Namibia’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Land Reform, Mac-Albert Hengari, has resigned following his arrest, the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) reported on Sunday.
Hengari, who served just 27 days after being appointed by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on March 22, was arrested on Saturday along with another individual.
According to NBC, Police Inspector General, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, confirmed that Hengari is facing 11 charges, including kidnapping, rape, and assault. Formal charges were expected to be filed on Sunday, with a court appearance scheduled for Monday.
While specific details were not immediately disclosed, NBC reported that Hengari allegedly tried to bribe a victim to withdraw accusations related to repeated sexual contact with a minor between 2019 and September 2024. The person arrested alongside Hengari is reportedly a relative of the victim.
Shikongo stated that the circumstances left the police with “no option” but to take the minister into custody.
Hengari’s resignation marks a rare but notable case of a Namibian minister stepping down following criminal allegations. It draws comparisons to the 2019 “Fishrot” scandal, which led to the resignations of former ministers Sacky Shanghala and Bernhard Esau, who were implicated in a major corruption case involving bribery and money laundering in the fishing sector.
