Africa-Press – Namibia. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah held no punches last Friday in her maiden address to civil servants.
While acknowledging that civil servants are the engine of the government, she told them to either serve the people with honesty and compassion or leave the civil service.
Speaking at the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (Nipam) on Friday, the President said the time for excuses, entitlement and self-enrichment in public offices is over.
“If you don’t have the passion for the people, if you see citizens as a burden when they come to your office with problems, and if you believe your office is a space for your personal comfort zone for enrichment or side business, then I can tell you are in the wrong place,” she said firmly.
The President then challenged all civil servants to reflect on their purpose and decide whether they are in public service to serve or for status and benefits.
“Why can’t you create a space for those who are ready to serve the public? There are those who are ready to serve the public,” she said.
She called for an urgent change in how government workers serve the nation, describing the civil service as a contract of trust between the State and the people.
The President said some public servants had forgotten the purpose of their jobs. She criticised those who use offices for personal business, treat citizens as a nuisance and fail to act with urgency.
Broken people
Nandi-Ndaitwah also linked poor service delivery to rising mental health struggles in the country. She said the number of suicides reported between January and June was “a shock” and that public offices could either help or hurt people already under pressure.
“When you do not treat a person properly, that’s what could trigger the frustration in that person’s mind,” she warned.
“Mental health (patients) are people who are overwhelmed by problems.”
She reminded the audience that civil servants signed agreements with the government and, by extension, with the people of Namibia—in exchange for secure jobs and generous benefits, including medical aid, housing allowances, pension funds and training opportunities.
Anti-corruption
Having already equated corruption to treason, Nandi-Ndaitwah also condemned what she called the “betrayal of public trust” when officials use their positions for self-enrichment. “The nation trusts us,” she said. “And when you betray the trust, the potential of war is there.”
Drawing from Namibia’s own painful history, she compared such betrayal to how the apartheid regime broke its promise to the United Nations, which led to the liberation war.
“We lost so many precious lives,” she said. “And we still have those we are yet to take care of.”
She said the responsibility to help war veterans still struggling with poverty or disability falls not just on the President, but on all public servants.
The head of State reminded the public sector that being a government employee in Namibia is a privilege not everyone enjoys. She pointed to regular salaries, access to medical aid, career development opportunities, and travel benefits—all supported by the taxpayer.
Medical aid
President Nandi-Ndaitwah has announced that senior government officials and politicians will soon be required to use public health facilities, not private hospitals, even though they are covered by government-funded medical aid.
This change, she said, is meant to improve service delivery and restore confidence in Namibia’s struggling public healthcare system.
“We will start with politicians and senior civil servants,” she said.
“The government’s medical aid will be there. But for you and me, we should use the State facilities so that we are serious, to make sure that State facilities are brought up to the standard to serve the nation properly.”
Namibia currently spends N$3.6 billion annually on medical aid for public servants. The President questioned whether it makes sense for the government to fund private treatment while the public system remains under pressure.
Shape up
One of the most striking parts of her speech was a call for transformation and a warning to those who do not want to change.
“If you are ready to be part of this transformation, you are welcome on board,” she said. “If not, you must evaluate your purpose in the public service and maybe tell us to stop at the next station and say goodbye to us.”
The audience was silent. Then came the message again, sharper this time: “There will be no businesses, in short. Do something that you like. If you don’t like it, and you’re just doing it for a job, it is too bad.”
The President also questioned the high overtime claims and called for financial discipline, warning that the public wage bill – currently over N$35 billion – is unsustainable.
She pointed out that the government’s job is not to employ everyone but to create a business-friendly environment for the private sector to grow and hire more people.
“We are just too few to be poor,” she said. “Have you ever asked yourself, as a civil servant, ‘What have I done to take that person off the street?”
Confidence
Despite her strong warnings, Nandi-Ndaitwah ended on a hopeful note. She said she still believes in the civil service and its power to change the country.
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