By John K. Disho
WINDHOEK, August 28 – The Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises remains tight-lipped over the NamPost scandal involving more than N$100 million in unreturned pension and grant funds dating back to 2009.
NamPost has failed to submit reconciliation reports for unclaimed pension payouts, including funds meant for deceased beneficiaries, which should have been returned to Treasury annually.
Namibia Daily News is in possession of documents containing all these records, which confirm that unclaimed funds from 2009 to 2018 amounted to N$64.6 million, with the largest gap recorded in 2017–2018 at N$23.5 million, while the lowest was in 2011–2012 at N$6.3 million.
Records further reveal the following unreturned amounts: 2009 – N$6.4m, 2010 – N$5.5m, 2011 – N$2.2m, 2012 – N$4m, 2014 – N$4m, 2015 – N$7.7m, 2016 – N$10.9m, 2017 – N$12.4m, and 2018 – N$11m.
The controversy deepened in November 2019 when the Ministry mistakenly transferred payments to NamPost twice. The duplicate transfer has still not been refunded.
Observers note that NamPost continues to rely on manual, cash-over-the-counter disbursements rather than a computerized system, making proper reconciliation difficult.
The Ministry’s silence has drawn criticism, particularly after it announced that NamPost – without going through a tender process – will manage all government social grants from October 2025. Some parliamentarians have slammed the decision as reckless, given the unresolved financial discrepancies.
When Namibia Daily News first reported the scandal, the Ministry dismissed it as “fake.” However, questions sent to the Ministry’s Executive Director and NamPost’s Acting CEO last week remain unanswered.
– Namibia Daily News
