Patience Makwele
The unanimous approval of Bryan Eiseb as the next director general of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) by the National Assembly on Friday was accompanied by an unusually united warning from lawmakers that the commission must shed perceptions of selective justice and restore public confidence by pursuing corruption without fear, favour or political interference.
While members across the political divide backed Eiseb’s appointment, the debate evolved into a broader indictment of the ACC’s record over the past two decades, with lawmakers accusing the institution of allowing politically connected corruption to go unpunished while focusing on less influential offenders.
Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) Member of Parliament Tuhafeni Vaino said Parliament’s endorsement should not be interpreted as unconditional confidence in the commission.
“We are wary of the torturous two decades of sweeping corruption under the carpet. We are wary of the net that catches the small fish while the big fish slip through,” Vaino said.
He said lawmakers would closely monitor the commission under Eiseb’s leadership, warning that Parliament would become “the pebble in the armpit of the ACC.”
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani said Eiseb’s experience as head of the Financial Intelligence Centre placed him in a strong position to tackle sophisticated financial crimes that have long undermined Namibia’s economy.
“Let’s attack those that are taking N$300 million from our country’s shores through transfer pricing and base erosion rather than attacking the principal that took N$200 from a school,” Venaani said.
He also called on the new ACC leadership to investigate corporate boards accused of enriching themselves through excessive benefits, saying grand corruption should become the commission’s primary focus.
Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader Job Amupanda said the ACC’s work had profound consequences for ordinary citizens and warned against allowing the institution to become a political tool.
“The ACC deals with the lived realities of our people. It is not a simple matter that has to be handled from a partisan perspective,” he said.
Amupanda said Parliament’s support for Eiseb was based on compliance with the Anti-Corruption Act and not a “rubber stamp”, while stressing that the commission must remain independent and apply the law equally.
Meanwhile, leader of the official opposition in parliament, Immanuel Nashinge questioned the government’s justification for extending deputy director general advocate Erna van der Merwe’s contract by one year, saying the Parliament had not been told why the extension was necessary despite the commission carrying more than 100 unresolved corruption cases.
“If unresolved cases are the true reason, that is not justification for extension; it is an indictment of the ACC’s own performance,” Nashinge said, adding that fixed terms provided for in law should not become open-ended through repeated extensions.
Echoing concerns about the commission’s capacity, MP Eneas Emvula said the ACC had lost 22 highly trained investigators in recent years, leaving it weakened at a time when corruption had become increasingly sophisticated.
“We would like to see the ACC abstain more from political influences and take a neutral stance when dealing with corruption cases,” Emvula said.
He argued that the commission required greater resources and institutional independence to effectively investigate corruption in sectors such as mining and fishing.
Several other lawmakers also urged the ACC to focus on grand corruption and resist political interference.
Dawid Christian Eigub warned against the commission being weaponised against opposition parties, while Martin Lukato argued that the process for appointing the ACC director should be made more independent to strengthen public confidence in the institution.
Despite the criticism, MPs said Eiseb’s professional background in financial intelligence and governance equipped him to rebuild public trust in the commission.
The National Assembly approved Eiseb’s nomination without objection. Members also endorsed the one-year extension of advocate Erna Lorraine van der Merwe as deputy director general to provide continuity during the leadership transition.
Closing the debate, Swapo MP Willem Amutenya said the country’s expectations of the new leadership were clear.
“The ACC itself must become an institution that is feared by the corrupt, trusted by the honest, respected by its partners and admired by the Namibian people.”
Both appointments now await the formal confirmation by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
