Martin Endjala
The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security has refuted recent allegations circulating on social media regarding the acquisition of land where its headquarters are built unlawfully, terming the allegations baseless and defamatory.
The social media message in question states that the Ministry’s new headquarters was allegedly built on the ruling party Swapo’s land and that the party had plans to build its headquarters there before abandoning the project.
The allegation had it that as a result of this, the government is now paying rental fees to Swapo for occupying the party’s land
It is also alleged that taxpayers’ money is being used to keep the ruling party afloat.
The Executive Director of the ministry, Etienne Maritz, described the social media posts as false, malicious and a sensational misleading claim that should never be entertained.
“The Ministry does not pay rent to anyone and the land on which its headquarters was built belongs to the Ministry and not to the Swapo Party,” he reiterated.
He stated that all procedures in securing the land were followed in a transparent manner and strict adherence to the law.
“The Ministry considers the information misleading and the false social media message as propaganda aimed at causing confusion and discontent among the citizens of our country as well as to harm the ministry’s good image.
The public is, therefore, cautioned to be vigilant and not to entertain this kind of misleading and malicious information,” he said.
Maritz reiterated that the Ministry remains committed to upholding transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.
He also urged the public to refrain from spreading misinformation and instead seek accurate information from credible sources
Maritz said that such attempts to undermine the integrity of the Ministry will be met with appropriate action.
