What they concealed, what we revealed and what happened afterwards

The Chinese Scholarship saga that took Namibian media landscape by storm is the scoop of the year 2009. Until now, despite government’s efforts to explain, the story is not dying easily.

Quote: I am no longer in the SPYL. My interest now is in the Party (Swapo) and the country. Those who think I co-authored the said letter can go to hell. They are the biggest Satan in the country, or at least Satan’s biggest representatives - Hadino Hishongwa on SPYL factionalism.

Lawmakers snooze in parly, again
HARDLY a week before receiving their much criticised 24% salary increment, members of parliament were last week observed sleeping during President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s annual State of the Nation Address.
While some are first time snoozers, prominent MPs like Swapo backbencher Tommy Nambahu continued from where they left last year, when an Informanté photographer captured a dozen MPs and diplomats sleeping barely 10 minutes into the President’s speech. Informanté, April 23 2009.

Big guns under probe
…as ACC investigates illegal land sales in Oshikango 
 FIVE Helao senior officials of the Nafidi Town Council and a Northern business mogul Erastus Shapumba who owns Chicco Building Material Supply are being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for their alleged involvement in illegal land deals at Oshikango and surrounding areas.
Helao Nafidi Town Council officials under investigation are the Mayor, Peter Carolissen; suspended Chief Executive Officer, Chris Shivolo; Acting CEO, Mike Sheelongo; Town Council Planner, Erikson Kalundingo; and Councillor, Phillip Namundjebo.
Informanté, 30 April

Can Helao Nafidi officials explain their wealth?
THREE top officials in the recently established Helao Nafidi Town Council, which is at the centre of a controversy involving the illegal sale of communal land worth millions of dollars, have at least 25 cars among them, raising questions on whether they can explain their wealth.
At the centre of the controversy surrounding the illegal land sales is the Mayor Peter Carolissen, Acting Chief Executive Officer Mike Sheelongo and Town Planner Erikson Kalundingo, who are all being investigated by the Anti-corruption Commission. Informanté May 14

NBC gets third DG in three months
…deactivates search as political interests compete
THE Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has appointed a third director general within a space of three months while efforts for a substantive replacement are shrouded in conflicting political agendas.
The appointment of Mathew Gowaseb as the new acting DG comes a week after the board had extended the ousted acting DG, Andrew Kanime’s term by another month.
Kanime’s term, extended when negotiations between the broadcaster and MTC corporate communications manager Albertus Aochamub who had been offered the job collapsed, was supposed to end on June 5 this year. Informanté May 21
 
Witchcraft claims feature in Hishongwa’s divorce
AS if his political woes were not enough, Namibian High Commissioner to Botswana, Hadino Hishongwa, who is embroiled in bitter divorce proceedings with his wife of nine years, allegedly accused her of practising witchcraft and deserting him.
Hishongwa is seeking divorce from Khanyisa Zukisa Hishongwa (nee Dingiswayo) whom he married in 2000 and with whom he has two minor children. Informanté June 11

Karuaihes maul businesswoman
“I will kill you if you quote me,” Seuaa threatens
IN what has been described as a barbaric attack, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) partner, Patty Karuaihe-Martin and her sisters, senior journalist Umbi Karuaihe-Upi and Seuaa Karuaihe physically mauled a Windhoek businesswoman at the Virgin Active gym while her daughter was filming the attack.
Police confirmed that the three sisters, including Karuaihe-Upi, a General Manager for Radio Services at the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), have been charged with assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm after they allegedly attacked the businesswoman in full public view at the Virgin Active Gym. Informanté June 18

We are dying slowly here – a pensioner
WHAT used to be a sanctuary for the aged – Katutura Old Age Home – has been turned into a place where people come to wait for their death on empty stomachs and under extremely difficult conditions.
While old people’s homes worldwide are regarded as resting places before the final day, Katutura Old Age Home does not offer that peace of mind with its depressing appalling conditions.
Informanté visited the home three weeks ago and since then, two of the pensioners interviewed – Alfred Kashimunwe and Anna Meize – have died. Informanté July 2

The grand scheme
How Lameck and Mokaxwa allegedly swindled Gov. out of N$120 million
DETAILS are emerging on how a Chinese rogue outfit allegedly colluded with Public Service Commissioner Teckla Lameck and her business partner Jerobeam Kongo Mokaxwa to swindle Government out of N$120 million.
Permanent Secretary of Finance Calle Schlettwein confirmed to Informanté that the Government paid N$120 million to Nuctech – a Chinese outfit that supposedly won the tender to provide the Namibian Ministry of Finance’s Customs department with X-ray machinery.
Evidence revealed that Teckla, Mokaxwa colluded to form Teko Trading as a consultancy, “to facilitate the Namibian Ministry of Finance and other governmental authorities or administrations to acquire the necessary licences and approval so as to prepare for the punctual delivery of lot 2 of the good”,  at a hefty cost of N$120million. Informanté July 9

