By Hileni Nembwaya and  Marianne Nghidengwa

THE Oshikoto Communal Land Board is investigating a case in which Ugandan national and well-known doctor in Ondangwa, Jerry Lwande, allegedly acquired land under dubious means and illegally started constructing a private school at Onambeke village.
Onambeke Headman, David Shindondola, reported the matter last year and is tirelessly working on ways to reclaim the ‘stolen’ land under the Ondonga Traditional Authority measuring a hectare.
In a lengthy letter to the land board dated October 5 2015, Shindondola said that he was approached by Thomas Shipanga, a resident of Onambeke requesting for a piece of land to put up a family business. Shipanga also doubles as Lwande’s bus driver at his Northcote Private School in Oniipa in the same region. “He informed me that his wife’s son wanted to build a school and that he was willing to offer his homestead land for that use. I informed him that it was a good idea as we all need development and approved his request right away to proceed with the development of the school within the boundaries and jurisdiction of his customary rights,” part of the letter reads. Shindodola narrates that after some time, he noticed massive developments on the land that puzzled him and only then did he learn that Lwande was behind it. “I was actually disappointed to observe that the developers were destroying palm trees and other fruit bearing and non-fruit bearing trees in the area of construction and outside the boundaries of Shipanga’s customary land,” the headman wrote. Shindodola in the letter said that after his discovery he tried to repossess the piece of land but those efforts have been complicated by long-running battles with Shipanga.
“I was disappointed to learn that Shipanga deceived me, he did not tell me the truth, he lied to me that it was his family’s project but it was not his, it actually belonged to a foreign national who I happened not to know. Should I have known that there was a foreign national hidden behind the curtain; I would have given Shipanga a nod to think twice. This envisaged school is not going to benefit the residents of my community because it is so expensive for them to afford,” Shindodola said in the letter.A senior official who preferred anonymity in the absence of the Land Board’s Director confirmed the investigations adding that at this stage information is still sketchy.
Although the headman had given instructions to have the construction halted pending investigations by the land board, Lwande reportedly ignored such directives and instructed his construction workers to continue.
Shindodola explained that the project was only to go ahead if a bankable consensus is reached that will first benefit the Namibian people, the villagers of Onambeke and surrounding villages.
Lwande declined to comment on the matter when contacted this week.
“I do not deal with gossip and I do not want to gossip. I do not know why you are so much interested in things that do not concern you. Everything you are asking me is none of your business. So stopping disturbing me, I am currently busy with my patients,” said Lwande before he rudely hung up.
Meanwhile, Lwande is also being accused of having occupied a piece of land at Oniipa where he put up Northcote Private School in the same fashion.
He reportedly swindled a pensioner, the late Joseph Auala in 2007 under the pretext that he wanted to lease a piece of land and put up a house for his family since he had no accommodation.
Epale village Headman, Hilma Elifas, showed Confidente receipts of the lease agreement that show that Lwande and his wife Sherley only paid a total of N$3 400 in 2007. According to Aula’s older son, Gerson, Lwande allegedly fenced off the land illegally after tricking his father.
“My father was very ill at the time and he could not go out of his house to go and observe what was happening at the site. Lwande told my father that he wanted to lease a small piece of land on our field to put up a housing unit for his family as he did not have a place to stay. He said that he would only occupy the place while working in Namibia and vacate after his permanent residency expires. Little did we know that this man had plans to construct a school and deceived my late father,” Gerson said. The Aula family is now seeking intervention from the Oshikoto Regional Council and the Ondonga Traditional Authority to have their land reclaimed.
“We want our piece of land back. He does not pay rent or give us anything.
We have grown up children and grandchildren who are landless.
Where will they stay if their ancestral land is taken illegally?” Aula questioned. Efforts to get comment from the Ondonga Traditional Authority spokesperson, Joseph Asino proved futile at the time of going to print.

By Hilary Mare

MINISTER of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta has blasted the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) on allegations made by its secretary general Job Muniaro last week claiming that the Etosha National Park is being sold.
Without remorse, the Minister wrote a damming letter (in possession of Confidente) addressed to the NUNW president Ismael Kasuto, and copied to the President Dr Hage Geingob, the Prime Minister Saara Kuungongelwa-Amadhila and Secretary General of Swapo Nangolo Mbumba not only refuting the claims but also accusing the union of orchestrating ‘crude lies with the intention to cause commotion and sow unnecessary confusion’.
With the Minister stating that he has heard Muniaro in haec verba saying that he has proof thereof he further moved to dismiss such talk as an ill-conspiracy. “I have the reason to infer, until contrary emerges, that such utterances were carefully orchestrated as a conspiracy to corrupt public morals and thereby cause public resentment towards the government of the Republic of Namibia.
“You are well aware comrade, that the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the entire Namibian government has an open door policy. The secretary general failed, prorio motu, to make any attempt to inquire from the Ministry about the so called sale/action he alleged,” blasted Shifeta. In the same letter, the Minister made it clear and put it on the record that government has no intention or contemplation, now or in the future, to dispose of Etosha National Park or any other park.
Exerting pressure on both the union and its secretary general Shifeta went on to say: “I write to demand that NUNW amplifies its basis or cause Mr Muniaro to substantiate these allegations and amplify grounds of his action within five days or publicly withdraw them failure of which will lead me to impute such invidious act to the NUNW and hold the union liable”.
During a press conference on Monday last week Muniaro alleged that some people are busy passively selling this big game park that belongs to Namibians.
He said workers at all the national parks and lodges countrywide must guard against the sale that “would deprive Namibians of their own country’s recreational facilities”.
“Park prices are already high and only the rich can visit and see the beauty of our country. All Namibians must stand up and condemn this auctioning of Namibia,” Muniaro said.
Conclusively Shifeta offered a stern warning to Kasuto saying he was the gatekeeper who should guard against such utterances in the future.
“Lastly comrade I know NUNW as a responsible union, I expect you in future to guard against fallacies, distortions and mythologies which may pose serious threat to the stability the Namibian nation has enjoyed over the last 25 years of independence,” he said.

