NNN had the power to grant Amweelo a state funeral but did not – Mulongeni Justicia Shipena Political analyst Ben Mulongeni says the late Moses Amweelo, a former minister and liberation struggle veteran, deserved a state funeral. He questioned why President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah did not use her constitutional owers to grant him the honour. Amweelo died at the age of 73 in June at Lady Pohamba Private Hospital in Windhoek after battle with cancer. He was buried over the weekend, shortly after Cabinet announced a moratorium on official funerals until March 2026 to allow for a review of the criteria used to grant such honours. While Cabinet clarified that the President retains the constitutional power to confer national honours, Mulongeni believes that power should have been used in Amweelo’s case. “I cannot comment because I want to know whether the power the president has reserved for her or for him [Amweelo] has been now exceptionally exercised because that’s what people expect because that was a full minister and a liberation freedom fighter,” said Mulongeni. He said Amweelo had multiple reasons that justified a state funeral. “So there are more reasons than one reason to deserve something like that. But if they have called the team, what’s the use of saying that the president still has that right to do so? If they are saying, Yeah, we are making exceptions for Amweelo, I would understand what they are saying now.” Mulongeni said the public and political comrades are seeking clarity on the matter. “Will that president now exercise that power too, according to Amweelo? Or what? We want to know. The people want to hear that. And comrades want to hear that. And Namibia is also at large to hear because he was serving the country as a higher-level member of the cabinet.” He acknowledged the cost of state and official funerals but raised concern about transparency and fairness in how they are awarded. “And anyway, my take on that is it is true that those state funerals, official funerals, they are costly for the taxpayers money and to the country. Very costly. And one, particularly when there is none, Namibians do not understand whether there is consistency according to different people. Criteria are not clear to everybody. That’s the biggest problem.” He said many Namibians are unsure of who qualifies for what kind of honour, which creates confusion and frustration. “So we don’t know already who qualifies for that. That’s the biggest problem because Namibians at large, they don’t know. Taxpayers at large don’t know who qualifies for what.” Mulongeni said some individuals with long-standing service are overlooked, while others with lesser contributions are honoured. “And that’s the biggest problem. Because there seem to be double standards. There are people that you know: the commanders, the freedom fighters, and then those who think they will be the first to go to Heroes’ Acre; they are not there. Then you see an activist, simply an activist, and he is honoured or given a state funeral. So I’ve seen, it’s sort of given to traditional leaders, teachers apparently, and then, you know, you don’t know. Commanders, former police officers with her, councillors – you don’t know who deserves that. That’s the biggest problem. And I appreciate that. And I admit that they must be reviewed.” He said while the review is necessary, flexibility is still needed. “But in the meantime, when they are being reviewed, yeah? Hello? Yes. Heroes don’t stop dying. Heroes are not going to stop dying because we are reviewing. There’s a need for flexibility.” He warned that failure to apply the president’s powers fairly could lead to accusations of bias and hypocrisy. “You hear tomorrow they are saying he did all his hard work. So that means your statement will contradict your actions. Your actions – or, your non-action – will contradict your statement because in the speeches that, you know, we hear, it said he did a lot. And we thought a state funeral was for those who did a lot. So then all those statements from tomorrow, they will be useless and hypocritical. They will not speak to our action.” Mulongeni said Amweelo’s contributions to national development should not be ignored. “But if the president got reserved powers, then she should accord Amweelo a state funeral.” A week ago, Nandi-Ndaitwah extended her condolences to the family of the late Amweelo. However, her statement did not mention whether there were plans to accorded a state funeral to Amweelo. Back in 2021, political commentators urged the government to act as funeral costs began to rise, largely due to COVID-19-related deaths. That year, the government overspent its funeral budget by N$5 million. In April of this year, Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare stated that state and official funerals would cost taxpayers N$38.4 million during the 2024/2025 financial year. The Office of the Prime Minister spent N$39.8 million on 38 funerals, Independence Day, and Heroes Day celebrations from its N$1.1 billion annual budget. In 2023, the government spent N$2.1 million on 23 state funerals during the 2022/2023 financial year. In February, N$30 million was spent to transport founding president Sam Nujoma’s body to seven regions. Each of the 14 regions received N$500,000 to organise memorial services. Other notable state funerals include N$3 million for Andimba Toivo ya Toivo, N$2 million for former minister Rosalia Nghidinwa, and N$1.5 million for Kunene governor Angelika Muharukua. To guide the review process, Cabinet approved the formation of a committee with no more than seven members. The Prime Minister, in consultation with the Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, the Presidency, and the Attorney General, will propose the committee’s members and terms of reference. Last week, former cabinet minister Helmut Angula said the moratorium appears aimed at cutting costs but may raise fairness concerns. Amweelo was born on 25 May 1952 in Okatana in the Oshana Region. He was a long-serving Swapo politician, a member of the National Assembly from 2000, and Minister of Works, Transport and Communication.

