Thread: Talking about corruption in Namibia

Smells fishy, doesn't it? But on the positive side, let's acknowledge the fact that it has come out in the open, and let's not jump to conslusions. The last word has apparently not been said on the matter. Now all the questions that have been raised should be duly answered.

Originally Posted by Comrade_007

Smells fishy, doesn't it? But on the positive side, let's acknowledge the fact that it has come out in the open, and let's not jump to conslusions. The last word has apparently not been said on the matter. Now all the questions that have been raised should be duly answered.

I am glad you are the only one on the forum to notice this.

No wonder corruption is just ongoing as if it is going to be out of the fashion soon in Namibia.

Actually a pity that the Namibians are such cowards, but boasting always with land of the brave. The time to show the true braveness, Namibians are no where to be find but maybe in shebeens.

Now I understand the true Namibian politics.

A perfect country to be use as a spring-board.

Author: Natalie Matthews

The biggest China-Africa news at the moment concerns allegations of corruption surrounding a contract in Namibia for a Chinese company recently headed by Hu Haifeng, the son of China’s president. The corruption probe surrounds Nutech Company Limited, which makes advanced security scanners used in airports and customs warehouses. Nutech’s Africa representative, Yang Fan, and two Namibians are accused of bribery to secure a $55.3 million contract to install Nutech scanners at customs inspection points in Namibia.

The cost was mostly to be covered by a soft loan granted by China on the condition the scanners were purchased from Nutech. The Namibian government paid $12.8 million as a “manufacturing deposit” to Nutech in February which was allegedly immediately transferred to a company listed as a Nutech consultant and then split among the defendants. The irregularity was discovered through a routine investigation under Namibia’s new money-laundering law.

There is currently no public evidence that Hu Haifeng or other high officials knew of the Namibian dealings. However, Hu Haifeng and Nutech have been tied to corrupt contracts in South Africa and Singapore. Nutech is currently facing accusations of “illegal dumping” in the European Union. Namibia’s prosecutor general has requested to interview Hu Haifeng as a witness.

The lives of top leaders are not subject to open discussion in China. The controversy surrounding his son’s business activities could have domestic political consequences for President Hu. This case could be especially damaging for Hu as China’s people become increasingly fed up with corruption.

President Hu began his administration with a strong anti-corruption position. The seriousness with which the scandal is regarded by the CCP can be seen in the internet censorship of the following search keywords: “Hu Haifeng Namibia, Namibia bribery investigation, Yang Fan bribery investigation, Nutech bribery investigation, southern Africa bribery investigation.” Popular news portals that covered the story (with no mention of Hu Haifeng) were shut down for a period of time and the articles removed.

The Namibia’s defense chief has been suspended and the corruption probe is likely to touch more Namibian officials. Chinese officials will likely remain untouched but the allegations are nonetheless damaging. The scandal will not significantly alter the way China does business in Africa. It is an interesting evolution in Sino-African relations that Namibia’s anti-corruption commission could reach such high levels of the Chinese government. Like the African protest in Guangzhou and threats to China abroad from its domestic treatment of minorities, this is certainly not business as usual.

China and Africa: Corruption in Namibia | Center for Advanced Defense Studies

Corruption is bad for any country. It prevents growth by diverting funds, scaring foreign investment and encourages educated citizens to leave so as not to be also considered part of a corrupt state. The corrupt allocation of natural resources will lead to the depletion of these resources to the detriment of all citizens. It breaks the trust between the people and its government. Most importantly is puts in doubt the ability of the government, civil service and all politicians. In other words it endangers our democracy and the rule of law.

Study proves corruption is less profitable
“Not only do you get punished by God for corruption, now we know you get punished on earth too”, said one of the readers of a recent study on corruption.

A recent study on ethics in business shows that companies that have high ethical standards and behaviour are more profitable than their competitors. Suppliers and customers alike prefer working with a company where the “rules are clear” and business decisions cannot be influenced by employees.

Most politicians bend the laws of the land and steal money or solicit bribes because they need the funds to support networks of patronage. Others do it in order to reward their nearest and dearest or to maintain a lavish lifestyle when their political lives are over. A solution is to ensure that upon retirement, a politician is able to sustain their lifestyle through a regular pension payout. Of course, effective policing and long jail terms also provide deterrents.

Effective Programme against Corruption
To be effective, an anti-corruption programme must:

1. Persecute corrupt high profile public officials in public and private institutions, and even multinational companies. (the so-called “big fish”)
2. Investment in educating the public and government officials to encourage “civic pride”;
3. Liberalising and deregulating the economy. The less “red tape” or licensing procedures, the less the likelihood of corrupt practices to “facilitate business”.
4. Strengthening of the institutions such as the Anti-Corruption Commission, Police, Customs, the Courts and the Tax Authorities.


The best solution to corruption remains a policy of no secrets. This means free, accessible, and available information circulated and discussed by opposition parties, free press, trade unions, business organisations and NGO’s. Without this, the fight against corruption is doomed to failure. With them it stands a chance.

China's corporate world is ruled by princes.

About 90 per cent of China's billionaires are the children of high-ranking officials

BEIJING: It has been some days since news first broke of a graft probe in Namibia into a firm formerly run by the son of Chinese President Hu Jintao. Yet, in China, hardly anyone knows of the case. Nutech - which makes security scanners and was headed by the 38-year-old Mr Hu Haifeng until last year - is being investigated over a lucrative contract it had won to deliver equipment to Namibia. It is not known if the case, which happened last year, took place while Hu junior was still in charge. There has been nothing to suggest that he is involved in any way in the probe, but Namibia's Anti-Corruption Commission has requested an interview with him and senior Nuctech management.

