Kapofi admits visiting Boulter’s farm, insists it was a private trip

Minister of defence and veterans affairs Frans Kapofi says he visited controversial British billionaire Harvey Boulter’s farm while on a private hunting excursion, but this had nothing to do with the man accused of murder.

“I am not a friend of this person,” Kapofi last week told The Namibian.
Kapofi’s name popped up on a list of senior military and police officials who have visited the game farm of Boulter, a businessman who wanted to sell weapons estimated at N$29 million to the Namibian army via his company SX Arms and Ammunition.

Kapofi says he later found out that Boulter had submitted quotations to the ministry, but that such quotations had been rejected because the attempt to sell arms was not done in line with the military’s procurement system.

“How do you just bring a quotation and somebody pays you tomorrow?” he asks about the manner in which Boulter attempted to do business with the military.

Senior military and police sources have expressed concerns, and have alleged that Boulter took senior officials on joyrides on his farm.

The Namibian reported last week that Boulter has hosted several high-ranking military and police officers at his farm.

The chief of the Namibian Defence Force, Martin Pinehas and police inspector general Joseph Shikongo have been contacted for comment on these allegations.

Neither responded.
The police, however, remain adamant that the only visits to Boulter’s farm were undertaken as part of a mission to do inspections and assess whether the government should purchase firearms from the controversial arms dealer.

National police spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi last week said the police did not buy firearms from SX Arms and Ammunition, nor did they provide a tender or make any budgetary provision to purchase firearms from the company.

“We will not deny that the senior officers visited the farm. Indeed they went there to assess and do background checks after the company wrote to the inspector general of the Namibian Police marketing its products,” she said.

Shikwambi said the police could not do any business with the company because it did not have security clearance.

“All I know is that company was vetted negatively to trade [with the government],” she said.

The police declined to provide The Namibian with the list of officers who have visited Boulter’s farm in an official capacity, citing ongoing investigations.

THE KUNENE AFFAIR

Among the senior police officers who have allegedly visited Boulter’s farm are two of the Kunene region’s most senior officers – regional commander James Nderura and deputy commissioner Phillip Nghidengwa, who is responsible for police operations in the region.

Nghidengwa was recently promoted from being the chief inspector responsible for investigating Boulter’s murder case to deputy commissioner.

Nghidengwa has confirmed that he has visited Boulter’s farm in his capacity as investigating officer, and also later in his capacity as part of the team which did inspections.

“It’s not true, I was not hosted by Harvey,” he says.

As deputy commissioner responsible for operations, the firearm division in the region reports to Nghidengwa.

Kunene regional commander Nderura last week told The Namibian his son, who owns a security company, considered buying guns from Boulter’s outfit, but that this never materialised.

Nderura said he has only visited Boulter’s farm in an official capacity.

He inspected Boulter’s facilities with his team as he was selling guns from the farm, he said.

Nderura said the police needed to inspect the operations and a vault in connection with the selling of firearms.
“He is not my friend,” he said.

FAILED ATTEMPT

The Namibian has been reliably informed that SX Arms and Ammunition has failed to get the relevant clearance, primarily because Boulter is currently facing a murder charge in the High Court.

The murder charge also includes charges related to the use of an unlicensed firearm.

Allegations then started making rounds that senior officials in the military and police had been hosted by Boulter on his farm, where he entertained them and allegedly gave them gifts in the form of firearms and expensive wine.

Companies are first subjected to security vetting before they are registered as vendors on the ministry’s or agency’s system.

Only entities or individuals registered as vendors are allowed to provide quotations for the supply of goods and services.

EXTORTION

The Guardian reported between 2011 and 2014 that Boulter was linked to an extortion scandal that forced then United Kingdom (UK) defence minister Liam Fox to resign in October 2011.

Fox resigned after it became public that Boulter threatened an American company he was dealing with to pay his claims, or he would use his influence and proximity to Fox to interfere with the company’s business in the UK.

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