#StateFuneral #MosesAmweelo #NationalHonours #NamibiaPolitics #BenMulongeni

State funeral moratorium leaves Presidential powers untouched Justicia Shipena The Cabinet has placed a moratorium on official funerals from 16 June 2025 to 31 March 2026.  The move allows the government to review the current criteria and processes for granting such honours. Minister of information and communication technology Emma Theofelus announced the decision on Thursday, following the 11th Cabinet meeting.  “This moratorium will remain in place while a detailed review is conducted on how official funerals are awarded,” she said. Theofelus said the suspension does not affect the President’s constitutional powers to confer national honours.  “The moratorium does not infringe on Article 32(3)(h) of the Namibian Constitution, nor on the powers granted under the National Honours Act of 2012,” she added. Calls for a moratorium date back to 2021, when political commentators urged the government to take action as funeral costs began to rise, largely due to COVID-19-related deaths.  That year, the government overspent its funeral budget by N$5 million. To guide the review process, Cabinet approved the formation of a committee with no more than seven members.  The prime minister, in consultation with the minister of defence and veterans affairs, the presidency, and the attorney general, will propose the committee’s members and terms of reference for Cabinet approval. In April this year, prime minister Elijah Ngurare revealed that state and official funerals cost taxpayers N$38.4 million during the 2024/2025 financial year.  The office of the prime minister alone spent N$39.8 million on 38 funerals, Independence Day, and Heroes Day celebrations, using funds from its N$1.1 billion budget. Former cabinet minister Helmut Angula said the move appears aimed at cutting costs but may create issues of fairness.  “It’s a positive issue, but obviously we cannot say it’s the right thing to do at the right time at this time, but the fact of the matter is probably the government is cutting costs,” he said. He warned that the timing may be difficult, given the ageing generation of national figures.  “All of the general funders and political funders have reached the life expectancy. So we are bound to die many, but that is really a cost to the state,” he said. Angula said the public might struggle to understand the decision, especially during ongoing social and economic hardship.  “The ordinary people maybe not understand why government should be… I need so, amid so many difficulties that we have in terms of unemployment, in terms of cost of living, and in terms of lack of essential things like medicine in hospitals. I think you can’t really blame the government, but the only thing is where it’s going to be challenging. Will that be across the board? That’s the problem,” he said. He questioned whether the moratorium would apply to highly respected figures. “There are certain people who are really, really prominent. Really prominent. If one of them dies today, are you saying you also cannot afford him health? It’s a challenge,” he said. He suggested the government should have outlined specific categories to avoid being caught off guard.  “Maybe it should have been wise to make some categories. So that it’s very clear, so that you don’t get caught up between a rock and a hard place tomorrow. If you are challenged, someone so important died, and then you say, Yeah, we have a ban. And you cannot lift it on that day for the one person unless you have prior some kind of condition. I say it’s challenging. It’s costly.” In 2023, the government spent N$2.1 million on 23 state funerals during the 2022/2023 financial year.  In February this year, it spent about N$30 million to transport founding president Sam Nujoma’s body to seven regions.  Each of the 14 regions received N$500,000 to organise his memorial services.  Other state funerals included N$3 million for Andimba Toivo ya Toivo, N$2 million for former minister Rosalia Nghidinwa, and N$1.5 million for Kunene governor Angelika Muharukua. Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah welcomed the move and said the policy needs to be reviewed to ensure efficient spending.  “Reduce the spending by March or more, but I think that it is time that that policy must be reviewed to make sure that we utilise it in an efficient, efficient manner, because if you look at how many people qualified for state funerals, you know, funerals, and there are quite a lot of expenses there,” he said.  “So, you know, somehow it will help reduce, although not by a lot, but it’s the right step in the right direction, I think.” Kamwanyah said while some families may be disappointed, the government must make decisions based on available resources.  “Well, they will not. Some will be disappointed, but we have to live within the means that we have. You cannot go to war with the soldiers that you don’t have. So, you go to war with the soldiers that you have,” he said. He stressed that the country must choose between costly ceremonies and addressing real needs.  “So, which means we can only have state funerals based on the resources that we have. So, we have limited resources. We have pressing issues in terms of socio-economic challenges. So, we have to prioritise. Do we want to sponsor state funerals, which take a lot of money, or do we want to prioritise the issue of education, addressing poverty, and other socio-economic challenges? So, we have to make a choice. And for me, the better choice is that we prioritise the key challenges that we are faced with,” Kamwanyah said.

