Sankwasa denies Malaysian connection

The deputy minister of works and transport, James Sankwasa, has denied having any personal interest in stopping the demolition of an old hotel at Okahandja.Video footage of a site visit by Sankwasa on 9 March was circulated on social media, prompting an allegation that Sankwasa was trying to halt the demolition job because a Malaysian university wanted to use the building for a campus.Sankwasa responded yesterday that he was accompanied by a technical team from the ministry to verify claims of possible fraud in the project. “I visited the site with technical staff Mooka, Duaraan and Du Plessis,” Sankwasa said. He said he had investigated an invoice for payment to the contractor, ADDI Investment Africa, which was submitted on 27 February although no work had been done yet.“When the staff members heard that the [works] minister and deputy were now investigating the possible fraud they quickly went to the site and started demolishing and we had to verify whether it was true that demolition was done over the weekend,” Sankwasa said. No personal interestSankwasa said he had no personal interest in the university venture, pointing out that the Namibian high commissioner to Malaysia, Anne Anne Namakau Mutelo, had first introduced the project six years ago, long before he became deputy minister of works. “I had no knowledge of it until the minister of higher education wrote to the works [ministry] requesting the lease of the said land. I have no personal interest but my strong interest is in the technical education of the Namibian people,” Sankwasa said. Sankwasa said he had never met any of the Malaysians involved with the university project, rejecting claims that he had visited the Okahandja site with them previously. He also took exception to a suggestion of tribal conspiracy made by ADDI Investment's executive director, John John 'Trapattoni' Sylvanus.“The fact that the high commissioner and I are from the same region does not in any way make it a personal interest. Are we saying every time two white English- or Afrikaans-speaking people or two or more Oshiwambo-speaking [people] are involved in a development project it is personal interest?” Sankwasa said. Correspondence High commissioner Mutelo wrote a letter to works minister John Mutorwa in December 2018, in which she informed him of the university delegation's visit to State House on 29 November last year.She said the Malaysians had tried in vain for six years to find a venue for their intended university and suggested that relevant line ministries identify unused buildings at Okahandja that could be renovated and rented from the government.Mutorwa made a note on this letter for the attention of executive director Willem Goeiemann, reading: “Not sure to what extent is the MWT involved in this matter?”On 24 January Sankwasa wrote a letter to Mutorwa in which he made recommendations for the development of the old Okahandja Hotel, which had been in disuse for at least 15 years. Sankwasa wrote that Limkokwing University of Creative Technology was interested in leasing the property. He wrote that the ministry of higher education, training and innovation, as well as the works ministry, supported this project.Sankswasa wrote that he and three administrative staff members from the works ministry had visited the site on 21 January to inspect the condition of the building, which they found to be in a dilapidated state requiring extensive and prohibitively expensive renovation.The Ministry of Finance authorised the demolition of the building in June last year and recommended that the works ministry build offices or housing on the property.Alternatively, the finance ministry recommended that investors interested in a public-private partnership should submit proposals for the use of the property. Asked why he wanted to stop the demolition last month, Sankwasa answered the Malaysians had indicated willingness to renovate or demolish the structure at their own cost, which would have saved the government money. CATHERINE SASMAN

Sankwasa denies Malaysian connection

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-18

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Sankwasa denies Malaysian connection

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-18

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