THE board of the ruling party’s business arm, Kalahari Holdings, is still trying to figure out how many properties the company owns.
Kalahari Holdings, the holding company formed in 1989, has been Swapo’s main business front in key economic sectors, including real estate, farming, media, fishing, transport, printing, security, healthcare and mining.
understands that some board members are also concerned about how the profits from Kalahari Holdings’ stake in MultiChoice Namibia were used. People familiar with board discussions told last week that the board which was appointed two years ago still does not have a full picture of how many properties (houses and plots) the holding company and its subsidiaries own.
There are also concerns that some party leaders are occupying party-owned houses, and either paying peanuts, or nothing at all.
This information is based on interviews with people briefed about Kalahari Holdings’ board discussions.
Kalahari Holdings acting chairperson Christian Maketo declined to comment in detail when asked about this matter last month.
“Kalahari Holdings continuously strives to upgrade and improve its operating systems in order to remain efficient and competitive,” he said.
Maketo added: “Kalahari Holdings is a private company, and as such, all internal information and board discussions are strictly confidential”.
Since 1991, through Kalahari Holdings, Swapo has had a 51% stake in satellite broadcaster MultiChoice Namibia (DStv). MultiChoice Africa owns the rest.
MultiChoice Namibia has in the past denied being protected because of its partnership with Swapo, but failed to provide details of how much it pays in dividends to the ruling party. reported last year that people familiar with the finances of the party said ruling party members were not briefed about how N$150 million received from MultiChoice Namibia last year was used.
Kalahari Holdings was also a victim when the SME Bank was shut down last year. The company had deposited around N$30 million into the failed state bank.
understands that the current board is partly blaming the previous board for not having created an updated database of all the properties owned by the ruling party.
According to a source, the board is reluctant to investigate the affairs of Kalahari Holdings to avoid being accused of being on a witch-hunt against former board members.
The board decided to focus more on the future, but it is unclear how they will ensure the ruling party benefits from its businesses and properties if they do not know what the company owned.
Former Kalahari Holdings chairperson Kalumbi Shangula told yesterday that Kalahari Holdings did not have financial problems.
“Maybe they (board members) were referring to the subsidiaries of Kalahari Holdings. There are companies under Kalahari Holdings which have problems,” he said.
Shangula admitted that he had also tried to trace Kalahari Holdings properties, with little success.
“We also tried, but reached a dead end,” he said, adding that they had faced instances when they were told that the company owned several properties, but they were told to back off because the owner produced proof of ownership.
Kalahari Holdings has six subsidiaries – Namib Contract Haulage (NCH), Namprint, Kudu Investment, Ndilimani Cultural Troupe, Kalasota Mining Enterprises and Klondike Investments, which is dormant.
It is in joint ventures with MultiChoice Namibia, Namibia Protection Services, Radio Energy, Africa Online, Sun Karos, Nabimar and Namhealth.
Kalahari Holdings mostly owns real estate through a company called Kudu Investment, which owns properties like Pelican Square in Windhoek’s Hochland Park suburb.
Previous annual reports also proposed that the ruling party was planning to cash in on the housing boom in Windhoek by building flats in Hochland Park.
Kudu Investment spent N$20 million on building the Promenaden Road development in Eros to benefit from the office rental boom.
Kalahari Holdings has over the years also increased its interests in property deals, such as apartments in the Oshikoto region, and by building property in regions such as Erongo, //Karas, Kunene, Oshana and Khomas for N$63 million.
The party also owns Farm De Rust, the ruling party’s agricultural and animal husbandry farm, located in the Grootfontein area.
