FORMER Ohangwena governor Usko Nghaamwa (78) says his donations of money, building materials and bedding to schools in the region have made people despise him, with some wanting him to be investigated for corruption.
“Why do they have a problem with Usko? Some of them have degrees. I am not educated, but they are afraid of me who wears ugly trousers,” Nghaamwa says.
He says he has worked for the money he has donated towards the development of school infrastructure and the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) satellite campus at Eembaxu near Eenhana.
He says he feels obliged to plough back into the community.
“People say bad things about me. I don ‘t use their money. I am not their family member. I use my own money.
“My wife doesn ‘t complain about it. Namibians are mad,” Nghaamwa says.
The former governor says he started donating to schools before he became an Ohangwena councillor and the governor.
He says he has taken San children to his house at Oipapakane village and enrolled them at schools.
“They work very well when it comes to their academics. I am happy,” he says.
Nghaamwa says some people are accusing him of campaigning for public office when he donates to schools.
“When I donate, people are afraid of me. They think I will come and take their seats. Those people are stupid,” he says.
He says he is not interested in public office as he believes the money he has is enough to sustain him, his family and his employees.
The former governor says he spends N$1,4 million monthly on the salaries of his “hard-working” employees.
He says not being in public office means he can wake up and go to sleep any time he wants and eat whatever he wants.
He is also not boring and will never be boring, he says.
“The problem is with hungry people. When they leave public office they go to traditional authorities to look for jobs as headmen,” Nghaamwa says.
Nghaamwa, who served as Ohangwena governor from 2005 until his retirement in 2020, says he did not join public office to be called “honourable”.
“Honourable is nothing to me. I work hard for myself and my family. Maybe people think I want to form a political party. I will not do that. God is defending me. They are jealous of me,” he says.
Nghaamwa says before his public office career, he was a businessman since 1967.
He says he worked as a contract worker in 1964 and earned a salary of R1,50.
In 1968, he moved to Walvis Bay where he worked as a truck driver with a salary of 35 rand per month.
“I would buy things and sell them to people. I don ‘t give up on anything. I work hard because I don ‘t want to starve.
“I have influenced a lot of people to start businesses, and today they have successful businesses,” Nghaamwa says.
The former governor says he is in the process of building a community clinic for San people.
“A lot of them die from snakebites, because there is no clinic,” he says.
He says he will donate N$100 000 to Oshikunde Combined School in Ohangwena region, of which he is the patron.
In February last year, Nghaamwa donated six truck loads of super bricks for the construction of a hostel dining hall at Omungwelume Secondary School.
The bricks were valued at N$195 000.
