Written by Patience Nyangove
Thursday, 12 November 2009
IN another bid for the umpteenth time to explain why only children and relatives of high ranking Government officials benefited from the Chinese Government scholarships the Ministry of Education this week Monday placed an N$6,000 advert.
The advert is a reproduction of a speech Education Minister, Nangolo Mbumba made last week Monday at another press conference where he tried to explain to the nation over the “Chinese Scholarships saga”.
An advertising sales rep at The New Era where the colour double page advert was placed said the advert cost N$6, 689.14 in tax payer’s money.
At the press conference Mbumba who was flanked by Presidential Affairs Minister Albert Kawana and Information and Communication Technology Minister Joël Kaapanda said it was not his responsibility to say whether those who received the scholarships are morally wrong.
“As for morality only a priest can talk about that,” Mbumba said responding to a question whether it was morally right or wrong for senior Government officials to “grab” scholarships at the expense of students from less privileged families.
Two weeks before, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Vitalis Ankama’s had called for another press conference where he denied the ministry had anything to do with the 22 children and relatives of the top brass who got the Chinese scholarships.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party of Namibia’s Secretary General, Gert Jansen said Mbumba together with other Government Ministers had failed to provide the nation with the relevant answers they needed.
“Hon. Mbumba and all the other Swapo Government ministers have unfortunately not addressed the real issue and it is obvious that, as is frequently the case, they are trying to mislead the Namibian nation.
“The issue here is the fact that the Chinese government made bursaries available, one would assume for those students whose families cannot afford to pay for their studies, but then the bursaries were allocated amongst others to the daughter of the President, the one person who most definitely should be able to afford to finance the education of not only his daughter, but a number of other students.
“The Hon Minister can carry on trying to defend the allocation of the Chinese bursaries much as he wants, but what is wrong is wrong,” he said.
Among the high flying Government officials whose children and relatives have benefitted are Pendukeni Ithana, daughter to Justice Minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana; Nathanael Pashto Nghidinwa, son to Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Rosalia Nghidinwa 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.
Others are President, Hifikepunye Pohamba’s daughter Ndapanda Pohamba, Justus Namoloh, the Defence Minister’s son; Ernesto Ndeitunga, the Nampol Inspector General’s son; and Phillipus N. Esau, the Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy’s son.
On the list is also Lenna Ya Kasita, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Resettlement’s daughter, Naukalemo Nghimtina, the Minister of Mines and Energy’s daughter; and Patrick Lungameni Mushimba, a relative of the former First Lady, Kovambo Nujoma.
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