TIRI MASAWI
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has approved the new salary structure for Public Office Bearers that commit Namibians to continue paying N$55 560 annually for electricity and water usage by ministers and members of the executive.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah approved the new salary and allowance structure for herself, Vice President, ministers, governors, chairpersons of regional councils, management committees, members of parliament and special ministerial advisors through a government gazette on Tuesday.
The adjustments are effective 1 April 2026.
This is despite the president coming into office on the back of cutting unnecessary expenditure in her tenure. Part of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s cost cutting measures included slashing the cabinet drastically to only 14 portfolios.
The new salary structure for executives also comes at a time when Namibia is struggling to deal with overall unemployment at over 36.9% of the economically active population, while youth unemployment is 44.4% according to the last statistics released by the Namibia Statistics Agency in 2025.
“Under the powers vested in me by section 8 of the Public Office-Bearers (Remuneration and Benefits) Commission Act, after considering the recommendations made by the Public Office-Bearers Commission in terms of section 4 of that Act, I, with effect from 1 April 2026, amend the Proclamation No. 4 of 10 March 2017, as set out in Schedule. Given under my Hand and the Seal of the Republic of Namibia at Windhoek, this 24th day of April, Two Thousand and Twenty-Six,” the proclamation by the president reads in part.
Namibia also faces a severe housing crisis with a backlog of around 300 000 units, with nearly 42% of the population. Thai leaves approximately one million people residing in informal settlements without proper services.
The World Food Programme also projected that a severe, climate-induced food crisis, with approximately 612,000 people (20% of the population) experience high levels of acute food insecurity
The approved structure will see Namibians paying N$48 240 annually to foot the water and electricity bills for deputy ministers.
Tax payers will pay N$55 560 to cover the water and electricity bills for ministers, Director of Intelligence Service , Attorney General, Director General of the National Planning Commission, President and Vice President.
The new salary structure will also see the Prime Minister receiving N$351 175 in housing allowance taking his full salary package to N$1 651 8323 annually.
The Deputy Prime Minister’s housing allowance is now pegged at N$289 957 annually taking the overall salary structure to N$1 349 761.
Ministers will get a housing allowance of N$273 311 and a telephone allowance of N$1440 .The adjustments take the ministers’ annual salary to N$1 342 572.
The President also approved a salary structure that will see tax payers’ paying N$1260 for cell phone bills for the Auditor General, N$1440 for the cell bill of the DG of National Planning Commission, N$1080 for the cellphone bill of deputy ministers , N$864 for cellphone bills of the Chairperson of the National Council. Members of the national council as well as chief of the ruling party.
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