By Marianne Nghidengwa

SUSPENDED Magistrate Hileni Kavara’s ex-fiancé and father of her child, Mahammed Shabani, has been re-arrested after being on the run for nearly three months from a charge of dealing in drugs, Confidente has learnt.
Shabani was initially booked for being in possession of cannabis valued at N$200 000 last year. At the time, he was found with a vehicle reportedly belonging to Nelson Mutorwa who also happened to be his roommate. Nampol’s drug squad also found cannabis in flower pots at their Rocky Crest flat but reportedly did not arrest Mutorwa. Kavara questioned police’s failure to arrest Mutorwa arguing that in terms of Act 41 of 1941 when a person cultivates, it is presumed that he or she is dealing.
“Mutorwa was never charged. If the accused was driving my car and the cannabis plantation was found at my house, I would have been arrested too,” Kavara explained.
Shabani has been a fugitive since late last year when he missed a court appearance. At the time he was on N$50 000 bail that Kavara paid for. It is also that bail money that got Kavara suspended when she tried to have the court not forfeit the money but return it to her instead.
She was subsequently accused of misconduct with the Prosecutor General, Martha Imalwa, saying that the move amounted to corruption and needed to be investigated. Kavara was suspended with full pay on January 15.
Shabani last Friday made an appearance on a warrant of arrest in the Katutura Magistrates’ Court. He was told that his bail was cancelled and that the bail money forfeited as a result of his absence.
“Court cancels warrant and informs accused that given his continued absence at court bail was finally cancelled and forfeited and thus he no longer has bail… State opposes bail at this juncture due to seriousness of offence and the abscondment,” court papers read.
Confidente learnt that Kavara played a role in the re-arrest of Shabani after he was arrested at her place. When contacted for comment, Kavara said that they had met a day before his arrest and personally called police. She however questioned why Magistrate Claudia Classsen did not ask Shabani why he absconded during his Friday appearance, a procedure normally done when a suspect is recaptured.
“This is a procedure the magistrate didn’t follow. It shows that this is not about Shabani but me that they are out to hurt after I questioned and exposed unfairness within the system,” Kavara said.
According to Kavara, while in the dock and awaiting to be released on bail, Shabani was told that it would be cancelled. “They knew he would abscond his next court appearance when they mentioned this. It is something that they wanted,” Kavara said.
Kavara also told Confidente that prosecutors at the Katutura Magistrates Court had issued a search warrant to look for any information regarding Shabani at her house. “They thought I was harboring him not knowing that I informed police of Shabani’s whereabouts.”

