Written by Patience Nyangove
Thursday, 20 May 2010
PRESIDENT Hifikepunye Pohamba last week Saturday reportedly summoned the Swapo Secretary to the Women’s Council and Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services, Petrina Haingura over her implication in a N$300,000 extortion attempt involving a South African catering company.
Last week, Informanté revealed that Haingura and Swapo Women’s Council Documentation Secretary, Mildred Jantjies, allegedly tried to extort over N$300,000 from Independent Site Services, a tender partner to the SWC.
According to reliable Swapo Party sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, Haingura reportedly told the President that the Informanté story was not true.
“The President is said to have just listened to her story and never said much. Apparently her argument was that Informanté is a tabloid newspaper meant to discredit the country’s leadership through writing falsehoods about them,” the sources said.
In a 21-page dossier in possession of Informanté which includes letters between Jantjies, ISS, Doreen Sioka and Haingura, some of the letters written by Jantjies clearly show how the duo tried to siphon N$100,000 from ISS to allegedly fund Haingura’s “election campaign” and another N$100,000 to pay for Jantjies’ son’s hotel bill at the Sheraton Hotel in Zimbabwe among other financial requests.
Informanté was reliably informed that a few weeks ago Swapo Secretary General, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana had a meeting with the ISS management in which Haingura walked out saying, “ I have no time to discuss with these people.”
The sources added that Haingura even came late for the meeting.
“We now hear that Petrina is alleging that the Secretary General got presents from the ISS management and is after dirtying her name of which that’s not true. The Secretary General doesn’t have anything against Haingura. She just wanted to get to the bottom of the issue since it had been brought to her attention,” the sources said.
The Swapo sources also told Informanté that during an SWC meeting on Monday an agitated Haingura who was at odds to defend herself also reiterated that Informanté was writing falsehoods against her.
After Informanté had shown the sources the documents in its possession, the sources said apparently Haingura only showed them two letters one written by a former employee of ISS only identified as Martin.
According to the sources, Haingura and Jantjies have held back all the information implicating them in the scandal and only showed the SWC two apologetic letters written by the ISS management.
One of the letters is said to be when a former employee of ISS Martin is claiming to be the one who asked for the N$100,000 allegedly to pay for Jantjies’ son’s hotel bill in Zimbabwe.
Martin allegedly apologised saying there was never an official request for the money but it was him who wanted to assist.
Last week Haingura could only say the issue was politically motivated.
“This thing is politically motivated. I didn’t ask Webber for money. If you want to know more call my lawyers, Conradie and Damaseb.”
Ithana and Jantjies were all said to be out of the country while last week the party’s Vice President Nangolo Mbumba refused to comment.
Presidential Affairs Minister, Dr Albert Kawana, last week said it was ridiculous for a politician to ask for money to fund their election campaign as Swapo didn’t operate in such a way.
“In terms of the Swapo party there are mechanisms to address those cadres who behave in such a way. Those mechanisms are known to all at all party levels. We have rules and procedures that regulate the conduct of members. People must subscribe to party rules.”
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Divisions rock Swapo Women’s Council?
Written by Patience Nyangove
Thursday, 20 May 2010
SWAPO Women’s Council Secretary, Petrina Haingura, has reportedly accused the party’s Secretary General, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, of working with a South African catering company to discredit her ahead of next year’s elections.
Informanté last week revealed that Haingura and the SWC documentation secretary, Mildred Jantjies, attempted to extort N$300,000 in order for them to influence the awarding of catering tenders. But impeccable sources within Swapo, however, said Haingura is using Iivula-Ithana as a scapegoat.
The SWC will hold elections for new office bearers next year and Haingura strongly believes that Iivula-Ithana is using the ISS tender extortion claims to get rid of her.
In an interview done while sitting in her Toyota Aventis last week at Zoo Park where she was officiating at the World Nurses Day, Haingura spoke about “a big woman within Swapo who is after my position. I cannot tell you her name but she is very big. You know next year this Secretary of SWC post I am currently holding they will be an election for it and that’s why people are discrediting my name”.
