Iuze Mukube
Two individuals have been arrested in connection with alleged corruption in the construction of the //Kharas Regional Office Park, a tender given to NDF company, August 26 Construction.
One of the arrested individuals is the regional council’s acting chief regional officer, Ralph Namiluko Sachika.
Sachika (50) and a co-accused, Lucia Jakob (35), were arrested on Monday and made a first court appearance in Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Sachika faces four counts, including corruptly using office or position for gratification, fraud, forgery and uttering a forged document, and acquisition, possession or use of unlawful activities.
Jakob faces one count of acquisition, possession or use of unlawful activities.
The State alleges that Sachika, on 1 October 2024, being a public officer as acting chief regional officer, unlawfully and corruptly used his office or position in a public body to obtain gratification for his own benefit or that of another person, such as Titus Ipumbu and Lucia Jakob, by paying N$3.9 million to their respective bank accounts.
It further alleges that Sachika committed the crime of fraud by falsely and with intent to defraud, give out and pretend to //Kharas Regional Council that an invoice due to August 26 Construction was paid.
This false pretense induced the council to pay N$3.9 million into the bank account of Maria Ipumbu and not into the account of August 26 to the actual or potential loss of prejudice to the council and August 26. Sachika allegedly, between September 2024 and October 2024, forged an instrument in writing to defraud the council.
He allegedly offered, uttered and put off the forged document describing a payment to a supplier of the council, whilst knowing that it was forged.
The fourth count, which is also alleged against Jakob, states that on 1 October 2024, the accused committed the offence of money laundering by acquiring and having in his possession property in the amount of N$700 000 while knowing it formed part of proceeds of unlawful activities.
This matter arises from a probing by activist-in-chief of Affirmative Repositioning Job Amupanda to the defence minister Frans Kapofi last year.
Amupanda had claimed that corruption was happening in the construction of the //Kharas Regional Council Office Park, a tender given to August 26 Construction.
He stated that after acquiring the tender, August 26 Construction subcontracted Ultimate Traders CC for the supply and installation of furniture amounting to N$ 3.1 million.
Of this amount, N$2.9 million has already been paid to the company and that “Ultimate Traders CC is said to be owned by Titus Ipumbu.
The said Titus appeared to be in an entanglement with Sachika, the acting Chief Regional Officer of the //Kharas Regional Council.
Through meetings between Ipumbu and Sachika, the amount of N$3.9 million was allegedly paid into the FNB bank account of an internet company called Tushiko Internet Technologies CC and this payment was authorised by Sachika.
This authorisation become important later.
Once the money landed, in this case, to Tushiko Investments CC, “it was transferred into an FNB account of Maria Ndatulumukua Ipumbu.”
The matter was postponed to 12 March 2026 for further investigations.