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.”
No comments:
Post a Comment