PDM to take legal action on the N$650 million tender

By: Selma Taapopi

The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader, McHenry Venaani, has called on President Hage Geingob’s intervention to cancel the N$650 million tender for the supply and delivery of clinical products.

Venaani stated that should Geingob fail to take action on the tender, PDM will be forced to take legal action in the public's interest.

Venaani comments come after media reports stating that businessman Shapwa Kanyama’s company allegedly received a N$650 million tender by the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN). The company will supply the government with surgical gloves for N$400 million, condoms for N$111 million and other medical supplies such as needles,bandages and blades.

Venaani called on Geingob to revoke the tenders while questioning its specifications. He stated the tender does not make economic sense for the country to spend over N$600 million on disposable gloves and condoms, while Namibia faces a shortage of blood pressure medication and has collapsing infrastructure.

”The President or the government cannot at all justify(this tender).There is no economic sense, no political sense to spend N$650 million on gloves and condoms while you have a health crisis where you do not have blood pressure medication as we are speaking in hospitals. Where you have infrastructure collapses, where you have schools and kids are being rained on. Yet this country, government thinks that it is appropriate and right and fair to spend N$650 million. The question is not whether the N$650 million tender was done correctly. Why spend N$650 million, close to a billion dollars on condoms,” questioned Venaani.

Venaani suggested that the funds should be diverted immediately to other important areas such as the construction of a new state hospital in the capital city to mitigate challenges of doctor to patient ratio.

CPBN head of administration, Amon Ngavetene, explained that the three tenders amounting to over N$600 million are not in the final stages and may change upon reconsideration of issues raised by bidders.

Ngavetene added that the perception that the supply of a single condom will cost more than N$ 100 is incorrect. “We would want to talk to the issue and the perception that is being created, that one condom is costing more than N$100. In terms of the bidding document, a unit is a box- a pack consisting of 144 condoms. So basically, if a bidder is asking for a N$100 for that box which consists of 144 condoms it's coming to round about 69 cents per condom and not the figure that is being floated around,” Ngavetene noted.