Windhoek
Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), Secretary for Information and Publicity, Jeremiah Nambinga, has urged government and parastatals to take steps to fill up existing vacancies to reduce high unemployment and poverty.
“We demand that vacancies in ministries and parastatals must be filled by graduates that are roaming the streets to reduce unemployment and poverty,” he stated this week.
He said the party is reliably informed there are some high-profile officials within government that keep positions vacant while waiting for their relatives and friends to clock enough years for promotion into these positions.
“It is unreasonable for some officials to reserve vacancies in the ministries for their children who are still at school and or waiting to complete their studies,” stated Nambinga.
“Let those graduates who have completed their studies be employed without any delay,” he added.
He said nepotism in the ministries and parastatals is rampant and must be eradicated in order to allow the new entrants into the job market and the opportunity to work and earn a living.
“Employment opportunities must be accessed on merit. We cannot move this country forward unless we recognize that skill, knowledge and expertise are the drivers of socio-economic success,” he said.
He further called on President Hage Geingob to instruct the ministries, offices, agencies and government parastatals to employ the graduates in those vacant positions without hesitation.
He said the Ministry of Labour should make available the skills and qualifications audit to the public and match the job applicants with the available vacancies in the public sector.
He added the ongoing practice of reserving vacancies for the select few while crying about lack of employment opportunities and wide-spread poverty must be something of the past.
However, he said all public service officials must be reminded that they are maintained in those offices they occupy by the tax-payers money.
“As such, they must change their attitudes and work ethics and satisfy the expectations of the society,” he concluded.