Africa-Press – Namibia. Some Members of Parliament (MPs) have raised serious concerns about the inefficiencies of Namibia’s public service, calling for five-year term limits for senior civil servants.
The MPs, attending an induction meeting in Swakopmund last week, made these remarks during an engagement with the Public Service Commission (PSC).
Bernadus Swartbooi, leader of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), criticised the entrenched nature of the civil service, arguing that it is unfair for elected leaders to be held to strict accountability standards while public servants remain in the system for decades.
“You cannot have a system that wants society to be transformed, but the belt upon which we must transform society, the civil servants, is the most rigid and unresponsive,” Swartbooi said.
He noted that ministers can be dismissed based on allegations, while directors and executive administrators are shielded by the PSC and outdated laws.
“It is about time, both from an ontological and epistemological point of view, that civil servants also get five-year term limits,” he added.
Swartbooi further pointed to a capacity mismatch between qualified councillors and underperforming staff, stating that many public servants no longer innovate, yet are expected to implement transformative policies.
Swapo MP Marlayn Mbakera echoed these concerns, highlighting the difficult working conditions of regional councillors who are often undermined by long-serving staff in local authority offices.
“The councillors are struggling to perform. They are being sabotaged by officials who are forever in the system,” she said.
She suggested that regional councillors should be allowed to enter office with their own support staff, aligned with their five-year terms, to improve accountability.
“Staff members disappear for days and don’t report to the councillor.
How do you serve your community like that?” she asked.
However, Swapo MP Justina Jonas warned against reforms that may create precarious working conditions, especially for lower-income staff.
“If we are subjecting cleaners to a five-year contract, that is precarious work,” she said.
She acknowledged poor service delivery by some employees, but stressed that reforms must not compromise job security or dignity.
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