Timber looting continues

Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta yesterday condemned forestry officials who continue to dish out timber harvesting licences without the required environmental clearance certificates, warning that they were promoting criminal activities.

Shifeta said this had caused “serious conflict” between the environmental commissioner's office and the directorate of forestry in the agriculture ministry.

He said forestry officials should know that logging permits may only be issued after the environmental commissioner's office had received an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and issued a clearance certificate.

“They continue issuing licences without us [environment ministry] knowing,” Shifeta criticised.

Shifeta said without an ECC, the harvesting of timber was illegal, especially on a commercial basis.

He said forestry officials who flouted the law and issued permits in the absence of an ECC were clearly furthering or assisting the commission of a crime.

He said forestry officials were also promoting the misconception that an EIA or ECC was not required.

“They are making our job very difficult, my job and that of the environmental commissioner. That is why I said I would not allow any further cutting of trees.”

Shifeta said the ministry stood by its decision to not issue any clearance certificates until the matter was resolved. Shifeta further warned that ignorance of the law was not an excuse and that everyone involved in the timber trade was responsible for understanding the requirements.





Criminal charges







The minister said the environmental commissioner's office was under instruction to formulate criminal charges against anyone found cutting timber or working with timber already cut.



He said the ministry was working with the Namibian police and the attorney-general's office in this regard.



The minister said some government officials and “powerful people who behaved as if these resources belonged to them” were colluding in the illegal looting of Namibia's natural resources.



He said a number of laws were violated when trees were cut without the necessary paperwork in place, including the Forestry Act, the Environmental Management Act and the Traditional Authorities Act.



“I don't know when we will realise the community is suffering because others are looting these resources.”



The Environmental Management Act, particularly Sections 53 and 27, regulates the activities related to the removal of trees, and holds anyone, be it a government body or official, or a public person, liable for criminal charges if found acting in contravention of the Act.







Forestry mum



Shifeta said his ministry was concerned about the deafening silence of the agriculture ministry in response to the looting of the country's natural resources and the increasing public outcry against this illicit plundering.



He said it was time the ministry's executive director, Percy Misika, provided answers to the public and addressed the behaviour of his officials.



“We are very concerned. Why are they so quiet? The executive director must take action; and if he doesn't, it's a very bad thing. There is serious misconduct by his officials.”



He further said any agriculture officials involved in illegally issuing permits must “explain why they messed up”.



The agriculture ministry has not responded to questions as to why illegally harvested timber was still being transported and exported. The questions were sent two weeks ago.



The spokesperson for the agriculture ministry, Margaret Kalo, said the questions had been forwarded to Misika but he still had “to consider them”.



NMH's reporter at Rundu, Kenya Kambowe, said information on the ground suggested that some of the timber being transported to Walvis Bay originated from Angola.



Kambowe said South African-registered trucks apparently had been stopped on the Angolan side of the Katwitwi border control point because they did not have the requisite papers to enter Namibia. This has not yet been confirmed.



The agriculture ministry announced on 6 February that timber exports could resume, despite the fact that the issuing of logging licences had been suspended on 26 November last year.



The reason why the resumption of exports was allowed remains unclear.



The agriculture ministry stated that the environment ministry had “authorised” it to lift the moratorium on the transportation of timber that had been cut before the November deadline.

The transport and export permits were issued in accordance with the Forestry Act of 2001, the agricultural ministry said.

JANA-MARI SMITH & CATHERINE SASMAN