By Mbatjiua Ngavirue
WINDHOEK
Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Paulus Kalomho Noa, yesterday confirmed his office is looking into alleged abuses involving head of the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement office in Omaheke, Erastus Nghishoono.
Noa said that as soon as his office became aware of the case, he sent a hand-delivered letter to Permanent Secretary of Lands and Resettlement Frans Tsheehama requesting an explanation of the alleged irregularities.
The letter specifically asked the ministry to explain the allegation that Nghishoono is sub-letting his resettlement farm Schellenberg 79, contrary to his lease agreement with the Ministry of Lands.
His letter also asked for an explanation concerning the absentee white farmer that allegedly has 20 cattle on Nghishoono’s farm.
In addition, he asked the ministry about Nghishoono’s alleged abuse of a vehicle donated by the Spanish government to the Drimiopsis/Skoonheid Resettlement Project.
On 2 April, Permanent Secretary Frans Tsheehama announced that his ministry was launching an investigation into the Nghishoono affair.
It now appears the ministry may not have started the investigation on its own initiative, but was pushed into it by the Anti-corruption Commission.
Sources within the Ministry of Lands, who wish to remain anonymous, say there is now serious tension among officials at the very top of the ministry.
There is apparently deep division between those who want Nghishoono’s immediate dismissal and Tsheehama who wants him transferred to either Erongo or Otjozondjupa.
Sources say the tension at head office is mirrored at the Omaheke regional office in Gobabis, where Nghishoono refuses to speak to any of his staff accusing them of ratting him out.
The allegations against Nghishoono stem from complaints made by Ben Aluendo Enghali, also known as Shinime, and his brother Josef Enkali.
A dispute arose between the two brothers and Nghishoono after the lands official without warning tried to evict them from his resettlement farm Schellenberg No. 79, where they have farmed for the past five years.
The Enkalis, however, refused to leave the farm, alleging that Nghishoono allowed them to occupy the farm on the basis that the move was authorised by the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement in Windhoek.
The allegation regarding the Toyota pickup donated by Spain is that Nghishoono commandeered the vehicle for his own private use – using it to transport liquor to the shebeen on his farm.
Nghishoono’s driver, Matheus, however allegedly overturned the vehicle on or around 28 March, 2006 on one of those rare occasions when it was not transporting alcohol to the farm, but drums of water.
Sources in the region say that to cover up the accident, Nghishoono secretly gave the vehicle in to the local company MechCiv of Paul Dunaiski for repair.
When Dunaiski presented him with the repair bill of N$29 000, Nghishoono reportedly could not pay.
They further allege Nghishoono awarded Dunaiski a N$50 000 Government contract to work on a dam at his farm Schellenberg, to cover the cost of repair to the bakkie.
Latest reports from Gobabis are that Dunaiski has belatedly started work on the dam at Nghishoono’s farm.
Whether he would ever have constructed the dam if Nghishoono’s dealings were not exposed remains an open question.
Meanwhile, a very similar case to Nghishoono’s has come to light concerning a farm where a top official at the Omaheke Regional Council has also been resettled on the farm Verlang just outside Witvlei.
A woman resettled on one of the units on the farm, has repeatedly complained to the ministry that her land allocation does not correspond to what official documents state.
The woman has reportedly raised the matter with the Ministry of Lands office in Gobabis, as well as Director of Resettlement Sampson Kandjii but without ever receiving any kind of answer.
The Schellenberg and Verlang cases appear to be not isolated cases. There are widespread allegations in Omaheke of people not resettled on the farms allocated by the Land Reform Advisory Commission. It is unclear whether those allocated the farms are ghost applicants or real people who have not been able to claim the farms allocated to them for one or other reasons.
Another complaint is that 7-10 years after resettlement, many resettled farms still have no papers as proof they were legally allocated their farming units.
The suspicion among many resettled farmers is that this is a deliberate tactic used by officials allowing them to play around with resettlement farms.
Disgruntled resettlement farmers suggests this makes it possible for officials to shuffle farming units around.