VP’s deputy pick slammed as encouraging bureaucracy

Lawmaker and politicians have labelled the appointment of National Council member Moses //Khumub as deputy minister in the Office of the Vice President as promoting bureaucracy.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah appointed //Khumub last week, alongside six other deputy ministers.

Independent Patriots for Change Omusati region secretary Matatias Nakweenda has called the move unnecessary “given the limited role of the Office of the Vice President”.

“This kind of appointment is just promoting bureaucracy.”

Nakweenda says the vice president’s office exists to support the president in the execution of executive functions, while also strengthening coordination, oversight, and the implementation of key national priorities within the government.

State House press secretary Jonas Mbambo yesterday said the deputy minister in the Office of the Vice President is appointed to support the work of vice president Lucia Witbooi and the functions assigned to her office.

He says the deputy minister does not serve as a deputy minister to the Presidency as a whole, but specifically to the Office of the Vice President, in line with the structure and mandates determined by the government.

“The deputy minister will provide the necessary technical and professional support, as well as guidance to the vice president, to ensure these objectives are effectively realised,” Mbambo explained.

He said the president has transferred the divisions of marginalised communities and disability affairs from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare to the Office of the President, placing them under the direct supervision of the vice president’s office.

This is to ensure these targeted groups receive the necessary support and are meaningfully integrated into mainstream social and economic development, he said.

Tsumkwe constituency Landless People’s Movement member Calvin Kazibe, who is also an advocate for marginalised communities, says he foresees no change as the previous administration has failed to adequately cater for all marginalised people.

“The process of identifying marginalised people was used in a skewed manner, where you find that people who do not fall under such category often get letters by traditional chiefs to apply for the benefits, and often no due diligence is done. Therefore you now have a situation where all tribes are getting marginalised grants,” he says.

Kazibe says he hopes the new deputy minister will address these issues and make sure the right people are uplifted.

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