Namibian MP denounces double standards in parliamentary discipline
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Windhoek Observer
Namibian MP Esther Haikola-Sakaria of Affirmative Repositioning challenged on Tuesday the report of the Powers and Privileges Committee targeting NUDO MP Vetaruhe Kandorozu, asking why no proceedings were opened against Swapo MP Ephraim Nekongo over remarks made in 2025. Kandorozu is being pursued for breaching Rule 97 of the National Assembly’s rules during debates on 4 March 2026.
MP Esther Haikola-Sakaria, a member of opposition party Affirmative Repositioning (AR), on Tuesday challenged the disciplinary proceedings against Vetaruhe Kandorozu, a member of the National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO), accusing the Namibian National Assembly of applying its rules differently depending on political affiliation. She asked why no similar proceedings had been brought against Ephraim Nekongo, an MP from the ruling Swapo party, over remarks he allegedly made in the chamber on 2 May 2025, according to the Windhoek Observer.
The proceedings against Kandorozu concern events during debates on 4 March 2026, when he allegedly breached Rule 97 of the National Assembly’s rules. Haikola-Sakaria also challenged the report of the Powers and Privileges Committee, asking whether Dino Ballotti, the MP to whom Kandorozu’s remarks were allegedly addressed, had been heard. She also said photographs circulated on social media showed Kandorozu and Ballotti reconciled, according to the Windhoek Observer.
Esther Haikola-Sakaria said disciplinary measures should be applied consistently, regardless of political affiliation, and warned against what she considers disproportionate targeting of opposition MPs, according to the Windhoek Observer.
The case comes after the election of Vetaruhe Kandorozu, a NUDO MP in Namibia, who had already been mentioned in a parliamentary case in August. Namibian MP Vetaruhe Kandorozu calls for probe into electrocutions was published on 7 August 2026.
