Namibian Gravy Train Full Steam Ahead

**Oneword** · 6th January 2010, 05:21 PM

Row over big presidential car expenses

A new N$10 million Namibian Presidential armoured motorcade has, allegedly, cost a ministry of Works and Transport employee his job for leaking information which reveals extravagant use of public funds.

Nambian media claim that Julius Ngweda was given the boot after an inside investigation by government in search of employees who could have leaked documents concerning the purchase of two state-of-the-art S600L Mercedes Benz vehicles to be part of President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s motorcade.

“Yes, he was suspended because the ministry had suspicion that he is the one who leaked the documents to you. The truth would be established when he is called for a disciplinary hearing and whatever outcome the disciplinary committee will decide on the appropriate action to take,” Minister of Works and Transport, Helmut Angula told the Namibian media.

Namibian media says the costs of controversial armoured motorcade is equivalent to the annual salaries for 20 specialist doctors or Anti-retroviral drugs for 26,000 people per month.

The shocking revelation come public just shortly before Pohamba was confirmed, last month, as Namibian President for his second term after the Presidential and Parliamentary elections late November.

Information gleaned from several publications indicate that the Office of the President was advised against purchasing new vehicles as the conditions of the current Mercedes Presidential motorcade was still in mint condition.

According to publications they all point to Dr. Ndeutala Angolo, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President as having ordered the Ministry of Works and Transport to acquire one Mercedes Benz S600L B6/B7 protection auto (armoured) and one Mercedes Benz S600L unarmoured.

The Mercedes Benz S600L Guard/Armoured costs a staggering N$6,212,000 inclusive of value added tax and with extras that include a folding table in the rear seat which costs N$23,000 with a driving assistance package which costs a further N$34,000 bringing the total price to N$6,269,000.

The second vehicle, an armoured Mercedes Benz S600L costs N$1,626,000 and comes with options of a refrigerator in the rear seat costing N$13,000, folding table in rear costing N$23,000 and a driving assistance package valued at N$34,000 with the end total coming to N$1,676,000.

Afrik.com

**Comrade007** · 6th January 2010, 06:58 PM

The vast majority of Namibians live below the poverty line.

Pensioners are struggling to make ends meet and live with little dignity.

Thousands of Namibians live in squalor without even the most basic services at their disposal.

Namibia is ranked as a least-developed country and actively seeks this status in order to receive foreign assistance.

And in the light of all of this - and much, much more thatdoes not attest to our Republic's greatness - the Government goes and purchases a new fleet of limousines for the President at prices that most of us cannot even imagine, although the current fleet is "in mint condition".

Let's all put our hands together - yet again - and congratulate Government for this display of fiscal prudence and the appropriate use of scarce public resources.

IT is after all a matter of national concern to keep the President's behind in comfort and keep the gravy train rolling, rolling, rolling ........ At least this way President Pohamba can travel with new levels of comfort to party-political meetings and spread the Gospel, the vision of the new Republic.

Don't you all see that we desperately need a new Presidential fleet of cars to polish up our image as a staid, least-developed country by showing the world just how well we spend the little money we have?

Please join me, and let's raise our glasses to true leadership. Who cares about the poor, the HIV/Aids sufferers who need drugs, the sick and poor on Panado, the broken X-ray machines at our hospitals, the lack of computers in our Ministry of Justice, the chaos in the Ministry of Home Affairs...

Who cares about the downtrodden, the millions - it's just public money, isn't it? Who cares about image, and accountability, and who cares about the critics and Western imperialists that make the cars and stuff money down our throats. We are SWAPO and we are IN POWER. YES, IN POWER.

VIVA SWAPO!! VIVA!! VIVA NEW PRESIDENTIAL LIMOUSINES VIVA!

**Mie1** · 7th January 2010, 05:19 AM

Comrade_007,

You know what they say about sarcasm.

The fleet may be in top condition, but that does not mean it should not be replaced. Simple economics; When a vehicle reaches a certain age it becomes too expensive to maintain. It will have been written off the books; insurance will be more expensive and will not pay out perceived value but only market value.

Check with major commercial enterprises and insurance companies before you blow off steam!!

**Comrade007** · 7th January 2010, 01:30 PM

I'm not convinced, Mie1. These are not run-of-the-mill vehicles. They are made with customised parts, to customised specifications. When purchased, there will have been a contract negotiated with the supplier for the supply of spare parts, and I'm sure it can be for at least a decade, if not more.

Further, it does not appear to me that the Government intends to sell off the "old" vehicles to the highest bidder and use the proceeds to purchase the new vehicles. I may be wrong. As far as I gather, they will be "parked", just as Hage Geingob's "old" limousine is "parked".

I'm sure there are some commercial/economic reasons to justify this purchase, but I'm just not convinced that a proper, clear, transparent cost/benefit analysis has been conducted and ALL avenues - including cheaper options - have been exhausted. Since public money is used to purchase these cars, how about indicating the margins the supplier is earning, and any "commissions" that had to be paid?

The fact that apparently nobody knows about this and is passing the buck at the drop of a hat in my mind shows just what a hot potato it is in Government circles. We all want our President to be safe, and to travel in comfort, etc.. but this does not sit right. Some more explaining will have to be done.

That explaining will probably not happen, Mie1, and that is my main gripe, really - the obfuscation, the clandestine purchase, the denials, the cover-up, the lack of public relations..... and we all know what temptations absolute power poses to our officials, don't we?

**Mie1** · 7th January 2010, 02:19 PM

Comrade_007,

I am sticking to my original premise ...... but I will grant you that more transparancy would probably have made the purchase less dubious in the eyes of detractors!

**Comrade007** · 7th January 2010, 03:09 PM

There surely won't be a need to belittle the worth of this decision and some of the decision-makers if it was not obvious that something's amiss, somewhere, and I'm also sure it can be set right. Call it healthy scepticism when it comes to Government, wherever it may be.

**Mie1** · 7th January 2010, 05:34 PM

Trust is good; control is better?

**Oneword** · 8th January 2010, 03:34 PM

I agree with Cde_007! Reminds me of Tsudao Gurirab and his flirt with MB from France many years ago. Pity we will never know who lined his or her pockets with the commission this time around.

**Comrade007** · 10th January 2010, 06:41 PM

In this case - yes, absolutely and all the time. The more, the better. When it comes to Governments all over the world, history teaches us that the faith and trust people put in their elected leaders and Governments is often misplaced, and is often ruthlessly exploited by politicians. History also teaches us that politicians and Governments need to be kept on their toes, and be held accountable. Nobody but us, the people of Namibia, will hold our Government to account. It is naive to expect them to do it themselves - they have too many of their own interests at stake, literally.