Minister of agriculture, fisheries, water and land reform Mac Hengari has resigned from his position.

This follows rape allegations involving a 21-year-old woman, and his arrest.

Hengari early on Sunday confirmed to The Namibian that he had stepped down.

"I resigned as minister, but l cannot comment further," he said.

Hengari's resignation follows allegations that he raped the woman when she was still a minor.

National police spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi on Saturday confirmed Hengari's arrest, following an alleged attempt to bribe the woman to withdraw the case she opened against him last year.

"Hengari is indeed arrested after he attempted to bribe the victim to withdraw the case. That is what he was arrested for.

"That's all I have for now," she said.

The matter is currently under police investigation.

Police inspector general Joseph Shikongo this week confirmed that DNA samples were collected from both Hengari and the alleged victim for testing.

Sources familiar with the case say the test results are still pending.

Hengari was appointed to the Cabinet in March after president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah included him among her top-eight parliamentary candidates.

Several allegations first surfaced earlier this month, prompting calls from political commentators such as Rui Tyitendi, for Hengari to step down pending investigations.

This is a developing story.