By Benjamin Wickham
Fishrot scandal: A tale of corruption and its impact on Namibia’s fishing industry
Windhoek, Feb. 28 — The Fishrot scandal, named after a 2019 Wikileaks release called the “Fishrot Files”, has been described as the biggest corruption scandal in Namibia’s history. The scandal stretches from Namibia to Iceland and involves government ministers, politicians and businessmen who are accused of running schemes to get control of valuable fishing quotas, including those held by the state fishing company, Fishcor. It is alleged that they then diverted them to the Icelandic fishing company, Samherji, in return for kickbacks. The scandal has caused immense damage to the Namibian fishing industry, and the country is now preparing for the biggest corruption trial in its short history.
With nearly 1,600km (1,000 miles) of the South Atlantic coastline, fishing is one of Namibia’s main industries, accounting for about 20% of export earnings. In the Fishrot scandal, politicians and businessmen are accused of manipulating fishing quotas, which are very lucrative in Namibia. The scandal has damaged the wider Namibian fishing industry, causing job losses and the loss of government revenue that should have been used to assist the poorest in one of the most unequal societies in the world.
Ex-Justice minister Sakeus Shangala (L) seen here with ex-Fishcor director James Hatuikulipi at one of the court hearings that have preceded the trial
The scandal first broke in November 2019 when WikiLeaks shared over 30,000 documents leaked by a former Samherji manager in Namibia, Johannes Stefansson. He alleged that the company had colluded with a group of influential figures to get access to the fishing quotas at below the market price. The slow legal process is expected to end up in a court soon, but it is also having a real-world impact.
The impact of the scandal can be seen in places like Walvis Bay, the country’s principal harbour. Many companies in Namibia’s crowded fishing sector took a hit. Even those who may have had nothing to do with the scheme have been affected, as Fishcor’s practices were brought into question. Princess Brand Processing (PBP), one of the biggest fish factories in sub-Saharan Africa, they are still struggling. PBP catches horse mackerel, a species sold widely on the African market and brings the fish to shore for processing. It has taken a labour-intensive approach that has created 650 jobs. When the Fishrot scandal broke, the company lost a huge quota allocation that had been agreed with Fishcor.
The scandal has had a devastating impact on ordinary people’s lives, with many losing their jobs, and fishermen and their families suffering financial hardship. The scandal has highlighted the need for transparency and accountability in the allocation of fishing quotas, and for stronger measures to tackle corruption in Namibia’s fishing industry. The government needs to ensure that those responsible for the scandal are brought to justice and that measures are put in place to prevent similar corruption scandals in the future.