The sources further allege that the claims came after Iivula-Ithana had a meeting with ISS management where Haingura allegedly walked out.
“Apparently Haingura has been telling the S.G every time she was requested to come and discuss this whole issue that she was busy and when she finally pitched up for the meeting and saw the ISS management with Iivula-Ithana she was not amused. That’s when she started saying Iivula-Ithana got kick-backs from those whites to discredit her.”
The sources also said that Haingura together with Jantjies have been approaching male Members of Parliament and ministers allegedly seeking their support to accuse Iivula-Ithana of dining the ISS “whites”.
Sources within the SWC who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the divisions. “That’s true and this issue apart from causing divisions in SWC will also cause divisions in the whole party as people take sides,” the sources said.
Iivula-Ithana and Jantjies are both out of the country. Iivula-Ithana is reported to be in Russia with President Hifikepunye Pohamba while Jantjies is Cape Town, South Africa attending the funeral of a relative.
Thursday, 20 May 2010
SWAPO Women’s Council Secretary, Petrina Haingura, has reportedly accused the party’s Secretary General, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, of working with a South African catering company to discredit her ahead of next year’s elections.
Informanté last week revealed that Haingura and the SWC documentation secretary, Mildred Jantjies, attempted to extort N$300,000 in order for them to influence the awarding of catering tenders. But impeccable sources within Swapo, however, said Haingura is using Iivula-Ithana as a scapegoat.
The SWC will hold elections for new office bearers next year and Haingura strongly believes that Iivula-Ithana is using the ISS tender extortion claims to get rid of her.
In an interview done while sitting in her Toyota Aventis last week at Zoo Park where she was officiating at the World Nurses Day, Haingura spoke about “a big woman within Swapo who is after my position. I cannot tell you her name but she is very big. You know next year this Secretary of SWC post I am currently holding they will be an election for it and that’s why people are discrediting my name”.
The sources further allege that the claims came after Iivula-Ithana had a meeting with ISS management where Haingura allegedly walked out.
“Apparently Haingura has been telling the S.G every time she was requested to come and discuss this whole issue that she was busy and when she finally pitched up for the meeting and saw the ISS management with Iivula-Ithana she was not amused. That’s when she started saying Iivula-Ithana got kick-backs from those whites to discredit her.”
The sources also said that Haingura together with Jantjies have been approaching male Members of Parliament and ministers allegedly seeking their support to accuse Iivula-Ithana of dining the ISS “whites”.
Sources within the SWC who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the divisions. “That’s true and this issue apart from causing divisions in SWC will also cause divisions in the whole party as people take sides,” the sources said.
Iivula-Ithana and Jantjies are both out of the country. Iivula-Ithana is reported to be in Russia with President Hifikepunye Pohamba while Jantjies is Cape Town, South Africa attending the funeral of a relative.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Deputy Minister implicated in extortion attempt
Written by Patience Nyangove
Thursday, 13 May 2010
A South African catering company, Independent Site Services, says Swapo Secretary to the Women’s Council and Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services Petrina Haingura and Secretary for Documentation, Mildred Jantjies allegedly tried to extort over N$300,000 from them.
It is alleged Haingura through Jantjies wrote an email to Independent Site Services that is in a joint venture with the SWC requesting N$100,000 purportedly to fund her “election campaign” while Jantjies tried to extort N$100,000 for her son’s hotel bill in Zimbabwe.
ISS paid the SWC leadership money allegedly to get multi-million dollar Government tenders to supply food to Government secondary schools across the country.
In an email dated 2 March 2009 written by ISS Chairman Les Webber to Doreen Sioka now Minister of Gender and Child Welfare who was then Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Webber accuses Jantjies of requesting money to pay her son’s R100,000 hotel bill at Zimbabwe’s Rainbow Towers Hotel.
“I would like to place on record the payments we have made in respect of Swapo Women’s Council to date: R30,000 for SWC offices, R5,000 for seed for rural women, R2,000 for Mildred’s airfare to Johannesburg, R1,500 for a handbag made by the rural ladies.