By Confidente Reporter

DESPITE pressure from the Minister of Mines and Energy Obed Kandjoze for the Namcor board to force the parastatal’s Managing Director, Immanuel Mulunga to resign after he allegedly brought the company’s name into disrepute following a domestic dispute with his wife the board has refused to let go of him, Confidente has learnt.
Mulunga was involved in a domestic dispute with his wife of three years, Sonia after she returned from a trip in London unannounced and found a female stranger in their matrimonial home she suspected to be Mulunga’s mistress.
Sonia accused, Mulunga of cohabitating with 22 year-old Nguvitjita Mberirua at their Klein Windhoek home which led to commotion at the residence and about 30 police officers had to be called in to restore order.
Confidente is reliably informed that after the Namcor board last week Thursday issued a statement to the media saying Mulunga’s life is a private matter, the board was a day later reportedly pushed into convening another emergency meeting over the weekend to deliberate on Mulunga’s fate.
However the board did not change its stance on Mulunga.
Mulunga was appointed as the fifth Managing Director of Namcor with effect from October 1 2015.
Confidente is reliably informed that President Hage Geingob’s name is also being used to ouster Mulunga.
“The Namcor board feels that Mulunga’s family matters have got nothing with how he runs the affairs of the parastatal. To them what matters most is whether or not he has failed to conduct his duties or not it’s unfortunate that his private life had to blow out in the media but that does not mean the man deserves to be fired. The blow out was not out of his own making,” sources told Confidente.
In an email response to enquiries on whether the Namcor board had asked Mulunga to resign, the company through its communications and public relations specialist, Utaara Hoveka, said Mulunga was still the Managing Director and conducting his duties as usual.
“Allegations and insinuations suggesting that the Namcor Chairman or Board of Directors has asked the Managing Director Mr. Immanuel Mulunga to resign are devoid of all truth. Mr. Mulunga has neither been suspended or dismissed as alleged by some.”
He also confirmed that the board had to meet over the weekend to deliberate on Mulunga’s fate.
“I can however confirm that the Board of Directors did deliberate on the possible impact the publication of Mr. Mulunga’s personal life in the media could have on Namcor. The Board is yet to pronounce itself. Mr. Mulunga is in office going about his daily business,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from Kandjoze proved futile as his mobile phone was off while his secretary at the Ministry of Mines said he was out of office hence he could not be reached.
However in one of his tweets posted February 1, Kandjoze seems to have made a dig at Mulunga by questioning why well up people believe in questionable prophets like Shepherd Bushiri. Mulunga last month attended Bushiri gathering in South Africa and Namibia. “That top executives and professionals rush to the falsehoods of the deceitful Bushiri leaves me with the sourest of tastes!Amazing,” the Minister tweeted. Kandjoze also tweeted Tuesday that he was currently in Brazil and hasn’t been briefed on what sort of action the Namcor board has to take against Mulunga. Mulunga refused to comment on the matter.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Simeon Negumbo refused to comment saying he didn’t know anything about the matter.

By Confidente Reporter

THE currency conversion deal which last year paved way for Angolan Kwanza exchange at Namibian banks and bureaux de change has left the country licking its own wounds with Angola currently owing the central bank N$6,1 billion (US$386 million), Confidente has learnt.
Angola has so far paid Namibia only N$588 million.
The deal which was signed with Angola’s Banco Nacional De Angola was put to a stop on December 2 last year citing irregularities at Oshikango border post and heavy criticism by local economists and local businesspeople, who argued that it had effectively, ran the Namibian economy into a liquidity crisis within the first five months of its implementation.
However, Minister of Finance Calle Schlettwein on Monday rejected claims that the country was in a liquidity crisis owing to the Kwanza agreement.
“This is absolutely not true that we are in a financial mess because of the Kwanza arrangement. People are making such statements because they do not have the right information. What they are saying is completely wrong. Yes Angola owes us money that’s why we have suspended the arrangement for now but that does not mean that the arrangement has left government in a cash crisis,” he said.
In trying to alleviate that crisis that has now seen the Bank of Namibia sitting at the receiving end of a misfired deal, the two central banks agreed that all currency trade on this side of the border will end indefinitely whilst a special agreement would recommence but only in Angola at Santa Clara where only authorised traders will be supplied with pre-paid Namibian bank notes.
Ndangi Katoma, Director: Strategic Communications at Bank of Namibia said, “It is alleged that the Kwanza deal that was announced recently allowing the Angolan Kwanza to be used in Namibia (Oshikango) has failed and our country lost N$5 billion. It further alleges that Angolans owe us N$5 billion and there are no signs that they will pay us back. This information is not correct and not supported by facts.
“The Bank of Namibia (BoN) has earlier given the public all relevant information on this deal through the media. First, the Currency Conversion Agreement between Namibia and Angola is still in place through a new implementation mechanism which commenced on 21 December 2015. This new mechanism entails that the Bank of Namibia issue the Namibia Dollars to Banco Nacional de Angola (BNA). BNA then facilitated currency exchange at commercial banks and Bureau de Changes in Santa Clara in Angola. This means that, contrary to the earlier arrangement, this is a cash-based arrangement which does not attract any repayment arrears.
“Secondly, Namibia has not lost any money. There is an outstanding balance of US$386 million that resulted from the amount of money exchanged at the initial start of the Agreement when currency used to be exchanged at the border town of Oshikango.
“As this was beyond the expectations of both the Central Bank of Angola and the Bank of Namibia, the repayment schedule had to be revised to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on the foreign reserves of Angola at once. It should be understood clearly, that BNA is honouring the payment schedule. To date, BNA has paid Namibia in US Dollars equivalent of N$588 million.
“This has brought into the country the much needed foreign reserves. In essence, this agreement remains beneficial tor Namibia and Angola as it allows for trade promotion and facilitation between the two countries and it will continue to strengthen economic relations between the two countries.”
Confidente is reliably informed that Banco Nacional de Angola committed to a payment schedule of quarterly instalments to settle US$390 million repurchase costs for Kwanzas that have come and gone through Namibia since the convention was implemented on June 18.
Further the first instalment payment of the much sought-after foreign currency, US$20 million to be exact, was made by the Angolan central bank in September with the second one done last month and the next one billed for March in a bid to clear the 32 billion Kwanza that was reported to be in circulation.
In a situation that also puts strain on Angola’s much-needed reserves of hard foreign currency and to tighten the tourniquet and give the Banco Nacional de Angola more control over the foreign exchange outflow, things go back to the old days of 2014 when Angolans who wanted to do business in Namibia had to first buy US dollars before crossing the border.

