Sostenus Wilherm
The ministry of works and transport executive director, Jonas Sheelongo, has strongly distanced the ministry from a document circulating in the public domain purportedly detailing engagements between Namibia and Ethiopian Airlines over the establishment of the proposed Namibia Air.
In a media statement issued on Wednesday, Sheelongo said the ministry had taken note of media reports and public commentary surrounding the document, including concerns raised by the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC).
Sheelongo said the document was not an official reflection of the ministry’s position or deliberations.
“The ministry wishes to unequivocally distance itself from the document currently circulating in the public domain. The ministry does not recognise this document as an official, authorised, or accurate reflection of its work, deliberations, or positions,” Sheelongo said.
He further refuted suggestions that the document represented government policy, decisions or any concluded agreement with Ethiopian Airlines.
The statement comes amid growing public scrutiny over Ethiopian Airlines’ possible involvement in the operationalisation and management of Namibia’s planned new national carrier.
Sheelongo confirmed that discussions with Ethiopian Airlines were continuing, alongside consultations with local aviation operators and other relevant stakeholders.
“These engagements form part of a comprehensive and open process to assess the most viable and sustainable model for operationalizing Namibia Air,” Sheelongo said.
He said the engagements were aimed at exploring different forms of technical and strategic cooperation while ensuring that Namibian expertise and national interests remained central to any future arrangement.
According to Sheelongo, no binding commitments have been entered into with any party at this stage.
“It must be emphasised that these discussions are analytic in nature and have covered a broad range of technical and commercial matters. However, no binding commitments have been entered into with any party at this stage,” he said.
Sheelongo said the consultations were aimed at avoiding the mistakes that contributed to the financial collapse and eventual closure of Air Namibia.
“The government is determined to build a financially sustainable, operationally efficient, and commercially viable airline that will serve Namibians for generations to come,” he said.
He also criticised what he described as irresponsible and unethical reporting based on unauthorised material, saying such reporting could mislead the public and undermine the work of the Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee and the Interim Board working on Namibia Air.
Sheelongo called on the media and commentators to verify information before publication, while stressing that constructive scrutiny was welcome when grounded in “accuracy, integrity, and ethical journalism”.
He said official updates on Namibia Air would be provided once decisions had been concluded and authorised for public release.
