By Steven Klukowski
WINDHOEK – Being in the tender and procurement business for only a short period of time, Kaurivi T. Trading Enterprises strives to become one of the big guns in this industry in the near future. New Era spoke to the sole owner, Tjonguze Kaurivi, on why he believes his company can make it in this highly competitive field of business.
New Era (NE): How long is Kaurivi T. Trading Enterprises in existence and how big is your workforce, especially in terms of gender balance?
Tjonguze Kaurivi (TK): I am now in business for three years and as a young and upcoming company currently employ two people on a 50/50 Gender Balance, but endeavour to employ more people in future.
NE: Are you the sole owner or is it a partnership with company directors and if so, what percentages of your company’s shareholders are Namibian?
TK: I am the sole owner of this company, owning 100% shares.
NE: What is your company’s field of specialisation in the procurement process e.g. is it construction, supply and delivery of goods and services, etc.?
TK: It specialises in construction, supply and delivery of goods and services and catering.
NE: What is your company’s record in terms of Social Responsibility, giving back to the community by means of donations, grants, etc.?
TK: As owner of the company I am actively involved in community development projects at grass root level when time allows for it.
NE: What is the success rate of your company’s output with regards to tenders being awarded to you?
TK: Kaurivi T. Trading Enterprises cc. has not been awarded any projects or tenders to date.
NE: Do your employees belong to a pension fund and medical aid scheme and if not in which way are they assisted in this regard?
TK: My employees are all registered with the Social Security Commission, but I will register them with a pension scheme and medical aid at a later stage.
NE: How well equipped are your employees when it comes to Occupational Health and Safety at the workplace?
TK: Measures are in place to ensure safety at the work place.
NE: Are you facing any challenges when applying for standard mandatory, good standing- certificates at Inland Revenue, Social Security, Trade and Industry, etc.?
TK: The waiting period of seven working days in order to receive these mandatory certificates should be reduced to at least one or two working days in future as this can sometimes delay tenderers when tendering for projects.
NE: What programmes are in place in terms of skills development and capacity Building for employees at your company?
TK: I will send my employees for training and skills development when the need arises.
NE: What is your view with regard to the frequent reporting of ‘tenderpreneurship’ (corruption in the tender process) in newspapers and what can be done to address it?
TK: The process of awarding tenders should be expedited in a more transparent manner in future. Small, upcoming tenderers should also be considered for tender awards as opposed to awarding most tenders to big, experienced tenderers.
NE: Some Namibian companies are increasingly entering into joint ventures with foreign companies. How, in your view, can Namibians benefit out of these joint ventures in terms of employment opportunities and sharing of wealth?
TK: Namibian companies should have the majority shares (51 percent) in these joint ventures in order to create more jobs for Namibians and to stimulate our economy.