Tjiriange in bid to clear his name in the borehole saga

THIRTEEN years since Minister without Portfolio Ngarikutuke Tjiriange was singled out in what became known as the “borehole scandal”, he this week publicly faced the music on accusations levelled against him for the first time.

Addressing the National Assembly on Tuesday, he acknowledged that he invested in an ostrich production farm in the Ongandjera area with the late former Deputy Minister Nangolo Ithete and that Government boreholes were drilled there. Tjiriange argued that there was nothing “sinister” about their partnership and maintained that the boreholes had been for the benefit for all those farming in that area.He was responding to remarks made by Nudo’s Arnold Tjihuiko two weeks ago, during debate on a motion to discuss corruption and the abuse of public funds and assets.Tjihuiko charged that the Swapo Government had not shown its commitment to rooting out corruption and that scandals of the early post-Independence years were testimony to that.Tjiriange became part of Tjihuiko’s bid to name and shame political office bearers he said were not brought to book for their alleged role in corruption scandals of years gone by.Before the knives came out and mud-slinging ensued between Tjiriange and the DTA’s Katuutire Kaura over the respective roles their parties played during the liberation era, Tjiriange told the House that he had been invited by Ithete to farm together on a piece of land they had obtained from the Ongandjera chief.He maintained that the area, Omutambo Uomawe, was used for grazing by many communal farmers and therefore Government had drilled a number of boreholes to benefit all those using the area.”To the best of my recollection there where two boreholes of this kind which were fully equipped with engines and reservoirs, others were drilled and left without facilities,” said Tjiriange.Tjiriange said he played the role of minority shareholder in the partnership and contributed to the capital outlay.”There was nothing sinister about the project.The project started in earnest by way of building kraals for ostriches,” he said.”I did not reside in the area and my role was confined to providing money when ever required.Such money was used for creating infrastructure, purchasing fuel for cars and purchasing birds as well as paying for essential services”.At the same time that the borehole scandal came to light, farmworkers working for Tjiriange were accused of chasing young ostrich birds from a nearby game park into the farm.”I did not have any administrative role to play in the whole business.In fact I was only in the area twice,” Tjiriange said in his defence.”In the meantime all sorts of stories started to appear in the media about the venture.”Tjiriange maintained that the boreholes were not expressly built for his farming venture and that Ithete had decided to build their farmhouse and kraals near a borehole.”My understanding was that the access to that borehole will remain open as usual to all the settlers in the area and when I went there for the second and last time that was indeed the case.The second borehole was about half a kilometre away from the residence and was open to all.”Tjiriange said at the time the media persisted with a witchhunt against him although some of the accusations made had been shown to be “false and baseless”.He said he decided to quit the project when the then President Sam Nujoma decided to investigate allegations that Ministers and Deputy Ministers were benefiting from a drought aid scheme to build boreholes on their farms and their home villages.By then, Tjiriange said, he had ploughed about N$7 000 into the project.Ithete he said refunded his money and continued to farm there taking over Tjiriange’s 27 per cent of shares.”Therefore, I still up to now, do not understand my wrongdoing and why I was being harassed,” said Tjiriange.”In the first place since the project was in its infancy there is nothing I could have gained from it except spending money.I was not even a part of the management of the project”.Tjiriange then went on to accuse the DTA and Nudo of corruption.He charged that during the liberation era, the party had “sided with enemy” and received “slush funds” to prevent Namibia from attaining Independence.Kaura lashed back at Tjiriange maintaining that Swapo was responsible for the deaths of thousands of its own people who were allegedly held in captivity in dungeons in Angola.Tjiriange threatened to table a motion in Parliament to discuss the corrupt practices of certain individuals and political parties during and after the Independence struggle, once he had discussed this with Swapo.”Those who corruptly sold out the people of this country must be exposed and tried accordingly before the courts for crimes so committed.That will be the end of reconciliation which is so widely being abused,” said Tjiriange.Tjiriange argued that there was nothing “sinister” about their partnership and maintained that the boreholes had been for the benefit for all those farming in that area.He was responding to remarks made by Nudo’s Arnold Tjihuiko two weeks ago, during debate on a motion to discuss corruption and the abuse of public funds and assets.Tjihuiko charged that the Swapo Government had not shown its commitment to rooting out corruption and that scandals of the early post-Independence years were testimony to that.Tjiriange became part of Tjihuiko’s bid to name and shame political office bearers he said were not brought to book for their alleged role in corruption scandals of years gone by.Before the knives came out and mud-slinging ensued between Tjiriange and the DTA’s Katuutire Kaura over the respective roles their parties played during the liberation era, Tjiriange told the House that he had been invited by Ithete to farm together on a piece of land they had obtained from the Ongandjera chief.He maintained that the area, Omutambo Uomawe, was used for grazing by many communal farmers and therefore Government had drilled a number of boreholes to benefit all those using the area.”To the best of my recollection there where two boreholes of this kind which were fully equipped with engines and reservoirs, others were drilled and left without facilities,” said Tjiriange.Tjiriange said he played the role of minority shareholder in the partnership and contributed to the capital outlay.”There was nothing sinister about the project.The project started in earnest by way of building kraals for ostriches,” he said.”I did not reside in the area and my role was confined to providing money when ever required.Such money was used for creating infrastructure, purchasing fuel for cars and purchasing birds as well as paying for essential services”.At the same time that the borehole scandal came to light, farmworkers working for Tjiriange were accused of chasing young ostrich birds from a nearby game park into the farm.”I did not have any administrative role to play in the whole business.In fact I was only in the area twice,” Tjiriange said in his defence.”In the meantime all sorts of stories started to appear in the media about the venture.”Tjiriange maintained that the boreholes were not expressly built for his farming venture and that Ithete had decided to build their farmhouse and kraals near a borehole.”My understanding was that the access to that borehole will remain open as usual to all the settlers in the area and when I went there for the second and last time that was indeed the case.The second borehole was about half a kilometre away from the residence and was open to all.”Tjiriange said at the time the media persisted with a witchhunt against him although some of the accusations made had been shown to be “false and baseless”.He said he decided to quit the project when the then President Sam Nujoma decided to investigate allegations that Ministers and Deputy Ministers were benefiting from a drought aid scheme to build boreholes on their farms and their home villages.By then, Tjiriange said, he had ploughed about N$7 000 into the project.Ithete he said refunded his money and continued to farm there taking over Tjiriange’s 27 per cent of shares.”Therefore, I still up to now, do not understand my wrongdoing and why I was being harassed,” said Tjiriange.”In the first place since the project was in its infancy there is nothing I could have gained from it except spending money.I was not even a part of the management of the project”.Tjiriange then went on to accuse the DTA and Nudo of corruption.He charged that during the liberation era, the party had “sided with enemy” and received “slush funds” to prevent Namibia from attaining Independence.Kaura lashed back at Tjiriange maintaining that Swapo was responsible for the deaths of thousands of its own people who were allegedly held in captivity in dungeons in Angola.Tjiriange threatened to table a motion in Parliament to discuss the corrupt practices of certain individuals and political parties during and after the Independence struggle, once he had discussed this with Swapo.”Those who corruptly sold out the people of this country must be exposed and tried accordingly before the courts for crimes so committed.That will be the end of reconciliation which is so widely being abused,” said Tjiriange.