Details emerge in N$4.7m Zambezi arrests

Payment of N$4.7 million to a company handpicked for a tender that was never advertised – and for work that was not done – led to the arrest of six Zambezi regional council officials, including chief regional officer (CRO) Regina Ndopu-Lubinda.Members of the Namibian Police and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) agents arrested the sextet on Monday.A Namibian Sun probe has established that the money was drawn from a different budget vote, itself an irregular practice.It is alleged that Ndopu-Lubinda approved the payment from the coffers of the regional council after the ministry of urban and rural development refused to authorise it.The other five suspects are said to be part of an administrative clique involved in a scheme to defraud the regional council, according to police investigators. Investigations will also look into payments allegedly received by the officials to facilitate the deal for Denchi Consulting Engineers, which was handpicked for the incomplete contract.N$50k bailOn Monday, police arrested Ndopu-Lubinda along with head of planning and rural development Beaven Walubita, deputy director of planning Cletius Mubita and chief planner Daniel Mbala, following an ACC probe into the matter. They appeared in the Katima Mulilo Magistrate’s Court the same day and were granted bail of N$50 000 each. The matter was remanded to 7 December.Later that day, two more officials were arrested - deputy director for administration Abraham Shikoyeni and Nimrod Lichela, the chief accountant for the regional council. Shikoyeni was picked up by police from a workshop he was attending in Windhoek. The duo appeared in court yesterday and were also granted bail of N$50 000.Police sources told Namibian Sun that Ndopu-Lubinda handpicked Denchi without following procedures outlined in the Public Procurement Act.She allegedly requested the ministry of urban and rural development to make the payment, but when it requested certain tender or contract documentation for verification, fake minutes were created and sent to the ministry.After the ministry refused to pay, Ndopu-Lubinda allegedly ensured the money was paid by the regional council itself.Soon after, Ndopu-Lubinda allegedly paid N$100 000 into the regional council’s account to settle her housing allowance after it was found that she lived in a government house – despite not being entitled to such a perk.Mubita, who also lived in a government house illegally, transferred N$50 000 into the council’s bank account after Denchi was paid.Not up to usYesterday, executive director Nghidinua Daniel said it’s not the ministry’s prerogative to suspend the implicated officials.“If a suspension was to become necessary, an employee may only be suspended by an employer - in this case the Zambezi regional council. This is an administrative process.”He added: “The highest authority in a regional council and the appointing authority or employer of a CRO is the governing council, headed by a chairperson and comprising constituency councillors”.In the darkYesterday, a Zambezi regional council official - who spoke on condition of anonymity - said he learnt about the senior administrators’ arrests on social media.The councillor added that it is a shame that administrators who are expected to run the daily operations of the council found themselves in handcuffs over corruption issues while members of the community are suffering.Issues pertaining to tenders and procurement are carried out by the administrators who have now demonstrated that they cannot be trusted with public funds, he said.“As councillors, we are in the dark. The question now is will we be able to trust them since they tainted the image of the regional council? What will the public think of us as leaders?” The councillor suggested that the chairperson of the regional council, Matengu Simushi, call an urgent meeting to discuss the matter.Attempts to get comment from Simushi proved futile yesterday as his phone went unanswered.

Details emerge in N$4.7m Zambezi arrests

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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Details emerge in N$4.7m Zambezi arrests

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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