I knew about Namdia - Alweendo

Mines minister Tom Alweendo has assured parliament he in fact knew that Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) is state-owned.

Alweendo found himself the butt of many a joke recently when he reportedly told a local newspaper that he did not know Namdia was a state-owned enterprise (SOE), when asked whether Namdia directors were going to pay back a portion of the N$8.1 million board sitting fees they received.

“What happened with Namdia is that there seemed to be no clarity on its status as an SOE. At the time, the interpretation was that they were not a state-owned enterprise, hence the board fees were not in line with government guidelines,” Alweendo was quoted saying.

He now seems to have made a 360-degree turn, claiming in parliament this week that The Namibian's article was “certainly an absurd claim”.

He added that because of the “injudicious nature” of the media, at times, he would have let the matter rest.

However, he now felt compelled to address the “absurdity”, because Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) MP Nico Smit had called on President Hage Geingob to establish a commission of inquiry into the matter.

“Honourable Smit, had I been in your position I certainly would have been equally aggrieved and angry at a minister who is so irresponsible and so thoughtless not to know that Namdia is owned by the state.

“That is now if it was indeed true that he did not know such basic details. It is the case that we have a number of challenges facing us as a nation; challenges that require us as elected leaders to bring our wisdom to bear; to show that those who have elected us to this august house did not make a mistake.

“It is therefore disheartening, and I find it rather unacceptable, when one of us attempts to trivialise serious efforts being made at improving governance issues at some of our state-owned institutions,” Alweendo said.

He also pointed out that Namibia is about to enter a period in which some political parties will try once again to make themselves look attractive to the electorate.

According to Alweendo, this is a period when some politicians start to trade in “fabrication and deception”.

“They become immune to facts. They try so hard to make their political opponents the butt of their smutty innuendos.

“They start to shoot from the hip and to them, the end justifies the means. Such actions undermine the intelligence of the electorate; and I believe that the electorate deserves better treatment from their elected leaders,” Alweendo added.