N$36m tender divides Namcor ... As Kandjoze admits relationship with Namcor board boss

The National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia's board rejected a management recommendation to appoint two companies to transport petroleum products countrywide in a contract worth around N$36 million.

The decision to cancel the tender, which was re-advertised yesterday, has upset the parastatal's management. Sources accuse the board of allegedly trying to appoint their favoured companies, hence the tender cancellation. The tender would have resulted in a three-year contract, at a cost of N$12 million per year. Namcor's latest tender stand-off comes at a time when energy minister Obeth Kandjoze admitted to The Namibian last week that he is related to lawyer Patrick Kauta – the man he appointed in 2016 to chair the Namcor board. Kauta has a history of doing business with Namcor, a state-owned firm set up to secure fuel for Namibia.