PUBLIC outrage over what is considered the inappropriate use of state vehicles at a time of government austerity was reignited at the weekend when photos of a luxury government vehicle being used for what appeared to be private business circulated on a popular social media platform.
The outrage concerned images showing men loading bags of cement into a black Mercedes-Benz, with the registration number GRN 81, at a Cashbuild outlet. It could not be established yesterday when the photos were taken, or who the vehicle was assigned to, but those who viewed the photos online called on the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate the matter.
attempted, through various government sources, to establish the identity of the politician the vehicle was assigned to, but could not do so by the time of going to print.
Works and transport permanent secretary Willem Goeiemann yesterday said he could not identify the vehicle because he did not know all government vehicles’ registration numbers.
But he would confirm today, from the list of registration numbers, who the vehicle was assigned to.
The latest ruckus around a luxury government vehicle being used in a perceived inappropriate manner follows the early January revelation of National Council Chairperson Margareth Mensah-Williams having used her official Mercedes-Benz for a trip, which she claimed was official, to Cape Town, South Africa, over the holiday period.
While Mensah-Williams has stated that she also had official business to attend to in Cape Town, she never clarified what that business was.
At the time, the Anti-Corruption Commission’s chief investigator, Nelius Becker, stated on his Facebook page that there was nothing wrong with Mensah-Williams using a government vehicle to travel to Cape Town. His comments were also posted to the ACC’s Facebook page.
“If this is indeed a vehicle utilised by a political office-bearer, then he/she can utilise it for vacation purposes as well. So, if it is the vehicle of a minister or political office-bearer, then there is nothing wrong with it,” he stated.
Becker also quoted “Cabinet Rules on Official Vehicles” which state that “there is no restriction on the use of official vehicles for private purposes, and no prohibition concerning the use of these vehicles during vacation or any other period of leave; provided that if an official vehicle is used for private purposes, it must be done with discretion so that no embarrassment is caused to government”.
In response to comments on the latest incident – of the cement-loading into a government Mercedes-Benz – finance minister Calle Schlettwein stated on Twitter that the use of government vehicles for private purposes was restricted to “a trip authority which is restricted to the territory of Namibia”.
Schlettwein’s tweet appeared to reference the Mensah-Williams episode and not the latest outrage, and seemed to be aimed at contradicting Becker’s interpretation of rules concerning the use of government vehicles assigned to political office-bearers. The finance minister stated that using government vehicles outside Namibian territory required treasury authorisation.
Schlettwein, however, said although the ACC was correct to say that political office-bearers were allowed to use government vehicles for private purposes, the ACC appeared to be overlooking other rules which required authorisation from his ministry.
“Those rules are also subject to other rules that I quoted on Twitter. You need authorisation to move the car outside the country. These vehicles are government property, and they are not insured,” Schlettwein stressed yesterday.
Becker could not be reached for comment yesterday.
In response to the latest episode involving a government vehicle, online commenters roundly condemned it. Some called on government to introduce measures compelling ministers and other political office-bearers to start paying for their own fuel costs.
“Minister, you would have realised now that the ACC will effectively set dangerous precedents and position itself as barricade to financial prudence with its reckless pronouncements that effectively permit particular conducts,” stated Job Amupanda, of the Affirmative Repositioning movement, responding to Schlettwein’s tweet.
“A government vehicle on holiday in a foreign country and a government VIP sedan utilised for transporting bags of cement surely causes embarrassment to the nation,” one commenter stated on Facebook, with reference to both incidents.
“If the ACC is serious, why allow government cars at clubs during weekends? Go to any region today, u (sic) will see government cars being abused in villages. These cars are very expensive to buy and to service. Is this what we call reckoning?” said another irate online observer.
Muted criticism of the ACC also came from such prominent commentators as economist Rowland Brown, and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
“It has long been apparent that the ACC is reluctant to deal with corruption. This must change if the President wants his “fight against corruption” to hold credibility,” responded Brown to Schlettwein’s tweet yesterday.
The IPPR asked: “Currently, ministers are allowed to use their government vehicles for private use, as the ACC recently clarified. But surely this doesn’t mean using them for collecting cement, or going on holiday abroad. These actions might be technically legal, but are they ethical?”
