By Staff Reporter
The Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) has called on President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to establish a Commission of Inquiry into procurement processes at the ministry of health and social services following reports raising questions about possible conflicts of interest and the use of public resources.
NEFF deputy leader and member of parliament Kalimbo Iipumbu said the inquiry should examine the ministry’s procurement processes over the past several years, rather than focus only on the allegations currently in the public domain.
The call follows reports involving health and social services minister Esperance Luvindao and allegations concerning her brother’s law firm and the use of government funds to pay for a private lawyer in a defamation case involving a local weekly newspaper.
Luvindao rejected the allegations in the National Assembly, saying claims against her siblings should not be treated as fact without evidence.
Iipumbu said the minister’s response should not end the matter, arguing that questions involving public resources require independent scrutiny.
He said the proposed inquiry should examine tenders, contracts, the use of public funds, possible conflicts of interest and compliance with procurement laws and regulations, while determining whether there are broader systemic weaknesses or irregularities within the ministry.
“We are not calling for anyone to be condemned without evidence. We are calling for the facts to be established independently and for accountability to follow where wrongdoing is proven,” Iipumbu said.
He said it was concerning that such questions were emerging during the second year of the Nandi-Ndaitwah administration, warning that government must not allow a culture of impunity to develop.
Iipumbu further said credible concerns involving procurement in other ministries and state institutions should receive similar scrutiny.“The President must demonstrate that no ministry, official or individual is beyond scrutiny,” he said.
According to Iipumbu, an independent process would allow those who acted properly to be cleared while ensuring that anyone found to have abused public resources or public office is held accountable.
The NEFF said Namibians deserved confidence that public resources were protected and that government procurement was conducted transparently and in accordance with the law.
