DIRTY OKAHANDJA ... Informal settlements at Okahandja are still struggling with refuse removal. Uncollected rubbish that has piled up at some Okahandja informal settlements. President Hifikepunye Pohamba yesterday lambasted the town's mayor Valerie Aron and councillor Steve Biko for letting the town go to waste.
But an analyst said it was too late for Pohamba's public otbursts to bring any change.
During the official opening of the newly refurbished Gross Barmen Resort, about 30 kilometres from Okahandja yesterday, Pohamba shamed Aron and Biko when he ordered them to stand up in a packed hall before rebuking them.
While Boois stood up, Aron remained seated.
Pointing at Boois, Pohamba said: “Shame on you. Why don't you clean? It is a shame that as an elected person, employees of Gross Barmen should come and clean for you.”
A visibly irritated Pohamba said he was informed yesterday morning on his way to the resort that the Gross Barmen employees had to go and clean up Okahandja town in preparation for his visit, something he said is totally unacceptable.
Turning to the Namibia Wildlife Resort managing director, Zelna Hengari, Pohamba said: “Why should you go and clean for them?
Don't do it anymore. They have a mayor and regional councillor.”
Pohamba also targeted Air Namibia, which he said was being bailed out by the government, without bringing any dividends.
“Look at Air Namibia. Every year the government must dish out money, not N$10 million but more than that,” he said, shaking his head.
However, his sentiments differ from what Prime Minister Hage Geingob said last year in November in parliament about bailing out Air Namibia.
“Although profitability might not be achieved in the near future, what is important is that the country gets more value from Air Namibia than the amount of money which is being put into the airline,” Geingob said then.
Pohamba's latest public outburst comes just a week after he had another public confrontation with National Housing Enterprises chief executive officer Vinson Hailulu at the coast during the official handover of the first batch of the mass housing programme.
“I'm angry with you,” Pohamba told Hailulu, when he inspected the structure of the houses which he said were designed and constructed “like structures from the apartheid era”.
Pohamba has been venting out in public of late. Some notable incidences where he ripped into people in public include when he rebuked a group of workers at the new N$3 billion container in Walvis Bay, telling them that like most Namibians, they have a tendency of looking at the clock while working and then pack bags before the official knock off time.
“You are lucky I am going. If I was going to stay on you were not going to get it (funding) anymore,” he chided them.
Earlier last year, Pohamba also turned his wrath on Chinese employers for mistreating Namibian workers during the ground-breaking ceremony of the Omafo-Outapi at Engela.
He warned the Chinese that their ill-treatment of workers will not be tolerated and that he does not want to hear of other incidents, calling them “bad Chinese for tarnishing the good name of China”.
Pohamba also lost his cool during a tour of the Kavangos, after learning that his security details had not been paid. He ordered the police chief, Sebastian Ndeitunga, to personally pay the cost of the bodyguards.
The Namibia Development Coorporation chairman, John Nekwaya, also received Pohamba's tongue-lashing when he was asked to leave the entourage during the tour of Naute dam. Pohamba had been angered by the workers' deplorable living conditions.
An Oshikango councillor, Phillip Namundjebo, was chased away from a rally over broken water pipes in the area during a rally some time this year.
Political analyst, Victor Tonchi, said it was too late because Pohamba's public outbursts are falling on deaf ears, and that government needs to do more than just talking.
“There should have been efforts throughout the year, and not now when he is coming to the end of his term,” says Tonchi, adding: “Those he is scolding are probably waiting for him to leave office.”
Tonchi said when Pohamba first took office 10 years ago, he was an evangelist of anti-corruption but that he has not done much since then.
“He has not done much other than establishing the Anti-Corruption Commission, but the mere establishment of the institution does not mean the work is done,” he said.
Tonchi said government should have an audit of how towns perform.
“It cannot be left to the local government to do it all. The non-performance of local government is a reflection of the central government's failure. There should have been consistent audits on performance of regional offices,” he said.
Tonchi also said Pohamba's recent public outbursts could be because he does not want to leave an administration that performs poorly, but said it was too late for the President.
“He wants to leave a legacy. When you are at the end of your term, you have nothing to lose. But his outbursts will not have an impact unless he fires them, which is impossible as there are a lot of legal issues around firing a public office bearer,” he said.
Tonchi also said the recipients of Pohamba's public outbursts might feel threatened but they know they will not be fired and as a result, will not be compelled to change their ways.
However, Fanuel Kaapama had a different take, describing Pohamba as a “gentle giant” who does not have angry outbursts, but uses his “stern tone” when he needs to drive home a specific message.
“Even when he was a minister, he used the same tone. I would not necessarily call it an anger outburst,” he said, adding that those who have worked closely with Pohamba describe him as “someone who would not harm a fly”.
“It is all about how he will be remembered. He has his jolly moods as well,” he said.
Kaapama said that there were certain issues that the President needs to address seriously.