Ministry probes land bribery charges

THE Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Ministry has instituted a new probe into allegations that some of its officials in the Oshikoto Region took bribes in exchange for handing out land.

A two-strong team has been at Tsumeb since Monday to interview the alleged culprits and victims. In November, The Namibian reported on how several people desperate for land allegedly gave the Ministry’s Head of Resettlement in Tsumeb, Ndakola Imene, a wide range of “gifts” before they were resettled on Government-bought farms.The claimed irregularities came to the fore when farmers who had been relocated to Farm Welmoed, about 20 kilometres north-east of Tsumeb, started complaining about overcrowding and overgrazing because of extra people introduced into their farming units.Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba instituted a probe early last year but his Ministry failed to act on Police recommendations that Imene be suspended and charged with fraud.Director of Resettlement Mukwaita Shanyengana yesterday charged that the allegations were one-sided, hence the Ministry had dispatched a team of investigators early this week to Oshikoto region.”We could not take action based on one-sided allegations.Now we have a team already in the field interviewing all those said to have been involved,” he said in an interview with The Namibian.”We need a broad investigation so that if it was just rumours the names of the implicated can be cleared … and if anyone is found guilty then serious action [can be] taken”.The Namibian learned from reliable sources that the Ministry only sent the investigation team after failing to get satisfactory explanations from Imene on the allegations.”The Ministry wrote to her (Imene) seeking answers to questions, but it was not satisfied with her responses … now people have been sent to the region [Oshikoto] to investigate,” one source claimed.Shanyengana declined to be drawn into discussing the details of the probe “because I think we will be jumping the gun and I don’t think it is even fair to the people assigned to investigate”.Shanyengana said that most of the people who had moved on to resettlement farms illegally, particularly in the Tsumeb area, had been removed by the Ministry.He warned resettled farmers who continued to sub-lease units to other people that they would face action, possibly including losing their plots.In November, The Namibian reported on how several people desperate for land allegedly gave the Ministry’s Head of Resettlement in Tsumeb, Ndakola Imene, a wide range of “gifts” before they were resettled on Government-bought farms. The claimed irregularities came to the fore when farmers who had been relocated to Farm Welmoed, about 20 kilometres north-east of Tsumeb, started complaining about overcrowding and overgrazing because of extra people introduced into their farming units. Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba instituted a probe early last year but his Ministry failed to act on Police recommendations that Imene be suspended and charged with fraud. Director of Resettlement Mukwaita Shanyengana yesterday charged that the allegations were one-sided, hence the Ministry had dispatched a team of investigators early this week to Oshikoto region. “We could not take action based on one-sided allegations. Now we have a team already in the field interviewing all those said to have been involved,” he said in an interview with The Namibian. “We need a broad investigation so that if it was just rumours the names of the implicated can be cleared … and if anyone is found guilty then serious action [can be] taken”. The Namibian learned from reliable sources that the Ministry only sent the investigation team after failing to get satisfactory explanations from Imene on the allegations. “The Ministry wrote to her (Imene) seeking answers to questions, but it was not satisfied with her responses … now people have been sent to the region [Oshikoto] to investigate,” one source claimed. Shanyengana declined to be drawn into discussing the details of the probe “because I think we will be jumping the gun and I don’t think it is even fair to the people assigned to investigate”. Shanyengana said that most of the people who had moved on to resettlement farms illegally, particularly in the Tsumeb area, had been removed by the Ministry. He warned resettled farmers who continued to sub-lease units to other people that they would face action, possibly including losing their plots.