In China, discussions about the business dealings of the 'princelings' or taizidang - offspring of political leaders - are considered taboo. People might whisper about them over dinner tables, but will never discuss them in public. Some princelings, such as Vice-President Xi Jinping, become public figures after being drawn into politics, but their counterparts in the corporate world shy away from the limelight. Nevertheless, they are a force to be reckoned with. A 2006 study by several Chinese research institutions showed that almost 90 per cent of the country's top leaders in sectors encompassing finance, foreign trade, property development, construction and stock trading were princelings.

And about 90 per cent of China's billionaires are the children of high-ranking officials. Princelings have fared far better in business than in politics, observed analyst Zhang Hua, who commented on the phenomenon in Hong Kong's Apple Daily in 2007. 'Not a single (princeling) family has been left behind,' he said sardonically. The various families have carved out territories in various industries. The family of former premier Li Peng, for example, controls the country's energy sector. His daughter Li Xiaolin is chairman of China Power International Development, an electricity monopoly. His son Li Xiaopeng used to head Huaneng Power, another energy heavyweight.

The family of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin has moved into telecommunications, while the offspring of former premier Zhu Rongji are strong figures in banking. His son Levin Zhu is the chief executive of China International Capital Corp. The princelings began staking out their dominions in the business world in the 1980s when China was opening up its economy. Armed with their fathers' connections, they were able to exploit the opportunities thrown up by China's economic transformation.By the 1980s, this economic revolution had led to much public disquiet, and when students staged protests at Tiananmen Square in 1989, much of their anger was initially directed at what they saw as rampant corruption by senior officials and their families.

The bloody crackdown that followed left deep scars in the political psyches of most Chinese. For the princelings, Tiananmen provided further incentive to move away from politics into business. 'After 1989, princelings in politics suffered. They were very unpopular within the Chinese Communist Party,' explained analyst Bo Zhiyue, an expert on China's elite politics at the National University of Singapore's East Asian Institute. 'It was very hard for them to get into the Central Committee. They were not chosen at internal elections because of their family names, so many left politics and jumped into the corporate world.'

After Tiananmen, their business dealings became even more politically sensitive. A bad slip could see their fathers stepping on that proverbial banana skin and tumbling from power.

The timing of the Nuctech case could prove awkward. In just three months, on Oct 1, the nation will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of Communist China - at which glorious occasion he is expected to be conferred the rare honour of a military review on Tiananmen Square.

Unsavoury rumours about the princelings' business activities do damage the image of the leaders concerned, said Hong Kong-based analyst Joseph Cheng. Still, he feels that any fallout from the Nuctech case will be extremely limited and that Mr Hu's political rivals are unlikely to use it against him because almost all the top leaders have family members with substantial stake in the corporate world.

Princelings have fared far better in business than in politics, observed analyst Zhang Hua in Hong Kong's Apple Daily in 2007.

Five princes and their business ties

HU HAIFENG, 38 Son of Chinese President Hu President Hu Jintao Chief of Tsinghua Holdings, the group which controls Nuctech and 30 other companies. Nuctech is one of the world's top providers of security scanning equipment, supplying to about 50 nations. It has 90 per cent of the Chinese market for scanners and X-ray systems.

WINSTON WEN YUNSONG, 35 Son of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao CEO of Beijing-based Unihub Global Networks, a telecoms services provider which he set up in 1999. The company mainly deals in setting up telecommunications facilities and networks for banks, stock agencies and insurance companies.

JIANG MIANHENG, 57 Son of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin Co-founded Shanghai-based Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), which became one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world. Mr Jiang also sits on the board of many major Chinese companies, ranging from telecommunications and airport management to TV manufacture.

LI XIAOPENG, 50 Eldest son of former Chinese premier Li Peng The former general manager of energy giant Huaneng Power became vice-governor of Shanxi province last year. Huaneng develops, constructs, operates and manages large power plants throughout China.

LEVIN ZHU, 52 Son of former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji Chief executive of China International Capital Corp (CICC), a state-owned company which is one of China's largest in the field of investment banking and research. Headquartered in Beijing, CICC, among other things, offers advice to fund managers and corporate clients on corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions.

Elite Chinese Politics and Political Economy

I will not pretend for a minute that this is a scientific poll. But I am one of those people that sometimes you have to ask people a simple question to get an honest straightforward answer. What do you think? Is corruption a problem you have come across when dealing with public officials? Is it more of a problem than anyone is willing or prepared to admit? And if it is, what should be do about it?

NSHR thinks it's all a joke:

Windhoek — The lifting of Paulus Kapia's suspension is immoral and shows that the ruling SWAPO party is not serious about fighting corruption, said director of the National Society of Human Rights (NSHR), Phil ya Nangoloh.

"If SWAPO re-instated him it must mean that they found him innocent. It is the party's right to make such a decision and only they can say why they took that decision. But the lifting of Kapia's suspension is not morally correct. Considering the re-instatement of Titus Haimbili and Matthew Shikongo and other SWAPO councillors who were withdrawn, it is not surprising," he said.

These re-instatements are an indication that the ruling party is not serious about fighting corruption, according to ya Nangoloh.

"The fight against corruption in this country is a joke," he said.

Kapia was suspended in 2005 for his alleged involvement in the disappearance of N$30 million in the Avid-Social Security Commission (SSC) scam.

It is alleged that he used his political influence to ensure that the SSC invests N$30 million with Avid.

Kapia was the Deputy Minister of Works and Transport and the secretary of the SWAPO Party Youth League until he was fired as well as suspended from taking part in any of the party's activities, four years ago.

Corruption ? You mean like the so-called Congress of Disunity stumbling from one embarrassing crisis to another?

Ek verstaan nie, Mie1. What has COD got to do with korrupsie, ek se? Ek meen dis mos SWAPO what in power is, of is hulle al out of power en flat tyres, pap?