" ~ODAY: SPARKS.Fl¥ AFTER NAM/FRENCH'JEX>IAAVAGANZA * SUP-ER WEEKEND S~O RT * .. )' , ..... _ ,..,..... ~ ..... ~~. .A" ...... 4~.· .... - .. · ... · .. • .... ' ... - ... • .. ·_·1!"..... '...... ...'t .. "' ..... "" .... 4'. Bringing Africa South R1.00 (GST Inc.) Monday February 31992 . Seam probe hits Owambo today Meet Alpha BI~n"y '. .. DETAILS of spectacular scams by state employees and The remaining four were charged with theft through for­ WEST. Africa's living reg­ others who have defrauded the Government of tens ofthou­ gery and uttering or simple theft. gae l.egend, Alpha Blondy, sands of rand could come to light this week. The commission will start this morning in the Ondangwa arrived in Namibia last ~ eek This morning the Frank Commission ofInquiry into mis­ lower court. It was appointed by President Sam Nujoma to take part in Friday night's appropriation of public assets and funds starts its sittings and is headed by Judge Theo Frank. Key investigator isAG CFI-NBC 'extravaganza'. in the North, where stories have circulated of fraudulent Visser from the office of the Prime Minister, a former Numbers like .' Apartheid pensions payouts and even payments for schools and staff public prosecutor. Pierre Roux of the Attorney-General's is N;lZism', 'Jerusalem' and that never existed. office will be leading evidence. 'Brigadier Sabari' have made Already 12 State employees have been arrested. Police Other scams to be investigated by the commission in­ Alpha a byword foi quality nabbed eight after the commission started looking into pen­ clude monthly salaries paid to people who are not govern­ and style among music fans sion thefts, possibly involving up to R3 million according to ment employees including salary payments to teachers who worldwide. In his home coun­ the Namibian Police. do not exist. try, Ivory Coast, he's the un­ They were arrested in December and were set to be held Long months of evidence led in Win dhoe~ last year re­ disputed reggae king, and in in custody, possibly to stop them tampering with stacks of vealed several corrup t practices and other scamS including Europe his genius was ac­ boxes of documents. an in-depth probe into the plundering of former South knowledged long ago. They are due to give evidence to the commission this African army bases such as the Buffalo base at Bagani. In Namibia, though.he 's a week. According to police district commissioner Joseph However, frauds in the North promised to be of such a scale r·eIative unknown: See p2 for a face-to-face interView with TOP African star Alpha ' Ekandjo,.some charges relate to not recording pensioners' that the commission decided to hold a week of hearings Alpha. Blondy. ~ and ~ntinuing payments for ~ny years. tIiere in order to be closer to the evidence. Europe s"et to bo·ost Nam tourism , businesses and Govemment will TOMMINNEY be able to make first visits to learn about international mar­ GETTING A GRIP ON CRIME •.. Shanghai, China - First year female police THE European Commission has provided R700 kets at the prestigious interna­ cadets spar during a physical education class at a Shanghai police academy last 000 to pay for Namibian tourism and export tional Leather Week in Paris, the International Handicraft Fair week. Public security officials say that China will continue to rely on traditional promotion this year, by funding people and means of deterring crime - mass education and nationwide crackdowns. Photo, inFirenze, Italy, and the Inter­ . national Food Fair also in Paris: graph: Agence France-Presse goods to travel to a wide range of trade and travel fairs in Europe and Africa. 1be commi~sion is funding two Namibians to go and learn at The money will also go to to go to tourism fairs in Berlin each show. producing a tourism promo­ and London and to other shows Thousands of millions of tion brochure for Nanub ia. such as the Zimbabwe interna­ rands of business are conducted Sparks fly after Europe's money is well­ tional Trade Fair in Bulawayo, in a few weeks at these special­ targetted at one of the key steps a •P artners for Progress' fair in ised shows and such weeks are in promoting Namibia's de­ . Berlin, a Boritec international rapidly fonning a new way to velopment and promoting fair in Milan, Italy and an inter­ do international business. TIlls TV extravaganza Namibia's image abroad. Far national fair in Nairobi. is the argument of Namibia too few businesses and poten­ One of the key fairs on the International Trade Fair pro­ tial visitors in Europe and c1her progranune will be a fisheries moter Allan Walkden-Davis RECRIMINA TIONS are for granted". Kaujeua's and places are aware of Namibia fair in Ancona, Italy. who argues that Namibia with flying thick and fast follow­ GRAHAM HOPWOOD Willie Mbuende 's bands were and what it has to offer. With help from the Com­ its good