Competition commission finds nothing to stall Erindi sale

THE Namibian Competition Commission has approved the sale of Erindi to a Mexican billionaire as it found nothing to stall the sale.

The commission has, however, imposed conditions that the new owner should not retrench workers within a period of five years.

The commission’s acting chief executive officer, Vitalis Ndalikokule, revealed this during the launch of the Competition Commission Week in Windhoek yesterday.

Ndalikokule said that Mexican billionaire Alberto Baillères and his team are, however, not happy with the employment conditions imposed on their planned purchase by the commission, and are determined to challenge the conditions.

He explained that despite the public outcry associated with the sale, the commission only had jurisdiction to evaluate competition and consumer matters affected by the sale.

Ndalikokule said they found nothing that contravenes competition laws, apart from the billionaire’s intentions with those employed on the farm currently.

However, the billionaire indicated to the commission that they will challenge the commission’s decision.

Ndalikokule said the Competition Act makes such provision, and the new owners can go to the ministry of trade, which is the facilitating body for decision reviews and challenges to the commission’s decisions.

The ministry of trade will review the decision, and then decide whether to stick to the decision, or order the commission to review its decision.

On the public outcry about the sale, he said the commission does not deal with land issues. These land issues are under the jurisdiction and mandate of the land reform ministry, which gave a waiver to the South African owners to sell the land to the Mexican.

The government held the second land conference in October last year, and passed resolutions not to sell land to foreigners. However, the government made a U-turn, and allowed the sale of Namibia’s biggest private game reserve to the Mexican.

The government reasoned that until resolutions are turned into laws, land can be sold to foreigners, as the country’s Constitution allows it. Contacted for comment yesterday, Baillères’ publicist, Servaas van den Bosch, said he could not comment on the matter but, however, said he will clarify the issue of the employees at a later stage.