N$4
namib times
SERVING THE COASTAL COMMUNITY SINCE 1958 NO 6877 FRIDAY 21 AUGUST 2020 Tel: +264 64 - 205854 / +264 64 - 461866 /Fax: +264 64 - 204813 / 064 - 461824 / Website: www.namibtimes.net
Industry has doubts in success of quota auction Floris Steenkamp Stakeholders in the private sector of the Namibian fishing industry remain sceptical over the rate of success of the Government fishing quota auction by the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance). The auction closes at 10:00 on Friday in which approximately of 83 400 metric tons of quota comprising of: hake (11 000 metric tons), horse mackerel (72 000 metric tons) and monk (392 metric tons) are available to the highest bidder. A total of 40 % of the tonnage are available to local bidders and 60 % for both local and international bidders. Government each year set aside quota for Governmental Objectives. The quotas have the sole purpose of generating a cash income to Government which can applied with sole discretion of Government on any national priority, as long as the priority and outcome is in national interest. The current auction of the fish quotas is according to Fisheries Minister Dr. Albert Kawana to raise cash to procure medicine and medical equipment to fight the current Coronavirus pandemic. With the deadline in the auction's bidding today, all eyes are now on 31 August, when the Ministry of Finance will announce the successful bidders, the unsuccessful bidders, and the price per ton which the bidders submitted. Since the announcement of the auction, scepticism reign supreme. Namibians in general are of opinion this is another #Fishrot deal, “just with a different smell”. The #Fishrot deal refers to an alleged corrupt relationship between Namibia's former fisheries minister Bernhard Esau, former justice minister Sackey Shangala and several other political elitists with cronies in the Angolan Government and the Icelandic fishing company Sanjeri International. It allegedly involved quotas for bribes. The fisheries minister, justice minister and their cronies are in custody since late last year, when the #Fishrot scandal surfaced and President Hage Geingob called for their immediate resignation. Dr. Kawana earlier this month in a press statement denied the auction amounts to another #Fishrot. The minister challenged critics to come forward
More arrests expected in Luther Mostert’s Chicken fraud case Police investigators are not ruling out more arrests in the case against Walvis Bay businessman Luther Mostert who is accused of having illegally imported and sold chicken on the Namibian market. The value of the chicken is estimated at approximately N$7 million.
with evidence to back their claims of yet another #Fishrot deal. Namib Times made inquiries to several stakeholders in the fishing industry this week. The general opinion among industry players are that local companies will not bid for quotas. Secondly that there would be no Namibian vessels available to catch the auctioned quotas on behalf of bidders. One of the conditions of the auction is Namibian vessels need to harvest the auctioned quotas. Stakeholders remain concerned about the lack of proper consultation between the Ministry of
Mostert made a first appearance in the Walvis Bay magistrate’s court last Friday on charges of fraud, forgery and uttering and tax evasion.
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