Renthia Kaimbi
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has received a whistleblower complaint alleging corruption, inflated costs, and irregularities in the awarding of N$3.4 million pothole repair contracts by the municipality of Walvis Bay.
ACC spokesperson Josefina Nghituwamata confirmed receipt of the complaint in June 2025.
“The case is currently under review to determine whether it falls within the mandate of the Anti-Corruption Commission,” she said.
Documents seen by the Windhoek Observer show that a tender for five pothole repair lots was changed from an open request for quotations to a “restricted bid”, selecting four contractors without public notice. The bids were not posted on the municipality’s portal, excluding other qualified competitors.
The selection was allegedly made solely by roads and building controls general manager, Theo Potgieter, without standard vetting. One of the awarded companies, Vitz Investment CC, reportedly has no record of service delivery with the municipality.
Questions sent to Potgieter went unanswered, and phone calls were not returned.
Evidence shows inflated costs and that Gypsum G5 material, usually priced between N$100 and N$250 per cubic meter, was listed at N$900.
The same material was priced at N$170 and N$360 in competing bids. The complaint states no cost analysis was performed, and some winners subcontracted work despite prohibitions.
Information obtained also alleges that Potgieter blocked public bidding to enable favouritism.
Contractors have previously accused him of bias, claiming he favoured certain companies while sidelining small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Contracts worth over N$1 million were awarded through direct procurement under the guise of “restricted bidding”.
Several firms said their queries on tender procedures, including letters to Walvis Bay chief executive officer Victoria Kapenda, went unanswered.
Kapenda defended the municipality’s actions.
“Section 27 of the Public Procurement Act of 2015 allows restricted procurement depending on the nature of the work,” she said.
But some contractors argue that road maintenance should be subject to open competition to ensure fairness and cost efficiency.
