PG declines to prosecute !Naruseb in Katrina's absence

Prosecutor general Martha Imalwa has cited the death of former education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa as the reason not to prosecute former lands minister Alpheus !Naruseb for his perceived role in the acquisition of a resettlement farm by a son of the late minister.This is according to a letter, dated 22 August, addressed to Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director general Paulus Noa.The ACC had been investigating !Naruseb, under whose regime as lands minister Hanse-Himarwa’s son, Denzil, acquired resettlement farm Uhlenhorst in the Hardap Region.Information from the ACC points at the alleged role played by !Naruseb and Hanse-Himarwa in ensuring that Denzil gets a farm.ACC documents The ACC file on the matter indicates that applications for resettlement were received by the officials of the Hardap land reform ministry.“Applications were entered in the computer and scored as they were coming in to avoid them piling up. After the due date, the scoring of applications was finalised, and the Hardap Regional Resettlement Committee meeting date was set on the 24 November 2014 to sit and recommend applications to the Land Reform Advisory Commission (LRAC),” documents seen by Namibian Sun read.“Before the meeting of the 24 November 2014, when officials of the ministry were scoring the applications for resettlement, Mrs Elizabeth Mhlubi was told by Mr Carl Christians (personal assistant to Governor Hanse-Himarwa) that she must go through the application of Denzil Hanse, as Governor Hanse wants farm Werda to be allocated to her son. She (Elizabeth Mhlubi) scored the application and scored 12 points for him. She then informed Mr Carl Christians that Denzil Hanse will not be recommended because of low scores,” the ACC documents note. “He [Christians] replied that it is not a problem since they have already spoken to Mrs Mokgatle Aukhumes, the commissioner of the Land Reform Advisory Commission, who chaired the Hardap Land Resettlement Committee. She doesn't know who gave Denzil Hanse 19 points. The applications and the score sheet were presented to the committee on the 24 November 2014 for verification and recommendation to the Land Reform Advisory Commission.”Scores listedThe ACC report states that a certain Susanna Motinga also scored 19 points, but she was not recommended for resettlement. “There were also other youths, for example, Kahuika Benetikus, who scored 25 points, but was not recommended,” it says.The Hardap Land Resettlement Committee's recommendations were forwarded to the Land Reform Advisory Commission for evaluation and to make recommendations to !Naruseb as minister.“The Land Reform Advisory Commission, on receiving the recommendation of the Hardap Regional Resettlement Committee, did not recommend Denzil Hanse for any farming unit.”The Land Reform Advisory Commission’s recommendation to !Naruseb was to be aware of the 30/70 policy, which stated that for every farming unit advertised in a given region, at least one of them must be considered for allotment to a candidate from that region.'Lowest scorer'As such, the Land Reform Advisory Commission recommended that Unit A of farm Uhlenhorst be allocated to a Karaumune Rukoro, who scored 26 points, while Unit B of the farm should be allotted to Abel Kazondunge, whom government had asked to vacate a unit on farm Otjisazu in order to pave the way for 47 families evicted in the Hochfeld area.“Those recommendations were made to [Minister !Naruseb]. The Hon. minister did not follow the recommendation of the Land Reform Advisory Commission and also the resettlement criteria. He recommended Denzil Hanse for farm Uhlenhorst Unit A, which he did not apply for, as he applied for farm Werda and farm Uhlenhorst Unit B, and he was the lowest scorer,” the ACC report reads.“The minister was given questions to answer in this regard,” the ACC said.“According to the allotment letter of Denzil Hanse, it mentioned that ‘it is my pleasure to inform you that the minister, upon the recommendation of Land Reform Advisory Commission, has approved your application’, while the Land Reform Advisory Commission did not recommend Denzil Hanse but was recommended by the Hardap Regional Resettlement Committee," the ACC documents explain.“Honourable Hanse-Himarwa was also summoned to the ACC office for an interview, and questions were set for her to answer, but she did not give feedback,” the ACC added.‘Decline to prosecute’Yesterday Noa confirmed that he received Imalwa’s letter indicating she will not prosecute those involved in the matter due to Hanse-Himarwa’s death in July this year.“You know, there was a bit of a delay; there was a time she was sick and there were certain considerations made. We had sent the docket to the PG for decision, but after the passing of Hanse-Himarwa, the PG decided not to prosecute. She decided that evidence would not be adequate to implicate others,” he told Namibian Sun.Imalwa's 22 August letter reads: “I have perused the affidavits and documentary evidence contained in the docket. In the absence of Hon Katrina Himarwa, I decline to prosecute at the instance of the State on the available evidence.”No responseAn irate !Naruseb yesterday said: “Nothing is hanging over my head, you better do your homework. The matter concluded. I am not going to entertain your call, bye bye.”In 2018, late President Hage Geingob reshuffled !Naruseb, then works minister, making him the agriculture minister.After the 2019 election, !Naruseb was not re-appointed to Cabinet. But the 70-year-old former trade unionist is poised to return to parliament in 2025, having been nominated by Swapo vice-president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as one of her ten nominees for parliament at the recent electoral college of the party.

PG declines to prosecute !Naruseb in Katrina's absence

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-22

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PG declines to prosecute !Naruseb in Katrina's absence

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-22

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