Kamwi reacts to ‘mercenary’ accusations

War veteran Alex Kamwi has come out strongly against public criticism of the consultancy work he did for an American security company.

The company was closed down 10 days ago and its two US executives deported by the Namibian Government and declared persona non grata. Kamwi, who is a committee member of the Namibian Ex-Freedom Fighters/War Veterans Association, says he was exposed to verbal attacks in various radio phone-in programmes, especially the NBC’s ‘Chat Show’ last week.”Several listeners accused me of allegedly ‘authorising’ Namibians to work as security guards in Iraq,” Kamwi told The Namibian yesterday.”Anybody can call anonymously and say their say.Listeners alleged I received huge sums of money from the two US citizens, who set up their company in Windhoek, but that is not at all true!” Kamwi also issued a hard-hitting statement yesterday in which he put the blame on the doorstep of several Government ministries, which he said should have prevented the registration of the US outfit SOC-SMG right from the start.”I deny and dismiss (…) allegations linking me to that company with all the contempt it deserves,” Kamwi stated in the press release.”I never knew they were coming here, I did not invite them.I did not authorise any former freedom fighters to work in Iraq, this allegation is cantankerous and stinking (…) and I also did not have any shares in that shut-down company.SOC-SMG was fully US-owned; the evidence is there at the Registrar of Companies.”Kamwi pointed fingers at immigration officials who let SOC-SMG officials Paul Grimes and Frederic Piry into Namibia.”Immigration should not have allowed them to enter Namibia, the two men should have said (to them) what type of business they wanted to start here,” Kamwi lashed out.He himself was only hired as a consultant after the process had already been set in motion, Kamwi said.Piry and Grimes had seen the Registrar of Companies, who told them to register their outfit and to see the Ministry of Labour, which they did twice.Kamwi said he was only present at the third meeting.”The Permanent Secretary of the Labour Ministry at that meeting told Grimes the matter was referred to the Ministry of Safety and Security and he should follow up with them with regard to the outcome,” Kamwi added.He also witnessed a meeting between Grimes and the Permanent Secretary of the Safety and Security Ministry.”Why did all these senior Government officials not advise Grimes at the outset that the service of exporting Namibians as security guards to Iraq was not allowed in Namibia?” Kamwi wrote in the press statement.”Were they not aware of the provisions of the Constitution? Advising Grimes to register his company here meant they were in support of Namibians to go to Iraq, or else they would have had him arrested.”The war veteran further argued that according to Section 172(4) of the Companies Act, any certificate issued by the Registrar of Companies in the Ministry of Trade and Industry was “conclusive evidence” that a company was entitled to do business here.As such, according to Kamwi, the person who authorised the US company to have “Namibians exported to Iraq as security guards is the Registrar of Companies in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and not me.”Kamwi, who is a committee member of the Namibian Ex-Freedom Fighters/War Veterans Association, says he was exposed to verbal attacks in various radio phone-in programmes, especially the NBC’s ‘Chat Show’ last week.”Several listeners accused me of allegedly ‘authorising’ Namibians to work as security guards in Iraq,” Kamwi told The Namibian yesterday.”Anybody can call anonymously and say their say.Listeners alleged I received huge sums of money from the two US citizens, who set up their company in Windhoek, but that is not at all true!” Kamwi also issued a hard-hitting statement yesterday in which he put the blame on the doorstep of several Government ministries, which he said should have prevented the registration of the US outfit SOC-SMG right from the start.”I deny and dismiss (…) allegations linking me to that company with all the contempt it deserves,” Kamwi stated in the press release.”I never knew they were coming here, I did not invite them.I did not authorise any former freedom fighters to work in Iraq, this allegation is cantankerous and stinking (…) and I also did not have any shares in that shut-down company.SOC-SMG was fully US-owned; the evidence is there at the Registrar of Companies.”Kamwi pointed fingers at immigration officials who let SOC-SMG officials Paul Grimes and Frederic Piry into Namibia.”Immigration should not have allowed them to enter Namibia, the two men should have said (to them) what type of business they wanted to start here,” Kamwi lashed out.He himself was only hired as a consultant after the process had already been set in motion, Kamwi said.Piry and Grimes had seen the Registrar of Companies, who told them to register their outfit and to see the Ministry of Labour, which they did twice.Kamwi said he was only present at the third meeting.”The Permanent Secretary of the Labour Ministry at that meeting told Grimes the matter was referred to the Ministry of Safety and Security and he should follow up with them with regard to the outcome,” Kamwi added.He also witnessed a meeting between Grimes and the Permanent Secretary of the Safety and Security Ministry.”Why did all these senior Government officials not advise Grimes at the outset that the service of exporting Namibians as security guards to Iraq was not allowed in Namibia?” Kamwi wrote in the press statement.”Were they not aware of the provisions of the Constitution? Advising Grimes to register his company here meant they were in support of Namibians to go to Iraq, or else they would have had him arrested.”The war veteran further argued that according to Section 172(4) of the Companies Act, any certificate issued by the Registrar of Companies in the Ministry of Trade and Industry was “conclusive evidence” that a company was entitled to do business here.As such, according to Kamwi, the person who authorised the US company to have “Namibians exported to Iraq as security guards is the Registrar of Companies in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and not me.”