Justicia Shipena
Political analyst Ben Mulongeni says the late Moses Amweelo, a former minister and liberation struggle veteran, deserved a state funeral.
He questioned why President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah did not use her constitutional powers to grant him the honour.
Amweelo died at the age of 73 in June at Lady Pohamba Private Hospital in Windhoek after battle with cancer.
He was buried over the weekend, shortly after Cabinet announced a moratorium on official funerals until March 2026 to allow for a review of the criteria used to grant such honours.
While Cabinet clarified that the President retains the constitutional power to confer national honours, Mulongeni believes that power should have been used in Amweelo’s case.
“I cannot comment because I want to know whether the power the president has reserved for her or for him [Amweelo] has been now exceptionally exercised because that’s what people expect because that was a full minister and a liberation freedom fighter,” said Mulongeni.
He said Amweelo had multiple reasons that justified a state funeral.
“So there are more reasons than one reason to deserve something like that. But if they have called the team, what’s the use of saying that the president still has that right to do so? If they are saying, Yeah, we are making exceptions for Amweelo, I would understand what they are saying now.”
Mulongeni said the public and political comrades are seeking clarity on the matter.
“Will that president now exercise that power too, according to Amweelo? Or what? We want to know. The people want to hear that. And comrades want to hear that. And Namibia is also at large to hear because he was serving the country as a higher-level member of the cabinet.”
He acknowledged the cost of state and official funerals but raised concern about transparency and fairness in how they are awarded.
“And anyway, my take on that is it is true that those state funerals, official funerals, they are costly for the taxpayers money and to the country. Very costly. And one, particularly when there is none, Namibians do not understand whether there is consistency according to different people. Criteria are not clear to everybody. That’s the biggest problem.”
He said many Namibians are unsure of who qualifies for what kind of honour, which creates confusion and frustration.
“So we don’t know already who qualifies for that. That’s the biggest problem because Namibians at large, they don’t know. Taxpayers at large don’t know who qualifies for what.”
Mulongeni said some individuals with long-standing service are overlooked, while others with lesser contributions are honoured.
“And that’s the biggest problem. Because there seem to be double standards. There are people that you know: the commanders, the freedom fighters, and then those who think they will be the first to go to Heroes’ Acre; they are not there. Then you see an activist, simply an activist, and he is honoured or given a state funeral. So I’ve seen, it’s sort of given to traditional leaders, teachers apparently, and then, you know, you don’t know. Commanders, former police officers with her, councillors – you don’t know who deserves that. That’s the biggest problem. And I appreciate that. And I admit that they must be reviewed.”
He said while the review is necessary, flexibility is still needed.
“But in the meantime, when they are being reviewed, yeah? Hello? Yes. Heroes don’t stop dying. Heroes are not going to stop dying because we are reviewing. There’s a need for flexibility.”
He warned that failure to apply the president’s powers fairly could lead to accusations of bias and hypocrisy.
“You hear tomorrow they are saying he did all his hard work. So that means your statement will contradict your actions. Your actions – or, your non-action – will contradict your statement because in the speeches that, you know, we hear, it said he did a lot. And we thought a state funeral was for those who did a lot. So then all those statements from tomorrow, they will be useless and hypocritical. They will not speak to our action.”
Mulongeni said Amweelo’s contributions to national development should not be ignored.
“But if the president got reserved powers, then she should accord Amweelo a state funeral.”
A week ago, Nandi-Ndaitwah extended her condolences to the family of the late Amweelo. However, her statement did not mention whether there were plans to accorded a state funeral to Amweelo.
Back in 2021, political commentators urged the government to act as funeral costs began to rise, largely due to COVID-19-related deaths.
That year, the government overspent its funeral budget by N$5 million.
In April of this year, Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare stated that state and official funerals would cost taxpayers N$38.4 million during the 2024/2025 financial year.
The Office of the Prime Minister spent N$39.8 million on 38 funerals, Independence Day, and Heroes Day celebrations from its N$1.1 billion annual budget.
In 2023, the government spent N$2.1 million on 23 state funerals during the 2022/2023 financial year. In February, N$30 million was spent to transport founding president Sam Nujoma’s body to seven regions. Each of the 14 regions received N$500,000 to organise memorial services.
Other notable state funerals include N$3 million for Andimba Toivo ya Toivo, N$2 million for former minister Rosalia Nghidinwa, and N$1.5 million for Kunene governor Angelika Muharukua.
To guide the review process, Cabinet approved the formation of a committee with no more than seven members. The Prime Minister, in consultation with the Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, the Presidency, and the Attorney General, will propose the committee’s members and terms of reference.
Last week, former cabinet minister Helmut Angula said the moratorium appears aimed at cutting costs but may raise fairness concerns.
Amweelo was born on 25 May 1952 in Okatana in the Oshana Region.
He was a long-serving Swapo politician, a member of the National Assembly from 2000, and Minister of Works, Transport and Communication.
