WINDHOEK – Prime Minister, Dr Hage Geingob, has ordered that the N$3 billion food tender for the Ministry of Education be re-advertised. This is after a local weekly tabloid reported yesterday on alleged misconduct on the part of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Alfred Ilukena, to award portion of the tender, worth N$47 million, to a company belonging to his wife, Wendy Mwange.
“With regard to the report on a potential conflict of interest with the awarding of the Ministry of Education’s Food Tender, I would like to indicate that I have directed the Minister of Education to withdraw the tender and re-advertise it for the process to start afresh,” Geingob said late last night.
Ilukena yesterday said his wife has no shareholding in Namibia Cattle Country Food Services, which won the N$47 million food tender of the Ministry of Education, contrary to allegations in a weekly tabloid.
“My wife resigned from that company as a director and shareholder as of December 2, 2013. The documents that were used for the article were the first ones before she resigned. The document of her resignation was not provided as the company since her resignation has a profile. She is no more with that company as it has new shareholders,” Ilukena said when presenting evidential papers to journalists at a press conference yesterday.
Media reports accused Ilukena of taking advantage of the absence of the education minister David Namwandi, who was in Berlin, Germany, at the time, by presiding over the ministry’s food tender allocations nearly worth N$3 billion, and pushed ministerial recommendations that favoured awarding tenders to various companies, including his spouse’s alleged company.
Ilukena said the tender was only advertised this year around March, while the documents show that his wife tendered her resignation from the company last year December.
Ilukena provided various documents in which one states his wife’s resignation. The letter reads, “I, Wendy Mwange Mwiya, ID 70010100830, do hereby would like to inform all Board of Directors and staff of Namibia Cattle Country Food Services (Pty) Ltd that I resigned as a Director from the above-mentioned company as from today, the 2nd of December 2013 (with immediate effect). In respect of my shareholding in the company, I would give the remaining shareholders in the company the first option to take up those shares, without any payment consideration (for free). Should no shareholder take up those shares by the 1st of January 2014, the shares shall revert back to the company and shall instruct the company secretary to effect the necessary amendment. Let me register my appreciation to you all for the opportunity given to me to serve as a director and a shareholder in the company.”
Against the evidence he provided, Ilukena told New Era in an interview that the article caused damage to him and his family, saying “it was disturbing”.
“The article is one-sided because the documents that show her resignation and those of new ownership were never provided. I find the article disturbing because it is attacking me and my family on something we did not do wrong. Had I seen her name during the awarding tender process, I would have recused myself,” Ilukena fumed.