Swapo MP in N$2m row

A SWAPO MP, Ella Ndatega Kamanya, is at the centre of accusations involving more than N$2 million, one-quarter of which belongs to the marginalised Tsumkwe and !Gam communities, which allegedly cannot be accounted for.

The Namibian is in possession of copies of the letter and other documents that detail activities the legislator and two alleged accomplices are claimed to be involved in. The other two are Daniel Haitembu, Kamanya’s brother-in-law, and a senior employee of the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing at Tsumkwe, Charles Chipango.They are accused of illegally changing the name of an empowerment fishing company in which the Tsumkwe and !Gam communities collectively hold 25 per cent of the shares.About two weeks ago, Chipango allegedly ‘persuaded’ illiterate members of the San community at Tsumkwe into signing a letter that expressed “full confidence in the way the trio was running the empowerment entity”.Members of the Trust from !Gam refused to sign the letter.The alleged irregularity has so embittered another ruling party MP, ‘Royal’ J.K./Ui/o/oo – who hails from Tsumkwe – that last Tuesday he wrote a strongly worded letter to President Sam Nujoma urging him to intervene.”It is really sad that the Honourable Ella Kamanya, a Swapo MP like myself, can be involved in misconduct…,” /Ui/o/oo alleged in the letter to Nujoma.”They have defrauded the San community and, to add insult to injury, they took advantage of the financial and legal illiteracy of the vulnerable San.”Contacted for comment, Kamanya told The Namibian: “I don’t have a comment”, and then said: “The company you are talking about is private, so the matter is private”.”I don’t know what your interest is.Whoever is complaining, let them use a relevant platform.There are relevant platforms to air grievances.I don’t believe in having a debate in a newspaper.”Kamanya was recently chosen as one of the country’s first representatives to the Pan-African Parliament.Haitembu simply said: “I don’t think this is the right platform to discuss that issue.That is a matter between the management of the company and the individuals concerned…I don’t have further comment.”Speaking from Tsumkwe, Chipango was more circumspect.He first attempted to distance himself from any alleged “wrongdoing” and then claimed that the company’s problems stemmed from a power struggle between “Herero and Owambo” shareholders.”I was only selected to represent the people here [in Tsumkwe and !Gam]…I don’t sign anything at the bank.I don’t take any decisions.My name does not even appear on the company’s letterhead as a director.”I understand why I am being implicated,” Chipango said.Kamanya and Haitembu’s names appear as directors on the company’s official letterhead.Chipango denied that members of the San community were “conned” into signing a letter of confidence in the management of the company.He claimed that the document was in fact an appeal to all shareholders “to stop quarrelling and going to court, so that we can all sit down and sort out our differences”.Asked why members of the Trust from !Gam had refused to sign the letter, he said: “This is a tribal issue…the people complaining are Hereros and those who did not sign are Hereros.”Residents of the remote settlements of Tsumkwe and !Gam came together to establish the Tsumkwe-!Gam Trust, which was awarded fishing quotas by the Government through Atlantic Fisheries (Pty) Ltd.Atlantic Fisheries later teamed up with a group of other empowerment companies in the fishing industry to form Omankete Investment (Pty) Ltd.The Namibian has learnt that about three years ago Kamanya, Haitembu and Chipango were asked to organise the first annual general meeting of Atlantic Fisheries, but this has not been held.Instead, the trio allegedly changed the company’s name to Tega Fisheries and altered the original shares, “with the Kamanya family becoming the main shareholders with some 44 per cent of the shares”.This prompted lawyers representing the majority of Atlantic Fisheries’ original shareholders to threaten to lay criminal charges with the Commercial Branch of the Police.In letters addressed to the trio on January 27, the lawyers demanded a complete inventory of the assets and liabilities of Tega Fisheries and “how the amount of N$2 400 000 received from Omankete Investments was utilised … should such information not be forthcoming on or before February 9, we carry instructions to issue a letter of demand and summons for such amounts.We further are instructed to institute criminal proceedings should clarity not be obtained regarding the utilisation of assets and funds of the company”.The Namibian has learnt that the lawyers have since succeeded in freezing Tega Fisheries’ bank account.The Namibian has further established that Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Abraham Iyambo made two attempts to solve the problem in August and October.The Minister wrote to Haitembu in October “to follow up on the meeting we had in my office on 18 August 2003…at that meeting I expressed my concern over the adjustment of the original shareholding structure of Tega Fisheries, previously known as Atlantic Fisheries”.Documents in The Namibian’s possession indicate that, since 2001, Omankete Investments has issued about N$2,4 million in dividends to Atlantic-Tega Fisheries.That money can apparently not be