Namibia’s president has dismissed agriculture minister Mac Hengari, her office announced Sunday, as reports emerged that he is under investigation for alleged rape.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s statement came as a police spokesperson confirmed media reports that an investigation had been opened into Hengari.
According to reports in the country’s press, a minor has accused him of having raped her. Hengari had only been appointed to the government post in March.
“President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has relieved Hon. Dr. Mac-Albert Hengari of his duties as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform,” the president’s office said in a statement shared on social media.
“The termination of tenure takes effect from Wednesday, 23 April 2025 when Hon. Dr. Mac-Albert Hengari should have tendered his resignation,” it added.
According to Namibian press reports, Hengari may also face prosecution for abduction and abortion, which is illegal in the conservative southern African country.
Namibia’s main opposition party the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) said in a statement that it was “deeply troubled by the arrest of Minister Mac Hengari on allegations of rape, kidnapping, and forced abortion”.
“This scandal represents a profound failure of leadership and exposes the hollowness of government rhetoric on gender-based violence,” the IPC said.
Since March, Namibia has been led by Nandi-Ndaitwah, the first woman to become president of the sparsely populated and uranium-rich country.
The party criticised Nandi-Ndaitwah for appointing Hengari “despite a criminal investigation having allegedly been opened in November 2024”.
Namibia, with a population of three million, recorded 1,378 rapes in 2022, out of a total of 5,356 cases of gender-based violence.
Nandi-Ndaitwah is a veteran of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), which has been in power since independence in 1990.