By Confidente Reporter

THE new Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Press Agency (NAMPA) is set to be announced end of this month, the board chairperson of the agency has revealed.

The new CEO will replace Nghidinwa Hamunime who will be leaving after 15 years at the realm of the news agency.

Rector Mutelo told Confidente newspaper that they have since concluded carrying out interviews of shortlisted candidates.

“We are now in the process of doing the psychometric tests and once we are done with all the other formalities, the candidate who came out first will be announced in the next three weeks as the new CEO,” he said.

Mutelo also confirmed that the current CEO of New Era newspaper, Dr Audrin Mathe was among the applicants shortlisted for the position.

However when contacted for comment, Mathe seemed evasive when asked about whether he was aware that he had been shortlisted for the job.

“They haven’t called me yet and even if they did I wouldn’t tell anyone,” he said.

Mathe was appointed CEO of New Era newspaper in 2013 from the national broadcaster NBC where he was chief news and programming officer.

NAMPA was set up through an Act of Parliament of the Republic of Namibia, Act. No 3 of 1992.

By Confidente Reporter

NAMIBIA has been ranked the most tolerant country in Africa, new data released by Afrobarometer revealed.

Respondents to the Afrobarometer survey, which was carried out in Namibia in mid-2014, were asked a range of questions that captured levels of tolerance towards different ethnic groups, different religions, immigrants, people living with HIV/AIDS, and gays and lesbians.

When compared with similar national data across Africa, Namibia emerged as the most tolerant country out of the 33 African countries surveyed. Namibia was followed by Malawi and Burundi while the least tolerant countries were Niger, Tunisia, and Morocco.

Afrobarometer is a series of public attitude surveys on democracy and governance in Africa. The IPPR is the Afrobarometer partner in Namibia.

According to Afrobarometer, tolerance is “the endorphin of the democratic body politic” essential to free political and cultural exchange.

Africa is often portrayed as a continent of ethnic and religious division and intolerance, findings show high degrees of acceptance of people from different ethnic groups, people of different religions, immigrants, and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).

“Proximity and frequent contact with different types of people seem to nurture tolerance, as suggested by higher levels of tolerance in more diverse countries and a strong correlation between acceptance of PLWHA and national HIV/AIDS prevalence rates”.

A major exception to Africa’s high tolerance is its strongly negative attitude towards homosexuals. Even so, while the discourse on homosexuality has often painted Africa as a caricature of homophobia, the data reveal that homophobia is not a universal phenomenon in Africa.

The results show that half of all citizens in four African countries say they would not mind or would welcome having homosexual neighbours. Analysis using a tolerance index based on five measures of tolerance points to education, proximity, and media exposure as major drivers of increasing tolerance on the African continent. This is consistent with socialisation literature that suggests attitudes and values are not immutable; instead, they can be learned and unlearned.

Even though homophobia is not a universal phenomenon in Africa, in four African countries, a majority of citizens express acceptance of neighbours who are homosexual, Cape Verde with 74 percent, South Africa 67 percent, Mozambique 56 percent and Namibia with 55 percent.

By Hileni Nembwaya

THE regional Governor of Omusati region, Erginus Endjala has called on all stakeholders to upgrade the Ruacana airport and other modes of transport such as railway in the region in order to ease the burden on the national roads.

Endjala made these remarks during the official opening of the Omafo – Outapi road at Anamulenge constituency in Omusati region last week, Friday.

“Because of the high traffic on Namibian roads including cargo transport, fatal incidents are recorded everyday putting our country in a red spot as the country with the high record of road accidents in southern Africa. I therefore join other citizens by calling to a complete revamp and extending railway connections to all major towns in the country,” said Endjala.

Endjala further said that the new road will promote tourism link amongst the South African Development Community and Botswana.

Speaking at the same occasion President Hage Geingob said that the government has made a commitment to the people of Namibia to build about 1480 kilometres of bitumen standard roads during the next five years.

“This is a component of that commitment. I have fundamental belief that every Namibian, no matter where they live, deserves equal access to good roads, electricity, water, education, health and telecommunications,” said the President.

Geingob also said that he will continue with the policy of renovating, upgrading and the expansion of critical sections of the transport network with a view to ensure safe and convenient travelling and stimulating economic activities.

The construction of the Omafo-Outapi road stretching 98 kilometres, from gravel to bitumen standard was done at a cost of N$576 million.

During the course of last week, the Minister of Works and Transport, Alpheus !Naruseb also officiated the opening of Elundu –Eenhana road on Wednesday.

The project was constructed at a cost of N$105 million.

By Eliaser Ndeyanale

CITY of Windhoek acting chief executive officer Titus Ambunda says the city and government will conduct a social survey at Otjomuise Extension 10 to identify what kind of houses the current residents of the area can afford.