CMEC promised Teko N$105 million for
Oshikango rail project
Technical Agreement signed at (plus or minus) N$450m
CHINA National Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Corporation (CMEC) committed to pay Teko Trading CC N$105 million to influence its “connections in Government” to approve a project which should have cost N$144 million for a whooping N$1,063 billion, Informanté has established.
According to the Agency Agreement signed on June 28, 2008 between CMEC and Teko Trading, a copy of which is in Informanté’s possession, CMEC contracted Teko, a company run by Teckla Lameck and Kongo Mokaxwa, to influence Ministry of Finance and other Government officials to award to overpriced contract to CMEC. Informanté July 30

Ithana under fire over rogue magistrate
Magistrates’ Commission sues Justice Minister
MINISTER of Justice Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana has come under fire from the Magistrates Commission following her refusal to dismiss Magistrate Leah Shaanika after the Katutura based magistrate was found guilty on six charges of misconduct.
According to documents filed in the High Court in Windhoek this week, the Magistrates Commission, headed by its Chairperson Sylvester Mainga, a reputable judge of note, has launched a legal suit seeking a court ruling declaring Ithana’s refusal to endorse their decision as unlawful and a breach of her constitutional duties. Informanté August 13

Abortion network unearthed
A two-week Informanté investigation by Patience Nyangove into the abortion underworld has unearthed a world of errant doctors, pharmacists, drug kingpins who are making a killing.
Doctors induce abortions without batting eye lids while pharmacists sell abortion pills over the counter and drug kingpins are also selling the tablets like airtime.
Informanté discovered that abortion drugs - Cytotec or Misoprostol – are readily available on the streets of Windhoek while in the North, abortion doctors still use forceps to kill the foetus.
A network of errant doctors, pharmacists and drug kingpins involved are making a killing from facilitating these abortions and the illegal sale of drugs for as little as N$100 to as much as N$1,500.
Clinically Cytotec or Misoprostol is used for the prevention of gastric ulcers, however, in Namibia it is now commonly used to induce labour and cause a person to miscarry or abort the baby. Informanté August 27

Tsumeb Mayor arm-twists Municipality for sale of plot
MAFIA-LIKE business dealings between Swapo Party Regional Coordinator for Oshikoto Region, Armas Amukwiyu, and Tsumeb Mayor, Engelbrecht Nawatiseb, has opened a can of worms and thrown spotlight on corrupt practices in the Tsumeb Municipality.
The Mayor appears to be in conflict of interest after he allegedly pushed the Town Council to approve the sale of a plot to a company he co-owns with his friend and comrade Amukwiyu - Vula Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd.
Vula Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd, a construction company, sealed a deal with the Tsumeb Town Council for a plot adjacent to the Shell Deposit at the junction of the Ondangwa and Tsintsabis road two months after Nawatiseb joined the company as a Director and Shareholder. Informanté September 3

Journalist sues Iivula-Ithana, Swapo for slander
FREELANCE investigative journalist for The Namibian newspaper, John Grobler is suing Minister of Justice, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana and Swapo for calling him a   “Koevoet” whose ‘hands are soaked in the blood of Namibian people’.
Grobler is the first journalist in the history of independent Namibia to sue Swapo for slander unlike in the past when the ruling party took media houses to court. Informanté September 10

Hitman savages Katutura man
WORLD Light Weight Champion, NamPol Inspector Paulus ‘The Hitman’ Moses allegedly severely assaulted a defenceless Katutura man with clenched fists and booted feet last week causing damage to the victim’s kidneys.
The Hitman allegedly assaulted Semy Mupupa of Greenwell Matongo in Eileen Street after a soldier was stabbed on the shoulder during a scuffle on Monday. Informanté September 24

Informanté uncovers 100 Voter                                      registrants’ documents hidden
EVIDENCE of early rigging has emerged after Informanté uncovered in Gobabis on Tuesday an envelope with 100 voter registrants’ documents for the November National Assembly and Presidential elections.
The envelope, confirmed by the Electoral Commission of Namibia’s (ECN) Director Moses Ndjarakana as having “disappeared” was traced by Informanté from a  small dumpsite in Epako – about 800 metres from the voter registration centre at the Municipal Hall. Informanté October 1

TransNamib purge Kavekotora for                                    RDP links
TRANSNAMIB boss, Titus Haimbili, in a move seen as a political purge, has axed his top executive, Mike Kavekotora, for excelling on the Rally for Democracy and Progress Parliamentary (RDP) list.
Informanté is in possession of a memo from Haimbili to all TransNamib General Managers and Acting General Managers informing them that their General Manager for Marketing and Sales, Kavekotora, had resigned on September 25.
Kavekotora, who was the Acting CEO of the transportation parastatal during Haimbili suspension on corruption allegations, has vowed to fight what he described as “constructive dismissal” tooth and nail. Informanté October 7

