Row erupts over Sam Nujoma’s ‘historical’ Land Cruiser now used by Nekundi

The chairperson of the Sam Nujoma Foundation, Nahas Angula, has criticised minister of works and transport Veikko Nekundi for using a government vehicle that used to be assigned to former president Sam Nujoma.

The black SUV Land Cruiser has become a point of contention.

Sources close to the foundation claim it was bought a few months before Nujoma’s death, while Nekundi maintains the vehicle is a 2011 model.

Angula, speaking on behalf of the Sam Nujoma Foundation, has expressed concerns about this, saying “everything was supposed to be at a standstill until the estate is properly sorted out and is in the hands of Sisa Namandje”.

He says Nekundi has disrespected Nujoma by taking the vehicle from the office.

“The car was taken without the permission of the people who are responsible to safeguard the office of the founding president until the executor carries out his duties. It was taken without proper consultation.

The way he took the car from that office shows a sense of disregard of protocol,” Angula says.

He says if a car was used by a president, it is only the other president who can claim it, not a minister.

“Whatever car he took, whether it was a presidential escort or car used by the president, only another president can say bring that car into my escort – not a minister coming from there and saying bring keys.

“In my view, the impression I get is that they feel their father was disrespected,” Angula says.

Nujoma Foundation sources say the vehicle, a black Land Cruiser with registration number N75025W, which remains government property, was reportedly collected by government drivers on Nekundi’s instruction.

‘HISTORICAL ARTEFACT’

Although the vehicle is officially part of the state fleet, Nujoma allies are calling for it to be preserved as a historical artifact rather than being used for day-to-day official duties.

Nekundi has provided some background on how he ended up using the former president’s vehicle.

He says he initially got a Toyota Prado from the government fleet, which he passed on to the speaker of the National Assembly, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, who had no allocated vehicle in March this year.

After that, he says he took a 2011 model Land Cruiser SUV, which he later discovered had previously been used by the founding president.
“This vehicle is not a security vehicle.

I must state that all security-classified vehicles are in the appropriate hands of the state. No one is permitted to use such vehicles except for the Presidency,” Nekundi says.

He says he only used it sometimes, has taken it back to the government pool, and is currently using a BMW sedan vehicle.

Some of Nujoma’s allies want the official vehicles used by Nujoma, especially the one he used during his inauguration on 21 March 1990, a Mercedes-Benz with a number plate Nam 1 and the Prado SUV GRN 4473, to be preserved and kept in a museum.

The Mercedes-Benz is said to be parked at the government pool and could be assigned to any visiting foreign head of state.

Allies also want his office situated along Robert Mugabe Avenue to be preserved and turned into a museum.

However, Nekundi told The Namibian on Wednesday that the government cannot preserve all the vehicles Nujoma has used.

“Just like the office, we are not preserving all the offices he used,” he said.

Nekundi said at the time of Nujoma’s death in February, he had two cars, a presidential security car, which was a sedan, and a Prado, which was not a bulletproof vehicle.

He said the sedan is “in the appropriate hands”, while the Prado is currently at the government garage.

“Returning into the pool, as we chat, no one is using it.

You must appreciate that ministers, when given cars from a pool, are told this car was used by X or Y.

“They are pool cars; when a need arises, the garage allocates the

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