“Over and above this in the last four days we have had two requests, both of them for over R100,000 each. The first was an extremely urgent request for R100,000 for the Minister’s campaign. The second was R100,000 for Mildred’s son’s hotel bill mentioned above,” Webber wrote.
Another letter written by a former employee of ISS only identified as Martin to ISS Group Operations Director Brenda Swanepoel on 4 March 2009 shows that Haingura and Jantjies were allegedly extorting money for their personal use.
“My email is just a cover up to Les’ email for this was nothing to do with the Deputy Speaker and still Les included her name. This email was just to save the situation for Mildred and the Deputy Health (Minister) was (sic) very upset and felt that the money they wanted to borrow was in their own capacity and had nothing to do with Swapo,” part of the letter reads
Swanepoel also mentions in one of her letters that Martin should be careful when dealing with the Swapo women.
“Martin, I want you to be very careful with these ladies, keep strictly to business with them. We need them and don’t want to put them or us in difficult situations. In short we have both been set up.”
In another undated letter written by Swanepoel she said it was Jantjies who approached ISS seeking donations for Haingura’s election campaign.
“...The next time we were in Namibia, our chairman and deputy chairman met Mildred for lunch at the Kalahari Sands Hotel. At this luncheon Mildred asked us to donate R100,000 to the Honourable Deputy Minister’s election campaign. We declined,” she wrote.
In an email dated 1 March 2009 written by Webber addressed to Sioka, Haingura and Jantjies, he asks the trio to assist ISS with the lobbying to get the Government tenders.
“In-order to kick this relationship off, you need to urgently assist us with the lobbying. As we only have a week or two before the tenders are awarded. We need to act quickly. Just to reiterate we have two companies Atlantic Food Services and Catering Solutions. We need to get two areas for each company, i.e. 8 regions as each area is made up of two regions. The critical area is the two regions made up of Kavango and Caprivi. We want this area to be awarded to our Catering Solutions company. We tendered slightly higher in Caprivi (R22,82) and Kavango we were the cheapest at (R18).
They will treat this one area and although we are higher in Caprivi, we are the cheapest in Kavango, which has more schools and the bigger section.
“Coupled to this is the fact that both the Honourable Deputy Minister and Deputy Speaker have considerable influences in this area. We also donated R5,000 for the local woman (sic) to plant seeds and grow vegetables in this specific area. We are already assisting the community. Please mention the above points in your lobbying,” the letter reads. When contacted for comment Haingura could only say the issue was politically motivated.
“This thing is politically motivated, I didn’t ask Webber for money. If you want to know more call my lawyers Conradie and Damaseb.”
Presidential Affairs Minister Dr Albert Kawana said it was ridiculous for a politician to ask for money to fund his or her election campaign as Swapo didn’t operate in such a way.
“In terms of the Swapo party there are mechanisms to address those cadres who behave in such a way. Those mechanisms are known to all at all party levels. We have rules and procedures that regulate the conduct of members, people must subscribe to party rules.”
Swapo deputy Secretary-General Nangolo Mbumba refused to comment on the issue referring Informanté to Haingura and Jantjies. Sioka chose to hung up on Informanté while Jantjies’ mobile phone was going on voicemail. A visit to the Women Centre were she works yielded nothing as they said she was on her way to South Africa to attend her sister’s funeral
Efforts to get a comment from Webber or Swanepoel were fruitless as Webber’s South African mobile number went unanswered while Swanepoel’s went on voice mail.
Thursday, 13 May 2010
A South African catering company, Independent Site Services, says Swapo Secretary to the Women’s Council and Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services Petrina Haingura and Secretary for Documentation, Mildred Jantjies allegedly tried to extort over N$300,000 from them.
It is alleged Haingura through Jantjies wrote an email to Independent Site Services that is in a joint venture with the SWC requesting N$100,000 purportedly to fund her “election campaign” while Jantjies tried to extort N$100,000 for her son’s hotel bill in Zimbabwe.
ISS paid the SWC leadership money allegedly to get multi-million dollar Government tenders to supply food to Government secondary schools across the country.
