Many allies of the SWAPO Party however viewed the release of the documents as a means to destabilize the liberation movement among voters as it was an election period.
In a documentary on Al Jazeera, former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau is seen requesting for a double sim Chinese iPhone from an undercover journalist claiming it is difficult for authorities to hatch such a phone.
On 22 January 2020, a close ally of James Hatuikulipi was arrested by the Anti Corruption Commission for allegedly trying to bribe a police officer to release ATM cards of the Fishrot Six.
[10][11] The Fishrot scandal received public outcry and outrage from activists, opposition politicians and ordinary Namibians who blamed the SWAPO Party and particularly, President Hage Geingob for not being active in tackling corruption.
Two of the president's ministers' Tom Alweendo and Calle Schlettwein publicly condemned the scandal but were asked to resign from government if they were not "happy with the way the SWAPO Party" was handling corruption.