Renthia Kaimbi
Education, innovation, youth, sports, arts and culture minister, Sanet Steenkamp has been accused of irregularly appointing Uhuru Dempers as her “special advisor on youth matters”, with sources claiming he is being paid by the ministry without following proper recruitment procedures.
Sources say Dempers has been attending meetings with and on behalf of Steenkamp since October 2025, while referring to himself as her special advisor.
An internal source said while Dempers’ role at the National Youth Council (NYC) is unclear, his involvement is allegedly intrusive rather than constructive.
During last month’s representative council meeting in Gobabis, he allegedly lobbied on behalf of the interim board led by Patience Masua, for its members to be allowed to automatically stand for election to the substantive board at next week’s general assembly.
This move, the source said, is not provided for by the NYC Act, Act 3 of 2009 and was subsequently rejected at the meeting.
“He was brought in to lobby faith-based affiliates to favour a certain candidate at the forthcoming general assembly, alongside the pro-NANSO interim board that was appointed by Sanet,” the source claimed.
Dempers is said to be a founding member of the Namibia National Students Organisation (NANSO) and has previously served on the National Advisory Council on Education through civil society organisations – a position that, though held through appointment, is not remunerated.
“The minister must clarify his appointment, because as far as I am concerned, she doesn’t have the powers to appoint a special advisor as those powers are fully vested in President Nandi-Ndaitwah as head of the public service,” said another source.
In a formal response dated 4 June 2026 addressed to Windhoek Observer, executive director in the youth ministry, Gerard Vries denied that Dempers holds a political appointment.
According to Vries, Dempers is not an employee and does not occupy an established position within the ministry.
Instead, he was allegedly engaged as an independent consultant to provide advisory, support and facilitation services related to the reform, restructuring and repositioning of the NYC.
Attendance registers seen by the Windhoek Observer confirm that Dempers attended numerous board meetings and other NYC-related events since his alleged appointment.
“What then, is an independent consultant doing attending internal board meetings of a state owned enterprise?” a source asked.
Sources further questioned why the tender for the consultancy Dempers is providing was not publicly advertised and why, as it seems, he was handpicked.
The ministry explained that the consultancy was necessitated by urgent governance, institutional and operational challenges affecting the NYC, including the implementation of an out-of-court settlement, governance stabilisation, legislative review, organisational restructuring, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement and preparations for the NYC general assembly.
Vries stated that the consultancy has since been extended to ensure continuity in implementing ongoing reforms and to support critical deliverables ahead of the NYC General Assembly scheduled for 19-22 June 2026, which is expected to elect a new substantive board.
The ministry further disclosed that the NYC is currently undertaking the recruitment of a substantive Director and Company Secretary as part of the broader institutional stabilisation programme.
“Mr. Dempers was not appointed as a ‘special advisor on youth matters’,” Vries stated.
“He was engaged as a consultant under a time-bound consultancy agreement for a specific assignment relating to the National Youth Council reform process.”
As a consultant, the ministry added, Dempers is not part of the staff establishment and was not recruited through the Public Service recruitment process applicable to permanent employees.
His engagement was supposedly processed through the applicable methods and approval mechanisms governing consultancy services.
Vries did not clarify which relevant laws necessitated the handpicking of an independent consultant, nor did he confirm whether Steenkamp obtained an exemption from the ministry of finance for the emergency procurement of Dempers’s services.
The ministry justified the selection of Dempers on the basis of his extensive experience, noting that he possesses more than two decades of senior leadership and management experience, including service as executive director of the Namibia NGO Forum (NANGOF), leadership roles in regional development programmes across Southern Africa, and participation in national policy and governance initiatives.
His institutional knowledge of youth development structures and governance systems, the ministry said, was considered critical for the successful implementation of the NYC reform process within required timelines.
When asked whether a minister can appoint their own special advisors, the ministry responded that such appointments are governed by the applicable laws, policies and procedures and are distinct from the procurement of consultancy services.
In this case, Vries reiterated, Dempers was not appointed as a special advisor but was engaged as a consultant to provide specialised technical and advisory services in support of the NYC reform process.
Under Namibian law, the appointment of special advisors is governed by Article 32(3)(i)(hh) of the Namibian Constitution read with the Special Advisors and Regional Governors Appointment Act of 1990.
That legal framework vests the appointing authority exclusively in the President, who may appoint any individual to serve as a Special Advisor to the President, the Cabinet, or any specific minister.
Such appointees hold office at the President’s pleasure, and their roles are strictly advisory without legislative or executive decision-making powers.
Dempers could not be reached for comment as his available phone number seemingly does not exist. The NYC had also not responded to questions sent to clarify Dempers’ role at the time of publication.
