Fishrot book launched – N$14 billion pilfered
By Mandisa Rasmeni.
The book, ‘Fishrot: Fisheries and Corruption in Namibia’, launched on 26 April, is now available for purchase at The Namibian Newspaper in Windhoek for N$150. The book sheds light on the biggest corruption scandal to have rocked the country and the detail behind the scenes of the Fishrot scandal.
The Namibian said in a statement after the official release that the book examines the collusion between Icelandic fishing company Samherji and Namibian government officials to enrich themselves at the expense of the Namibia population.
“Authors of the book, Professor Roman Grynberg, investigative journalist Shinovene Immanuel and editor at The Namibian, Tangeni Amupadhi conducted extensive research, including interviews with insiders and experts, to expose the corruption that has plagued Namibia’s fishing industry,” they said.
Amupadhi said the book takes readers behind the scenes of the biggest corruption scandal to have ever rocked Namibia. “It provides an in-depth analysis of the scandal and how it unfolded and it is important for the public to use the book as a blueprint for potential corruption instances in the future,” he added.
Prof Grynberg emphasised that Namibia’s horse mackerel sector could have benefitted by N$14 billion that could have been used to address the socio-economic situation of ordinary Namibians. “I believe that the government lacks the will to take the necessary steps to address issues like poverty and the legacy of colonisation and apartheid,” he added.
Immanuel urged the public to expose corrupt practices and fight for accountability and transparency when it comes to the country’s natural resources. “We hope that our book will help to shine a light on this issue and encourage action to be taken to prevent such corruption from happening again in the future,” he added.
The three authors who have delved deeper into the fishrot scandal, from the left, Professor Roman Grynberg, The Namibian newspaper editor, Tangeni Amuphadi and investigative journalist, Shinovene Immanuel.
A livestream of the launch can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/TheNamibianNewspaper/videos/book-launchfishrotfisheries-and-corruption-in-namibia/256875163390199
