Namdia heist: Two dead, millions in diamonds stolen despite prior warnings

A daring late Saturday afternoon heist that left two dead, two arrested and possibly over N$300 million worth of diamonds disappearing into thin air could have been prevented.

Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) was warned last year that it was a target for a potential heist.

Police deputy inspector general for operations Elias Mutota has confirmed to The Issue that the police late last year alerted Namdia to what appeared to have been an imminent heist.

“We had a meeting with them and warned them that we have information about a planned heist. We informed them to be vigilant and upgrade their security,” said over the weekend.

Mutota said he could not speak on behalf of Namdia and could not say whether the parastatal did indeed upgrade its security in anticipation of the robbery, which became a reality on Saturday.

Namdia is a diamond marketing and sales company established in 2016 by the government to market a portion of Namibia’s diamonds. The entity, which trades as a private company, was established to market Namibia’s diamonds independently as part of a price discovery exercise that formed part of an agreement between the government and its partner, global diamond giant De Beers.

This agreement compelled the government-De Beers joint venture (Namdeb Holdings) to make 15% of its yearly production – estimated to be worth around N$2.6 billion – available to Namdia, which would then independently trade on the international market.

Sources briefed about the developments say the robbery happened at a time when the parastatal was preparing for the first sale for the year and Namdia was processing its largest-ever consignment of diamonds, valued at approximately N$318 million.

It is not clear whether the robbers made off with the entire consignment. There have also been reports that diamonds were found at the crime scene.

In a statement released to the media around 02h48 on Sunday, national police spokesperson deputy commisioner Kauna Shikwambi said: “On Saturday, 18 January 2025, between 17h00 and 18h00, it is alleged that four armed suspects with firearms unlawfully and intentionally entered Namdia’s premises. The police do not know how the suspects got access to the premises.”

The police further stated that the alleged robbers held the company’s employees hostage and managed to tie them up and stole an undisclosed number of diamonds.

Francis Eiseb (57), a security supervisor at Namdia, was found dead in a storeroom. His next of kin have been informed.

A suspect was also found with what appeared to have been gunshot wounds. He later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. He later identified as Max Endjala, a renowned squash player who was a senior employee at Trustco Group.

Trustco spokesperson Neville Basson said the company would issue a statement.

The police say Endjala shot himself, possibly to avoid capture.

Various firearms and knives were collected from the scene.

One suspect was arrested at the crime scene on Saturday night, while a second was arrested on Sunday. The police claimed one of the arrested suspects was employed in the security department of Namdia and is believed to be related to Endjala.

Namdia chief executive Alisa Amupolo has confirmed the incident and says a formal police docket has been registered under charges of armed robbery with aggravating circumstances and murder.

“Given the sensitive nature of the incident, Namdia is dedicated to ensuring that all information shared is thoroughly verified by the investigating authorities and does not compromise the ongoing investigation,” she says.

She says four suspects were involved in the robbery.

TURMOIL AT NAMDIA

The robbery comes at a time when Namdia is struggling financially, largely due to a slowdown in global diamond sales. The Issue understands that the company has been forced to sell diamonds at below-market-value rates as a result.

Last year, Amupolo survived a disciplinary hearing in December.

It is not clear what she was charged with, but the charges coincide with her facing repeated calls to step down.

Media reports in July last year indicated that Amupolo’s management is blaming her for the company making a loss of over N$200 million.

Amupolo did not respond to questions about the disciplinary action against her.

The Issue understands security is a significant part of Namdia’s work and the company’s chief executive, chief operations officer and chief of security will be the first to answer for the latest security breach. – The Issue