Niël Terblanché
The arrest and subsequent appearance of two men linked to a fraudulent weighbridge deal involving the Roads Authority and a private company last week has cleared Etango Petroleum Services (Pty) Ltd from any involvement in the matter.
Investigators of the Anti-Corruption Commission arrested Richard Milinga, Divisional Manager of the Transport Inspectorate at the Roads Authority, and Grant Cloete, Managing Director of SA Scales Company, on charges relating to the corrupt rental of a weighbridge that belongs to the Roads Authority by the private company.
During their appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court last Wednesday, Milinga and Cloete were each granted N$30,000 in bail, and the case was postponed to August 1, 2025, for further investigation.
Advocate Richard Metcalfe, acting on behalf of Etango Petroleum, in a letter to this publication on Friday, stated that the company was actually the victim of the criminal conduct of senior employees of SA Scale Company (Pty) Ltd and the Roads Authority.
Windhoek Observer wrongfully reported that the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) has filed a lawsuit against Etango Petroleum, seeking its liquidation over an unpaid debt of N$266 million.
The target of the Namcor lawsuit is indeed Erongo Petroleum and not Etango Petroleum.
The Windhoek Observer regrets this mistake. Malicious intent was never the aim of the story published on 5 May 2025 titled “Etango Petroleum in N$2 million corruption probe”.
“Etango Petroleum Services (Pty) Ltd does not owe Namcor any money. Neither does it face liquidation and litigation by any entity. Our client is regularly subjected to due diligence reviews by international oil companies to ensure compliance with ethics, the law and financial liquidity. At no stage has our client been found to be at any fault in its business dealings on all levels,” Advocate Metcalfe stated in his letter.
Advocate Metcalfe stated that Etango Petroleum leased the weighbridge from SA Scale Company (Pty) Ltd for use at its premises.
He added that at all times, SA Scale Company (Pty) Ltd represented to Etango Petroleum that the weighbridge was the property of SA Scale Company (Pty) Ltd and could be legitimately leased out.
“From documents presented to our client to attach the weighbridge and subsequent public statements by the Anti-Corruption Commission, even the most obtuse are able to discern that this issue pertaining to ownership of the weighbridge is a matter resorting solely to the Roads Authority and SA Scale Company (Pty) Ltd,” he stated.
Advocate Metcalfe added that Etango Petroleum had also diligently assisted the Anti-Corruption Commission in its investigation.
Milinga and Cloete were arrested as part of an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigation into procurement fraud and misappropriation of public assets.
At the time, ACC spokesperson Josefina Nghituwamata said the case involves an invoice of N$2 372 704 certified to suggest delivery of a new weighbridge to the Roads Authority.
According to Nghituwamata, investigations show the goods were either not delivered as specified or not received at all.
Investigations show that in September 2021, an older weighbridge was refurbished by SA Scale for N$264 960 and reinstalled at the Walvis Bay weighbridge station.
When the new weighbridge was reportedly delivered in May 2022, the older one was removed from the site under the claim that it would be stored in Windhoek.
Nghituwamata said investigations later found the removed weighbridge was installed at Etango Petroleum Services (Pty) Ltd’s premises and that the supplier, SA Scale, was leasing the equipment to Etango Petroleum.
The assets worth more than N$2 million were already seized by the Anti-Corruption Commission more than a week ago.
Nghituwamata stated that the Roads Authority had never authorised the removal or disposal of the asset.
The Anti-Corruption Commission is pursuing charges of fraud, theft, and money laundering under the Anti-Corruption Act of 2003 against Milinga and Cloete.
