Meatco proposal allegedly leaked to successful bidder

Controversial Meatco board member and businessman Joseph Andreas has denied allegations that he leaked a copy of his proposal for the management of the Okapuka feedlot to a former business associate, who later submitted a similar bid and was subsequently selected as the preferred operator.In February 2024, Andreas presented a proposal to the Meatco board outlining a cattle fattening project.His concept focused on purchasing cattle from communal farmers and appointing an independent operator to manage Meatco’s Okapuka feedlot, situated north of Windhoek, where both Meatco and farmers could bring cattle for a fee.Following Andreas&#039; submission, Meatco publicly invited expressions of interest, and several companies applied to operate the feedlot. Ultimately, Profeed Investment, owned by Godfrey Mashava, a former brand manager at Andreas&#039; Tulainge Group, was chosen as the winning bidder.However, it later emerged that the proposal Andreas submitted on 20 February 2024 was strikingly similar to the one Profeed Investment submitted on 9 July 2024. Namibian Sun has reviewed both documents, which mirrored each other in key aspects such as cattle buying prices and target slaughter weights.Strong denialsThis led to speculation that Andreas had shared his proposal with Mashava. It is also alleged that once the similarities were flagged internally at Meatco, Profeed Investment withdrew from the process.When contacted for comment on Sunday, both Andreas and Mashava denied collaborating or exchanging information to secure the 12-month feedlot contract.Andreas, who confirmed that Mashava had previously worked for him, said he had no knowledge of who applied for the tender and denied sharing his proposal. He said that during the board meeting where he presented his plan, hard copies were distributed to all 11 board members, as well as several executives and assistants. "I shared it at a board meeting with 11 board members, around eight executives and assistants taking minutes. I submitted a hard copy," Andreas explained."Everyone present had a copy. So, how can I be singled out for allegedly leaking it?"He added that several board and executive members present at the time are no longer with Meatco.Meanwhile, Mashava said there was no link to Andreas regarding the feedlot proposal. He claimed he had independently downloaded an online feedlot management template, paying approximately N$500 for it, although he did not specify the website."There was no exchange of proposals," Mashava insisted. "I simply downloaded a template from the internet, like you would with a business plan template for dairy farming. You just input your own figures."Reasons for withdrawalHe confirmed that while he worked for Andreas in 2018, they have since parted ways and have no ongoing business relationship or communication.Despite being selected as the preferred operator, Profeed ultimately withdrew from the process. Mashava cited delays in finalising the contract and changes in the agricultural environment following good rainfall."The reason I withdrew was because no contract was forthcoming and with the rains we received, it no longer made sense to proceed with the feedlot business," he explained."With abundant grazing available, it’s impractical to run an open facility like Okapuka, where feed would be ruined by rain and cattle could graze freely,” he added. Influential Grootfontein-based businessman Andreas holds significant influence within both Meatco and the ruling party, Swapo, where he is closely associated with secretary general Sophia Shaningwa. He is believed to be among those pressuring Cabinet members to reinstate former Meatco CEO Mwilima Mushokabanji, whose contract expired in January.Former agriculture minister Mac Hengari, who was dismissed over the weekend amid bribery allegations, recently instructed the Meatco board of directors to retain Mushokabanji, despite a legal opinion from the attorney general (AG) confirming that Cabinet has no lawful authority to issue such directives. According to the AG opinion, the appointment or extension of the CEO’s contract falls exclusively under the board’s jurisdiction. - kenya@nmh-hub.com.na

Meatco proposal allegedly leaked to successful bidder

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

Please login to leave a comment

Meatco proposal allegedly leaked to successful bidder

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

Please login to leave a comment

Login