By: Vitalio Angula

Executive Director, in the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation in the Republic of Namibia, Ambassador Penda Naanda, has defended the recruitment process of 15 Cadet Foreign Relations Officers at the Ministry’s Bilateral Relations Department.

A group of 11 unsuccessful candidates lodged a formal complaint on the 2^nd of September accusing the Ministry of “deception and running a recruitment process that turned out to be technically compromised and procedurally unfair” according to a news report in The Villager Tabloid Newspaper which is owned by the political aspirant and former SWAPO Party Central Committee member, John Walenga.

Among the complaints were that although the positions advertised were for the bilateral department, 60 percent of the questions on the written test, which was administered on the 17^th of August 2021, had to do with multilateral issues of foreign diplomacy.

In a written response to the aggrieved candidates, Naanda said, “All students of International Relations wishing to join the Ministry should at least have an understanding of Namibia’s Policy on International Relations and Cooperation. This policy necessitates that all political officers are versatile with any aspect in international relations”.

Speaking to the Pan Afrikanist news website, Naanda explained that it is disappointing for candidates to believe that they are only required to know one aspect of the Ministry they wish to work for and not know the functions of other departments within the Ministry.

“Once you are hired by the Ministry and a need for a Diplomatic posting arises, it can either be at a multilateral or bilateral organisation. One cannot now stand to reason that because I work in the bilateral department, I will not serve my country at a multilateral organisation. The reasoning is absurd”, Naanda explained. 

Other accusations levelled against the Ministry were that the daughter of the Former Executive Director of International Relations was among the successful candidates appointed and the ministry is “dishing out jobs to relatives of political elites”.

Naanda rubbished these claims and clarified that advertisement, selection, and recruitment are done through set procedures in accordance with the public service act.

He said that although any qualifying candidate has a right to apply regardless of political or family affiliation no daughter of the Former Executive Director was hired in this specific process.

“I know the Former Executive Director as a colleague and I know she has two children and the one alluded to according to my knowledge has a lucrative job in the private sector.

“I do not understand why she would apply for an entry-level position at the Ministry”, Naanda emphasised.

According to Naanda, he sympathises with the candidates who were unsuccessful, however, he bemoaned the fact that the 11 disgruntled would approach the media with unverified claims in order to tarnish the Ministry and settle scores.

“Positions are always opening up at the Ministry, some colleagues are retiring and others are resigning for greener pastures”, Naanda said.

“Not being short-listed and selected is not the end of the world, however, young people resort to mudslinging and character assassination, when they are disappointed in the outcome of a process which was carried out above board following due-process in line with the Public Service Act,” Naanda further said.

“I am not necessarily warning but cautioning the applicants to prepare themselves for many more disappointments in life before they ultimately achieve success”, Naanda said.

Naanda also took issue with the fact that as a Ministry and as Executive Director he was not given a right of reply to the allegations subsequent to publishing, however, the Villager newspaper said that offering a right of reply would be a repetition of the original story which was published on the front page of the Villager on the 18 September.

The Ministry called for the position of Foreign Relations Cadets during March 2020.

Some 2523 applications were received out of which 753 were shortlisted. A total of 575 showed up for the written test of which 41 were shortlisted for the written interview.

Among the 41, fifteen (15) were recommended for final appointment in early September.

VNV

Windhoek

Namibia