Meatco paid N$20m to a non-functioning feedlot – report

Meatco paid N$20.2 million to Kameeldrift Feedlot between October 2024 and May this year, despite the facility reportedly being largely dormant throughout that period. This revelation, contained in a leaked government report, has intensified scrutiny of the state-owned enterprise’s feedlot operations, which are now mired in allegations of financial mismanagement, irregular contracts and unaccounted livestock.Finance ministry spokesperson Wilson Shikoto yesterday confirmed the authenticity of the report but said he could not comment further, as it originated from the agriculture ministry.Agriculture minister Inge Zaamwani “refused to comment” on the issue yesterday, referring Namibian Sun to Meatco's newly appointed acting CEO, Kingsley Kwenani.Kwenani said he was not aware of the report.According to the report, the Kameeldrift feedlot only resumed operations in May, yet invoices for the preceding months were paid in full.A spreadsheet attached to the whistleblower report confirmed the timeline of the transactions, raising serious concerns about procurement oversight and governance within Meatco.The Kameeldrift payments form just one part of a broader crisis within Meatco’s feedlot system.At the centre of the controversy is the disappearance of 473 head of cattle, initially reported as 401 by suspended acting CEO Patrick Liebenberg.The animals were part of Meatco’s biological stock and were managed through various contracted feedlots.Manipulated records and slaughter scandalThe report states that an additional 72 cattle were allegedly improperly slaughtered under the name of Linden Beef, a private feedlot operator, despite still being owned by Meatco.The company’s traceability system, NamLITS, was found to have allegedly been manipulated to falsely indicate the transfer of animals to Linden Beef as early as January 2025.This alleged falsification reportedly led to Meatco paying Linden Beef for slaughtering cattle it already owned.Liebenberg, who was suspended on 14 July, was unable to produce traceability logs, police case numbers or any corroborating evidence to support his claim that the cattle loss was the result of criminal activity. Although he referred to monthly stock counts and independent audits, the ministry’s task team found no evidence of physical counts being conducted. Whistleblower accounts also disputed the existence of such stock taking practices.Shaky contract with Linden BeefThe contract between Meatco and Linden Beef CC was also found to be incomplete, error-ridden and unsigned by key parties, according to the report. Of the six listed signatories, two denied having signed the agreement, and the feedlot’s operator, David Strauss van der Linden, had not signed at all.Despite these irregularities, Liebenberg sought to formally engage Van der Linden’s legal team, a move that the ministry deemed unnecessary, as Meatco retained repossession rights over its cattle.Van der Linden, whose feedlot has a capacity of 7 500 cattle, is currently in custody at Okahandja prison. He was not arrested in connection with the missing Meatco cattle, but rather in a separate case involving a N$52 million cannabis plantation discovered on his farm.Other feedlots under scrutinyFurther concerns were raised about Meatco’s feedlots at Okapuka and Annasruh. These are leased to Hallie Investments and Kameeldrift Feedlot, respectively.The ministry’s report noted that no lease agreements or contract feeding arrangements were provided for these facilities, prompting fears that similar mismanagement may exist across Meatco’s feedlot network.Responsibility for the failures has been attributed to multiple individuals within Meatco, including the former acting CEO, a technical advisor, an assistant accountant and operators of the NamLITS system.The report concluded that Meatco’s internal stock control procedures were insufficient, and that the company’s reports to government authorities lacked consistency and supporting documentation.Unanswered questionsThe investigation was prompted by media reports on the missing cattle, resulting in an urgent directive from the Secretary to the Cabinet on 24 June.A letter dated 26 June from the ministry outlined the need for a full inquiry.During follow-up consultations, Meatco referred the ministry to a previous submission made to the finance ministry, which was found to be incomplete.The ministry submitted eleven detailed questions to Meatco regarding feedlot operations, ownership and recordkeeping.As of now, several of those questions remain unanswered.With nearly 500 cattle unaccounted for, irregular contracts and unverified financial transactions, the ministry’s findings have sparked calls for a full forensic audit and criminal investigation into Meatco’s feedlot operations.

Meatco paid N$20m to a non-functioning feedlot – report

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-18

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Meatco paid N$20m to a non-functioning feedlot – report

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-18

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