According to Ambunda, the survey will start this month and it will recruit unemployed youth who can read and write.

“We are conducting a survey in terms of affordability to see what kind of houses can be afforded by people who live at extension 10 because we have realised that some people there might not afford houses that are being built under the mass housing project,” Ambunda said on Sunday at a community meeting in Otjomuise.

The mass housing project is divided into various sub-programmes, such as the credit linked housing that targets middle income groups, as well as the social or subsidised housing that caters for low and ultra-low income groups. He further stated that 473 erven at Khomasdal Extensions 16 and 23 are ready to be given to the Windhoek residents who are in need of residential plots by end of March this year.

He also said that the city would equip informal settlements with solar-powered lamps. These lamps will allow students to study at night, after they have completed necessary chores and work during the afternoon, said Ambunda.

There is a general electricity crisis at informal settlements. People in attendance said that they are ‘waiting for alternatives to rescue them from this suffering’.

The majority of residents at these informal settlements are currently using illegal electricity connections where they pay about N$400 a month to those who illegally supply them electricity while some use small battery packs to light their homes and charge their electronic devices with solar powered devices that they bought in Chinese shops.

At recent Africa Energy indaba in Johannesburg, Elham Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim, the African Union Commissioner for infrastructure and energy said solar lighting is an important element of the policy mix that will drive down carbon emissions and accelerate global development.

On their part the Khomasdal constituency development committee promised construction of a shopping mall, house to house electrification, roads and United Nations Plaza kind of park at Otjomuise.

Speaking at the same event, City of Windhoek mayor Muesse Kazapua implored residents to pay municipal services and discouraged them from building shacks on land earmarked for development.

“Those that are going to erect new shacks are going to be demolished. People have a tendency of going to politicians and councillors that we demolished their shacks, you should stop that. Go and tell others that the mayor has said it,” he said.

By Hileni Nembwaya

SEVERE drought being experienced across many parts of the northern regions in the country has left about 8 000 people destitute with many requiring urgent interventions at Uukwiyuushona constituency in the Oshana region.

Councillor Andreas Amundjindi told Confidente that his constituency is severely affected by drought as not much rainfall has been experienced in the area this year.

“The drought situation is very severe in this area. Some people did not yet plough their fields because it is very dry. We did not receive much rainfall since December last year,” said Amundjindi.

He further said that there are about 12 000 inhabitants with about 2 000 households registered for the drought relief programme and 8 000 people who currently receive drought relief food in the constituency.

“The drought relief food is too little for many households because it does not last for days. Many people will receive food parcels today and tomorrow they are again back pleading for assistance at my office. It is such a pity because the drought relief is mostly limited per household and the people are hungry. There is nothing in the fields to harvest”.

A large number of livestock is also said to be dying as there are no more grazing pastures in the area.

Amundjindi furthermore said that he has requested the Office of the Prime Minister for the drought relief food programme to be extended in his constituency until a time that the situation normalises.

He said that the situation started to deteriorate from December to January this year.

The drought relief food programme will come to an end in March until another assessment of the situation is being made.

The regional Governor of Oshana region, Clemence Kashuupulwa could not comment on the matter.

The Director of disaster risk management, Japhet Iitenge could also not comment saying that he was unauthorised to speak to the media.

“I think it will be good if you can contact the Regional Governor first because he might have some information regarding that matter,” said Iitenge.

By Confidente Reporter

HEALTH Minister Benhard Haufiku’s name was drawn in a drunken driving case in which his former patient Clemence Karimbue was charged for refusing to provide a specimen of his blood claiming that he has a phobia of ‘big’ needles.

Karimbue (32) was arrested after he was caught driving under the influence of alcohol in Windhoek last year and reportedly failed to comply with a request by a traffic officer to provide a specimen of his blood.

During his trial in the Katutura Magistrates Court recently, it was revealed that Haufiku telephonically told the officer that his client had a phobia of needles but ironically suggested they use a butterfly method using a shorter and smaller needle that has plastic tabs on either side to draw Karimbue’s blood.

It was however revealed that a nurse on duty that night declined to use the method after Haufiku’s testimony fearing it could complicate Karimbue’s health.

While he indicated that he has a medical condition, he failed to provide proof with regards to his phobia the court was told.

Karimbue in court admitted to having had a ‘few beers’ that night but trashed refusing to cooperate with the officer and the nurse saying he is not to blame.  “I didn’t disobey any laws but there were no proper facilities that night to draw my blood.  I am not to blame because the officer and the nurse accepted the doctor’s (Haufiku) words.  I did not refuse to cooperate,” Karimbue said during his trial.

Prosecutor Idda Itembu who represented the state argued that Karimbue evaded the law with his claims after he failed to prove his phobia.

“There is no documented proof with regards to his phobia of needles.  His doctor (Haufiku) recommended a butterfly method which makes use of a smaller needle.  He also admitted to having had two to three beers that night so he is trying to evade the law,” Itembu said.

