Swartbooi slams budget in fiery parliamentary address
Budget merely ‘manages decline’
The LPM leader criticised the ruling party's approach to public finance, which he claimed reflects a dangerous loyalty to outdated institutions at the cost of real transformation.
In a scathing critique of the 2025/2026 national budget, leader of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), Bernadus Swartbooi, condemned the appropriation bill as a “blueprint of decline”, accusing government of ignoring Namibia’s deep-rooted social and economic inequalities.
Speaking in parliament last week, Swartbooi declared the budget “shatters the expectant, decapitates the hopeful and dismays the supporter.” He pointed to a country reeling from severe hunger, rising unemployment and a swelling housing crisis.
“Approximately 41% of Namibians face food insecurity, over one million live in informal settlements, and youth unemployment stands at a staggering 44.2%,” said Swartbooi. “What is prosperous about our nation when the educated are unemployed and the unemployed cannot be educated?”
The LPM leader criticised the ruling party's approach to public finance, likening it to "democratic perfectionism" – a term borrowed from philosopher Roberto Mangabeira Unger – which he said reflects a dangerous loyalty to outdated institutions at the cost of real transformation.
Swartbooi questioned the relevance of budgetary allocations that fail to address what he called “structural poverty and injustice”.
Betrayal of Namibians
Although education received the largest share at N$24 billion, he argued that money alone cannot fix systemic issues without fundamental reform in how education is delivered.
"Namibia does not need more managed decline; it needs courageous renewal anchored in justice and radical rethinking of power and resources," he said.
Swartbooi further called for greater investment in sectors like agriculture, industrialisation and housing – areas he claimed are critically underfunded.
"The agriculture and land reform sectors received just N$2 billion – far below the N$10.9 billion required under the African Union’s Comprehensive Agriculture Initiative," he noted.
"Our farmers are taxed into extinction while hunger intensifies. This is a betrayal of our nation’s potential."
On housing, Swartbooi painted a bleak picture, describing the housing crisis as "catastrophic".
“Over 40% of Windhoek residents lack access to sewerage and informal settlements are mushrooming. Yet, the budget allocates a meagre N$700 million toward formalisation. Housing is a right – not a commodity,” he insisted. He accused government of abandoning its responsibilities by failing to launch a properly resourced, mass-scale housing programme.
Budget without vision
Swartbooi concluded that the budget speech failed to mention terms like “transformation” or “developmental state”, criticising it as an annual exercise devoid of ambition.
He criticised the repurposing of US$300 million earmarked for green hydrogen investment, questioning how a private-sector initiative has morphed into a government programme without transparent debate.
“Namibia cannot afford a passive state in an active crisis. We demand a budget that boldly takes on poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment – not one that quietly manages decline," he said.
Speaking in parliament last week, Swartbooi declared the budget “shatters the expectant, decapitates the hopeful and dismays the supporter.” He pointed to a country reeling from severe hunger, rising unemployment and a swelling housing crisis.
“Approximately 41% of Namibians face food insecurity, over one million live in informal settlements, and youth unemployment stands at a staggering 44.2%,” said Swartbooi. “What is prosperous about our nation when the educated are unemployed and the unemployed cannot be educated?”
The LPM leader criticised the ruling party's approach to public finance, likening it to "democratic perfectionism" – a term borrowed from philosopher Roberto Mangabeira Unger – which he said reflects a dangerous loyalty to outdated institutions at the cost of real transformation.
Swartbooi questioned the relevance of budgetary allocations that fail to address what he called “structural poverty and injustice”.
Betrayal of Namibians
Although education received the largest share at N$24 billion, he argued that money alone cannot fix systemic issues without fundamental reform in how education is delivered.
"Namibia does not need more managed decline; it needs courageous renewal anchored in justice and radical rethinking of power and resources," he said.
Swartbooi further called for greater investment in sectors like agriculture, industrialisation and housing – areas he claimed are critically underfunded.
"The agriculture and land reform sectors received just N$2 billion – far below the N$10.9 billion required under the African Union’s Comprehensive Agriculture Initiative," he noted.
"Our farmers are taxed into extinction while hunger intensifies. This is a betrayal of our nation’s potential."
On housing, Swartbooi painted a bleak picture, describing the housing crisis as "catastrophic".
“Over 40% of Windhoek residents lack access to sewerage and informal settlements are mushrooming. Yet, the budget allocates a meagre N$700 million toward formalisation. Housing is a right – not a commodity,” he insisted. He accused government of abandoning its responsibilities by failing to launch a properly resourced, mass-scale housing programme.
Budget without vision
Swartbooi concluded that the budget speech failed to mention terms like “transformation” or “developmental state”, criticising it as an annual exercise devoid of ambition.
He criticised the repurposing of US$300 million earmarked for green hydrogen investment, questioning how a private-sector initiative has morphed into a government programme without transparent debate.
“Namibia cannot afford a passive state in an active crisis. We demand a budget that boldly takes on poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment – not one that quietly manages decline," he said.
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