Documents bearing the state-owned company August 26 Construction’s letterhead were allegedly used to steal N$3.9 million from the ||Kharas Regional Council.
The allegations are contained in a statement submitted to the police by August 26 Construction managing director Jacobina Endjala in November 2024.
According to the statement, the money was paid in October 2024 to a close corporation called Tushiko Investment Technology, a company linked to businessman Titus Iipumbu.
Iipumbu, whose company Ultimate Traders CC was contracted by August 26 Construction to supply and install furniture, is alleged to have colluded with the ||Kharas council’s chief regional officer, Ralph Sachika, to facilitate the release of the funds.
Sachika did not answer calls to him yesterday.
At the time August 26 Construction, which is owned by the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, was awarded a tender to construct ||Kharas council office parks.
Endjala told the police that she noticed several irregularities in the letter issued by August 26 Construction.
“The letterhead does not correspond with the official August 26 Construction letterhead and appears compressed.
The letter also does not have a date, whereas all official August 26 Construction correspondence always includes a date,” she says.
She further notes that the bank account details on the forged document did not match those of August 26
While the letter gave instructions for the funds to be deposited in a First National Bank account, August 26 Construction holds a Nedbank account.
“The signature on the forged document, which is supposed to be mine, looks similar but appears to be digitally imprinted. The date stamp reads ‘August 26 Constructions’, whereas the official company name does not include an ‘s’ at the end of ‘construction’,” Endjala adds.
“The stamp date is 26 September 2024, which I dispute, as I was not in the office on that date.”
She adds that the document listed the incorrect vice chairperson of the board.
Further details of the alleged movement of the money are contained in prosecutor general Martha Imalwa’s preservation of property order in terms of section 51 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act of 2004, dated 6 March 2025.
According to this, police investigations reveal that the money was paid by the regional council to Tushiko Investment on 1 October 2024 and then transferred to the account of Iipumbu’s wife, Maria.
On 5 October 2024, N$700 000 was paid to the mother of his two-year-old daughter Lucia Jacob while N$550 000 was paid into Iipumbu’s bank account.
In her preservation property order, Imalwa says Tushiko is 100% owned by Makarius Enkono.
Sachika confirmed in his statement given to the police that he had a meeting with Ultimate Traders CC, represented by Iipumbu, in August 2024.
“He also requested for the payment to be deposited into an account of any other sub-contractor of August 26 who was active at the building,” Sachika wrote.
He added that on 27 August 2024, the ||Kharas Regional Council office received a letter from Ultimate Trading CC requesting payment of N$3.9 million to Tushiko Internet Technologies CC’s account.
“On the same date, we received a cession agreement from Ultimate Trading CC,” Sachika wrote.
At the time of the incident, Ultimate Traders, whose contract value was N$3.1 million, had already been paid N$2.9 million.
Sachika added that on 1 October 2024, the regional council authorised the payment to Tushiko Internet Technologies CC.
He said he did not give anyone the right or permission to present false documents and steal money from the ||Kharas Regional Council.
“I, therefore, request police investigations and prosecution in this matter,” he said.
||Kharas Regional Council chairperson Gert Witbooi told The Namibian yesterday that Sachika was still in office and that the case is still under police investigation.
“The new political leadership is on this case,” Witbooi said.
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