WINDHOEK – The selection process for the 2015 Cabinet has gone up a gear with the President-elect, Dr Hage Geingob, saying he is currently going through the CVs of the 77 Swapo Party members heading to the National Assembly come March 21.
However, there are 10 politicians on the Swapo parliamentary list who are yet to submit their CVs, a fact that is vexing Geingob who yesterday in a statement said “the process of analysing the qualifications and skills of the Swapo Party National Assembly members is being hampered” by the 10 politicians who did not submit their CVs.
Geingob says the people’s overwhelming vote for Swapo during the 2014 presidential and National Assembly elections – in which Swapo and Geingob got all-time record votes – has placed “an unprecedented level of expectation for the incoming President and the members of his Cabinet to perform at a high level and take the nation towards economic prosperity”.
“It is for this reason that I requested the members’ CVs in order for me to gauge their respective qualifications, competencies, skills and aptitudes, so that they may be deployed in a manner which will make full use of their individual talents,” Geingob said.
Geingob made the request for CVs in December 2014 in a written appeal for assistance to Swapo secretary general Nangolo Mbumba.
Although the majority of the CVs were submitted on time, the 10 outstanding CVs caused Geingob to bemoan the apparent slothfulness of public officials.
“Laxity of officials has, and will continue to be the Achilles heel of many administrations, which cannot be tolerated,” the incoming president said.
“We are at a crucial stage in our democracy and cannot afford to delay matters. It is therefore incumbent upon those involved in this process to see that important matters, such as this one, are treated with the utmost urgency,” he said.
The politicians still to submit their CVs are the current Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Bernard Esau, Minister of Lands and Resettlement Alpheus !Naruseb, Finance Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Transport Minister Errki Nghimtina, current Swapo Chief Whip in the National Assembly Peter Katjavivi, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry Anna Shiweda, Namibia Training Authority executive Anna Hipondoka, parliamentarian Sophia Swartz, Otjozondjupa education director Faustina Caley, and Marina Kandume.