Traditional leaders' perks revealed

STATISTICS disclosed in the National Assembly by urban development minister Sophia Shaningwa on Wednesday show that government spends over N$15 million on allowances for traditional leaders per year.

Shaningwa was using these statistics to convince some opposition party members who were pushing for massive increases in traditional leaders' allowances. Nudo parliamentarian Meundju Jahanika had moved a motion that government should increase the benefits, which some traditional leaders had described as peanuts. The figures show how much traditional leaders were paid since 1997. Shaningwa said it costs the government around N$107 000 per month in allowances for 51 chiefs. This amounts to N$1,2 million per year.