Trade trip to Cuba raises eyebrows

THE funding for a Namibian delegation to the Cuban International Trade Fair, led by Trade Minister Hage Geingob in November last year, has raised eyebrows both in political and Government circles.

In addition to his Trade Ministry entourage, Geingob was accompanied by four mayors – from Tsumeb, Grootfontein, Otjiwarongo and Ongwediva, and four governors – from Hardap, Caprivi, Oshikoto and Khomas.Also on the trip were three Swapo regional co-ordinators, Armas Amukwiyu (Oshikoto), Nico Mungenga (Hardap) and Ignatius Nkunga (Caprivi).Freddy !Goaseb, Deputy Director of Projects and Incentives in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, denied that the travel and accommodation of the Swapo co-ordinators, mayors and governors were bankrolled by Government.According to him, the costs were covered by ‘sponsorships arranged for by the Minister [Geingob] from the private sector’.However, !Goaseb could not provide answers on the sponsorship amount and on which private companies contributed. He said ministry staff were not involved in soliciting private sponsorships.Swapo Party insiders say the inclusion of party co-ordinators, governors and some mayors was part of efforts to bring Geingob closer to party activists and Swapo leadership in the regions.But what puzzles insiders is why this needs to be done outside Namibia.!Goaseb said the purpose of the trip was threefold: ‘The first point was to attend the trade fair. The second was an official invitation to the Minister to hold discussions with his counterparts in Cuba, and the third was a response to an invitation to the Swapo Party.’ He said it was the third component in which the co-ordinators, mayors and governors took part, under the leadership of Geingob as Deputy President of the Swapo Party, where ‘party-to-party talks’ took place, adding that Ministry staff were excluded from these talks.Newspapers in Cuba reported that Namibia significantly increased its presence at the Fair last year, compared to the previous 18 years in which it had participated, noting that the size of the booth was double that of the previous year.According to a local travel agency, a return ticket to Havana Cuba on Economy Class costs about N$24 000 to N$25 000. A Business or First Class ticket could reach as high as N$80 000. For the eleven, this amounts to a conservative figure of N$264 000 on travel alone, excluding accommodation and meals for their 10 nights in Havana.The Namibian’s investigation about how the mayors’ trip was funded left many questions unanswered.According to copies of official Government correspondence in The Namibian’s possession, on Wednesday October 22 2008, mayors Engelbrecht Nawatiseb of Tsumeb, Erastus Uutoni of Ongwediva, Rapama Kamehozu of Grootfontein, and Otto Ipinge of Otjiwarongo received their travel itineraries to Havana from the Ministry of Trade and Industry.Supposedly having gotten wind of the trip, the next day, in a letter dated October 23, the Minister of Local Government and Housing, Jerry Ekandjo, reminded all mayors, chairpersons of village councils and local authority councillors of the ‘still existing policy that all foreign trips are subject to approval by the Minister.’ It further reads that ‘should you have any invitation and/or intention to undertake any foreign trip, it is required that you submit all relevant information including the total financial implication of the trip to the Permanent Secretary for further consideration.’The following Monday – October 27, Minister Ekandjo sent a letter to the four mayors turning down their requests to travel to the Cuba International Trade Fair, citing financial constraints. The letter states: ‘However, if any sponsor(s) other than your Council, is prepared to pay for the full trip, including travel, accommodation and meals, Your worships are at liberty to go to Cuba.’MAYORS talkTwo of the four mayors, however, say they followed through with the Minister’s directives. The other two reserved comment.Nawatiseb, Mayor of Tsumeb, says that the council initially passed a resolution to cover his accommodation costs in Cuba. ‘In the meantime, we received a circular from the Minister saying that the Council could not sponsor the trip, and therefore intercepting that resolution. The money for the trip was not taken from the Council.’Regarding the cost of the tickets, however, he directed The Namibian to the Ministry of Trade and Industry.According to Kamehozu, Mayor of Grootfontein, no money was spent by his Council, or the Ministry for that matter, for his trip to Cuba. ‘The trip was paid for from private funding!’ he said.Ipinge responded with ‘no comment’ to The Namibian’s questions, adding ‘I am not answerable to that,’ and Uutoni simply directed questions to the Ministry of Trade.Permanent Secretary Erastus Negonga confirmed that the directive had been sent to the mayors not to use Council funds for the trip.nangula@namibian.com.na