Nandi-Ndaitwah: We will only work with honest middlemen

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has warned that government will not tolerate inflated pricing in public procurement, cautioning that excessive mark-ups by middlemen undermine public spending and delay key national projects.

Speaking in a pre-recorded interview on NTV talk show The Agenda, which airs in full this Sunday, Nandi-Ndaitwah said while intermediaries play an important role in growing the private sector, they must price goods and services responsibly.

“We are not against middlemen,” she said. “But they must be realistic.”

The president criticised suppliers who inflate prices when dealing with the state, warning that such practices erode government’s ability to fund essential services.

“You cannot, for example, buy Panado for N$2 and sell it to the government for N$10. Your mark-up is just too big,” she said. “If you are buying it at N$2, then sell it for N$4 or N$5, then we can do business.”

She warned: “Don’t exploit government to the point where we are unable to generate savings to invest in social sectors,” citing education, health and housing as key priorities.

Nandi-Ndaitwah said government will not hesitate to intervene if the practice continues.

“If that cannot be stopped… I can disrupt. I will have no choice, because I have a responsibility to take care of the Namibian people.”

Playing at home

Meanwhile, she also addressed delays to the long-stalled Independence Stadium project, noting that inconsistent timelines and conflicting reports have hampered progress.

She said the situation has not only denied Namibians the opportunity to watch their national teams play at home but has also affected local sponsors, whose advertising loses value when matches are staged abroad.

“As a government, we are addressing it. A contractor has been appointed, but we are still reviewing the pricing," she confirmed.

"As much as I want the project to move forward, I do not want the nation to be overcharged. We must be satisfied that the prices we are asked to pay are fair."

Previous reports indicate that the project aims to transform the stadium into a world-class facility meeting Confederation of African Football (CAF) Category 3 standards, with a seating capacity of 30 000.

Namibia currently has no stadium approved by either CAF or FIFA, forcing national teams to play their home matches abroad. The country has not hosted an international fixture over the past five years due to inadequate infrastructure.

Design documentation for the project was reportedly completed in December 2025 and submitted to CAF for compliance review, while additional documentation was sent to World Athletics for assessment. Reports in 2024 further indicated that the appointed architectural firm would be paid more than N$800 000 for its services.

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