Windhoek:Tensions between Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Speaker of the National Assembly, and Affirmative Repositioning leader Job Amupanda escalated on Wednesday when the Speaker declined to receive a notice of questions from Amupanda. The questions were related to the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) and its write-off of N$579 million, which Amupanda suggested might involve companies linked to Onesmus Tona Amadhila, the Speaker's husband.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Amupanda intended to question Finance Minister Erica Shafudah about public concerns regarding the DBN's loan write-off. He noted that the DBN's loan book had decreased from N$6.2 billion to N$5.8 billion, with credit losses exceeding N$1.5 billion. Amupanda claimed that the write-off raised suspicions of benefiting politically connected business interests. He specifically inquired whether companies such as Outapi Shopping Centre Pty Ltd and Tona Trade Holdings CC, associated with Amadhila, were part of the write-off.

When Amupanda attempted to present these questions, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila stated she could not make a ruling due to a conflict of interest, as the matter involved her family. She suggested that the Deputy Speaker handle the questions instead. "I can't make any kind of ruling on it because I'm conflicted," she explained.

This incident followed a confrontation the previous day when Kuugongelwa-Amadhila ordered security to remove Amupanda and his colleague Ester Haikola from the chamber for allegedly disrupting proceedings by banging on the table during the reading of the order paper. Amupanda denied the disruption and accused the Speaker of treating him unfairly, calling the situation "personal." Despite his denial, the Speaker maintained that Amupanda had disrupted the session.