Despite this, Magistrate Heita Hambeleleni ruled in his favour and found him not guilty.  His N$20 000 he had paid for bail was also refunded.

By Confidente Reporter

FIRST time around Swapo backbenchers and Deputy Ministers in the National Assembly are up in arms with the party’s Secretary General Nangolo Mbumba whom they accuse of issuing an order barring them from making contributions during the forthcoming national budget debate in the august house.

The national budget debate is due to start in the National Assembly this week.

However Mbumba denies ever trying to muzzle the parliamentarians although he admits telling them that Parliament was now bigger and they should not unnecessarily contribute during the debating of the national budget.

“Are you making a joke? At a caucus meeting I told all Swapo members of Parliament that they must contribute. They are free to contribute but they should give each other a chance and they must be conscious that now Parliament is very big and they must give others a chance as well. That’s all I told them,” Mbumba said.

However despite Mbumba’s denials the young lawmakers are adamant that Mbumba wants to censor them by denying them their right to contribute and critique the national budget.

“How do we go and attend a national budget debate and we are expected not to say anything at all? Mbumba wants to reduce us to mere voters in the National Assembly because how can he instruct us to pay lip service during such an important event as the national budget debate? We went to Parliament to be somebody’s voice not just stooges,” a Swapo Parliamentarian who spoke on condition of anonymity said.

Another Swapo legislator concurred with his fellow comrade adding that the fact that Parliament was made up of more members now does not mean that they deserved to be gagged.

“Why did they increase the number of Parliamentarians if they don’t have time to allow us to contribute to such national issues? Is it really fair to do so to us? Is it not that when they called for an increase in Members of Parliament they were also aware that more time will be spend in debates and so on. So why are they now telling us to keep quiet? That’s not how democracy works,” the disgruntled legislator said on condition of anonymity as well.

The National Assembly is now made up of 104 members from 72. Of the members 96 are directly elected through a system of party-list proportional representation and serve five-year terms. Eight additional members are appointed by the President.

By Confidente Reporters

THE ever controversial KORA Awards are on the verge of being called off after the N$21 million the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta arm-twisted the Namibia Tourism Board to bankroll the awards was allegedly mismanaged before the event organisers went back to government demanding more money, Confidente has learnt.

NTB was early this year forced to fork out its remaining N$21 million marketing budget to buy a promotional package from the Kora organisers in the process crippling some of its operations.

Confidente is reliably informed that Ernest Coovi Adjovi who is known for hoodwinking the Zimbabwean government as well as the KwaZulu Natal provincial government of millions dollars following the hosting of his now defunct Miss Malaika pageant and the Kora Awards has not invested any significant amount in the hosting of the awards hence he is pushing government to bankroll it.

If the awards are indeed called off another parastatal that stands to lose out is the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation that has been flighting advertisements under a barter deal that would have seen it acquire broadcasting rights worth N$1.8 million.

The Kora Awards organisers claim that the artist who walks away with the Best African Artist accolade will be paid N$16 million (US$1 million) and the event will be watched by over 700 million people across the world.

Sources close to the event are accusing Shifeta of having unilaterally decided that parastatals should bankroll the event.

“When Ernest Adjovi went to see President Geingob last year he was told that Namibia didn’t have a problem with hosting the Kora Awards as long as taxpayers’ money is not used and he agreed to it. The President never asked Shifeta to make parastatals contribute money towards these awards at all. Shifeta went ahead and asked parastatals to release money to the organisers of these awards and now that these guys have squandered the N$21 million NTB gave them they have approached government for more money and the whole hosting of the awards is in disarray. No parastatal want to fund them because they know there is no value at all in them,” sources close to the matter told Confidente.

Confidente is also reliably informed that Adjovi was trying to ‘force’ NTB to sign a three-year agreement with his company that will see the parastatal bankroll his many enterprises under the guise of marketing Namibia; fortunately the parastatal’s executive management refused to enter into such an agreement and handed the matter to Attorney General, Sacky Shanghala.

Shanghala when contacted refused to comment on the matter citing client/attorney confidentiality.

“NTB is one of my clients as a government institution.  I cannot divulge my advice with to them with you that will be highly unprofessional of me.”

Shifeta denied any knowledge of the Kora Awards having been cancelled and instead referred Confidente to the organisers of the awards.

“I don’t know anything. If the awards are going to be called off they haven’t informed us. Go to the organisers and ask them,” he said.

Efforts to get comment from one of the Kora Awards organisers, Tonata Shiimi, proved futile as he did not answer his mobile phone.  Shiimi also did not respond to a message sent to him.

By Confidente Reporter

A syndicate of politically w e l l – c o n n e c t e d businessmen is trying to hijack a multi-billion dollar oil deal between the Angolan and Namibian governments that could potentially see Namibia import oil from its northern neighbour at a 50 percent discount, Confidente has learnt.

