Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security minister Lucia Iipumbu recently directed that all ministry offices remain operational during lunchtime. On the surface, this may seem like a minor administrative adjustment. But in reality, it exposes a deep and chronic crisis within our civil service, a culture that has normalised inefficiency, eroded public trust, and forgotten that service delivery is not a favour to the public but a duty.
A nation held hostage by lunch breaks
For years, ordinary Namibians have stood in endless queues outside government buildings, sometimes under the unforgiving sun, sometimes in the rain, waiting for something as basic as an ID card or a passport. The closure of public offices between 13h00 and 14h00 was not just an inconvenience; it was a declaration of indifference. Citizens who took time off work or travelled long distances were routinely told to “come back after lunch”.
The issue is not about a one-hour lunch break. It is about what that hour represents, a bureaucratic mindset that prioritises comfort over commitment. When the machinery of government grinds to a halt because it is lunchtime, it reflects an institution that has lost sight of its mission. It tells citizens, in effect, ‘Your time doesn’t matter; ours does.’
Minister Iipumbu’s directive: A necessary but overdue step
Minister Iipumbu’s instruction to end the lunchtime shutdown deserves acknowledgement.. It signals leadership that is awake to the frustrations of citizens and willing to act. But let us be clear: this decision is not revolutionary, it is remedial. It’s the kind of reform that should have been standard decades ago.
As the Windhoek Observer noted before, effective governance is not about grand gestures; it’s about doing the basics right. Keeping offices open during business hours is the bare minimum expected of any public service. To celebrate this as progress is like praising a fish for swimming. The real challenge is not the directive itself but ensuring it is implemented across all government departments with discipline and consistency.
The deeper problem: a culture of complacency
The lunchtime closure is merely a symptom of a wider malaise. Across ministries, hospitals, and local authority offices, the same story repeatsitself:, late arrivals, long tea breaks, early departures, and general lethargy masked as procedure. Namibia’s civil service has become a comfort zone for timekeepers rather than nation builders.
Public service, by its nature, demands a sense of urgency, empathy, and accountability. Yet too often, it operates like a private club where efficiency is optional and consequences are rare. Consider the many tragic stories that have become almost folkloric in our national memory: a patient dying in a hospital queue because a nurse was on lunch; a mother forced to deliver her baby in the waiting area because staff were unavailable; or a passport applicant turned away for arriving “too close to lunchtime”.”
These are not anecdotes, they are indictments. They tell us that the crisis is not one of policy but of principle.
Restoring the dignity of service
If Minister Iipumbu’s directive is to be more than a headline, it must be part of a broader culture change within the government. Civil servants are not merely employees; they are custodians of the nation’s well-being. Their desks are the frontlines of democracy, where ordinary citizens encounter the state in its most human form.
The public deserves to be treated with respect, urgency, and professionalism. This means measuring performance, rewarding excellence, and holding underperformers accountable. Ministries must embrace flexible shift systems to ensure continuous service delivery without denying staff their rights to rest. Training programmes should re-emphasise the ethos of public duty, service before self.
Moreover, technology can play a transformative role. Digital applications for passports, IDs, and permits could drastically reduce queues and dependency on manual labour. If the private sector can deliver 24-hour customer service with smaller budgets, surely a national government can ensure uninterrupted public service for its citizens.
Beyond home affairs: A call to all ministries
Minister Iipumbu’s move should be a wake-up call across government. Why should hospitals, police stations, or municipal offices ever close when citizens need them most? Why should the rhythm of public service mirror that of a factory from the 1960s when the world has moved into the digital age?
Every ministry must now conduct an honest audit of its operations. How much time is lost daily to inefficiency? How much public trust is eroded by indifferent service? How many opportunities are missed when citizens spend half their day waiting in line for a stamp or signature?
Accountability begins with leadership
Ultimately, productivity begins at the top. Ministers, permanent secretaries, and directors must model the behaviour they demand. If they arrive late to meetings, miss deadlines, or tolerate underperformance, that attitude trickles down. The rot always begins where accountability ends.
The Namibian civil service must reclaim its sense of mission. Our nation is small, our resources limited, and our challenges vast. We cannot afford a culture that confuses activity with achievement. Citizens are not clients;, they are shareholders in the Namibian dream.
A lunch break too costly
Minister Iipumbu has taken a necessary step toward restoring sanity in one ministry. But this is not just about Home Affairs. It’s about the soul of our public service. When the machinery of the state halts for lunch, the message is clear: the system serves itself, not the people.
If we are to build a Namibia that works, we must first build a civil service that works through lunch, not around it. A hungry stomach can wait an hour, but a nation hungry for progress cannot.
