The Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service executive director Audrin Mathe says sport deputy minister Emma Kantema-Gaomas was in Cameroon on a sport development and cooperation mission.
Along with her personal assistant Ricardo Goagoseb, the deputy minister recently went to Cameroon "on invitation from the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) – Patrice Motsepe, Mathe said in a statement.
Mathe said he did not make the trip, however, Namibia Sport Commission chief administrator Freddy Mwiya was part of the delegation.
He said CAF paid for the accommodation of the deputy minister, and presumably that of her personal assistant.
However, it is unclear who covered Mwiya's expenses and the rest of the travelling costs of the deputy minister and her personal assistant.
Mathe said the reported N$500 000 spent by the sport ministry on the trip was "completely false and untrue" but did not provide the exact figure.
"The honourable deputy minister's trip went through all formal procedures required by a deputy minister for international travel," he said.
Regarding her objective, Mathe said Kantema-Gaomas' trip was a networking and engagement platform with Fifa and CAF.
" … the deputy minister had fruitful one on one high-level meetings with the right honourable prime minister and the minister of sport of Cameroon," said Mathe.
Mathe explained that the deputy minister also met unspecified "football development partners at the highest level on the margins of Afcon, with the aim of strengthening relations, given the football situation in the country".
"In addition, the visit, together with the Botswana minister of sport, was a fact finding mission with preliminary discussions for Namibia's envisaged bid to co-host the continental tournament in 2027 with the Republic of Botswana," he said.
Artmotion S.Africa
