Windhoek
While Namibians employed at the Loudima Institute for Technical and Vocational Training in the Republic of Congo continue to demand that they be evacuated, government officials say they have not received any evacuation demands.
Staff at the institute claim they wrote a letter last week to the Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi, demanding to be evacuated, but the minister made it clear that her office did not receive any such letter.
“I only read about it in the paper. We did not receive any letter at the ministry,” she said. The minister described it as “fictitious.”
In the letter, to which New Era is privy, dated January 14, 2016 and addressed to Kandjii-Murangi, the Namibian staff at Loudima said: “We would like to inform you that we are coming back.”
“On 12 January 2016, around 10h00 the chief administration officer (Namibian) was brutally assaulted by Congolese police officers and almost arrested for unknown reasons. This caused fear amongst us, because police officers fired two gunshots at us (Namibian staff and students),” reads the letter in part.
There are fears that recalling students and staff members from the institute could have a negative impact on the long-standing ties between Namibia and Congo. This could result in a diplomatic embarrassment for Namibia, considering the resources invested into the vocational institute, as well as the cordial relations between the two countries.
Despite this, government is still monitoring the situation and is committed to improving conditions at the centre, such as electricity and water supply, officials in the higher education ministry said.
Vocational training continues to feature high on government’s agenda. Hence, many expect government to address and resolve the problems facing Namibians at Loudima, instead of immediately repatriating them.
Political commentator Phanuel Kaapama yesterday said it is difficult to speculate the effect that evacuating the Namibians from Loudima will have on the relations of the two countries, but stressed that government should give information and assurances to the parents and relatives of staff members in Congo about the situation on the ground.
“They must tell the public how the situation is and if an assessment was done on the ground. Government must share this information with the public,” he said.
The Namibian students at Loudima have also complained that they have not been receiving their monthly allowances and are as a result struggling to cope.
The Namibian newspaper reported yesterday that some of the money sent by government to the Namibian students based in Congo in August last year was never handed over to the intended recipients. According to the said report, about N$8 million was supposed to be disbursed to 100 students studying at Loudima.