Nored hunts for political lobbying signs

THE Northern Electricity Distribution Company (Nored) is to institute a forensic audit to determine whether company facilities were used to advance one of the three Swapo candidates in the recent acrimonious presidential race.

Nored, which sells electricity to towns in northern Namibia, suspended its Managing Director, Martin Heita, last Thursday, reportedly over the suspicion that he may have used the company’s material to campaign for one of the presidential hopefuls. Heita supported former Minister of Foreign Affairs Hidipo Hamutenya.Hamutenya was fired from Government three days before the crucial Swapo congress at the end of May, held to elect a successor to President Sam Nujoma and the party’s candidate for the presidential elections in November.The Namibian has learnt that Nored has sought to appoint auditors who will search company material to see whether the State-owned firm was not “compromised” into backing any of the candidates.But the move will be seen in some circles as a witchhunt against Hamutenya, especially in light of the appointment of a commission of inquiry into how the disbanded Development Brigade Corporation (DBC) and Amcom were run.Amcom, a subsidiary of the Namibia Development Corporation (NDC), and the DBC resorted at some point under Hamutenya.Nujoma let it be known before the congress that he was opposed to Hamutenya taking over as President of Namibia, at times making thinly veiled attacks that Swapo had been infiltrated by unnamed “imperialists” who wanted to take over the riches of the country.However, the charges against Heita may turn out to be damning if the auditors can show that he used company material to actively campaign for Hamutenya.The Namibian understands that Nored staff are not prohibited from engaging in active politics but have to make sure not to drag the parastatal into the fray.Some reports say Heita was writing campaign material from his office, some of them criticising President Sam Nujoma.Nored chairman Erastus Uutoni yesterday declined to comment about the possibility of a forensic (thoroughgoing) audit.Some of the directors were allegedly eager to know whether Heita took an official position that Nored supported Hamutenya’s march on the presidency.Heita allegedly wrote a document that was faxed from Nored offices in which he accused Nujoma of dirty tricks in pushing for his preferred successor while another document castigated Nujoma’s leadership as having been unsuccessful.Hamutenya was up against Minister of Lands Hifikepunye Pohamba and Higher Education Minister Nahas Angula.The Swapo congress granted Nujoma his wish and voted for Pohamba, though the latter mostly avoided outright campaigning during the two-month run-up to the congress.Heita supported former Minister of Foreign Affairs Hidipo Hamutenya.Hamutenya was fired from Government three days before the crucial Swapo congress at the end of May, held to elect a successor to President Sam Nujoma and the party’s candidate for the presidential elections in November.The Namibian has learnt that Nored has sought to appoint auditors who will search company material to see whether the State-owned firm was not “compromised” into backing any of the candidates.But the move will be seen in some circles as a witchhunt against Hamutenya, especially in light of the appointment of a commission of inquiry into how the disbanded Development Brigade Corporation (DBC) and Amcom were run.Amcom, a subsidiary of the Namibia Development Corporation (NDC), and the DBC resorted at some point under Hamutenya.Nujoma let it be known before the congress that he was opposed to Hamutenya taking over as President of Namibia, at times making thinly veiled attacks that Swapo had been infiltrated by unnamed “imperialists” who wanted to take over the riches of the country.However, the charges against Heita may turn out to be damning if the auditors can show that he used company material to actively campaign for Hamutenya.The Namibian understands that Nored staff are not prohibited from engaging in active politics but have to make sure not to drag the parastatal into the fray.Some reports say Heita was writing campaign material from his office, some of them criticising President Sam Nujoma.Nored chairman Erastus Uutoni yesterday declined to comment about the possibility of a forensic (thoroughgoing) audit.Some of the directors were allegedly eager to know whether Heita took an official position that Nored supported Hamutenya’s march on the presidency.Heita allegedly wrote a document that was faxed from Nored offices in which he accused Nujoma of dirty tricks in pushing for his preferred successor while another document castigated Nujoma’s leadership as having been unsuccessful.Hamutenya was up against Minister of Lands Hifikepunye Pohamba and Higher Education Minister Nahas Angula.The Swapo congress granted Nujoma his wish and voted for Pohamba, though the latter mostly avoided outright campaigning during the two-month run-up to the congress.