Lands official gets off with a slap on the wrist

A SENIOR Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Ministry official who allegedly took bribes in exchange for land earmarked for the resettlement of landless Namibians has escaped with a “caution”.

The Ministry’s Head of Resettlement in Tsumeb, Ndakola Imene, was hauled before an internal disciplinary hearing last week to answer misconduct charges ranging from accepting bribes to misuse of Government property. Officials at the Lands Ministry were tightlipped this week when asked about the outcome of the hearing.Public Relations Officer Crispin Mutongela claimed not to have any information about the matter, while Permanent Secretary Frans Tsheehama told The Namibian:”Do we report to you? …Why can’t you wait until we finish?” But a letter addressed to Imene on Monday by the chairperson of the DC, Eric Ndala, a copy of which The Namibian has seen, stated:”This serves to inform you that the disciplinary committee has recommended that you be cautioned or reprimanded in terms of Section 26(17) of the Public Service Act.”Ndala’s letter did not elaborate on the specific caution, but went on to state that Imene had the right to appeal against the recommended “punitive measure”.The charges against Imene included that she accepted N$1 400 from a certain Erastus Gariseb in January 2002 “in order to resettle him on Farm Welmoed”, about 20 kilometres north-east of Tsumeb.According to the charge sheet, in February last year the resettlement official also received a “gift” in the form of a goat from a certain Mr Kambonde, who is currently resettled at Farm Leeupos, also in the Tsumeb area.She was also accused of contravening her conditions of service in that between December 9 and 13 she allegedly authorised her husband to drive a Government vehicle, GRN 4328, to attend a wedding at Mupini village in the Kavango.The DC hearing found Imene guilty on the last two charges but she was cleared on the main charge of taking a N$1 400 bribe from Gariseb.According to sources close to the hearing, she was let off on the charge after the main witness, the man who had apparently introduced Gariseb to Imene, gave contradictory statements at the hearing.On the first day of the hearing, he apparently confessed that he had personally transported the money Gariseb allegedly paid to Imene.But on the second day the same witness allegedly changed his story and claimed that the money he gave to Imene was not from Gariseb but was an outstanding payment for a cow he [the witness] had bought from Imene.Contacted for comment, Gariseb, who also testified at the hearing, maintained that he gave the money to Imene through another farmer [the witness] who was already resettled.According to him, he was not familiar with resettlement procedures and had thought the money was part of the requirements.In November, The Namibian reported on how several people desperate for land allegedly gave Imene a wide range of “gifts” before they were resettled on Government farms.The alleged irregularities came into the open when farmers who had been relocated to Farm Welmoed started complaining about overcrowding and overgrazing because of extra people introduced into their farming units.Officials at the Lands Ministry were tightlipped this week when asked about the outcome of the hearing.Public Relations Officer Crispin Mutongela claimed not to have any information about the matter, while Permanent Secretary Frans Tsheehama told The Namibian:”Do we report to you? …Why can’t you wait until we finish?” But a letter addressed to Imene on Monday by the chairperson of the DC, Eric Ndala, a copy of which The Namibian has seen, stated:”This serves to inform you that the disciplinary committee has recommended that you be cautioned or reprimanded in terms of Section 26(17) of the Public Service Act.”Ndala’s letter did not elaborate on the specific caution, but went on to state that Imene had the right to appeal against the recommended “punitive measure”.The charges against Imene included that she accepted N$1 400 from a certain Erastus Gariseb in January 2002 “in order to resettle him on Farm Welmoed”, about 20 kilometres north-east of Tsumeb.According to the charge sheet, in February last year the resettlement official also received a “gift” in the form of a goat from a certain Mr Kambonde, who is currently resettled at Farm Leeupos, also in the Tsumeb area.She was also accused of contravening her conditions of service in that between December 9 and 13 she allegedly authorised her husband to drive a Government vehicle, GRN 4328, to attend a wedding at Mupini village in the Kavango.The DC hearing found Imene guilty on the last two charges but she was cleared on the main charge of taking a N$1 400 bribe from Gariseb.According to sources close to the hearing, she was let off on the charge after the main witness, the man who had apparently introduced Gariseb to Imene, gave contradictory statements at the hearing.On the first day of the hearing, he apparently confessed that he had personally transported the money Gariseb allegedly paid to Imene.But on the second day the same witness allegedly changed his story and claimed that the money he gave to Imene was not from Gariseb but was an outstanding payment for a cow he [the witness] had bought from Imene.Contacted for comment, Gariseb, who also testified at the hearing, maintained that he gave the money to Imene through another farmer [the witness] who was already resettled.According to him, he was not familiar with resettlement procedures and had thought the money was part of the requirements.In November, The Namibian reported on how several people desperate for land allegedly gave Imene a wide range of “gifts” before they were resettled on Government farms.The alleged irregularities came into the open when farmers who had been relocated to Farm Welmoed started complaining about overcrowding and overgrazing because of extra people introduced into their farming units.