Confidente is also reliably informed that the syndicate is reportedly not happy with the way Immanuel Mulunga the Managing Director of state owned Namcor has not worked in their favour to ease through the deal hence a well-orchestrated ploy to push him out of his position and replace him with someone who will dance to their tune.

Namcor’s other mandate is to procure petroleum products on behalf of government.

The multi-billion dollar oil deal was signed by former President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Angolan President Jose Dos Santos a few years ago and under the agreement, Namibia would import crude oil from Angola at a 50 percent discount.

However some businesspeople (identities known to Confidente) have reportedly approached the Angolan government in a bid to buy crude oil at the discounted price and ship it to Russia for refining before it makes its way to Namibia where they intended to sell it to government at market related prices and in the process make huge profits.

“During Pohamba’s era he approached Dos Santos so that Angola could supply Namibia with discounted oil because of the historical relationship shared between the two countries. Angola offered to supply oil to Namibia at a discounted price of 50 percent. Now a group of BEE guys wants to hijack this whole deal and supply government with refined oil at the normal prices. They had planned to send the crude oil to Russia for refining.

“The whole idea is to disadvantage the Namibian government and its consumers. That is why they want to have their own person at Namcor who will dance to their tune and it appears by all accounts Mulunga has refused to be their stooge. The main reason why they want to get rid of Mulunga has got nothing to do with his marital issues these guys simply want their own person who will push for them to get this very lucrative deal,” impeccable sources close to the matter told Confidente.

Confidente also understands that the syndicate has approached the Angolan government and President Dos Santos reportedly refused to entertain them saying his government was only going to deal with a special envoy from the Namibian President Hage Geingob and not individual businesspeople.

“Dos Santos dismissed the syndicate’s emissaries saying he does not want to deal with them or even the Minister of Mines and Energy from Namibia but rather he was ready to deal with a special envoy from Namibia or the Namibian President himself.”

Confidente is also informed that President Hage Geingob was now aware of the matter.

“The President is aware that some so called BEEs are trying to hijack the 50 percent discount deal Namibia got from Angola. The Office of the President has names of people who went to approach the Angolan government in a bid to hijack a national programme into their own. Their ploy won’t work at all because the country is already in the process of putting up storage facilities before it moves on to construct an oil refinery plant.

“The Namibian government has already communicated with Angola that no businesspeople from Namibia should approach them over the oil deal,” sources close to the matter told Confidente.

When contacted for comment the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Frans Kapofi referred Confidente to the Minister of Mines and Energy, Obed Kandjoze who was unavailable for comment.

“Speak to Kandjoze this issue is not in my domain,” he said.

By Eliaser Ndeyanale

IN what appears to be favouritism in the public sector, the Public Service Commission (PSC) last year refused to endorse employment of 138 people that had been submitted by 18 ministries and three government agencies because they were unqualified.
Some of the jobs that the ministries and other Government agencies tried to dish to unqualified personnel range from policy analysts, development planners, directors, deputy directors, to accountants and auditors. Some of these positions need years of experience and higher qualifications.
“Other candidates who met the requirements were excluded from the selection progress,” reads the report.
A director position requires experience in a (formal) corporate environment in management and or strategic capacity and must have a post-graduate degree according to several job advertisements for the position that the Confidente has seen. The director position requires at least five to 10 years’ experience at senior management level.
Most of directors earn an all-inclusive package of N$552 244 per annum.
Among the appointments that were disregarded were from the ministries of Education, Justices, Labour, Works, Gender, Health, International Relation, Office of the President and the Anti- Corruption Commission.
The PSC also declined to extent retirement age of officials who reached retirement ages in the ministries as the job designations did not fall under scarce skills and could easily be filled. The PSC advised that where necessary staff members need to be informed to retire and posts be advertised accordingly.
Also objected by the PSC was the promotion of a Development Planner Grade 6 and a Policy Analyst Grade 7 at the Ministry of Environment.
“The Ministry lowered the appointment requirements of the posts from an appropriate Bachelor’s degree on national qualification framework (NQF) Level 7 to a National Diploma or equivalent qualification NQF level 6 without approaching the PSC. Thus, the PSC advised the ministry to re-advertise the posts with the prescribed requirements.”
The Commission also recommended the promotional and recruitment of 119 foreigners.
According to PSC, the main reason why foreigners are employed is due to the shortage of suitably qualified and skilled Namibians with the required expertise in fields like engineering, law, medicine and veterinary sciences.
Most expats recruited were employed in the ministries of Health, Justice, Education and Agriculture.
The purpose of the PSC is to ensure adherence to Government policies, directives, regulations and ethical standards, as well as fairness and transparency within the public sector.

