Africa-Press – Namibia. THE outgoing South African high commissioner in Namibia, William Whitehead, has rubbished claims that any request related to the Phala Phala investigation has been channelled to the neighbouring country’s justice department.
Minister of justice Yvonne Dausab recently told The New York Times the Namibian high commission in South Africa delivered a request to the South African department of international relations and cooperation to be forwarded to the justice department on 14 Aug 2020.
The South African justice department, as well its National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) have denied receiving any request from the Namibian Police, which said they have contacted these institutions through Namibia’s Ministry of Justice over president Cyril Ramaphosa’s U$S4 million (N$63 million) farm theft saga.
Dausab in a text message said the ministry drafted a request for help to establish the sources of the suspects’ funds and whether they were derived from unlawful activities.
Whitehead said: “That is rumour-mongering.”
He said the SA high commission in Namibia was only requested to look at the immigration status of Phala Phala suspect Immanwela David.
The high commissioner yesterday told The Namibian this during his farewell courtesy visit to president Hage Geingob, who is accused of assisting his counterpart, president Cyril Ramaphosa, to cover up the Phala Phala incident.
Both Ramaphosa and Geingob have denied these allegations.
Whitehead’s denial was confirmed by the South African ministry of justice and correctional services, which has said it has no record of a request from the Namibian Police to investigate the Phala Phala incident.
South African justice ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri in a statement said if the request was submitted, the South African embassy or high commission would submit it to the department of international relations and cooperation (Dirco).
“Dirco then provides proof of receipt and then transmits the request to the central authority, being the director general of the department of justice and constitutional development,” he said.
Namibian justice ministry spokesperson Simon Idipo previously confirmed sending the requested documents and said the ministry was in possession of a receipt.
“We even have the receipt from DHL that they got it,” he said.
In South Africa, National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has declined a request to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the Phala Phala incident.
Meanwhile, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate on Monday said it had obtained a formal statement from the African Transformation Movement regarding the party’s request to probe the police’s conduct after the theft.
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