traced.Lawmaker /Ui/o/oo would say only that “some prominent people” had “crooked” members of the San community, but promised to discuss the matter in detail after consulting others concerned.The other two are Daniel Haitembu, Kamanya’s brother-in-law, and a senior employee of the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing at Tsumkwe, Charles Chipango. They are accused of illegally changing the name of an empowerment fishing company in which the Tsumkwe and !Gam communities collectively hold 25 per cent of the shares. About two weeks ago, Chipango allegedly ‘persuaded’ illiterate members of the San community at Tsumkwe into signing a letter that expressed “full confidence in the way the trio was running the empowerment entity”. Members of the Trust from !Gam refused to sign the letter. The alleged irregularity has so embittered another ruling party MP, ‘Royal’ J.K. /Ui/o/oo – who hails from Tsumkwe – that last Tuesday he wrote a strongly worded letter to President Sam Nujoma urging him to intervene. “It is really sad that the Honourable Ella Kamanya, a Swapo MP like myself, can be involved in misconduct…,” /Ui/o/oo alleged in the letter to Nujoma. “They have defrauded the San community and, to add insult to injury, they took advantage of the financial and legal illiteracy of the vulnerable San.” Contacted for comment, Kamanya told The Namibian: “I don’t have a comment”, and then said: “The company you are talking about is private, so the matter is private”. “I don’t know what your interest is. Whoever is complaining, let them use a relevant platform. There are relevant platforms to air grievances. I don’t believe in having a debate in a newspaper.” Kamanya was recently chosen as one of the country’s first representatives to the Pan-African Parliament. Haitembu simply said: “I don’t think this is the right platform to discuss that issue. That is a matter between the management of the company and the individuals concerned…I don’t have further comment.” Speaking from Tsumkwe, Chipango was more circumspect. He first attempted to distance himself from any alleged “wrongdoing” and then claimed that the company’s problems stemmed from a power struggle between “Herero and Owambo” shareholders. “I was only selected to represent the people here [in Tsumkwe and !Gam]…I don’t sign anything at the bank. I don’t take any decisions. My name does not even appear on the company’s letterhead as a director. “I understand why I am being implicated,” Chipango said. Kamanya and Haitembu’s names appear as directors on the company’s official letterhead. Chipango denied that members of the San community were “conned” into signing a letter of confidence in the management of the company. He claimed that the document was in fact an appeal to all shareholders “to stop quarrelling and going to court, so that we can all sit down and sort out our differences”. Asked why members of the Trust from !Gam had refused to sign the letter, he said: “This is a tribal issue…the people complaining are Hereros and those who did not sign are Hereros.” Residents of the remote settlements of Tsumkwe and !Gam came together to establish the Tsumkwe-!Gam Trust, which was awarded fishing quotas by the Government through Atlantic Fisheries (Pty) Ltd. Atlantic Fisheries later teamed up with a group of other empowerment companies in the fishing industry to form Omankete Investment (Pty) Ltd. The Namibian has learnt that about three years ago Kamanya, Haitembu and Chipango were asked to organise the first annual general meeting of Atlantic Fisheries, but this has not been held. Instead, the trio allegedly changed the company’s name to Tega Fisheries and altered the original shares, “with the Kamanya family becoming the main shareholders with some 44 per cent of the shares”. This prompted lawyers representing the majority of Atlantic Fisheries’ original shareholders to threaten to lay criminal charges with the Commercial Branch of the Police. In letters addressed to the trio on January 27, the lawyers demanded a complete inventory of the assets and liabilities of Tega Fisheries and “how the amount of N$2 400 000 received from Omankete Investments was utilised … should such information not be forthcoming on or before February 9, we carry instructions to issue a letter of demand and summons for such amounts. We further are instructed to institute criminal proceedings should clarity not be obtained regarding the utilisation of assets and funds of the company”. The Namibian has learnt that the lawyers have since succeeded in freezing Tega Fisheries’ bank account. The Namibian has further established that Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Abraham Iyambo made two attempts to solve the problem in August and October. The Minister wrote to Haitembu in October “to follow up on the meeting we had in my office on 18 August 2003…at that meeting I expressed my concern over the adjustment of the original shareholding structure of Tega Fisheries, previously known as Atlantic Fisheries”. Documents in The Namibian’s possession indicate that, since 2001, Omankete Investments has issued about N$2,4 million in dividends to Atlantic-Tega Fisheries. That money can apparently not be traced. Lawmaker /Ui/o/oo would say only that “some prominent people” had “crooked” members of the San community, but promised to discuss the matter in detail after consulting others concerned.