Ekandjo ducks and dives

By Confidente Reporter
MINISTER of Sport, Youth and National Service, Jerry Eka­ndjo, who is widely tipped to challenge President Hage Geingob at this year’s party congress, ducked and dived this week, when asked about whether he is harbouring any Swapo presidential ambitions.
During an exclusive interview on Wednesday, Ekandjo, who is a Swapo Po­litburo and Central Committee member, said he was not thinking about the con­gress, as it was too early to do so.
When asked explicitly whether he was going to challenge Geingob for the par­ty’s presidency, Ekandjo said, “I don’t even think about the congress. It’s still far. I am concerned with what is hap­pening in my ministry. The congress is non-existent. I don’t even think about it.”
Ekandjo was speaking at his office on Wednesday, following a telephonic interview the previous day, where the veteran politician failed to give a straightforward answer during a 20-minute con­versation, on whether he will chal­lenge Geingob for the party pres­idency at the upcoming congress.
“For me it’s just like you are asking me whether I am going to plough my mahangu field or not… Your questions about this congress do not change anything. For the past 27 years I have been a part of this. Even if people talk, it’s normal,” Ekandjo said on the tele­phone on Tuesday.
“I have been in politics for the past 40 years and I have been at­tending congresses. I will think about the congress when it comes, I don’t even dream about it.”
He said his main concern at this stage was the retirement of his Sport, Youth and National Ser­vice Permanent Secretary, Alfred IIukena at the end of this month.
“We are hoping that the prime minister will appoint another good permanent secretary, like II­ukena, who will take this ministry forward. I will only think about the congress when someone like you reminds me about it, but the moment you leave I will for­get about it again.”
Ekandjo, who in 2012 challenged Geingob for the Swapo vice-presi­dency and lost, also claimed to have no political ambitions.
“Political ambi­tions are for those who enter politics, not for people like us. We are just here to build the country and democracy. We are like ants and bees,” he said.
When asked again whether he doesn’t want to be the next Swapo leader, as even ants and bees have leaders, Ekandjo said, “Maybe the Swapo secretary-general will re­mind us that there is a congress this year. The congress doesn’t count in my mind right now, whether I take part or not. The congress is there to reaffirm our faith in Swapo, and for us to en­courage each other, and reaffirm our commitment to Swapo only. Elections do not matter.”
Ekandjo also dismissed spec­ulation surrounding the many vehicle accidents involving his official drivers, maintaining that there was nothing sinister about the crashes.
In the most recent crash, Eka­ndjo’s driver died in a road acci­dent outside Okahandja in the early hours of Monday.
Johannes Lusiano (44) died in­stantly in a head-on collision be­tween Ekandjo’s government vehi­cle and a sedan.
The other driver also died on the spot, about 30km outside Ok­ahandja on the Otjiwarongo road. Ekandjo was not in the vehicle at the time of the accident.
Ekandjo said on Thursday that since 2012 there had been five accidents involving his drivers, which have resulted in two fatal­ities.
“They are so many theories, but they are just mere speculation. There is nothing to it. Many people just phone and I tell them they are just accidents.”
He also told Confidente two of the accidents oc­curred when his assigned drivers took his official vehicle to attend to their private mat­ters, without his consent.
“The first ac­cident happened in 2012, when one of the front wheels dislodged from the car and the exhaust pipe caused the grass to catch fire, which resulted in the car burning. The second accident happened in 2013.
“I have a farm in eastern Oka­handja. That day I sent my driver to pay my farmworkers, and one of the workers asked to be taken to Okahandja to do his shopping. On their way back the car over­turned.
“My bodyguard died, and the driver and the farmworker were injured. In 2015, my driver dropped me off at home in Pio­neers Park… and I had instructed him to pick me up the following morning, as I had a meeting at 9am to attend. At 2am I got a call from the police in Otavi, inform­ing me that my driver had been involved in a car accident.
“I didn’t know that after he dropped me off, he went back to the office and took my official 4×4 vehicle and drove to Omuthiya, to drop cattle feed for his live­stock. When the police called me, I even denied that it was my driv­er, because I thought that after he dropped me off, he went home and he never asked me for per­mission to use the car,” Ekandjo said.
“The other accident was last year. I have a small plot in Ka­vango, so I went there. When I got there I sent my driver to the North, to run some errands for me, and while he was on his way there, he was involved in a car ac­cident, after one of the tyres burst.
“He was not injured, but my fourth car was written off. Again it was a 4×4.
“Then last week Friday, one of my drivers asked me for permis­sion to go to Oshivelo, and he went. I am told that he had gone to attend to his livestock, which a neighbour had informed him was being sold by his employees. He had permission to go to the North, but never had permission to take my official vehicle, so as you see there is no conspiracy at all here,” Ekandjo said.