In an email dated 2 March 2009 written by ISS Chairman Les Webber to Doreen Sioka now Minister of Gender and Child Welfare who was then Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Webber accuses Jantjies of requesting money to pay her son’s R100,000 hotel bill at Zimbabwe’s Rainbow Towers Hotel.
“I would like to place on record the payments we have made in respect of Swapo Women’s Council to date: R30,000 for SWC offices, R5,000 for seed for rural women, R2,000 for Mildred’s airfare to Johannesburg, R1,500 for a handbag made by the rural ladies.
“Over and above this in the last four days we have had two requests, both of them for over R100,000 each. The first was an extremely urgent request for R100,000 for the Minister’s campaign. The second was R100,000 for Mildred’s son’s hotel bill mentioned above,” Webber wrote.
Another letter written by a former employee of ISS only identified as Martin to ISS Group Operations Director Brenda Swanepoel on 4 March 2009 shows that Haingura and Jantjies were allegedly extorting money for their personal use.
“My email is just a cover up to Les’ email for this was nothing to do with the Deputy Speaker and still Les included her name. This email was just to save the situation for Mildred and the Deputy Health (Minister) was (sic) very upset and felt that the money they wanted to borrow was in their own capacity and had nothing to do with Swapo,” part of the letter reads
Swanepoel also mentions in one of her letters that Martin should be careful when dealing with the Swapo women.
“Martin, I want you to be very careful with these ladies, keep strictly to business with them. We need them and don’t want to put them or us in difficult situations. In short we have both been set up.”
In another undated letter written by Swanepoel she said it was Jantjies who approached ISS seeking donations for Haingura’s election campaign.
“...The next time we were in Namibia, our chairman and deputy chairman met Mildred for lunch at the Kalahari Sands Hotel. At this luncheon Mildred asked us to donate R100,000 to the Honourable Deputy Minister’s election campaign. We declined,” she wrote.
In an email dated 1 March 2009 written by Webber addressed to Sioka, Haingura and Jantjies, he asks the trio to assist ISS with the lobbying to get the Government tenders.
“In-order to kick this relationship off, you need to urgently assist us with the lobbying. As we only have a week or two before the tenders are awarded. We need to act quickly. Just to reiterate we have two companies Atlantic Food Services and Catering Solutions. We need to get two areas for each company, i.e. 8 regions as each area is made up of two regions. The critical area is the two regions made up of Kavango and Caprivi. We want this area to be awarded to our Catering Solutions company. We tendered slightly higher in Caprivi (R22,82) and Kavango we were the cheapest at (R18).
They will treat this one area and although we are higher in Caprivi, we are the cheapest in Kavango, which has more schools and the bigger section.
“Coupled to this is the fact that both the Honourable Deputy Minister and Deputy Speaker have considerable influences in this area. We also donated R5,000 for the local woman (sic) to plant seeds and grow vegetables in this specific area. We are already assisting the community. Please mention the above points in your lobbying,” the letter reads. When contacted for comment Haingura could only say the issue was politically motivated.
“This thing is politically motivated, I didn’t ask Webber for money. If you want to know more call my lawyers Conradie and Damaseb.”
Presidential Affairs Minister Dr Albert Kawana said it was ridiculous for a politician to ask for money to fund his or her election campaign as Swapo didn’t operate in such a way.
“In terms of the Swapo party there are mechanisms to address those cadres who behave in such a way. Those mechanisms are known to all at all party levels. We have rules and procedures that regulate the conduct of members, people must subscribe to party rules.”
Swapo deputy Secretary-General Nangolo Mbumba refused to comment on the issue referring Informanté to Haingura and Jantjies. Sioka chose to hung up on Informanté while Jantjies’ mobile phone was going on voicemail. A visit to the Women Centre were she works yielded nothing as they said she was on her way to South Africa to attend her sister’s funeral
Efforts to get a comment from Webber or Swanepoel were fruitless as Webber’s South African mobile number went unanswered while Swanepoel’s went on voice mail.
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