geingob’s administration, is being considered for the top diplomatic job in Germany.

Her appointment to Berlin will come at a time when Namibia is trying to push for more money from the genocide talks with Germany as reparations.

Sources say the position of ambassador to France was offered to former deputy finance minister Maureen Hinda-Mbuende who has allegedly refused and is demanding to be posted to another country.

Hinda-Mbuende, a close ally of the president, denies the appointment. She is also linked to the governor position in the Omaheke region.

“Not true at all, don’t even write about it, they are just misleading you,” Hinda-Mbuende says.

Youth leader and former presidential adviser on the economic high-level panel Esther Simeon is said to be tipped for South Africa.

Swapo’s regional coordinator for Kavango East, Gabriel Hakusembe, is tipped for Angola.

It is unclear whether a final decision has been made regarding these positions.

State House says Nandi-Ndaitwah is being indecisive on her choices, while other possible candidates are refusing to take the posts, wanting better posts within the country.

When approached for a comment on the links to Paris, Hengari said: “This is wild speculation”.

The Namibian understands that the race to replace Hengari as State House spokesperson is on. This is not the first time Hengari has been linked to a position abroad. In 2020, he was among potential candidates.

With Hengari being tipped for an ambassadorial post in France, his position of press secretary will be vacant.

One of the names linked to this post is Bob Kandetu.

It is unclear if there are other people in the race.

Kandetu has previously served as the director general for the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation, as well as a secretary in the ministry of information and communication technology.

When approached for a comment regarding his possible appointment, Kandetu said he was not aware of it.

“I know nothing about that, when I am informed I shall let you know,” he said.

Hakusembe, who is also tipped for an ambassadorial position, has refuted such claims, stating that he is not aware nor was he ever contacted.

“It is not true. I have not been contacted at all,” he said.

NO APPOINTMENT

Another position that will need to be filled is the permanent representative of Namibia to the United Nations in New York following the departure of Neville Gertze who was appointed as the executive director in the Presidency.

Other key areas would be Russia and China.

Namibia’s ambassador in Beijing, Elia Kaiyamo, in December said he is going to retire.

Ministry of International Relations and Trade executive director Penda Naanda says it is not a must for Namibia to have ambassadors in every foreign country.

“Where there is no ambassador just like any other country, we have charge d’affaires. The United States also didn’t have an ambassador for some years if you recall, but their charge d’affaires acted in that role,” he says.

Naanda says Ghana, Ethiopia and New York missions are currently represented by charge d’affaires, and that Namibia’s relevance in those countries is fully maintained.

He adds that the ministry is not in danger of losing institutional memory due to numerous experienced diplomats retiring or already retired.

“A diplomat does not necessarily retire, though in their 70s the president has the prerogative to appoint any diplomat to serve as an ambassador given that the diplomat accepts the appointment,” he says.

He says the ministry still has a good pool of experienced diplomats.

IT’S COMPLICATED

Former diplomat Pius Dunaiski yesterday told The Namibian that president Nandi-Ndaitwah’s appointments on new ambassadors are complicated and might take time.

“The appointment of ambassadors is more complex than that of ordinary diplomats anywhere in the world. According to the Geneva Convention, which governs these procedures, even if the president made the decision last week, as rumours have suggested, she must still follow protocol.

“For example, if she wants to appoint someone to Washington, DC, she must first send a formal request for concurrence to the host country. Only once the host country agrees can she proceed with the appointment,” he said, adding that the appointment takes three months before a final confirmation is received.

“Appointing ambassadors is a complicated process because there are many moving parts.

“While rumours have been circulating for about a week now that the president intends to restructure the diplomatic corps, nothing is official until all procedures are followed,” he said.

Dunaiski also said he is aware of the appointment of !Aochamub to Ghana, stating that it was done to strengthen trade relations between Namibia and Ghana.

“The idea is that he learned a lot while covering the United Nations. Now, with Ghana hosting the African Continental Free Trade Area, they need someone who understands how to drive trade. Ghana has become a very important hub for trade in Africa because of this,” he said.

Dunaiski added that it is normal for a new president like Nandi-Ndaitwah to reshuffle ambassadors, as many were appointed under previous administrations.

“She may retain some of them if she feels they are effective, but she may also recall many if she wants to inject new blood into the system, people who align more with her vision and have the right skills. It’s just normal to expect a reshuffle of ambassadors during such a critical transition,” he said.

“In our case, the system is different. The new president can decide whether they want to retain or replace someone. Our president has the authority to appoint anyone,” Dunaiski said.

Dunaski, who served as an ambassador for several years, said this might lead to lobbying by people trying to secure positions for their own relatives.

“But the president has matrices that she will use. One of them is to look at trade and investment, and make decisions to make sure the people she is appointing are skillful, suited for the positions, and are be able to provide feedback so that it can be translated into policies,” he said.

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