INTERVIEW: Professor Basilius Kasera Criticizes Overpayment of Public Servants

In a candid and critical address, Professor Basilius Kasera has highlighted the growing concern over the overpayment of senior officials in the Namibian government. Speaking on July 17, 2024, Kasera emphasized the unsustainable financial burden these high salaries and extensive benefit packages place on the national budget.

Kasera began by pointing out that the compensation for senior government officials is significantly higher than what the government can afford. He stated, “Our senior officials in the government are being overpaid way, way above what government can afford. And that is just increasing the burden of the national budget, especially the wage bill.”

The professor drew attention not only to the basic salaries but also to the comprehensive benefits packages that accompany senior government positions. He highlighted the high costs associated with these benefits, noting that the expenses extend far beyond salaries. “Right from the ministers, all those expenses and the benefits that they receive are high cost level,” he explained.

A particularly striking point in Kasera’s address was his mention of the multiple former presidents who continue to receive full benefits upon retirement. With the current and former presidents drawing from state coffers, he argued, “That is where austerity is really needed. Both of how we actually go about controlling our budgets and cutting costs, otherwise the current state will just continue to burden the government or the state coffers.”

Kasera underscored the disparity between the luxurious lifestyles of these officials and the everyday realities faced by ordinary Namibians. He warned that the current system creates a class of economic elites within the government, leading lives of opulence at the expense of the majority. “We are creating a group of economic elites that the moment you become a government official, you are entitled to literally a life of opulence, which is contradictory to the average life of an everyday Namibian,” he said.

The professor called for immediate and substantial changes, advocating for the reduction of salaries and elimination of unnecessary benefits. He argued that public service should be seen as a life of sacrifice, not a path to wealth. “The salaries of government officials should be cut down… You are serving the public; it’s not a life to become wealthy,” Kasera asserted.

Highlighting the stark contrast between the wealth of top officials and the poverty faced by many Namibians, Kasera presented alarming statistics: “Right now we are standing with scary statistics that probably 85,000 Namibians may actually die of hunger. How can we have that kind of statistics with the kinds of salaries and wages and benefits that senior government officials are receiving?”

Kasera concluded with a strong call to action, urging the government to cut not just wages but also benefits that do not serve essential needs. He argued that housing, car allowances, medical aid, and pensions should be basics available to all employed individuals, but anything beyond that constitutes wastage. “Nobody should receive a free car from the government, a free house that is paid for all expenses by the government. The way our ministers, our MPs are living, all expenses paid for on a monthly basis with a full salary, that is literally a wastage.”

Professor Kasera’s address serves as a timely reminder of the need for fiscal responsibility and equity in public service, calling for reforms that reflect the socioeconomic realities of the majority of Namibians.