DJ Remind makes a killing off Covid-19

DJ Remind makes a killing off Covid-19 ILENI NANDJATO

ONGWEDIVA



Oshana has revoked its decision to use the Ongwediva Trade Fair Centre as a temporary Covid-19 isolation facility after Remind Trading, owned by Remind Ekandjo, popularly known as DJ Remind, submitted two invoices totalling N$800 000.

The entertainer and businessman said the preparations at the centre included Wi-Fi connectivity, ablution facilities and entertainment equipment for the patients.

Oshana chief regional officer Martin Elago confirmed that the health ministry had decided not to use the centre because of the costs involved.

“After partitioning the facility in April, at the end of April, Remind handed us an invoice of close to N$400 000 which included partitioning labour and April rental fees for the partitioning materials. In May he again gave us an invoice of close to N$400 000 for the rental of the materials. We processed the invoices and forwarded them to the ministry of health for payment,” Elago said.





“I am not sure if the ministry paid, but later I was informed that it decided to halt the use of the temporary hospital to cut costs. The ministry decided that a section at the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital can be used as an isolation facility because it is already equipped and costs less.”





Elago said the deal was cancelled in May. In April, the region had announced that it needed N$22.4 million to fully equip the temporary hospital.



Unfit to be a hospital

The Oshana regional health director, Johanna Haimene, said it would have cost a lot of money to turn the trade fair centre into a temporary hospital.

“The ministry of health has now opted to use Ward Eight at the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital and turn it into an isolation facility since all the needed equipment is already there,” she said.



Partitioning

When contacted for comment, Ekandjo would not say whether he had received the money from the ministry.

He said the partitioning had been dismantled.

“This does not mean that the idea has been stopped completely, but just because it's now four months and no case has been reported (in the region). We just came to an agreement in order to save costs. However, if anything happens, we can still go back because we do not take long to set up,” Ekandjo said.