Namibia’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Mac-Albert Hengari, has resigned after his arrest.
The Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) reported this on Sunday, quoting the Press Secretary at the Presidency, Alfredo Hengari.
Mac-Albert Hengari had served for just 27 days, after being appointed by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on March 22.
According to NBC, Hengari was arrested on Saturday along with another individual.
“Police Inspector General, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, said Hengari would face formal charges on Sunday and is expected to appear in court on Monday,” NBC reported.
While Shikongo did not immediately state the reasons for the arrest, he confirmed Hengari was under investigation for 11 charges, including kidnapping, rape, and assault.
NBC further reported that Hengari was arrested after allegedly trying to bribe a victim to withdraw a case involving repeated sexual contact with a minor between 2019 and September 2024.
Shikongo said the circumstances left the police with “no option” but to detain the former minister.
He also confirmed that the second individual arrested is related to the victim.
Hengari’s resignation adds to the few cases in Namibia where ministers have stepped down following arrests.
In 2019, former ministers Sacky Shanghala and Bernhard Esau resigned after being implicated in the major “Fishrot” corruption scandal involving allegations of bribery and money laundering in the fishing sector.
