•  December 2000February 2001 Local News Headlines

Friday, February 23, 2001 - Web posted at 8:02:33 AM GMT

Parastatals say donations for tombstones, personal
MAX HAMATA

TWO parastatals have justified donations made to the ruling party, Swapo, recently.

Telecom Namibia spokesperson Ferdinand Tjombe confirmed to The Namibian that his company paid N$2 000 for a table for their guests at a Swapo event last Friday to raise funds to build the ruling party's Khomas regional office.

Tjombe said Telecom had decided to attend the Swapo event "from a business point of view ...we cannot venture into politics as a company"."

"From Telecom Namibia's side, the Swapo Party is a very important customer," he said."

"They have offices throughout the country where they are making use of our technologies and we see nothing wrong in supporting our customer or any other party for that matter using our networks and our telephones.

They [Swapo] are responsible for earning us revenue."

"He said Telecom had attended similar events run by non-governmental organisations.

Tjombe said Telecom could assist other political parties depending on "what they put on the table and how they approach us because they are also our customers".

But before deciding to fund any political party, Tjombe said, "Telecom will look at what value the organisation has in terms of earning revenue to the company and in supporting the principles of democracy".

Late last year Telecom donated N$20 000 to Swapo's tombstone fund.

Tjombe said this was a moral decision to help provide better burial places for Namibia's fallen heroes.

NamWater handed over N$10 000 at Friday night's fundraiser.

However, when approached for comment, NamWater Corporate Communications Manager Lazarus Jacobs justified his company's donation saying it too was for the tombstone fund.

He said NamWater had attended the fundraising dinner because it provided an opportune moment to hand over the donation."

"We will support any noble cause irrespective of what political party it comes from," he added.

NamPower Managing Director Leake Hangala emphasised that the N$2 000 donation he handed over was from his own pocket and not from NamPower."

"Let me repeat this 10 times ... this is a donation from myself and my family..... it has nothing to do with NamPower.

We don't donate money to political parties."

"Windhoek Municipality Chief Executive Officer Martin Shipanga said his N$7 000 donation to the fund for a regional headquarters was a personal gift.

* In a press release on the furore sparked by Friday's fundraiser, the DTA-UDF coalition said it remained convinced that "the Prime Minister abused the infrastructure of his office, for certain reasons".

Prime Minister Hage Geingob has denied he abused his office to raise more than N$100 000 for the regional headquarters.

The coalition said in its statement: "In his letter soliciting financial support from his various comrades for the Swapo building fund, Geingob states clearly that these donations may be handed to Comrade Jeff Mbako in Mr Geingob's office, and he gives his office telephone number as the contact phone number."

"Secondly, the coalition claimed: "Mr Mbako's defence that he is not a civil servant because he is a political appointee, must be dismissed with the contempt it deserves.

Anyone who receives a salary from the Government's coffers is technically a civil servant, being paid by the taxpayers of this country.

Being a political appointee does not give one carte blanche to use the Government's infrastructure as one sees fit."

"Added the statement: "Further, Mr Geingob made use of his official fax machine to distribute his press release and copies of his letter of solicitation to the media on Monday 19 February 2001, yet the press statement is on his personal and private letterhead (and) thus is not being issued in his capacity as Prime Minister.

"Should it not, therefore have been faxed from his private fax machine at home, or from Swapo head Office, for that matter? the coalition argued.

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