Expose the looters Public procurement in Namibia remains vulnerable to corruption with certain firms getting tenders on the basis of bribery, connections or simply by virtue of officials holding simultaneous business interests elsewhere. When finance minister Calle Schlettwein tabled the reviewed Public Procurement Bill in the National Assembly last year, he emphasised that the new document provided a fresh perspective on the way procurement is currently handled in government. Although the new Act opens up participation in the procurement system to SMEs and previously disadvantaged persons, including women, there are a lot of discrepancies within the system that must be addressed urgently. Yes, we have fought tooth and nail for a system that promotes integrity and fairness in public procurement procedures and also to increase transparency and accountability. However, there are fears that public procurement is becoming a source of easy money for unscrupulous public officials who exploit flaws in the existing laws, leading to the looting of the public purse. Our story yesterday about the Ministry of Works and Transport’s decision to invite tenders for the procurement and delivery of rails has raised eyebrows with experts, who question why government is not sourcing rails from an accredited manufacturer and instead prefers to do so via a third party. The three tenders that went out to supply 60 000 tons of rail for the railway sections from Walvis Bay to Kranzberg, Kranzberg to Otjiwarongo, and Otjiwarongo to Tsumeb is reportedly worth a combined N$1.5 billion, rails which will inevitably take 10 years to lay. This is big money considering the deepening financial crisis government reportedly faces. Where will the money come from to buy these massive amounts of rail? It clearly defies logic as to why government is rushing the purchase of large quantities of rails under a very questionable and dubious cloak-and-dagger arrangement. Government must be wary of these unscrupulous elements that are blatantly looting the public purse for their own benefit only. It is high time that these types of tenders are properly evaluated to avoid the embezzlement of public funds through shady tender deals by greedy people.Expose the looters Public procurement in Namibia remains vulnerable to corruption with certain firms getting tenders on the basis of bribery, connections or simply by virtue of officials holding simultaneous business interests elsewhere. When finance minister Calle Schlettwein tabled the reviewed Public Procurement Bill in the National Assembly last year, he emphasised that the new document provided a fresh perspective on the way procurement is currently handled in government. Although the new Act opens up participation in the procurement system to SMEs and previously disadvantaged persons, including women, there are a lot of discrepancies within the system that must be addressed urgently. Yes, we have fought tooth and nail for a system that promotes integrity and fairness in public procurement procedures and also to increase transparency and accountability. However, there are fears that public procurement is becoming a source of easy money for unscrupulous public officials who exploit flaws in the existing laws, leading to the looting of the public purse. Our story yesterday about the Ministry of Works and Transport’s decision to invite tenders for the procurement and delivery of rails has raised eyebrows with experts, who question why government is not sourcing rails from an accredited manufacturer and instead prefers to do so via a third party. The three tenders that went out to supply 60 000 tons of rail for the railway sections from Walvis Bay to Kranzberg, Kranzberg to Otjiwarongo, and Otjiwarongo to Tsumeb is reportedly worth a combined N$1.5 billion, rails which will inevitably take 10 years to lay. This is big money considering the deepening financial crisis government reportedly faces. Where will the money come from to buy these massive amounts of rail? It clearly defies logic as to why government is rushing the purchase of large quantities of rails under a very questionable and dubious cloak-and-dagger arrangement. Government must be wary of these unscrupulous elements that are blatantly looting the public purse for their own benefit only. It is high time that these types of tenders are properly evaluated to avoid the embezzlement of public funds through shady tender deals by greedy people.