#StateFuneral #Namibia #NationalHonours #GovernmentReview #PresidentialPowers

Ex-MP's Family Clarifies Funeral Disappointment [Namibian] The family of former Swapo parliamentarian and long-serving Okahao constituency councillor Isai Kapenambili says their disappointment following his recent death was not due to the denial of a state-funded funeral, but rather the lack of timely communication from the National Honours Advisory Committee.

#Namibia #Funeral #StateFuneral #IsaiKapenambili #NationalHonours

Ex-MP’s family clarifies funeral disappointment The family of former Swapo parliamentarian and long-serving Okahao constituency councillor Isai Kapenambili says their disappointment following his recent death was not due to the denial of a state-funded funeral, but rather the lack of timely communication from the National Honours Advisory Committee. Speaking to The Namibian yesterday, Kapenambili’s nephew, Epafras Anyolo, clarified that the family had not expected a state-funded funeral. “The family of the late honourable Isai Paulus Kapenambili did not complain because he was not conferred a state-funded funeral. We know that many fallen veterans have not received one, for reasons best known to the state,” Anyolo said. He said the family was disheartened by what they described as an unexplained delay in communication from the National Honours Advisory Committee, following a formal request submitted by Omusati governor Erginus Endjala. According to Anyolo, Endjala submitted a request on 28 April 2025 for Kapenambili to be accorded an official funeral. However, the committee only responded on 8 May – nearly two weeks later – and the response was hand-delivered the next day, just an hour before the memorial service was scheduled to begin. “Why did it take two weeks for the committee to respond? Only to then refer us to the veterans’ affairs office and ask us to wait another week? Who does that?” he asked. Anyolo also cited comments made by Okahao constituency councillor Leonard Shikulo, who told mourners that he had met defence minister Frans Kapofi on 8 May and informed him of Kapenambili’s death. Anyolo speculated that the committee’s response may have only followed that ministerial intervention. The family says the only support ultimately offered was a “veteran funeral” valued at N$5 500. “Is this what we now call a ‘veteran funeral’? So, Mr Frans Kapofi feels this is sufficient to offer veterans a dignified send-off? Please find a better term that reflects the worth of such support,” said Anyolo. He called for greater transparency from the National Honours Advisory Committee, urging the body to publish the criteria it uses to evaluate requests for official funerals. “Each veteran should be given the opportunity to submit their profile while alive, and the committee should assess and confirm their status. That way, families are not left in limbo at the time of passing, and expectations created by the system are managed,” he said. Executive director in the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs and chairperson of the National Honours Advisory Committee Annely Haiphene wrote to Endjala last week that she had received Endjala’s letter dated 28 April 2025, in which the governor requested the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs to confer Kapenambili an official funeral. “Please be informed that the National Honours Advisory Committee has assessed the various attributes of the late Mr Kapenambili before arriving at the determination that the family of the late Mr Kapenambili should proceed with arrangements for a veteran funeral,” Haiphene wrote. She further advised the family to contact the department of veterans affairs for funeral arrangements. Kapenambili passed on 23 April and was buried last weekend. The post Ex-MP’s family clarifies funeral disappointment appeared first on The Namibian.