telecommunications, ing Friday night's problem­ left stranded in the theatre's The funds will help pay for mission of the European Com­ plagued NBC/CFI ~xtrava­ problems which produced green room. Nrunibians and their exhibits munities, Namibians from CONT. ON PAGE 2 ganza at the National The­ embarrassing moments such as When they asked to be able atre of Namibia. the music suddeniy stopping to see the performance they The production was dogged when fashion models were in . were barred' from moving by technical hitches and bad the middle of the catwalk. because they would have to organisation which produced . Viall added ihat the N1N pass through a room: where a "very unpleasant atmos­ did not stick to running orders models were changing. TIlls phere" offstage and "accusa­ and previousiy rehearsed rou­ left the Namibian musicians THE Namibian Police netted two well-known They later found them at the central shop­ tions flying everywhere" ac­ tines. N1N director Terence effectively trapped beneath the criminals, wanted in connection with a num­ ping complex in Katutura. cording to one of the organ~ Zeeman, nominally director of auditorium. ber of crimes, after a shoot-out in Katutura Eimbeck said the two men opened fire on isers. the event, preferred not to Kaujeua complained to The during the early morning hours of Friday. the police, firing four shots. It also · saw top Namibian engage in a public debate on Namibian that there was no The incident took place at around Olh30. The policeman, who was armed with an R- singer Jackson Kaujeua, plus the show, saying he was meet­ one fromNBC Who would pay Police spokesperson Commissioner Siggi 4 rifle, returned fire. his band, withdraw from the ing CFI officials today to dis­ them any attention and that Eimbeck told The Namibian last night that a One of the men was injured, sustaining a show at the last minute. cuss the problems. they were not even introduced police reservist who was off-duty and on his wound in the left thigh. NBC producer of the show, Namibian artists taking pari to the perfonners from outside way home spotted the two young men and Both of the men were arrested and a 7.65mm Dudley Viall, accused the NfN were also very l.llJbawy. Jackson Namibia. asked them what they were doing. pistol confiscated. of "gross incompetence" Kaujeua and his band who were Eventually he and his band One of the men then cocked a pistol. The Eimbeck described the two men as "well­ saying that the theatre was billed to appear pulled out ieft in disgustto perfonn else- pol ice reservist went and fetched ap oliceman known criminals". and said the police had wrongly iit for television. He complaining that Namibian from one of Katutura's temporary police been looking for them in connection with a also blamed the NfN for sound perfonners "were being taken CONT. ON PAGE 2 stafionsand the two went looking for the men. number of crimes. 'Unknown' reggae star gives hotels and stability could be­ successful and there will be a come a trade fair and exhibi­ programme of evaluation so tion centre for southern Af­ that Namibia can improve its rica. self-promotion at future fairs Windhoek the once over eo o Preparations are already and international shows. Two beginning for visits to some of N amibians will also be funded the trade shows, and a variety to go to each of three special Face to face with Ivory Coast's Alpha Blondy of Namibian products and seminars on different aspects handicrafts are set to be on of trade promotion and devel­ show. Travel is co-ordinated opment in Nairobi, Paris and KA TE BURLlNG by the Department of Foreign in Taormma in Italy. Trade at the Trade and Indus- The European money comes try Ministry. from the seventh European HARDLY a head turned at the National Theatre last Europe's funding will also Development Fund which is Thursday when West Africa's living reggae legend, include advice and other pre­ contributed by the 12 member Alpha Blondy, sauntered into rehearsals. paratory help including fund­ states under the fourth Lome That, and the fact that very Namibian music was a closed ing to make sure the visits are convention. few Namibians would recog­ book to him, he admitted, but nise the name of one of Af­ he was going to buy tapes and rica's foremost singer-smgwrit­ " find out all about it". South ers, is some measure of this' Africa was the next stop, he country's musical isolation from went on. He hoped to get there the rest of the continent " before the end of the year" . where. Mbuende was also locked below stage, but that Numbers like 'Apartheid is After only a day inNamibia, reportedly very dissatisfied with this had been the result of a Nazism', ' Jerusalem' and his impressions of the world's his treatment, although he went "misunderstanding" in ahigbly 'Brigadier Sabari' have made newest nation were relatively on to perfonn.