Former National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) manager Cedric Willemse says he had several businesses before he became a Namcor employee.
He acquired his assets with bank finance, and not with money from the state-owned fuel company, he says.
At the time of his arrest two months ago on charges linked to alleged corruption and fraud at Namcor, he had a monthly income of about N$150 000, Willemse (52) said while testifying during a bail hearing in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Previously, he had a monthly income of around N$250 000 from his businesses and the salary he received during his employment at Namcor, Willemse also told magistrate Olga Muharukua.
He said a total amount of N$4.3 million in earnings passed through his bank account in 2018, followed by about N$5.2 million in 2019, N$4.4 million in 2020 and N$4.1 million in 2021.
Willemse recounted that he worked for a fuel company in South Africa for eight years, before setting up his own businesses at Upington in South Africa.
He had a nightclub, two sport bars, a bottle store and three butcheries before he sold the businesses for about N$12 million and returned to Namibia, the country of his birth, in 2006, he said.
He is a born Namibian, and also has South African citizenship, Willemse told the court.
He said he first joined Namcor as a logistics and depot manager of the subsidiary Namcor Petroleum Trading and Distribution in 2008 and left the company in 2011.
In 2018, he again took up employment with Namcor Petroleum Trading and Distribution as a consultant, and was later appointed as the company’s supply and distribution manager from June 2022, until he resigned in October 2023, Willemse recounted.
He added that, contrary to claims in some quarters, he was not dismissed by Namcor.
Willemse said he is currently making a living from farming and selling a brand of alkaline bottled water.
With all of his past changes of employment, he has invested his pension payouts in setting up business ventures, as he believes in himself and his own business acumen, he said.
He bought a farm in the Okahandja area for N$12.9 million in November 2024, with the purchase financed with a loan from the Agricultural Bank of Namibia, he said.
Willemse also recounted that he owns a Jeep motor vehicle bought at a price of N$750 000 – and not for N$1.4 million as reported in the media – and last year also bought a Toyota Hilux pickup for N$980 000. The vehicles were bought through bank loans, Willemse said.
His assets also include four flats at Rehoboth, which were purchased with bank finance as well and are being rented to tenants, he informed the court. However, one of the tenants has decided after his arrest two months ago that the flats were obtained fraudulently and has stopped paying him rent, he said.
Willemse is due to continue testifying in support of his application to be granted bail today.
Public prosecutor Basson Lilungwe informed the court yesterday that the state is opposed to the granting of bail to him, because there is a risk he would flee if released on bail or interfere with investigations in the case in which he is charged.
It would also not be in the interest of the public or the administration of justice to have him released on bail, and the state has a strong case against him, Lilungwe said.
Willemse is facing 10 charges, including counts two counts of fraud, alternatively theft by false pretences, two charges of corruptly accepting gratification, and counts of corruptly using an office or position for gratification, money laundering and failing to declare an income for the payment of tax.
In the charges, the state is alleging that Willemse defrauded Namcor during the period from March 2022 to July 2023 by authorising the supply of fuel to the company Enercon Namibia and the close corporation Erongo Petroleum above the two fuel firms’ credit limits with Namcor.
The state is also alleging that Willemse defrauded Namcor in July 2022, when the company bought filling station assets at Namibian Defence Force bases from Enercon.
In other charges against Willemse, it is alleged that between March 2018 and May 2023 he received about N$3 million from Enercon and Erongo Petroleum as gratification for having authorised the supply of fuel by Namcor above the two firms’ credit limits with the state-owned fuel company.
The state is further alleging that Willemse accepted N$1.04 million in gratification from Enercon in July 2022 as a reward for facilitating Namcor’s purchase of nine filling stations from Enercon.
On the count of money laundering, the state is alleging that Willemse received payments of N$4.05 million from Enercon and Erongo Petroleum between July 2022 and November 2022, while knowing that the money was part of the proceeds of unlawful activities, or that he ought to have known that.
It is further alleged that between 2018 and 2022, Willemse failed to declare about N$60 million in income to the Namibia Revenue Agency and that he was liable to pay about N$20.7 million in tax on that income.
Willemse is being represented by defence lawyer Boris Isaacks, assisted by Braam Cupido and Johanna Iipinge.
In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.
The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
