Amupanda fights tender court idea

Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader Job Amupanda says he will not allow the establishment of a tender court.

This comes after vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Monday said there is a need for a special court to deal with tender disputes.

Nandi-Ndaitwah made this call at the official opening of the Environmental Crimes Court at Otjiwarongo, saying it pains her that hospitals do not have medicine as a result of tender disputes.

“Chief justice, together with the prosecutor general, I want you to look into these issues very seriously. Can’t we have special courts to deal with tender disputes?” she asked.

Amupanda, however, says the government should rather enforce the bill to establish a small claims court, which has been with the government for 34 years.

“We are not going to allow and accept a tender court to be created on top of a commercial court. We want a small claims court so that people have a place to go when they are owed,” he said on social media yesterday. Amupanda said the government has already created a commercial court, which he labelled a “rich people’s court”.

“This is the same vice president who is in the same government and creating an impression that there is a problem, and this problem can be solved by a so-called tender court.

Nandi-Ndaitwah supports tender court

We already have what is called a commercial court. They created this court for the rich people,” he said.

“When you go to the Swapo building, that is where the big cases are, and anything that is costing millions . . . those cases go to the commercial court.”

Amupanda said he is shocked by the vice president’s remarks.

“I was shocked to hear that. I do not know whether the people are misleading her or they are not advising her properly . . ,” Amupanda said.

“She has a lot of people around her in the government who are supposed to tell her we already have a commercial court for the rich,” he added.

“The problem with tenders is actually created by the procurement board. You have the board’s decision, then there is a review panel, and that is when they go to the High Court. We need to be very careful about the things people say as part of the elections,” Amupanda warned.

“And shame on those people . . . allowing her to make all these statements that are not properly considered.

“That demonstrates a problem we have with the Swapo government and their bureaucracy and people who are just allowing our elderly to embarrass themselves like that,” he said.

SERVICE HINDERED

Nandi-Ndaitwah on Monday said while tenders are being contested, service delivery is affected.

“A classic example is that of medicine – the essential commodities which are a matter of life and death. I honestly ask you, chief justice, if you and your team can look into this as a matter of urgency so that tender issues are disposed of immediately for us to provide Namibians the best service,” she said.

The Central Procurement Board of Namibia’s chairperson, Amon Ngavetene, on Tuesday said there is a need for new regulations to see a rise in the tender bidding bar.

This would help with the selection of capable bidders, he said.

“People will always come up with these disputes for as long as there is constant emphasis on the fair administration of tenders – whether there is a special court or not,” he said.

Ngavetene said this would still provide a space for disputing tenders and would prolong the procurement process.

“Having a tender tribunal is not different from what the review panel is doing. Normally it takes two weeks for the panel to give feedback and make a judgement, so what is different from that tender tribunal?” he asked.