It’s scramble for Chinese scholarships among country’s top brass
HIGH ranking Government officials are grabbing educational scholarships offered by China for their children and close relatives, Informanté reveals.
Investigations show that high profile figures ranging from former President and founding Father, Sam Nujoma; current President, Hifikepunye Pohamba; government ministers overseeing procurement of multi-million dollar deals with the Chinese Government; senior military and several government officials are snatching the scholarships which are supposed to benefit mainly students from less privileged families for their children and relatives.
Informanté October 15

Chinese bursary scramble widens
THE list of top government officials’ children who have benefited from the Chinese educational scholarships lengthened this week with the unearthing of more names.
It has emerged that Pendukeni Ithana, daughter to Justice Minister Pendukeni Ivula-Ithana; Nathanael Pashto Nghidinwa, son to Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Rosalia Nghidinwa’s who is studying medicine; Ujama Nujoma and Hiskia Asino cousins to Deputy Justice Minister Utoni Nujoma and Selma Utoni daughter to Director of Mines and Energy, Selma Utoni, were beneficiaries of the scholarships from the Chinese government. Informanté October 22

Wife accuses Deputy Minister of adultery
DEPUTY Defence Minister Victor Simunja is embroiled in a messy divorce with his wife in which he is accusing her of sexually starving him over a long period of time while she counter-claims that he was a player.
Margret Dikeinge Simunja nee Shilongo countered that the Deputy Defence Minister denied her conjugal rights (the rights, especially to sexual relations, regarded as exercisable in law by each partner in marriage) and disrespected her by calling her a witch. Informanté October 29

Magistrate Kanime asked to resign
THE Magistrates’ Commission has given controversial Oshakati Magistrate Thomas Kanime 14 days or face being fired after finding him guilty on misconduct charges.
In a letter signed by the Magistrates’ Commission Chairperson, Justice Sylvester Mainga, the Commission informed Kanime that he is no longer fit to hold office after being found guilty of misconduct.
“The Commission at its meeting held on 4 November 2009 and having considered all the circumstances and the record of the proceedings at the investigation (...), the Commission is satisfied that you are guilty of misconduct and you are no longer fit to hold office,” states the letter. Informanté November 12

N$18m election bonus for Chiefs
Traditional Chiefs get brand new rides from GRN
IN a desperate attempt to lure votes in next week’s Parliamentary and Presidential elections, Government yesterday pampered traditional chiefs with 48 Toyota double cab vehicles worth about N$18 million.
The bonus for the traditional chiefs comes after Government splashed out close to N$2,5 million to pay for Chief Sambyu’s kidney transplant in the United States.
Chief Sambyu’s area is where the All Peoples Party (APP) led by Ignatius Shixwameni and his brother Herbert are said to be commanding huge support. Informanté November 19

Pohamba buys two Mercs ahead of his                          inauguration
PRESIDENT Hifikepunye Pohamba has ordered two state-of-the-art S600L Mercedes Benz costing taxpayers about N$10 million - equivalent to the annual salaries for 20 specialist doctors or Anti-retroviral drugs for 26,000 people per month, Informanté has unearthed.
The shocking revelation comes just shortly before Pohamba would be confirmed Namibian President for his second term next week when the results for the Presidential and Parliamentary election are announced.
His decision to acquire an armoured Mercedes Benz S600L and an unarmoured one with optional extras worth N$127,000, is in contrast to Pohamba’s zero tolerance on wasting of public resources according to his declaration when he was sworn as President on 21 March 2005.

Namibian votes not secret
IT’S said your vote is a secret but the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) election observer mission discovered that the Namibian voters’ vote was not a secret in the just-ended Presidential and National Assembly elections.
PAP’s discovery comes in the wake of reports and complaints that ECN officials were recording voter registration card numbers on the counterfoil of the ballot papers.
According to a statement released by the election observer mission the practice can expose voters’ identities.

Max Hamata on intelligence hit list
A clique within the National Central Intelligence Services (NCIS) has allegedly been plotting to “eliminate” Informanté Editor-in-Chief Max Hamata for his recent exposés on the Presidential N$10million Mercedes Benzes and Chinese scholarships that infuriated top political figures.
NCIS insiders have warned the Editor-in-Chief that a hit list to eliminate him has allegedly been drawn by some people within the intelligence circles over the stories the tabloid has broken in the past two months.
The warnings follow a meeting where top security officials, including NCIS Deputy Director Bishop Shilunga, Inspector General of the Police Sebastian Ndeitunga, Police commissioners J. Nguluwe and Vilho Nghifindaka summoned Hamata to caution him for ostensibly exposing President Hifikepunye Pohamba to security risk by revealing the details of his new N$10 million presidential Mercedes Benz fleet.