Join the Army and Steal the World
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YEARS No. 1397: 21 - 27 May 2021 ONLINE 24/7 FROM N$1 A DAY AT tenders24.com ACCLAIMED PROCUREMENT PUBLICATION OF RECORD AND TENDER TRANSPARENCY N$15.00 29 (incl. 15% VAT) 63 CLASSIFIED NEW PUBLIC TENDERS & RFQS INSIDE BUILDING MATERIALS - CONSTRUCTION & WORKS - ELECTRICAL - FOOD & CATERING - FINANCIAL - FISHING - FURNITURE & FITTINGS - ICT - INSURANCE - MANAGEMENT & CONSULTING - MEDICAL, LABORATORY & PHARMACEUTICAL - PRINTING & PUBLISHING - SCIENTIFIC - SECURITY - SIGNAGE - TERRAIN SERVICES - TRANSPORT & STORAGE - UNIFORMS BUILDING A BETTER NAMIBIA WITH NEWS THAT MEANS BUSINESS - VEHICLES, PLANT & ACCESSORIES - WASTE MANAGEMENT & CLEANING www.tenders24.com / [email protected] PLUS 90 DATE-INDEXED OPEN PUBLIC TENDERS BON RAISES ITS BORROWING TARGET AND FLOATS TWO NEW BONDS & TO RAISE AN EXTRA N$29.5-B TO PLUG BUDGET SHORTFALL - 9 WITH ONE MALFEASANCE SCANDAL AFTER ANOTHER, PRESSURE IS MOUNTING ON THE NAMIBIAN Join the army DEFENCE FORCE AND ITS ERRANT BUSINESS EMPIRE, AUGUST 26, TO OPEN THEIR BOOKS AFTER KEEPING THEM FROM PUBLIC SCRUTINY and steal the BEHIND A SMOKESCREEN OF ‘NATIONAL SECURITY' FOR YEARS - PAGES 2 & 3. world PICTURED IS ONE OF TWELVE F-7NM/TF FIGHTER JETS ACQUIRED BY THE NAMIBIAN DEFENCE FORCE THROUGH CHINA'S POLY TECHNOLOGIES (PHOTO BY MARK MANSFIELD WWW.PINTEREST.COM) REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER ISSN 1027-1813 / TEL: +264-(0)61-222899 / FAX: 239382 / PO BOX 861 WINDHOEK NAMIBIA TEL: +264-(0)61-222899 / FAX: ISSN 1027-1813 / NEWSPAPER A AS REGISTERED Market Namibia Market EDUCATION STILL FAILS THE GRADE DESPITE ENJOYING THE SECOND BIGGEST SHARE OF NAMIBIA’S NATIONAL BUDGET WITH OVER 25%, CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION IS LESS THAN WHAT IT WAS TWO YEARS AGO, WITH INVESTMENT IN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS MORE THAN HALVING AFTER A 4.45% DECREASE IN ITS ALLOCATION TO N$17.2-B IN 2021/22 – PAGE 2. N$36-M SECURITY CONTRACTS FOR COW - PAGE 6 Tel. 061-231 189 N$365.5-M FOR ARV MEDICINES OVERSHOOTS N$300-M COST Fax 061-223 166 ESTIMATE AFTER 14 OF 18 TENDERERS ARE DISQUALIFIED 3 Planck Street, - SOME FOR CONFLICTS OF INTEREST - PAGE 7 Windhoek SINCLAIR [email protected] MANY SUPPLIERS AT THE SCHOOL FEEDING www.sinclair.com.na SERVICES cc PROTEIN TROUGH ARE NOT CATERERS Swakop Branch; Tel. 064-406 773, [email protected] * BIDS OF MORE THAN DOUBLE IN VALUE FROM N$120-M TO N$290-M FOR PROTEIN, SUGAR AND SALT; PIPES & FITTINGS: * MANY OF THE 27 BIDDERS ARE GENERAL TRADERS WITH NO = Galvanised = Special fabricated = HDPE = LDPE PROFILES IN THE FOOD OR CATERING SECTOR; = uPVC = Copper = PEX = Nylon = Rubber & S/Steel * THREE EXTENSIONS OF THE CLOSING DATE SINCE NOVEMBER, VARIOUS OTHER: AS CENTRAL PROCUREMENT BOARD STRUGGLES WITH = Zenner water meters = Submersible & booster pumps PROCUREMENT METHODS AND ADMIN - PAGE 9. = Irrigation material = Poly tanks = Valves = Hose clamps = Cascade s/steel clamps = Arkal filters and much more N$176.5-M ROADS MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS AWARDED BELOW COST - 13 21 MAY 2021 Technologies in 2008 for the supply of N$985-m worth of military equip- Vilho’s Hong Kong ment to Namibia. JOIN THE ARMY AND account linked to The Chinese company was With one scandal following another, pressure is mounting accused of making payments to tender kick-backs military officials in Namibia, in- on the Namibian Defence Force and its rogue business The status of a probe into Na- cluding retired defence force chief, empire August 26, to open their books, after keeping these mibia’s disgraced former Minister of Lieutenant General Martin Shalli, from public scrutiny behind a smokescreen of ‘national Defence & Veterans Affairs, Rear who was forced to resign in 2011. security'. Admiral Peter Vilho’s undeclared A 2009 money-laundering and fraud investigation involving HSBC account in Hong Kong, is Two senior government officials Hong Kong bank accounts alleg- naval vessels for South Africa. unclear. confirmed at the time that US bank- edly used for kickbacks linked to The Chinese company has also Vilho resigned after meeting ing officials had flagged the pay- the arms deal was found to be been accused of making pay-offs with President Hage Geingob ment to China as suspicious to the inconclusive, because of a ‘lack of to military officials in Namibia. Na- in early April over the affair, but Bank of Namibia. cooperation from China and Hong mibian prosecutor general Martha asked for a forensic audit to be Poly Technologies, a subsid- Kong’ according to Imwalwa. Imalwa said in court papers in launched into the defence ministry iary of the state-owned China Authorities then seized Shalli’s 2011 that Poly Technologies paid and its business arm, August 26 Poly Group Corporation based in US$199,955 (about N$2.8-m) that