PRESS RELEASE

Namibia’s National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) calls upon the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to urgently investigate whether or not self-enrichment and or conflict of interest as well as influence peddling were not at play in the acquisition by SWAPO Party Secretary General Ms. Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana of a lucrative permit to sell meat to Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) outlets in the Etosha National Park. The meat is mainly bought from subsistence farmers north of the so-called Red Line.

The human rights monitoring and advocacy organization strongly suspects that corruption is involved in the acquisition of such permit apparently without bidding because NWR is wholly owned by the Namibian Government or “the SWAPO Party Government” as it is also routinely called deceptively in the country. Ms. Ithana is holding the influential portfolio as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General as well as a lawmaker is the “SWAPO Party Government”.

NWR was established in 1998 by an Act of Parliament (i.e. Act 3 of 1998). It resorts under the “SWAPO Party Government’s” Ministry of Environment and Tourism. As a tourism hospitality company, NWR provides accommodation and camping sites throughout the country for both local and foreign tourists.

“As far as we are concerned, this is a situation whereby Ms. Ithana makes a decision as a Cabinet Minister in which she profits personally. Therefore, this is a classic example of a serious conflict of interest between her private interests, on the one hand, and her public obligations, on the other. If she had not been a Cabinet Minister, she probably would not have received the permit from a State veterinary at Ondangwa to supply meat to the tourist hospitalities under NWR’s control in the Etosha National Park”, said NSHR executive director Phil ya Nangoloh.

The Namibian Constitution, which Ms. Ithana is under the obligation to uphold and respect in terms of Articles 5, 38 and 87(c) thereof, strictly prohibits Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament to enrich themselves. Specific reference is made to Article 42(1) of the Constitution, which stipulates that: “[..] Ministers may not … engage in activities inconsistent with their positions as Ministers, or expose themselves to any situation which carries with it the risk of a conflict developing between their interests as Ministers and their private interests”.

Article 60(1) of the Constitution also obligates Members of Parliament to “desist from any conduct by which they seek improperly to enrich themselves”.

“In light of above, we are tempted to strongly urge both national and international tourists of conscience and repute who are visiting the Etosha National Park, not to buy and or consume any cattle or goat meat there, as this would mean or be perceived rewarding corruption and or conflict of interest. Accordingly, we are also calling upon those private businesses in the said Park, which might have entered into the meat supply agreements with the controversial HA-NA-HE Butchery CC, to cancel such agreements”, said ya Nangoloh.

During an interview on the local NBC Chat Show Plus phone-in program last Friday, Ms. Ithana declined to answer questions from a caller vis-à-vis how she obtained the controversial permit to sell meat in the said Park. Nonetheless, Ms. Ithana also admitted, during the said interview, that she is the owner of the HA-NA-HE Butchery CC at the newly proclaimed town of Omuthiya.

On February 2 2008 the said butchery was a scene of a SWAPO Party political rally which ended in bloodshed. A highly aggressive SWAPO Party activist, one Ndishishi “Sigo” ya Nambinga, stabbed a Policewoman before a male Police officer fatally wounded him. The incident occurred on the premises of the notorious HA-NA-HE Butchery CC, soon after, among others, Ms. Ithana engaged in hate expression and hurled other inflammatory epithets against human rights defenders.

During the aforementioned rally Ms. Ithana also labeled human rights defenders as “spies”, “agents” and “agents provocateur”. Innuendos were also made by her or her cohorts, encouraging SWAPO Party supporters to perpetrate violent acts against Phil ya Nangoloh and other human rights defenders.

Moreover, during the above-mentioned radio interview, Ms. Ithana also accused the human rights organization of inter alia being “hell-bent on creating on (sic!) atmosphere or creating a situation where, er, the International Community should be made to understand or to believe that there is either a situation like war in Namibia or something of that sort”. Furthermore, Ithana repeated her accusation that NSHR was engaging in espionage against the SWAPO Party. The human rights organization describes Ms. Ithana’s accusations not only as “nonsense and baseless”, but also “absurd and paranoid”.