Rudolf Gaiseb
The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) president Panduleni Itula has found there is a N$9.3 billion wastage in the national budget.
He said it is the total projected savings that IPC has identified as achievable within the 2026/2027 national budget alone.
“This amount primarily relates to specific allocations within the budget that we have identified as areas of wasteful expenditure or inefficiency. These are funds allocated for various government activities that, in our assessment, can be significantly reduced or reprioritised without compromising essential services,” Itula said.
He added that this money is wasted through travel and subsistence allowances, workshops, politician pay increases and looting. Revised estimates for the current financial year show revenue projections dropping from N$89.4 billion to N$87.4 billion. In his 2026/27 budget analysis speech, Itula said, under an IPC government, from the “wasted” billions, they would channel N$3.1 billion to grants, with N$3000 going to every pensioner.
This can be achieved by freezing the travel bonanza, cutting S&T by half, ending workshop tourism and cancelling politician pay increases.
Itula said he would have made a N$2 billion investment in the development of a Kudu aquifer to ensure water for all and another N$2 billion into schools and development while channelling N$1.5 billion towards youth employment.
He also envisaged reducing borrowing to address the country’s spiralling debt with the N$732 million.
The opposition leader stated that Namibia is not poor, and while the median Namibian household earns between N$5000 and N$8000 a month, the government collects enough money to give every family of five almost N$17 000 a month, “more than double what most families earn”.
He noted that the government holds N$58 billion in equity in 73 State-owned enterprises (SOEs).
“Do you know how much those SOEs give back? One billion. A return of 1.77%. A savings account at any bank in this country would give you more, and of that N$1 billion, 83% comes from just two entities: Mobile Telecommunication Company and the Bank of Namibia. The other 65 SOEs? “Virtually nothing,” Itula said.
He also took the platform to remind the president of the promised 50 000 housing units in five years, 10 000 per year.
“In the reporting period, 1 514 units were constructed. At that rate, it will take not five years but 33 years to reach the target,” he underscored.
Itula also criticised the government for spending more money on workshops that cost N$224 million alone than on other important areas like water.
“How much of the budget goes to water? One per cent. The government spends more on flying officials to workshops than it spends on the entire operational budget of the ministry of water,” he said.
He also criticised the government for allegedly breaking the promise to increase the pension to N$3 000, a promise made during the 2024 presidential and national assembly election campaign.
“Our aim is to highlight where fiscal discipline can be immediately applied to free up substantial resources that can then be redeployed to critical sectors such as old-age pensions, water infrastructure, youth employment, education and health services. We believe that by implementing the measures outlined in our ‘Business as Unusual Budget’, Namibia can achieve significant fiscal reform and redirect funds towards initiatives that directly benefit our citizens,” said Itula.
The promise was made to honour the late president Hage Geingob, who brought about the idea.
“The finance minister herself told Parliament it is ‘unaffordable’.
But in the same budget, Swapo found N$58 million for politicians’ pay increases… Swapo found N$681 million for travel allowances so that officials can attend workshops at coastal lodges,” he said.
During her state of the nation address last year, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah made a “difficult” decision in the last financial year not to increase the old-age social grants.
“This is due to the urgent need to prioritise our children and the young people by constructing sports infrastructure and funding youth-related empowerment initiatives that will lead to job creation for our youth,” she said.
She added, “I give you my assurances that the incremental increase of our old-age social grants will start during this medium-term expenditure framework”.
Just last week, finance minister Ericah Shafudah tabled a N$104 billion budget, announcing a N$100 increase for pensioners onto the current 1 600, effective 1 April 2026.