Minister of works and transport Veikko Nekundi has denied allegations that he contacted Roads Contractor Company acting chief executive Dasius Nelumbu to approve fuel payments to Eco Fuel – a company linked to fugitive Victor Malima.
Malima and his associates were paid N$30 million to supply fuel to the Roads Contractor Company (RCC), but failed to deliver N$17 million worth of fuel.
In a letter to The Namibian, dated 8 October, Nekundi says he learnt about the fuel and vehicles through a media report earlier this year and had “no involvement in the allegations relating to the transactions involving Eco Fuel or any fuel matter”.
The Namibian spoke to Nekundi last Wednesday, during which he provided evidence of his request for answers from board chairperson Lea Namoloh and the RCC’s management.
The transactions on undelivered fuel were already in place before Nelumbu’s tenure, which ran from 2023 till July 2025, Nelumbu himself said last week.
Nekundi was appointed as minister in March 2025.
In the letter he writes that he “requested the chairperson to provide documentary evidence and records relating specifically to the procurement involving Eco Fuel”, and that Nelumbu, upon his enquiry through the chairperson, indicated on record that he was not aware of the procurement or the payment.
One of the issues Nelumbu has raised was that Nekundi intervened after he reported some “abnormalities”.
He says he requested that Andreas Nambahu, the RCC’s executive for operations and plant hire, be suspended after he reported the matter to the board and produced a report.
The RCC chief last week said the board agreed and a suspension letter was issued, but Nekundi asked that it be withdrawn.
“To this day, nothing has happened regarding that report.”
Nekundi said he blocked an attempt by Nelumbu and the board to agree with a request to suspend Nambahu, saying he saw no grounds for it.
Nambahu in the report dated 17 December 2025 was accused of withholding critical information from management, threats to life, and providing the RCC with misleading information.
Nambahu has since denied these allegations.
In this matter, the board had asked Nekundi to agree, saying investigations would be conducted to determine the necessary action.
The minister had declined the concurrence to suspend the executive and asked the RCC to proceed with disciplinary action without suspending Nambahu.
“I take the allegations to be of serious nature, however, I observe no grounds for suspension, thus the concurrence to suspend declined.
You may proceed with the disciplinary action without precautions suspending the person,” Nekundi says in a letter dated 12 January.
“To this date, the company has failed to discipline the employee in question . . . The company failed to substantiate the grounds for suspension. Not a single word indicates the employee would interfere with any investigation.
“However, I indicated my acknowledgement of the seriousness of the offences alleged,” he says.
The minister’s response comes after RCC chief executive Nelumbu revealed that Nekundi called him asking about fuel supply payments.
“At times, I would be called by the minister of works and transport to provide approval immediately, especially fuel approvals,” Nelumbu has said.
“How he knew there is a delayed fuel purchase approval at the RCC remains a mystery to me. Phone records are there, have a look at them, you would see time-related calls.
These calls were not too friendly to me. They are linked to me having to keep the job – or else,” he said.
Nelumbu has not yet provided evidence on the matter.
However, Nekundi recently told The Namibian that, in reply to his enquiry through the board chairperson, Nelumbu indicated on record that he was not aware of the procurement or the payment to the company in question.
“I categorically deny that I coerced, pressured or instructed Mr Nelumbu to make any fuel-related payments.
Following the concerns that were brought to his attention, the interim chief executive officer [Nelumbu] requested the operations executive [Nambahu] to provide an explanation to the chairperson of the RCC regarding the procurement and purchase of diesel fuel from the various suppliers, including Eco Fuel.
“This was necessary to enable the chairperson to properly account to the minister on how the fuel purchases had been handled and to provide the relevant supporting documentation.
The minister subsequently requested the chairperson to provide documentary evidence and records relating specifically to the procurement involving Eco Fuel,” Nekundi said.
“The feedback subsequently received from the chairperson concerning the Eco Fuel procurement was that the chairperson could not recall the procurement itself having been presented to the board,” he wrote.
According to Nekundi, the chairperson of the board, Namoloh, further informed him that the purchase was motivated by an emergency situation, as the relevant project was required to commence.
“The minister accordingly rejects the allegation that he instructed the interim chief executive officer to prioritise fuel payments or that he did so with knowledge that fuel had not been delivered or reconciled.”
The Namibian has seen documents showing Nekundi’s account of events.
The RCC’s Nelumbu has called for a commission of inquiry “so I can clear my name”.
He says he did not investigate the matter further.
Nekundi also confirmed that he was aware of a conflict between Nelumbu and Nambahu, the operations executive whose contract ended last month, and wrote that he had said he had no objection to a commission of inquiry into the RCC’s fuel transactions, provided there were facts warranting one.
Nekundi said he was worried about the matter, calling for the ACC to finalise investigations.
