Kandjoze ‘misled’ ACC on Namdia

This is according to a confidential investigation report submitted to president Hage Geingob in February 2018.

The National Planning Commission director general has denied any wrongdoing and threatened to sue The Namibian.

Kandjoze, who is now campaigning for prime minister Saara-Kuugongelwa Amadhila’s Swapo’s vice presidency contest, had a controversial three-year stint as mines minister.

In 2016, he was involved in setting up the state-owned Namibia Desert Diamonds (Namdia) with former attorney general Sacky Shanghala.

That same year, Kandjoze hand-picked a politically connected company C Sixty Investments owned by Shanghala’s associate John Walenga and a nephew of former minister Helmut Angula, Tirronenn Kauluma, to evaluate Namdia diamonds.

Then, the ACC contacted Kandjoze on 21 November 2016 as part of its investigation into the Namdia saga as reported by The Namibian.

But the ACC cleared Kandjoze at the time.

“I requested him (Kandjoze) to provide clarity (on Namdia). The minister gave me all the answers I wanted. I am satisfied with the answers,” ACC director general Paulus Noa told The Namibian in 2017.

Geingob subsequently asked then public enterprise minister Leon Jooste to investigate concerns at Namdia, including the C Sixty contract awarded by Kandjoze.

Jooste’s report concluded that Kandjoze appeared to have misled the ACC.

“It also appears that the Namdia board of directors and the ACC were misled by the then minister of mines and energy [Kandjoze] with regard to the timing of the appointment and who actually did the appointment,” said the report which was submitted to Geingob three years ago.

“Due to the various findings pointing to serious shortcomings in the sourcing and appointment of C-Sixty, as well as other related processes and activities, we believe it appropriate to recommend the termination of this contract,” the report says.

The president is said to have failed to take action on the 2018 report that recommended the government to cut ties with a company co-owned by businessman Doron Cohen – a business partner and associate to the first lady Monica Geingos’ son Nino Kalondo and brother Salomon Kalondo.

Geingos has in the past rejected any links between her family and Namdia, saying: “I abhor corruption.”