By Hileni Nembwaya

A former employee of Namdeb, Natangwe Kanime who had his house, a large sum of money and other properties forfeited to the state after he failed to provide the source of his finances is claiming to have been betrayed by the judicial system and wants his house back.
Kanime told Confidente that he feels he was betrayed and deceived by the judicial system after the state confiscated his house in Oshakati that he says he bought with his ‘hard earned’ money.
“I strongly feel that I was betrayed by the judicial system for forfeiting my house that I have worked for so many years. I was willing to pay N$500 000 for apparently contravening the Income Tax Act but they did not want to hear my argument. I bought that house with my own money. This is really unfair, I am now out in the cold with my family,” said Kanime.
A Uno Fait, a green BMW 3 series and a white Toyota Hilux and money in an investment account were also forfeited to the state.
Kanime said that he was unfairly treated by the judicial system because out of the 39 people who were supposed to be investigated, he was the only one whose properties were forfeited to the state.
When contacted for comment, Prosecutor General Martha Imalwa said that the matter was finalised in court and that that chapter is now closed.
“The properties were forfeited to the state and there is no way he can get his house back. He was shown the court document and everything was explained to him. The matter is now at the Supreme Court. If he does not understand the judicial system, he can always contact our offices or his lawyers. There is no way that he can get his properties back again,” said Imalwa.
Imalwa continued to say that Kanime bought his house with money from unlawful activities.
“How can he pay tax if he does not have even a shebeen licence? I do not know what tax he is talking about because as far as I can remember, he was only ordered to pay for the cost of my appeal because he was opposing my confirmation order of the properties which I won. We are there for everyone and we do not benefit from such matters. My application is there to be tested in any court,” said Imalwa.
In 2011, Imalwa stated in an affidavit filed at the High Court that she had grounds to believe that assets belonging to Kanime were the proceeds of unlawful activities, namely tax evasion, money laundering, and a contravention of the Casinos and Gambling Houses Act.
Kanime who was employed as an electrician, informed the court that he had earned extra income through cattle farming, gambling machines and from bars at Oranjemund and Oshakati.
Imalwa stated in her argument that a police investigation of Kanime’s finances showed cash deposits totalling about N$2,89 million had been made into a bank account and an investment account of Kanime over a four-year period from March 2007 to mid-2011. Kanime was also found not to be in possession of a gambling machine licences, according to the State.
During the time that Kanime was employed at Namdeb, he was earning a monthly salary of N$14 600 and did not declare his extra earnings for tax purposes with the receiver of Revenue. The court evidence also showed that Kanime generated an income of about N$1,3 million a year from unlicensed gambling machines, and that he had failed to declare that income and other earnings to the tax authorities or to pay income tax on it.

By Hileni Nembwaya

THE Chairman of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry northern branch, Thomas Koneka Iindji has urged all businesspeople in the north to pay their taxes on time.
He also warned the Namibian citizens to be vigilant and refrain from supporting companies that are not paying their taxes.
Iindji made these remarks during a budget review meeting that was held at Ongwediva, recently.
“If we want to ensure that our country is developing as we hope it will, and that we are prepared to meet the challenges of the future, then we must all pay our fair share,” urged Iindji.
He also urged the Minister of Finance, Calle Schlettwein to introduce tax amnesty to businesspeople who pay their outstanding taxes and relieve them of interest and penalties and to reduce corporate tax rate by a percentage or two.
Namibia’s neighboring countries corporate tax is said to be standing at between 22 and 28 percent, while in Namibia it is at 32 percent.
“The NCCI offers its willingness and pledges to contribute to the ultimate realisation of the Harambee prosperity plan. Together we can make Namibia a prosperous nation,” said Iindji.
Schlettwein on his part also urged the state owned enterprises that have not delivered on efficiency to step up and deliver affordable, liable and sustainable services.
“I am not impressed by the state owned enterprises that have not delivered on efficiency. They need to step up their game and deliver or else action will be taken against them,” he said.

By Eliaser Ndeyanale

MORE than 4 000 employees resigned from the public sector in the 2014/2015 financial year, a recent Public Service Commission annual report revealed.
According to the report, government offices, ministries and agencies are experiencing a massive staff turnover due to resignation, job dissatisfaction and dismissals, among other reasons.
The country’s two key ministries – education and health – have been hardest hit by staff turnover, with education having lost 2 667 staff members while health lost 606. Critics have attributed this to the fact that although nursing and teaching are declared as essential services, teachers and nurses continue to linger at the very bottom of the country’s income pyramid, hence most of them are always on the lookout for better paying jobs.
The report indicates that most turnovers occurred within non-managerial positions where a staff turnover of 4 038 was recorded compared to the 46 turnovers in managerial positions.
Women make up the highest portion of the turnover, with 2 342 female resigning compared to 1 668 males.
Statistics provided show that all ministries lost employees in the period with the Ministry of Agriculture losing 130 workers, Works lost 58, Finance 69 while Environment recorded 44.
About 352 non-management staff members died during the period under review and 186 were declared medically unfit for work. Others stayed away from work and never returned, leaving 172 vacant posts in the public service.
However, Government offices, ministries and agencies also did not renew 960 employment contracts after they had expired, and recorded 1 146 transfers. The offices also recorded 44 dismissals from non-management positions.
The Office of the Prime Minister recorded 60 resignations during the period under review, while 21 staff members from the Office of the President tendered in their resignations.