Justicia Shipena
The Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) chief executive officer Martin Inkumbi says a past internal fraud case at the fund served as a painful reminder that ethical lapses can undo years of progress and damage institutional credibility.
In 2023, GIPF suspended an employee for suspected benefits payment fraud amounting to N$124,000.
A year earlier, the Fund had launched an internal investigation after detecting possible fraudulent activities related to beneficiary payments. Another N$17 million fraud case involving former employees is before the court.
Speaking during the Global Ethics Day 2025 commemoration in Windhoek this week, Inkumbi said the case, which involved two employees exploiting control gaps for personal gain, reinforced the importance of integrity, transparency, and accountability.
“That case was a painful reminder that ethical lapses can undo years of progress and damage institutional credibility,” Inkumbi said.
“We responded with transparency, accountability, and reform by tightening controls, improving oversight, and reinforcing our culture of honesty.”
He urged employees to report control weaknesses instead of taking advantage of them.
“When you see control weaknesses, report them. Do not exploit them. Let us all be guardians of the Fund’s integrity,” he said.
The event, held under the theme Ethics Re-envisaged, also marked the launch of a new whistleblower tool aimed at strengthening accountability and promoting a culture of ethical conduct at GIPF.
Inkumbi said the new platform, managed by Deloitte Namibia, replaces the Ethics Helpdesk, a South African-owned company that previously handled whistleblowing services for the fund. The system allows reporting in multiple Namibian languages, making it more accessible to staff across regions.
“The new whistleblower tool will enhance transparency, accountability, and the culture of speaking up without fear,” he said.
He called on employees and stakeholders to use the platform responsibly and avoid disclosing confidential information through the media.
“The whistleblower platform exists to expose genuine concerns about unethical conduct, not to settle personal grievances or spread misinformation. Media disclosures may harm the Fund’s image without ensuring that wrongdoers are held accountable.”
Inkumbi warned that while technology had improved the Fund’s efficiency, it also brought new risks such as cyber threats and data breaches.
He encouraged employees to see ethics not as a burden but as a competitive advantage.
“Let us commit to turning our principles into progress, our values into action, and our ethics into better outcomes for the Fund, our members, and the nation at large,” he said.
At the same event, prime minister Elijah Ngurare urged GIPF to strengthen ethical governance and ensure its investments benefit Namibians, saying the fund carries both national hopes and the country’s development aspirations.
Ngurare said unethical conduct and corruption undermine socio-economic progress and rob citizens of resources meant to improve their lives.
“It is unfortunate that GIPF has had its share of unethical challenges. That should be our guiding motto, that never again should greed and selfishness overwhelm our patriotic resolve to serve the nation to the best of our ability,” he said.
He urged the GIPF board of trustees to strengthen internal controls and lead by example.
“Our humble plea to the Board of Trustees is to close loopholes, ensure efficient internal controls, and lead by example. Corruption is a result of unethical conduct that negatively impacts socio-economic development. It robs our country of infrastructure and resources that were meant to improve the living conditions of our people,” Ngurare said.
“We cannot achieve the dreams of our fellow Namibians when we are trapped in unethical behaviour and corrupt dealings. Poor service delivery is also corruption,” he added.
GIPF manages N$193 billion in assets belonging to more than 100 000 members and 53 000 pensioners.
Ngurare called for more local investment, saying Namibians should benefit from their contributions while still alive.
“It is the money of the Namibian people. They sweat for it from sunrise to sunset every day. Let them derive benefits from it while they are still alive.”
