!Gawaxab rejects SSC N$46m deal

THE chairperson of the Social Security Commission board, Johannes !Gawaxab, has rejected a company recommended to build the parastatal’s N$46 million offices at Otjiwarongo.

!Gawaxab claims that he was not comfortable with the integrity of the selection process done by two private consulting firms.

Red flags regarding !Gawaxab’s possible conflict of interest were raised because one of the Chinese companies that lost out on the tender is a regular Kata Investment business partner. Kata is a company co-owned by his daughter.

Richard Frankle & Partners Quantity Surveyors and Barnard Mutua Architects recommended Guanxi International Construction Engineering Namibia for the job on 26 January this year.

Information seen by The Namibian confirms that !Gawaxab proposed that the tender process be restarted.

“We recommend to the board to re-do the process of Otjiwarongo, starting with appointing professionals (architects and quantity surveyors), to assist with the (new) process,” !Gawaxab suggested in correspondence sent to the SSC management.

According to that correspondence, !Gawaxab is “not comfortable with the integrity of the whole (tendering) process” and that the recommended bidder knew beforehand that they had won the tender before the board made the final decision.

The tender process was facilitated by Barnard Mutua Architects, a private firm that has benefited from lucrative deals at the City of Windhoek.

Interestingly, Browny Mutilifa, who is Guanxi International Construction Engineering Namibia’s partner, and was recommended by Barnard Mutua Architects, is the former chief planner at the urban planning division of the municipality of Windhoek. Mutilifa resigned from the municipality last year.

In his correspondence to the commission, !Gawaxab asked to be advised on the implication of the agreement they signed with Barnard Mutua Architects.

“Provide board with the next steps to be followed to restart the process and advise if we still go to the route of pre-qualification,” !Gawaxab said.

The five companies that were shortlisted are China State Construction Engineering who partnered Oshondili Investments with their N$43 million bid, Guanxi International Construction Engineering Namibia who bid N$46 million, New Era Investments who asked for N$47 million, Nexus Building who quoted for N$50 million and Oshikoto Transport and Investments who partnered Quingjian International Group Namibia with a bid worth N$52 million.

In this deal, Richard Frankle & Partners Quantity Surveyors were represented by Lesley Hindjou.

Hindjou proposed that the Social Security tender for Otjiwarongo should go to Guanxi International Construction Engineering Namibia as the main contractor.

Hindjou is the expert who recommended that the controversial N$7 billion airport tender be given to a Chinese company last year. That tender which was marred with alleged irregularities has been cancelled by President Hage Geingob but is now the subject of a court hearing.

A tender assessment by Hindjou found that the bid by China State Construction Engineering was the lowest at 11,48% which is lower than the estimate of the quantity surveyors.

China State Construction Engineering is a regular partner of Kata Investments, a company owned by !Gawaxab’s daughter Taschiona and her partner Kaupumhote, the daughter of former President Hifikepunye Pohamba.

Kata and China State Construction Engineering even won a N$200 million tender from NamWater last year.

Even though some might applaud !Gawaxab for cancelling the tender, sources are accusing him of conflict of interest because of the involvement of close business partners of his daughter.

!Gawaxab declined to comment yesterday when asked about a possible conflict of interest and what guided him to cancel the tender. “Your questions are libellous, defamatory and malicious. I reserve my rights,” he said.

!Gawaxab who also chairs the Namcor board is not new to controversy regarding his daughter’s links to parastatals he leads.

The Namibian was informed last year that !Gawaxab’s daughter allegedly tried to benefit from the N$23 billion Kudu gas project but failed. !Gawaxab denied the allegations at the time.

Questions sent to the Social Security Commission were not responded to. General manager of finance at the SSC, Vemunjengua Kavari, who chairs the commission’s tender board, first tried to plead ignorance saying he is not aware of !Gawaxab’s correspondence but later changed his stance after being asked to explain.

“I am not allowed to talk to the media,” he said before hanging up the phone.

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