!Gawaxab denies links to N$450m Fabupharm tender
Shiimi tight-lipped amid corruption allegations
The central bank chief says he no longer owns any business in the country, while attributing the allegations to the 'silly season'.
Bank of Namibia governor Johannes !Gawaxab has denied owning “any business in Namibia," including Fabupharm (Pty) Ltd., which allegedly received a questionable N$451 million tender, supposedly with the help of finance minister Ipumbu Shiimi.
!Gawaxab, who was recently fined N$1 million by the Namibia Competition Commission (NaCC) alongside his business associates for allegedly selling his businesses and shareholdings to family and friends, has been accused by activist Michael Amushelelo of using proxies to run his private businesses.
As part of leading the Bank of Namibia, !Gawaxab was required to relinquish his stakes in businesses to avoid conflict and bias.
Eos Capital, a Namibian private equity fund manager that is managing the Allegrow Fund – and which !Gawaxab co-owned prior to taking the central bank job – acquired 35% of the ordinary share capital of Fabupharm in 2016.
Claims made
Citing sources close to the transactions, Amushelelo alleges that Shiimi used his influence as finance minister to award a tender worth N$451 million to Fabupharm, which is allegedly controlled through proxies by !Gawaxab.
The controversial activist alleges that the tender was advertised in 2022 by the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN), whose bid evaluation committee later passed a resolution recommending that the tender be cancelled.
This recommendation was allegedly ignored, and after some time had passed, the tender was allegedly awarded to Fabupharm with Shiimi's blessing. However, Amushelelo did not clarify precisely how the minister got involved in the tender-awarding process. CPBN’s boss, Amon Ngavetene, could not be reached for comment.
‘Silly season’
Shiimi did not respond to detailed questions sent to him by Namibian Sun regarding the allegations.
The minister has denied the accusations, writing on X: "Amushelelo shouldn’t look for political relevance by tarnishing my name with tenders. I have always maintained the highest standards of integrity and will continue to do so.”
On his part, !Gawaxab dismissed Amushelelo’s allegations as pure fabrications. "Please do not be used by people. I am not involved at all at Fabupharm or any business in Namibia,” he told Namibian Sun.
“Check with BIPA [Business and Intellectual Property Authority] who owns Fabupharm and you will see it for yourself that my alleged involvement in Fabupharm is devoid of all truth.”
He added: “I sold all my business interests four years ago when I became governor to avoid conflicts of interest. We have entered the silly season with all kinds of fabrications. This is one of those."
Further allegations
Amushelelo also accused Shiimi of enabling controversial appointments within key government institutions.
He cited the appointment of Sam Shivute, who worked with Shiimi at the Bank of Namibia, as head of the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) and the central bank’s deputy governor, Ebson Uanguta, as interim managing director of the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor).
He claimed Shiimi also had a say in the appointment of !Gawaxab as his successor at the central bank, as well as the appointment of Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) head Bryant Eiseb to the boards of several parastatals.
Eiseb recently resigned from those boards after months of calls for his removal over conflict of interest concerns.
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!Gawaxab, who was recently fined N$1 million by the Namibia Competition Commission (NaCC) alongside his business associates for allegedly selling his businesses and shareholdings to family and friends, has been accused by activist Michael Amushelelo of using proxies to run his private businesses.
As part of leading the Bank of Namibia, !Gawaxab was required to relinquish his stakes in businesses to avoid conflict and bias.
Eos Capital, a Namibian private equity fund manager that is managing the Allegrow Fund – and which !Gawaxab co-owned prior to taking the central bank job – acquired 35% of the ordinary share capital of Fabupharm in 2016.
Claims made
Citing sources close to the transactions, Amushelelo alleges that Shiimi used his influence as finance minister to award a tender worth N$451 million to Fabupharm, which is allegedly controlled through proxies by !Gawaxab.
The controversial activist alleges that the tender was advertised in 2022 by the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN), whose bid evaluation committee later passed a resolution recommending that the tender be cancelled.
This recommendation was allegedly ignored, and after some time had passed, the tender was allegedly awarded to Fabupharm with Shiimi's blessing. However, Amushelelo did not clarify precisely how the minister got involved in the tender-awarding process. CPBN’s boss, Amon Ngavetene, could not be reached for comment.
‘Silly season’
Shiimi did not respond to detailed questions sent to him by Namibian Sun regarding the allegations.
The minister has denied the accusations, writing on X: "Amushelelo shouldn’t look for political relevance by tarnishing my name with tenders. I have always maintained the highest standards of integrity and will continue to do so.”
On his part, !Gawaxab dismissed Amushelelo’s allegations as pure fabrications. "Please do not be used by people. I am not involved at all at Fabupharm or any business in Namibia,” he told Namibian Sun.
“Check with BIPA [Business and Intellectual Property Authority] who owns Fabupharm and you will see it for yourself that my alleged involvement in Fabupharm is devoid of all truth.”
He added: “I sold all my business interests four years ago when I became governor to avoid conflicts of interest. We have entered the silly season with all kinds of fabrications. This is one of those."
Further allegations
Amushelelo also accused Shiimi of enabling controversial appointments within key government institutions.
He cited the appointment of Sam Shivute, who worked with Shiimi at the Bank of Namibia, as head of the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) and the central bank’s deputy governor, Ebson Uanguta, as interim managing director of the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor).
He claimed Shiimi also had a say in the appointment of !Gawaxab as his successor at the central bank, as well as the appointment of Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) head Bryant Eiseb to the boards of several parastatals.
Eiseb recently resigned from those boards after months of calls for his removal over conflict of interest concerns.
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