Written by Max Hamata and Patience Nyangove
Thursday, 22 October 2009
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 last week revealed that high profile figures ranging from former President and founding Father, Sam Nujoma; current President, Hifikepunye Pohamba; Government ministers overseeing the procurement of multi-million dollar deals with the Chinese Government; senior military and several government officials are snatching scholarships meant to benefit mainly students from less privileged families for their children and relatives.
Among those students who left for China in August this year were Ndapanda Pohamba, the President’s daughter, who commenced studies at the Beijing Language University courtesy of the Chinese government scholarships; Justus Namoloh, the Defence Minister’s son who is studying at the Huazhong Normal University; Ernesto Ndeitunga, the Nampol Inspector General’s son who is also studying at the Huazhong Normal University; and Phillipus N. Esau, the Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy’s son who is at Tonji University.
On the list too is Lenna Ya Kasita, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Resettlement’s daughter at the Huazhong Normal University, Naukalemo Nghimtina, the Minister of Mines and Energy’s daughter; and Patrick Lungameni Mushimba, a relative of the former First Lady, Kovambo Nujoma, studying at the Tonji University.
When contacted for comment yesterday over her daughter’s scholarship Ivula-Ithana accused Informanté of abusing the children.
“You are abusing those children at the same time castigating their parents. Informanté is a credible newspaper why are you writing such stories? It’s those children whom you are hurting more than their parents. You wrote this story last week why are you continuing to write about it, what is driving you to do this? There are better stories like that where GIPF lost N$5 billion why can’t you report on that one?”
Ivula-Ithana’s deputy Nujoma after realising he was talking to a journalist from Informanté when contacted for comment hung up before ignoring our phone calls.
However a relative who responded to our phone calls at his Windhoek home confirmed that Ujama and Hiskia are Nujoma’s cousins.
Hiskia is understood to be in China together with his wife Ilona whom Informanté could not establish at the time of going to print whether she was also studying courtesy of the Chinese bursaries or was doing something else.
Hiskia’s brother Mika who is the acting CEO at the Airports Company of Namibia told Informanté that Hiskia was employed by the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and had accessed the Chinese scholarship to do his postgraduate studies through his employer.
The Home Affairs minister who, besides her son Nathanael who is studying in China, is believed to have another son, Maxwell, studying in Egypt.
Efforts to get a comment from her were fruitless as she was said to be out of the country.
What opposition parties said
Pohamba should take a lead and pay school fees for his daughter and give that scholarship to a deserving child.
The DTA demands that Minister Nangolo Mbumba should resign forthwith. He has failed miserably to meet the expectations of the young people who depend on him and his Ministry to look after their educational well-being.
These bursaries were supposedly meant for the disadvantaged young people of Namibia to further their studies in China. Not for the Swapo elite.
This scam simply reaffirms what the DTA has been saying for 20 years: Swapo leaders abuse their positions and influence in Government to selfishly enrich and benefit themselves and their families at the cost of Namibia’s poor – DTA general secretary McHenry Venaani who also described the scramble as a conflict of interest because the beneficiaries are the ones who award tenders and contracts to Chinese companies.
When we accuse Swapo, people say we are against the ruling party, but that is not true. It’s because the ruling party is not for all. Look at those who benefitted, they are from the Oshiwambo speaking people - UDF president Justus Garoeb also questioned why most of the beneficiaries are Oshiwambo
They are robbing the poor. Those who can afford should pay up fees for their children. Ministers, members of Parliament and the President should do the same. If we pay ourselves we leave the scholarships for the poor - CoD leader Ben Ulenga
The relationship between the Chinese government and the Namibian government was one founded upon and nurtured by corruption – CoD’s Young Democrats Natji Tjirare in a statement this week.
Additional reporting by Renthia Kaukungwa
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