Venaani's Tipeeg criticism unfounded – Schlettwein

Finance minister Calle Schlettwein has come out in defence of the government's Targeted Intervention Programme for Employment and Economic Growth (Tipeeg) initiative.

Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani said last week the programme had failed and was a mere looting spree.

Schlettwein, however, felt that Venaani's criticism was unwarranted and said Tipeeg had created jobs and aided economic growth.

A whopping N$11 billion was spent on the programme over its implementation period, with the end goal to create 104 000 jobs.

The programme led to the creation of 83 000 jobs, of which only 15 829 were permanent posts.

“The injection of such a large funding outlay over the three-year period had positive effects on economic growth, jobs and incomes,” Schlettwein said in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

“There is no denying that the programme has added momentum on realising high growth and pushing back the frontiers of poverty and inequalities. Such discernible progress cannot be termed as a failure, regrettable or anything to be apologetic about,” said Schlettwein.

According to him, gross income per capita increased by more than 60%, from N$38.2 billion in 2010 to N$61.9 billion in 2014.

“Out of this substantial rise in per capita incomes, the evidence brought about by the successive national household income and expenditure surveys between 2009/10 and 2015/16 indicate that not only per capita incomes rose significantly, but the incomes of the middle class,” he said.

Venaani blasted Tipeeg last week, saying it contributed to the precarious financial position the country currently finds itself in.

“We are anxious because of what happened under Tipeeg, because it is one of the reasons why the economy of the country is bleeding today.

“All our biggest procurements went to Chinese companies. They brought their materials, they brought their labour and they took all the money, and there was no economic trickle-down effect,” Venaani said.

He also accused the government of turning a blind eye to theft, saying that money was stolen.

“Tipeeg targets were not met, the money was stolen, and the projects were not completed. We have everything to say sorry for about Tipeeg, because that is money that went to waste.

“Everything went to looting; our economic figures are dwindling, and we are being told that there are no hard feelings. We find it very arrogant,” he said.

Schlettwein, however, dismissed Venaani's claims and encouraged him to come forward with information.

“If honourable Venaani is privy to the information of money having been stolen, as per his public statement, it is expected that he should come forth to report such criminal dealings.”



Chinese loan facility

Schlettwein also defended plans by the government to potentially take up a N$10 billion loan facility offer from the Chinese government.

The offer was made at the recent Forum for Africa-China Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing. China, as part of its Belt and Road initiative, has granted African governments US$60 billion in funding for infrastructure projects.

Venaani had asked last week, following a PDM national executive committee meeting, that the government should be transparent if it is to take up the funding offer, and not “spend it alone”.

PDM parliamentarian Vipuakuje Muharukua warned Schlettwein on Tuesday that Namibia would be saddled with Chinese debt in future.

“We fear that you will leave us with this debt. We will have no room to borrow to cushion [against] at that time. China does not care if African governments are squandering, they just want to go after our national assets,” Muharukua added.

JEMIMA BEUKES AND OGONE TLHAGE