TILENI MONGUDHI
BUSINESSMAN and Swapo functionary Josef Andreas and his alleged sway over the party and government affairs have come under the spotlight. His comrades in the ruling party are now questioning his motives, with some crying ‘state capture’.
Those in the know even claim that he will have a hand in how incoming President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will structure her Cabinet.
The businessman from Grootfontein has now become a household name in Swapo circles, and nothing seems to happen within the party without his blessing lately, or so his detractors claim. His face also featured in a video with Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) leader Abel Amutse and Swapo secretary general Sophia Shaningwa’s aide Tangeni ‘Cadas’ Haindongo threatening to remove Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) leader Immanuel Nashinge’s remaining eye.
Nashinge and Shaningwa were recorded to have had a verbal altercation earlier that afternoon at the ECN building, leading to the Swapo SG’s cavalry of Andreas, Haindongo and Amutse angrily confronting the IPC national spokesperson.
A few days thereafter, Andreas also featured in videos being alongside Shaningwa when the electoral body announced the election results.
To Shangingwa’s own admission, Andreas is just the Swapo district treasurer at Grootfontein. He is not a member of the party secretariat; he is not in the party politburo nor in its central committee.
However, his comrades claim that he is way too influential and appears to have the power to overrule some of the party’s national structures, like its think tank and finance department.
The Issue was reliably informed that he was responsible for paying the suppliers who provided services during last year’s campaign. Shaningwa flatly dismissed this allegation, saying, “the signatories to the party accounts are the SG, deputy SG and secretary for finance.”
The Swapo SG also dismissed claims of Andreas’ involvement in the appointment of ministers or that she enabled him such powers.
“I must inform you that the power to appoint Cabinet solely lies with the President and it is far-fetched to think that a secretary general can delegate constitutional powers of the president to another person,” she said.
BABY BLUE
The Issue has learnt that some in the party corridors often refer to him as ‘Baby Blue’. This is derived from the colour of his slick Range Rover. The name is allegedly code for he who should not be questioned.
“When people are not happy with a party directive or decisions and someone is questioning it, the comrades just say the directive comes from ‘Baby Blue’. The person questioning would instantly keep quiet and stop asking questions,” said a Swapo leader who operates at the party’s national structures.
However, he also prominently featured when Swapo and the government held a four-day retreat to map out an implementation plan for the party’s 2024 election manifesto, held last month.
At government level, senior government officials told The Issue that Andreas is referred to as Elon Musk by a number of executive directors and parastatal bosses.
South African-born tech billionaire Elon Musk spent at least US$270 million to help Donald Trump win the US presidency. He was then put in charge of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), where he was given unfettered access to government information while at the same time doing business with that government.
At least one parastatal executive complained to The Issue about Andreas being “overbearing and using his proximity to both Shaningwa and president-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to intimidate SOEs into giving into his demands”.
The Issue has learnt he has also been receiving and briefing parastatal boards at Old Statehouse on behalf of Nandi-Naitwah. This gatekeeping role has also irked some of his comrades.
“These people making these jokes should please stop,” Andreas said in his emailed response. He said the bulk of the allegations against him were “absolutely ridiculous”. He said there was no way a district treasurer, as he is, would have the power or privilege to appoint ministers or members of government. “These functions are only performed by the president of this country as per our constitution,” he said.
He also denied having any involvement in government processes or the employment of officials at government agencies or parastatals.
“I have no role in government, nor do I have any role in the office of the Vice President and whoever says I have any role must provide you with my appointment letter or my job description,” read Andreas’ emailed response.
MEATCO TURNAROUND
A few weeks ago, a WhatsApp text of about four paragraphs started making the rounds. It was first circulated on the ruling party groups. The text states that it was authored by businessman Ben Hauwanga, well known as BH.
In the text, Hauwanga purportedly praises another ‘Swapo businessman’, Josef Andreas, for being behind the successful turnaround of the Meat Corporation of Namibia’s (Meatco) fortunes to the point that the parastatal made a profit of N$111 million.
The text message stated that it was Andreas’s strategic leadership, determination and resilience on the board that led to Meatco’s new fortunes. The text states that Andreas was “downplayed, doubted, and criticised, yet he remained steadfast, strategic and focused on the bigger picture”.
The text has attracted criticism. Some in the party have also started questioning the newly elected party president to stay clear of the business people who are seemingly close to her.
Both Hauwanga and Andreas have been in Nandi-Ndaitwah’s camp as she tried to secure her reelection as Swapo vice president during the 2022 elective congress. They are allegedly responsible for screening who the president-elect gives an audience to.
The two’s alleged manoeuvring has brought into question her ability to rid the party of unscrupulous characters, fight corruption and bring about integrity amongst the party leadership.
Nandi-Ndaitwah’s victory at the 2022 Swapo elective congress was brought about by a promise to fight corruption, and she was portrayed as the ‘clean candidate’ who is not surrounded by questionable businesspeople, as opposed to her opponent Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
“None of the two people are working in my office. All my appointments are made through my secretary and PA,” she said in a text response to detailed questions last week. Nandi-Ndaitwah added that those who claim to have been prohibited from seeing her should call her office directly. “With that response the rest of your questions become redundant,” she said.
THE A-TEAM DÉJÀ VU
Complaints about the conduct of businesspeople close to the incoming president are not new.
The period between 2011 and 2014 saw businesspeople aligned to late President Hage Geingob flourish. The businesspeople and politicians aligned to Geingob at the time were referred to as ‘The A-Team,’ and they faced the same allegations. At the time, Geingob was accused of ignoring state and party functionaries and only listening to his businessman friends. People like Armas Amukwiyu, Desmond Amunyela, Sacky Shanghala, Vaino Nghipondoka and Knowledge Katti were said to have been so powerful that they could influence Cabinet appointments as well as other appointments, such as executive directors and parastatal chiefs.
The businessmen friends were accused of using their proximity to Geingob to gain undue advantages in their business dealings. A case in point was when Geingob, in his second stint as prime minister, attempted to influence the sale of the Navachab mine in favour of a consortium where his friend and benefactor Katti was a part of.
