No Secret Deal

THE proposed expenditure to build classrooms for a school in southern Angola and to rehabilitate a cemetery there was no secret matter, the Foreign Minister said yesterday.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Minister Marco Hausiku confirmed that former President Nujoma had made the commitment. He added that many exiled Namibians had been buried at the cemetery of Lubango.A local weekly newspaper recently revealed that the Namibian Government was allegedly ‘secretly’ providing several million dollars to the southern Angolan town to add more classrooms to a school there and to renovate the cemetery.During a visit of former President Sam Nujoma to Lubango prior to his retirement as head of state last February, the Namibian ambassador to Angola told the delegation about the dilapidated state of the Lubango cemetery and the need for more classrooms for the local school.”The (Namibian) delegation then decided to look at providing a small facility in the form of classrooms or a clinic.The issue of the dilapidated cemetery was also discussed and members of our delegation agreed to get it rehabilitated,” Hausiku explained.”As head of the Namibian delegation, former President Nujoma made the announcement and commitment (at Lubango) on behalf of our Government and the people of Namibia,” Hausiku added.His Ministry was instructed to coordinate and consult with all relevant ministries.”None of these decisions were in secret as is currently being alleged,” Hausiku noted.The matter was “thoroughly” discussed by the Cabinet Committee on Treasury and directives were given “to assure a transparent process.”No funds had yet been disbursed, as the project would still be brought before a full Cabinet for final approval.All necessary legal procedures would be followed.Hausiku then diverted into what he termed the “sound defeat” of South African military forces in southern Angola at the hands of the Peoples Liberation Army of Namibia (Plan), which he said had forced apartheid South Africa to accept the UN plan for Namibia’s independence.”Angola paid a heavy price for the liberation of Southern Africa and was subjected to constant military aggression by the occupying forces of South Africa.Angolans housed us, fed us, provided us with space in their limited educational facilities and shared with us their medical facilities,” the Foreign Minister added, justifying the former President’s decision to assist with the cemetery and school.He gave no indication of the costs involved for the project.Ben Ulenga of the CoD then rose and said his party in principle was not against the idea, but Members of Parliament, at least from the opposition side, recently only found out through the media.”Today the Government reacted to those news reports,” Ulenga said.The CoD leader also criticised the fact that no budgetary allocation was made for the project in the national budget for this financial year.He added that many exiled Namibians had been buried at the cemetery of Lubango.A local weekly newspaper recently revealed that the Namibian Government was allegedly ‘secretly’ providing several million dollars to the southern Angolan town to add more classrooms to a school there and to renovate the cemetery.During a visit of former President Sam Nujoma to Lubango prior to his retirement as head of state last February, the Namibian ambassador to Angola told the delegation about the dilapidated state of the Lubango cemetery and the need for more classrooms for the local school.”The (Namibian) delegation then decided to look at providing a small facility in the form of classrooms or a clinic.The issue of the dilapidated cemetery was also discussed and members of our delegation agreed to get it rehabilitated,” Hausiku explained.”As head of the Namibian delegation, former President Nujoma made the announcement and commitment (at Lubango) on behalf of our Government and the people of Namibia,” Hausiku added.His Ministry was instructed to coordinate and consult with all relevant ministries.”None of these decisions were in secret as is currently being alleged,” Hausiku noted.The matter was “thoroughly” discussed by the Cabinet Committee on Treasury and directives were given “to assure a transparent process.”No funds had yet been disbursed, as the project would still be brought before a full Cabinet for final approval.All necessary legal procedures would be followed.Hausiku then diverted into what he termed the “sound defeat” of South African military forces in southern Angola at the hands of the Peoples Liberation Army of Namibia (Plan), which he said had forced apartheid South Africa to accept the UN plan for Namibia’s independence.”Angola paid a heavy price for the liberation of Southern Africa and was subjected to constant military aggression by the occupying forces of South Africa.Angolans housed us, fed us, provided us with space in their limited educational facilities and shared with us their medical facilities,” the Foreign Minister added, justifying the former President’s decision to assist with the cemetery and school.He gave no indication of the costs involved for the project.Ben Ulenga of the CoD then rose and said his party in principle was not against the idea, but Members of Parliament, at least from the opposition side, recently only found out through the media.”Today the Government reacted to those news reports,” Ulenga said.The CoD leader also criticised the fact that no budgetary allocation was made for the project in the national budget for this financial year.