Namibia: just appointed Minister, Mac-Albert Hengari arrested for raping a minor
Namibia’s Minister of Agriculture, Mac-Albert Hengari, was arrested on Sunday April 27, 2025 for rape of a minor, a crime which is believed to date back to 2019. His arrest followed a complaint lodged in November 2024.
Namibie @ capture d’écran Youtube Afrique Révélée
On Tuesday, the Namibian presidency issued a statement announcing the dismissal of Mac-Albert Hengari, retroactive to April 23, stating that he should have resigned on that date.
The charges against Minister Hengari are serious: rape of a 16-year-old girl, corruption and forced abortion. According to the local press, the girl, now of age, claimed that she had been forced by the former minister not only to have non-consensual sex, but also to have an abortion, in a country where abortion remains illegal except in extreme medical cases.
One month in government
Mac-Albert Hengari, appointed Minister in March 2025 by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, spent just one month in government. He also loses his seat as a member of parliament and all public functions pending his trial, scheduled for June 3, 2025.
The case has sparked outrage in Namibian society. The main opposition party, the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), reacted by denouncing the government’s hypocrisy in the face of gender-based violence. “This episode shows the gulf between official declarations and the reality of women’s protection in our country,” says an IPC representative.