Angula opens up on food tender

DEFENCE Minister Nahas Angula yesterday said it was his ministry’s decision to change the army procurement system and a deliberate move to build capacity for the country’s defence industries.

• SHINOVENE IMMANUEL

and TILENI MONGUDHI

Angula was reacting to articles published by The Namibian since last week about the alleged irregularities surrounding the N$5 billion 10-year food tender the ministry gave to its August 26 Logistics company in which the military holds a 51% stake.

Although Nahas had refused to discuss the issue whenever he was called for comment, yesterday he opened up to The Namibian saying that as far as he was concerned, there was nothing untoward with the new food tender system his ministry is implementing.

“Logistics in the force is key to the lives of the soldiers and food is critical,” he said adding that the move is aimed at shifting from suppliers who source their goods abroad to building local capacity to produce and supply the military directly.

“The defence industries should be the engine of economic development in the country, that is my mission,” he said adding that it was a deliberate strategy.

He said the food will be sourced from local producers and not ‘tenderpreneur’ middlemen who source their produce from South Africa and elsewhere but Namibia. He also said the ministry will enter supply agreements with local producing SMEs.

“I expected resistance because I know people are profiting from being middlemen. If you listen to ‘tenderpreneurs’ we will never develop,” he said.

Nahas said the ministry’s company had to rope in technical partners while it built capacity. He said, by the new system, his ministry is trying to prevent the bulk of government money from flowing out of the country. He added that he wished every government ministry was focusing on finding ways to support and expand the local economy by supporting productive local businesses rather than middlemen who do not even employ Namibians but pocket the profits to fund their own lavish life styles.

Angula added that if any of his ministry officials received kickbacks or have been bribed, the relevant law enforcement agencies should be informed. He further said that he was determined to stop a system where the majority of food suppliers are foreign owned companies.

Meanwhile, The Namibian understands that the Tender Board of Namibia has demanded an explanation from the Ministry of Defence about allegations published in The Namibian, last Friday, on the questionable manner in which the ministry awarded its N$5 billion food tender to August 26 Logistics.

Tender Board sources told The Namibian that the Board demanded answers regarding the deal on the day the article was published.

The sources further said that the defence ministry has, until today, to explain its actions to the Tender Board. Those in the know said that the Board’s demands came after the defence ministry ignored its earlier instructions. The Board, during December last year, allegedly rejected and asked for clarifications on recommendations the ministry sent to it for the award of the food tender.

The Tender Board allegedly also asked the defence ministry to re-evaluate the tender.

The Ministry allegedly never went back to the Tender Board to clarify or re-evaluate the tender.

Angula questioned the Tender Board’s wisdom of insisting on answers while at the same time approving his ministry’s request to extend the current food supply tenders by one month.

Tender Board chairperson Ericah Shafudah said she could not comment as she was still waiting to be briefed on the latest developments about the tender.