Rundu govt garage tender issue sparks investigation

The owner of Savicky Investment has formally requested an investigation into alleged irregularities in the tender process at the government garage in Rundu. Sakaria Thomas addressed his concerns in a letter to the ministry of works and transport, specifically to executive director Esther Kaapanda, which was seen by Namibian Sun.Thomas claims that Savicky Investment, alongside another company Rundu Revolution, was awarded a tender for the repair and servicing of government vehicles after meeting the requirements. Despite this, the newly-appointed head of the garage - Samuel Natangwe Gebhardt - has refused to honour these tenders, he claimed. Gebhardt has, apparently, opted to instead engage a company from Omaruru, WTB Car Body Work Trading, which reportedly operates within the government garage premises without proper purchase orders.According to the letter, upon receiving purchase orders, the head of the garage called a meeting on 8 July, where he announced the cancellation of these orders, allegedly stating his intention to restart the tender process in favour of WTB.Bypassing local garages Thomas further alleged that WTB was stripping engines and transporting them to Omaruru for repairs, bypassing the local garages that were awarded the tender."I noticed a company currently working within the Rundu government garage premises named [WTB]. I would like to know why [Gebhardt] called in a company from outside the region, which does not have a workshop in Rundu, to operate within the government garage premises without having purchase orders to do such work,” the letter read.“There are vehicles in my garage that [Gebhardt] has ordered, but he informed me to give him a ‘strip and quote’ so he could pay me for the said ‘strip and quote’ and remove the vehicle without them being repaired since he already has people who can do the repairs,” Thomas added.He told Namibian Sun his business is suffering due to delayed payments for work already completed. “Last Monday during a meeting, we were informed that the payment would not be made because I refused to release the car that is at my place. The reason for holding the car is that I was given cars to make quotations, which we refer to as a ‘strip and quote’. Now, he wants to take the car from me, even though some of these cars already have orders which I was given. I am supposed to receive the order and complete the job,” he said.OverchargingIn response, Gebhardt refuted claims of any irregularities. “When it comes to procurement, there is an allowance for a mark-up of 25% to 30%, plus VAT. I found a company doing business with the government garage, buying a part for N$10 and selling it for N$100, which is illegal. You cannot operate like that. Additionally, to clarify, no tender was awarded,” he said.“I don’t know which tender they are referring to. They are not excluded from doing business with the government garage. The issue is their pricing, and I am advising them to align with the Public Procurement Act. For example, there are documents showing a vehicle service charged at N$7 000 when it should be N$5 000. This overcharging is a significant problem,” he said.Gebhardt added that the government garage was being run into the ground. “There is evidence that insiders were trading with outsiders, and they got comfortable with that practice. I cautioned them that this is wrong. Additionally, there is documentation to support my allegations. It’s not just one instance. There was a N$75 000 case and another one for N$95 000. There is paperwork to prove this, which could lead to someone being locked up,” he said.Deputy executive director Johannes Nantinda told Namibian Sun that a thorough investigation would be conducted to establish the facts surrounding the allegations. "We will provide concrete findings after consulting relevant parties and reviewing corroborated evidence," he said.nikanor@erongo.com.na

Rundu govt garage tender issue sparks investigation

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-15

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Rundu govt garage tender issue sparks investigation

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-15

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