Government purchases 20 Toyota Land Cruisers for N$24 millio...

Government purchases 20 Toyota Land Cruisers for N$24 million

Staff Reporter THE Minister of Works and Transport, Veikko Nekundi, has said that the Namibian government has procured 20 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado vehicles for the current term’s Public Office Bearers’ fleet requirements. He explained that the total expenditure for this vehicle procurement amounts to N$24,650,298, sourced from the operational budget allocation approved in the National Assembly for the previous financial year. Nekundi made these remarks in response to questions posed by Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) party president McHenry Venaani. “Honourable Members, for our general operational fleet serving the day-to-day functions of government, policy prescribes that vehicles remain in service for a maximum of five years or 120,000 kilometres, whichever milestone occurs first. Upon reaching these thresholds, vehicles are disposed of through public auction, subject to Treasury approval, ensuring transparency and optimal value recovery for the State. Fleet replenishment occurs at each new term of appointment. Office bearers pay 1.5% monthly of the vehicle’s value throughout their tenure,” Nekundi said. He added that vehicle specifications for Public Office Bearers are determined by the Commission based on functional requirements and fiscal realities. “During the previous term, the policy allocated sedans for urban use with shared off-road vehicles for rural and constituency engagement. Recognising current fiscal constraints and the impracticality of having office bearers deliberate which vehicle to use for which journey, the Commission has prudently revised the policy. The current framework permits procurement of one off-road vehicle per office bearer, serving both on-road and off-road requirements. This eliminates dual vehicle usage, reduces fleet size, and simplifies logistics — a rare instance where doing less actually achieves more,” Nekundi said. He further emphasised that these vehicles serve office bearers across the political spectrum, including the Official Opposition, which is neither a partisan nor a luxury consideration but a fundamental duty of care. Nekundi also added that the procurement process was conducted with full transparency and in strict accordance with the Public Procurement Act, and that Gobabis Toyota emerged as the successful bidder following comprehensive evaluation against predetermined criteria. “All unsuccessful bidders received formal notification detailing specific reasons for non-selection, because transparency requires not merely announcing winners, but explaining to all participants how decisions were reached,” Nekundi concluded. PICTURED: Minister of Works and Transport, Veikko Nekundi. Photo: NBC Digital News

Staff Reporter

THE Minister of Works and Transport, Veikko Nekundi, has said that the Namibian government has procured 20 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado vehicles for the current term’s Public Office Bearers’ fleet requirements.

He explained that the total expenditure for this vehicle procurement amounts to N$24,650,298, sourced from the operational budget allocation approved in the National Assembly for the previous financial year. Nekundi made these remarks in response to questions posed by Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) party president McHenry Venaani.

“Honourable Members, for our general operational fleet serving the day-to-day functions of government, policy prescribes that vehicles remain in service for a maximum of five years or 120,000 kilometres, whichever milestone occurs first. Upon reaching these thresholds, vehicles are disposed of through public auction, subject to Treasury approval, ensuring transparency and optimal value recovery for the State. Fleet replenishment occurs at each new term of appointment. Office bearers pay 1.5% monthly of the vehicle’s value throughout their tenure,” Nekundi said.

He added that vehicle specifications for Public Office Bearers are determined by the Commission based on functional requirements and fiscal realities.

“During the previous term, the policy allocated sedans for urban use with shared off-road vehicles for rural and constituency engagement. Recognising current fiscal constraints and the impracticality of having office bearers deliberate which vehicle to use for which journey, the Commission has prudently revised the policy. The current framework permits procurement of one off-road vehicle per office bearer, serving both on-road and off-road requirements. This eliminates dual vehicle usage, reduces fleet size, and simplifies logistics — a rare instance where doing less actually achieves more,” Nekundi said.

He further emphasised that these vehicles serve office bearers across the political spectrum, including the Official Opposition, which is neither a partisan nor a luxury consideration but a fundamental duty of care.

Nekundi also added that the procurement process was conducted with full transparency and in strict accordance with the Public Procurement Act, and that Gobabis Toyota emerged as the successful bidder following comprehensive evaluation against predetermined criteria.

“All unsuccessful bidders received formal notification detailing specific reasons for non-selection, because transparency requires not merely announcing winners, but explaining to all participants how decisions were reached,” Nekundi concluded.

PICTURED: Minister of Works and Transport, Veikko Nekundi. Photo: NBC Digital News