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By Sonja Smith and Shinovene Immanuel | 5 February 2021 WORKERS at a farm owned by businessman David ‘Dawie’ Moller reaped an unusual harvest towards the end of last year. They chanced on a stash of cash buried on Moller’s farm in the Gobabis area. Moller is a business partner of former Investec Asset Management Namibia (now known as Ninety One) chief James Hatuikulipi. Around November, the workers noticed two thick pieces of rope sticking out of the ground. Curious, they started pulling at the ropes and found it was attached to a suitcase filled with cash. It was not only farmworkers who allegedly feasted on the money. Sources claim a police officer took some of the money after the matter was reported to the law-enforcement agency. Moller’s farm is at Leonardville, a small village south of Gobabis, in the Omaheke region. It is adjacent to a multimillion-dollar farm belonging to Hatuikulipi and former minister...

By Sonja Smith | 7 May 2021 SAN pupils in the Omaheke region seem to be dropping out of primary and secondary schools at an alarming rate. The Namibian investigated the reasons for this trend. The Wennie du Plessis Secondary School, Project Combined School, Gqaina and Hippo primary schools were visited, which cater to San pupils. Carien van Zyl started working as a teacher in 1994 at Gqaina Primary School in the Omaheke region, and became the school's principal in 2008. She says 359 pupils are currently enrolled at the school, of whom 168 are San pupils. Gqaina is located on Du Plessis Farm in the Okurukambe constituency some 85 km north-west of Gobabis. Van Zyl says the girls at the school outperform the boys, because they seem to be more dedicated. When the school started in 1982, only about 70 San pupils were enrolled. “As the years progressed, more and more kids were brought to...

By Eliaser Ndeyanale and Sonja Smith | 6 November 2020 FORMER Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) boss Tjama Tjivikua has accused minister of higher education, training and innovation Itah Kandjii-Murangi of forcing him to appoint her daughter and her sister, and to retain her cousin at the university. Tjivikua, Nust’s vice chancellor of 23 years, said this in a 10-page report dated 11 March 2019. The report was written a few weeks before he stepped down as the university head. Tjivikua’s report, which has never been reported on in the media, adds to a list of widespread allegations of interference against the higher education minister. This includes claims that she constantly applied pressure to the previous Nust council to employ individuals close to her. “She essentially wanted to hand-pick her choice of people to run Nust,” the source said. The minister denied any wrongdoing. DAUGHTER Tjivikua said the minister summoned him to her office in July...

By Shinovene Immanuel, Sonja Smith | 7 February 2020 THE National Fishing Corporation of Namibia (Fishcor) paid N$50 million into law firm Ellis Shilengudwa Inc’s trust account in 2017, in transactions that are now part of the investigations into the Fishrot scandal. Ten payments of N$5 million each were deposited in the law firm’s account over two days. Ellis Shilengudwa Inc is co-owned by lawyer Jurie Badenhorst who has for years acted as a lawyer for disgraced former justice minister Sacky Shanghala and former Fishcor chairperson James Hatuikulipi. Shanghala and Hatuikulipi are among six people who were arrested last year on charges of corruption, fraud and money laundering related to the Fishrot scandal. They have been held in custody for more than two months. The law firm confirmed receiving N$50 million from Fishcor but says the transaction was legitimate and meant for a client – José Luis Bastos – who sold a fish factory...

How Israeli businessman partnered with and financed the first lady’s son and brother • Eliaser Ndeyanale and Sonja Smith | 7 October 2022 WHEN Doron Cohen arrived in Namibia in 2008, he was meant to stay for three months only, helping a diamond company recover after five of its staff members died in a plane crash. Fourteen years later, he is still around and has made a fortune through a questionable state-driven diamond deal that has enriched him with over N$46 million in five years. Cohen drew in politically connected businessmen John Walenga, Tironen Kauluma, and the deputy chairperson of Swapo’s think tank, Martina Mokgatle. Documents show Cohen is the financial backer of first lady Monica Geingos’ family, including her son Nino Kalondo (27), and her brother Salomon Kalondo...