Namibia minister sacked over rape charge
Namibia's president has dismissed agriculture minister Mac Hengari, her office announced Sunday, as reports emerged that he is under investigation for alleged rape.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah's statement came as a police spokesperson confirmed media reports that an investigation had been opened into Hengari.
According to reports in the country's press, a minor has accused him of having raped her. Hengari had only been appointed to the government post in March.
"President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has relieved Hon. Dr. Mac-Albert Hengari of his duties as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform," the president's office said in a statement shared on social media.
"The termination of tenure takes effect from Wednesday, 23 April 2025 when Hon. Dr. Mac-Albert Hengari should have tendered his resignation," it added.
According to Namibian press reports, Hengari may also face prosecution for abduction and abortion, which is illegal in the conservative southern African country. AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
3 hours ago
- Express Tribune
More than 1,100 migrants crossed Channel
People on an inflatable dinghy attempt to cross the English Channel to reach Europe. Photo: Reuters Some 1,194 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in small boats, a record for this year according to AFP counting from government data. It brings the overall number of migrant crossings this year to 14,808, an unprecedented figure despite several measures in place by the French and UK governments to curb the crossings. French coastal authorities said they also rescued nearly 200 migrants between late Friday and late Saturday. The latest crossings, which UK Defence Secretary John Healey described as "shocking", fall short of the all-time record of 1,300 migrants arriving on small boats in a day in September 2022. But they will still prove a headache for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been at pains to toughen his rhetoric on irregular immigration amid pressure from the far right to slash migrant numbers. "We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security," the Home Office said in a statement on the latest arrivals. Starmer unveiled tough new immigration policies this month that include doubling the length of time before migrants can qualify for settlement in the country and new powers to deport foreign criminals. The raft of measures was widely seen as an attempt to win back support from voters and fend off threats from the increasingly popular hard-right Reform party. Separate legislation to tackle irregular immigration, called the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, is currently going through parliament. But the latest crossings will be a fresh blow. The overall figure of 14,808 crossings is the highest for the first five months of the year since records began in 2018, when the route into the UK first became popular.
Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
India arrests 81 for 'sympathising' with Pakistan
Listen to article Indian police have arrested scores of people for "sympathising" with Pakistan, a month after the worst conflict between the arch-rivals for decades, a top government official said Sunday. The arrests took place in the northeastern state of Assam, where Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said "81 anti-nationals are now behind bars for sympathising with Pak". Sarma, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist ruling party, said in a statement "our systems are constantly tracking anti-national posts on social media and taking actions". One of the persons was arrested after he posted a Pakistani flag on his Instagram, Assam police told AFP. No further details about other arrests were given. There has been a wider clampdown on social media since an April 22 attack on tourists in IIOJK. Indian media have reported that Assam's government has allegedly rounded up dozens of alleged Bangladeshis in the past month and taken them to the frontier to cross. The Times of India newspaper on Saturday reported that Assam was "dumping them in no-man's land", suggesting that at least 49 had been pushed back between May 27-29 alone. The Assam government has not commented on the reports. Bangladesh, largely encircled by land by India, has seen relations with New Delhi turn icy, after the Dhaka government was toppled in an uprising last year. Bangladesh has also moved closer to China, as well as to Pakistan.
Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
31 dead in Israeli gunfire near aid site
Palestinian rescuers arrive in an ambulance to evacuate injured people after an Israeli drone opened fire on civilian gatherings near an aid distribution point in the central Gaza Strip. PHOTO: AFP Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli gunfire killed at least 31 Palestinians near a US-backed aid distribution site on Sunday. Israel has faced growing condemnation over the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has warned the entire population faces the risk of famine after no aid was allowed to enter for more than two months. Israel recently eased its blockade and introduced a revamped aid mechanism in cooperation with a newly formed US-backed organisation, bypassing the longstanding UN-led system. The organisation, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), says it has distributed millions of meals since operations began last week, but the rollout has been marked by chaotic scenes at the limited number of distribution centres, as well as reports of casualties from Israeli fire nearby. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that "31 people were killed and more than 176 injured... after Israeli gunfire targeted thousands of civilians near the American aid centre in Rafah", in southern Gaza. AFP images showed Palestinians transporting bodies on donkey carts near the aid point as others carried away boxes and bags of supplies under the early-morning sun. Abdullah Barbakh, a 58-year-old Palestinian man, described "chaos" at the site. "The army opened fire from drones and tanks," he said. "I don't understand why they call people to the aid centres and then open fire on them." Near another GHF aid centre in central Gaza, AFP images showed rescuers evacuating injured people. Bassal reported one dead and dozens wounded there, again blaming Israeli fire. Sameh Hamuda, a displaced 33-year-old from northern Gaza, told AFP he had walked from Gaza City and spent the night with relatives near Rafah before heading to the aid centre around 5:00 am to wait among a crowd of people. "Suddenly quadcopter drones opened fire on the people, and tanks started shooting heavily. Several people were killed right in front of me," he said. "I ran and survived. Death follows you as long as you're in Gaza." At Al-Awda hospital in central Gaza, Umm Muhammad Abu Khousa told AFP her son was among those wounded near the other aid centre in Bureij.