US$499 950 (N$3.89 million) Holdings. Beijing, was slapped with US sanc- had been transferred by Vilho into into the Zambian bank account Vilho admitted that he had tions in 2013 for allegedly selling Shalli’s account in Zambia in an of former defence force chief lieu- N$3.4-m (value as at Sep-20) banned weapons to states classi- asset preservation order and the tenant general Martin Shalli in two HSBC account in Hong Kong, fied as hostile by the international case was closed. deposits of US$249 975 each in which he did not list as part of his community. Imalwa confirmed that there October 2008 and February 2009, asset registry at Parliament as Ya Ndakolo told parliament that has been a criminal investigation while other senior military officers required by law. the defence ministry had informed into Vilho’s possible involvement, were also implicated. The account is said to linked the finance ministry that the N$156 however. Vilho was commander of At the time, Poly Technologies to a corruption-accused Chinese million for arms, ammunition and the Namibian Navy at the time. had a contract to supply military state-owned arms dealer, Poly aircraft parts had been paid to Poly Opposition politicians and equipment worth US$126,4 mil- Technologies, which was placed Technologies, but denied this was political commentators are calling lion (about N$985 million) to the under UN sanctions in 2013 for al- because it had been flagged it as for the corruption investigation to Namibian Defence Force, Imalwa legedly selling weapons illegally to suspicious by US officials. be re-opened and possible links told the court. Iran, North-Korea and Syria. He admitted however, that pur- to Vilho to be thoroughly inves- Shalli, who retired in 2011, chase contracts for defence equip- N$1.8-b arms tigated. denied receiving the money in ment such as “aircraft and warships connection with the arms contract. deal with Poly The N$156-m are in foreign currency.” (The Namibian 20 April 2017) Poly Technologies was placed Technologies cancelled arms deal on the US sanctions list in 2013 for N$200-m transfer to Most of the operational equip- In 2017, The Namibian’s inves- allegedly selling banned weapons August 26 probed ment owned by the Namibian Navy tigative unit in association with the to Iran, North Korea and Syria. was acquired from China through Mail & Guardian’s amaBhungane China’s Xinhua News Agency Meanwhile, the Namibian Po- Poly Technologies, including 12 Centre for Investigative Journalism reported at the time that the Chi- lice Commercial Crime Investiga- F-7NM/TF fighter jets, 12 K-8 jet reported that banking authorities in nese government had objected to tion Unit confirmed in April that it trainers, several Z-9 utility helicop- the United States had forced the the sanctions. had launched a probe into August ters and the NS Elephant offshore Namibian government to recall Poly Technologies is known as 26 Holdings, after the defence min- patrol vessel. N$156 million it had transferred to one the world’s main arms dealers istry had opened a case of possible In 2011 The Namibian had Chinese state-owned arms dealer and has been a frequent benefi- money laundering and fraud involv- quoted prosecutor general Martha Poly Technologies. ciary of Namibian military procure- ing N$200-million (Namibian Sun Imalwa from court papers, stat- This was confirmed by then de- ment contracts, according to The 08-Apr-21). ing that Poly Technologies had a fence minister Penda ya Ndakolo in Namibian and amaBhungane. This followed Windhoek Mayor contract The defence ministry had the National Assembly, who did not It has also partnered with South Job Amupanda’s claim in Janu- entered into an arms deal report- detail the purpose of the payment Africa’s state-owned arms manu- ary that Vilho had sanctioned the edly worth N$1.8-billion with Poly or why it was cancelled. facturer Denel in building three N$200-m transfer from the ministry to August 26 in 2017. PWC resigned earlier this year as August 26 auditors, but none of its audit findings were made public at the ministry’s request. On 15-Jan-21, defence ministry spokesperson Petrus Shilumbu is- sued a statement denying what he called misleading information and allegations of an unauthorised N$200-m transfer to August 26, claiming the only payments made were for goods delivered or ser- vices rendered, such as catering services to the NDF. Amupanda had also called Vilho corrupt for buying naval ships and uniforms from Brazilian com- panies at inflated prices, which the ministry also denied (Confidente 14-Jan-21; New Era 15-Jan-21; Confidente 21-Jan-21; Namibian Sun 19-Jan-21; The Namibian 01- BANK OF NAMIBIA AUCTION/TENDER RESULTS FOR THE SALE OF TREASURY BILLS IN APRIL 2021 Apr-21; The Namibian 07-Apr-21; Confidente, New Era, Namibian AMOUNT ON TENDERS RE- % SUB- % OF EFFECTIVE PREVIOUS INSTRUMENT ALLOTTED Sun 08-Apr-21).