President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has fired deputy prime minister and minister of industries, mines and energy Natangue Ithete after a series of allegations about his conduct in office.
The president did not provide reasons for her decision, but has said this portfolio will now fall under the Presidency, making her the interim mines and energy minister.
Speculation abounds about Ithete’s exit, including about his proximity to a fishing businessman and his role at the Namibia Industrial Development Agency (Nida), which is under scrutiny for selling 200-hectares of coastal land for close to nothing.
Ithete has in recent weeks backed a Russian state-backed uranium project in the Omaheke region that has prompted opposition from scientists who fear it will contaminate underground water.
His role in mining exploration licences is also mentioned as a possible reason for the president’s move.
Nandi-Ndaitwah in a statement issued yesterday announced Ithete’s removal with immediate effect.
“In accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia, president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah made an executive decision to relieve Natangue Ithete of his duties as deputy prime minister and minister of industries, mines and energy, with immediate effect,” the statement reads.
Ithete did not respond to phone calls or questions sent to him yesterday. He has in the past denied any wrongdoing relating to controversy about his role at parastatals.
The former minister, who visited Angola last month for an oil and gas conference, will remain a member of parliament.
Sources close to the Presidency say Nandi-Ndaitwah had been considering firing Ithete for months, but has been delaying the decision. The president allegedly held a meeting with Ithete in recent weeks.
COASTAL LAND
Ithete in July dismissed Nida acting chief executive Richwell Lukonga.
The reasons for this were unclear. The Nida executive is said to have been against a land deal involving a Middle East company.
There were allegedly also concerns over how a 200-hectare plot belonging to Nida was handed to businessman Titus Nakuumba and his partners from the United Arab Emirates.
Although the deal dates back to 2012, some senior government officials have been against this transaction since the land was allegedly sold cheaply.
Nakuumba has for years defended this transaction.
OIL MONEY
According to insiders, the president’s decision was also triggered, among others, by Ithete’s alleged attempts to fire the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) board, a move interpreted by some within the government as an effort to tighten his control and influence over the parastatal.
The board had been in the final stages of appointing a managing director after advertising the post in January, but the process was abruptly halted in March after Ithete took office.
Sources claim Ithete directed the board to stop the recruitment process to pave the way for a candidate of his choice. The board was also against a proposal suggested to them for a Ghanaian company to take over Namcor.
The board wrote to the president asking her to direct Ithete to stop interfering in fiduciary duties.
Board members were subsequently called to brief the Cabinet directly, where they proved they had been submitting regular reports to the ministry.
In that meeting some Cabinet members sided with the Namcor board.
POWER
Ithete is also accused of interfering in the recruitment process for the Namibia Power Corporation (NamPower) managing director position.
He allegedly instructed the company to halt the recruitment process, with the intention of extending the current managing director’s term by two years.
Ithete has denied these allegations.
Industry players are said to have jointly raised complaints with Nandi-Ndaitwah about Ithete’s alleged overreach and micromanagement.
Last Saturday at a Swapo rally at Khorixas, Ithete said: “I will only be able to work well with Swapo people. If you vote and give me someone else from opposition, you have brought hunger on yourself.”
This comes after the president held meetings with opposition parties in which she requested them to work with her so that policies to uplift lives are passed without delay.
The comments, captured in a video seen by The Namibian, have sparked outrage, with critics accusing Ithete of undermining democracy and using fear to influence voters.
RISE AND FALL
Ithete was appointed as deputy prime minister and minister of mines and energy in March.
During his tenure, he announced at the mining expo that the government will actively pursue mechanisms to mandate 51% Namibian ownership in all new mining ventures.
Prior to this, he served as the chairperson of the parliamentary standing committee on economics and public administration from 2020 to 2025.
His role was to examine financial proposals, oversee government spending and the economy, and investigate matters referred to by the house or a minister.
It also includes scrutinizing government budgets and reports from the auditor general.
Ithete served as deputy finance minister under the administration of former president Hage Geingob from 2015 to 2020 – a portfolio in which he oversaw government budgeting.
Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah describes the decision as shocking, but at the same time an indication that the president is determined to take drastic action to safeguard her administration’s reputation.
“We will know the whole story in the coming weeks. Only then will we be able to interrogate what truly happened,” he says.
‘AUTOCRATIC’
Following the removal of Ithete, the overview of oil and gas sectors now lies outside the parliament.
When Nandi-Ndaitwah took office in March, she also moved the management of the oil and gas sector directly under the Office of the President with the creation of the Upstream Petroleum Unit under the Presidency.
All People’s Party president Ambrosius Kumbwa has described the president’s move as undemocratic.
“This speaks to autocratic governance,” he says.
However, Kumbwa says he is not surprised Ithete was let go, since he failed in his portfolios and could not respond to questions on the Namibia Desert Diamonds (Namdia) diamond robbery.
Landless People’s Movement spokesperson Lifalaza Simataa says the move is concerning.
“Green hydrogen was under the Office of the President, and it was shrouded in mystery, uncertainty and lacked oversight. We have a dangerous situation when the activities of such an important ministry now follow the same route,” he says.
National Democratic Party leader Martin Lukato raised concerns over questions he posed to Ithete, which were to be answered this week.
“The answers to my questions will now be delayed, and if the mining sector is outside the parliament, who do we hold accountable?” he said.
National Unity Democratic Organisation parliamentarian Vetaruhe Kandorozu says the dismissal is unfortunate.
“However, Ithete has been very arrogant towards the opposition’s party members when we post urgent oral-questions,” he says.
Kandorozu says a minister telling citizens he will work with the people from his party is irresponsible.
He says Ithete needed to retract his comments and apologise to the people of Khorixas and Namibia.
‘NOT TO BE TOLERATED’
Kandorozu says the president controlling national resources must not be tolerated.
“She must quickly appoint a replacement who will be part of the executive and be accountable to the parliament on a daily basis. Now you have all minerals outside the parliament,” he says.
This is tantamount to anarchy and dictatorship, he says, which will scare off possible investors.
“She is emulating everything from central African countries that operate in a dictatorship,” Kandorozu says.
United Democratic Front secretary general Tsaneb Daniel has welcomed the removal of Ithete if it was done due his remarks at Khorixas.
“It shows our democracy is maturing and we cannot allow segregation utterances in a democratic country,” he says.
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