Martin Endjala
Popular Democratic Movement(PDM) President McHenry Venaani says he will take legal action against the Central Procurement Board of Namibia, if the widely reported controversial N$650 million medical supplies tender award is not cancelled.
It was reported last week that the tender was awarded to businessman Shapwa Kanyama. Venaani today called for a press conference, in which he stressed that the N$650 million is not justifiable while hospitals continue to run out of medicines and school going children are being taught in dilapidated class rooms.
Venaani says government cannot justify spending such chunk of money on gloves and condoms. The PDM leader stressed that it cannot be justified as appropriate, right or fair.
He further stated that with the N$650 million, government is able to build a brand new 10-floor state hospital, which he says Windhoek residents are currently crying for.
According to Venaani, land to construct the new hospital has already been availed behind the A. Shipena Secondary School in Soweto Katutura.
The PDM leader emphasized that he does not care whether the awarding of the tender was done correctly or not, but he is rather of the opinion that citizens cannot be living below the bread line and allow government spending such amount of dollars on such things.
“This tender needs to be scrutinized as I am convinced that there are government official who are colluding to eat together from this tenders and we must investigate and find out who is behind all this, in their right mind to award such a tender”, Venaani said.
He added that he is awaiting on the President’s response on the matter.
Meanwhile, Rally for Democracy and Progress Mike Kavekotora told the Windhoek Observer that he does not believe in opportunistic people.
Maintaining that instead of taking legal action against the CPBN, investigations must be thoroughly carried out to establish the problem and those involved to be held accountable.
“For all you know maybe the ministry of health or President sanctioned the tender, this is why we must properly investigate the matter. I am a firm believer in long term solutions and that is why we need to properly look into these trends happening behind the scenes and not to only get rid of the people,” Kavekotora said.
In support to Venaani’s sentiments, National Council MP Paulus Mbangu is in agreement that the CPBN needs to be dissolved , as cases of alleged castigated self-enrichment continues, which has now made the entity to loss trust from the public.
Mbangu also stressed that the modality used, jn which any tender above N$50 million must go through the CPBN, needs to be changed and be decentralized to regional government and not to entrust all millions to one entity.
This he said will cut out the middlemen. The MP is lobbying in the Auditor General to also step in to audit the CPBN books to see what is really going on there.
“The condom tender saga is just a tip of on the ice-beg, there is a lot happening we do not know yet and culprits involved must be brought to books,” he said.
