President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has dismissed any assertions, implicit or explicit, linking her relatives to having control or interests in Namibia’s oil and gas sector.
Nandi-Ndaitwah also demanded a public retraction and apology or presentation of “credible and verifiable evidence” to support the claims.
The Head of State was responding to an recent incident in which journalist and founder of The Whistle, an online media outlet, Jemima Beukes, was removed from State House after questioning the purported ties the First Family has to the oil and gas sector.
Responding to what she described as “misleading allegations published online and in print media”, Nandi-Ndaitwah said: “I state categorically and without reservation that my children have no interests, direct or indirect, in the oil and gas sector”.
She then placed the onus on those making the allegations to backbone them with evidence or retract and apologise.
“I, therefore, require that the journalist concerned retract the statement and issue a public apology, or, in the alternative, present credible and verifiable evidence to substantiate the allegations,” she stated.
The seasoned diplomat also addressed the broader question of her family’s participation in the Namibian economy.
“For the record, like any Namibian citizen, my children have the full and equal right to participate in the country’s economy. They do so to contribute to national development, the well-being of our people, and their own lawful livelihoods,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah was unfazed, adding that, “We will not be faulted for exercising this right as long as it is done within the confines of the law”.