#Namibia #IsaiKapenambili #SWAPO #Funeral #NationalHonours

Lavish state funerals face scrutiny amid rising public criticism The government is currently reviewing the cost and criteria of state-funded funerals, following public concerns over spending, fairness, and the possible misuse of resources. Minister of defence and veterans affairs Frans Kapofi this week revealed this after the family of former Swapo parliamentarian Isai Kapenambili complained that the government failed to accord him a state-funded funeral. Kapofi, however, said Kapenambili is not the only veteran who has not been granted this honour. “There have been many others. It is true the government has not accorded him that status, just like many other veterans who have passed on,” he said. In Namibia, the conferment of national honours, including state and official funerals, is primarily governed by the Conferment of National Honours Act of 2012. COSTLY DEATH In the past two years, the cost of government-funded funerals has reached N$77 million, compared to the 2022/23 financial year in which the government spent N$2.1 million on 23 state funerals. In 2023, the government spent N$39 million on 38 state-funded funerals. On average, each state funeral costs N$889 473. In 2024, state-funded funerals cost taxpayers N$38.4 million for 16 state-funded funerals, prime minister Elijah Ngurare has revealed. These include the funerals of former president Hage Geingob and founding president Sam Nujoma. The state has, however, not revealed the exact costs of these two heroes’ funerals, which is suspected to have run into millions. Ngurare revealed this while motivating the budget for the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in the National Assembly last month. The OPM was allocated a budget of N$1.94 billion during the 2024/25 financial year. “In honouring our national heroes and celebrating our hard-won freedom, it was necessary to allocate resources to ensure these events are conducted with the dignity they deserve,” he said. Former Popular Democratic Movement parliamentarian Nico Smit previously warned that spending too much on state funerals could create opportunities for corruption. Despite Namibia’s economic challenges, Smit cautioned that spending excessive funds on state funerals gives leeway to corrupt activities, such as inflated costs for personal gain. “Excessive government spending on state funerals in Namibia can also strain public finances, diverting funds from essential services like healthcare, education, and infrastructure,” he said. COMRADES Speaking at Kapenambili’s memorial service at Etunda village in the Omusati region recently, a relative, Epafras Anyolo, said the former parliamentarian performed his official duties well before and after independence. “Why did this happen to this fellow? He discharged his duties and responsibilities at home and abroad with diligence… I thought this is not the wish of the Swapo-led government. We don’t blame the Swapo-led government, we blame the people in the offices,” Anyolo said. He described the fact that Kapenambili was not accorded a state funeral as “deliberate moves and segregational activities that should not happen to others”. The current Okahao constituency councillor, Leonard Shikulo, also voiced concern during a memorial service held on Friday, saying he was pained that his predecessor had not been honoured with a state funeral. State funerals have divided public opinion over the years. To some, it has been used to bankroll the funerals of families connected to Swapo. Former president Nangolo Mbumba, for example, approved 16 government-funded funerals of politicians, war veterans, and business figures between February 2024 and March this year. REMEMBERING A COMRADE Founding Okahao constituency councillor Asser Hango over the weekend reflected on Kapenambili’s role in the liberation struggle, recalling how the two went into exile together in the 1980s. “We served as political commissars before returning to Namibia at independence,” Hango said. Kapenambili also served as Swapo’s Omusati regional coordinator, Okahao district coordinator, and remained active in party structures until his retirement from public office in 2015. PRICEY ROAD TRIP In February this year, The Namibian reported that the government spent about N$30 million to transport founding president Sam Nujoma’s body to seven of the country’s 14 regions. Additionally, each of the 14 regions reportedly received N$500 000 to organise Nujoma’s memorial services. The media reported in the past that liberation struggle hero Andimba Toivo ya Toivo’s funeral cost the government N$3 million, followed by N$2 million being spent on former minister Rosalia Nghidinwa’s funeral at Rundu, and N$1.5 million on Kunene regional governor Angelika Muharukua’s funeral. The post Lavish state funerals face scrutiny amid rising public criticism appeared first on The Namibian.

#StateFunerals #PublicCriticism #GovernmentSpending #NationalHonours #Namibia