August 26 calls board meeting over N$8m spare part
Allegations of fabricating quotation as well
Defence chiefs are under mounting pressure over explosive corruption allegations made public by activits Job Amupanda last week.
An extraordinary board meeting has been called for Thursday at state military company August 26 Holdings, amid allegations that it issued an N$8 million invoice for a single vehicle spare part and that its top leaders are now attempting to cover up the scandal by allegedly fabricating invoices.
The company’s board chairperson, Fillimon Shafashike, confirmed that he is convening the meeting, which comes about a week after activist Job Amupanda made explosive allegations of corruption at the company.
Shafashike claimed he also only became aware of the matter through social media but confirmed it will be addressed during Thursday's meeting.
“All I did, when the issue came to my attention, was to ask for an extraordinary board meeting to discuss these claims and the facts,” he told Namibian Sun.
Corruption allegations
Amupanda alleged that the ministry of defence ordered a vehicle spare part from its subsidiary, Windhoeker Maschinenfabrik (WMF), and that some senior officials within August 26 Holdings – a parent company to WMF – sought to make money from the deal by inflating the invoice to N$8 million.
However, at a press conference last week, the defence ministry’s executive director Wilhelmine Shivute said the invoice that Amupanda shared on social media was for the purchase of ‘thousands’ of vehicle parts for the army's Werewolf armoured personnel carrier.
The parts ordered from WMF were intended for a single type of vehicle and listed as one item, despite thousands of parts being ordered, Shivute told the media.
Correspondence made public
Not backing off, Amupanda on Saturday released an exchange of letters between Petrus Anton, the managing director of WMF, and the company's finance executive Anna Max, in which both alleged that August 26 Holdings CEO Ndajoina Shalumbu instructed WMF to fabricate a quotation listing spare parts that were supposedly purchased with N$8 million.
In a letter dated 20 November, Anton asked Shalumbu for an explanation about his alleged instruction to WMF staff.
“Wednesday, 20 November 2024, you came to our offices after sending the attached email to instruct my people to fabricate a quote that we did not have. As I have reported before, I have issues with you coming to my office and having meetings with my people or giving them instructions,” Anton wrote.
"This, in my opinion, is unethical. Lastly, I need to understand why you gave instructions to fabricate this quotation. You were informed that the quote did not exist, why proceed to have it produced?” Anton wrote.
Anton did not respond to questions sent to him on WhatsApp.
'No comment'
Shalumbu did not confirm or deny whether he pressured WMF staff to create a non-existent invoice to justify the N$8 million claim.
“I am not going to comment on this; I have to discuss this with the board. Those were internal documents," he said.
When asked to respond to Anton's accusation that he pressured staff to fabricate a quote that did not exist, he responded: "I will not comment on the matter."
Kapofi denounces Amupanda
Defence minister Frans Kapofi told Namibian Sun the matter is internal and that Amupanda had no business making the documents and communications relating to the matter public.
Kapofi has not yet received communication from Shalumbu but stressed that no money was spent on the items and challenged whoever has proof to the contrary to present it to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
“The bottom line is that money was not paid. There was no part bought... This is something that is very political. I do not know why Job should have put it on social media if it was written to Shalumbu," the minister said.
He added: "We will have to get to the bottom of this to find out why it was fabricated and what necessitated it. But if it was fabricated, it should not have happened at all," the minister said.
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The company’s board chairperson, Fillimon Shafashike, confirmed that he is convening the meeting, which comes about a week after activist Job Amupanda made explosive allegations of corruption at the company.
Shafashike claimed he also only became aware of the matter through social media but confirmed it will be addressed during Thursday's meeting.
“All I did, when the issue came to my attention, was to ask for an extraordinary board meeting to discuss these claims and the facts,” he told Namibian Sun.
Corruption allegations
Amupanda alleged that the ministry of defence ordered a vehicle spare part from its subsidiary, Windhoeker Maschinenfabrik (WMF), and that some senior officials within August 26 Holdings – a parent company to WMF – sought to make money from the deal by inflating the invoice to N$8 million.
However, at a press conference last week, the defence ministry’s executive director Wilhelmine Shivute said the invoice that Amupanda shared on social media was for the purchase of ‘thousands’ of vehicle parts for the army's Werewolf armoured personnel carrier.
The parts ordered from WMF were intended for a single type of vehicle and listed as one item, despite thousands of parts being ordered, Shivute told the media.
Correspondence made public
Not backing off, Amupanda on Saturday released an exchange of letters between Petrus Anton, the managing director of WMF, and the company's finance executive Anna Max, in which both alleged that August 26 Holdings CEO Ndajoina Shalumbu instructed WMF to fabricate a quotation listing spare parts that were supposedly purchased with N$8 million.
In a letter dated 20 November, Anton asked Shalumbu for an explanation about his alleged instruction to WMF staff.
“Wednesday, 20 November 2024, you came to our offices after sending the attached email to instruct my people to fabricate a quote that we did not have. As I have reported before, I have issues with you coming to my office and having meetings with my people or giving them instructions,” Anton wrote.
"This, in my opinion, is unethical. Lastly, I need to understand why you gave instructions to fabricate this quotation. You were informed that the quote did not exist, why proceed to have it produced?” Anton wrote.
Anton did not respond to questions sent to him on WhatsApp.
'No comment'
Shalumbu did not confirm or deny whether he pressured WMF staff to create a non-existent invoice to justify the N$8 million claim.
“I am not going to comment on this; I have to discuss this with the board. Those were internal documents," he said.
When asked to respond to Anton's accusation that he pressured staff to fabricate a quote that did not exist, he responded: "I will not comment on the matter."
Kapofi denounces Amupanda
Defence minister Frans Kapofi told Namibian Sun the matter is internal and that Amupanda had no business making the documents and communications relating to the matter public.
Kapofi has not yet received communication from Shalumbu but stressed that no money was spent on the items and challenged whoever has proof to the contrary to present it to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
“The bottom line is that money was not paid. There was no part bought... This is something that is very political. I do not know why Job should have put it on social media if it was written to Shalumbu," the minister said.
He added: "We will have to get to the bottom of this to find out why it was fabricated and what necessitated it. But if it was fabricated, it should not have happened at all," the minister said.
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