Give them Corollas - Venaani

The leader of the official opposition, McHenry Venaani, says official motorcades should consist of only one armoured Mercedes-Benz and the rest should be Toyota Corolla sedans.

According to Venaani, it makes no sense for a president who drives around with a motorcade worth N$7 million to expect workers to make a voluntary 2% contribution to the government.

Although he did not take issue with President Hage Geingob's motorcade, he did point out that it cost roughly N$7 million, “which could have been used to give people electricity or proper sanitation”.

Venaani demanded that the president announce serious austerity measures to save the Namibian economy and to stop bleeding the nation, which he said was “already going bent under the Swapo government's continuing legacy of wastage”.

According to the opposition leader, vice-president Nangolo Mbumba's motorcade should be reduced to just three vehicles, and that of prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila to two vehicles.

Venaani also wants the government to cut ministers' car allowances from three vehicles to just one.





The entertainment allowance paid to members of parliament should also be abolished.

Ordinary National Assembly members earn N$693 769 each with N$40 320 in municipal allowances and N$119 807 for housing included.

As leader of the official opposition, Venaani takes home around N$996 006 per year.

This includes a housing allowance of N$159 222 and municipal allowances of N$48 240.

Venaani also wants the government to stop buying first-class and business-class air tickets for official trips.

These proposals follow an announcement by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday that the Namibian economy will continue to contract mildly this year before recovering gradually from next year.



According to the IMF mission head who visited Namibia this week, the country's economy will grow by at least 3% per year in the long term, but he said that would not be enough to sustainably address the country's inequality.



With this in mind, Venaani said the government must start making serious financial adjustments, starting with the free rides enjoyed by senior officials.



According to him, government ministers and other senior government officials do not pay for petrol and are allowed to fill their cars at will.



“Petrolgate is costing the government millions of dollars. Imagine if you are a minister since 1990, then you would have used petrol worth N$7 million, and that is for just one minister. We have seen ministers running errands with government petrol; some are even transporting their cattle in trailers at government cost,” he said.



Venaani said it is a shame that Kuugongelwa-Amadhila's motorcade is more expensive and bigger than those of world leaders Angela Merkel and Theresa May.



“Why must she have three Mercedes-Benzes?” he asked.



He also took a swipe at former presidents' motorcades and the fact that they receive either a free house or a N$40 million cash payout once they leave office.



The media reported this year that the government had spent N$43 million on the upgrading of former president Sam Nujoma's private house.



A budget statement presented by presidential affairs minister Martin Andjaba earlier this year showed that N$9.4 million will go towards supporting the vice-president's office, while the government will spend N$23 million this year on the operational costs of the offices of the vice-president and two former presidents.



According to The Namibian newspaper, Andjaba said the government would allocate N$13.8 million for the operations of the offices of former presidents Sam Nujoma and Hifikepunye Pohamba.



Venaani yesterday slammed this expense, saying it would be the first thing he removed if he were elected as president of the country.



“There is no justification that a retired president, who had not paid taxes during the time he was office, should get these benefits,” said Venaani.

JEMIMA BEUKES