TIRI MASAWI
The Presidency has asked the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) leader, Panduleni Itula to substantiate the claims that two of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s sons are involved in the oil business.
Itula made the remarks during a press conference held on Wednesday in response to the president’s denial during a Cabinet meeting earlier this month.
Itula questioned President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s honesty after she said her children have no direct or indirect involvement in the oil and gas industry.
“Either the president did not know what her son’s company does, or the President knew and chose to mislead the nation. Neither answer is acceptable for a Head of State,” Itula said.
He said one of the sons, Nande Ndaitwah is the chief executive officer of Tradeport Namibia, which is an anchor tenant at the Port of Lüderitz and distributes diesel.
“Given the seriousness of the allegations made, such claims would reasonably require credible and verifiable evidence supported by a clear documentary paper trail demonstrating ownership or beneficial interest in upstream petroleum licences,” Press Secretary Jonas Mbabo said in a statement released on the same day.
Mbambo added that the Presidency remains committed to transparency, responsible resource governance and evidence‑based public discourse in safeguarding Namibia’s emerging petroleum sector.
“The Presidency has taken note of the media statement issued by Dr. Panduleni Itula, President of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) and Leader of the OfficialOpposition in the Republic of Namibia, containing allegations relating to purported business interests connected to Namibia’s petroleum sector.
“The Presidency reiterates that the Petroleum Amendment Bill currently before Parliament relates strictly to the Upstream Petroleum industry, namely petroleum exploration and production activities. These activities are legally distinct from downstream petroleum operations such as fuel importation, transportation, storage and retail trade, which remain regulated under the Ministry of Industries Mines and Energy,” Mbambo said
Among other accusations raised by Itula is that Ndelitungapo (Ndeli) Ndaitwah, a lawyer, co-founded Vaneli Foods CC, which is listed as a subsidiary of Millennium Investment Holdings on the company’s website.
“The same Millennium that owns 30% of Validus Energy, which co-founded Nasan Energies, and whose CEO chairs the forum the First Gentleman is patron of,” Itula said.
Itula said Tradeport was founded in 2018 during Nandi-Ndaitwah’s tenure as deputy prime minister, in partnership with state-owned enterprises Namport and TransNamib.
“It became the anchor customer at Lüderitz without competitive tender, now claiming a N$3 billion economic contribution and moving 80 000 tons of manganese per month,” he said.
PRIMA FACIE EVIDENCE
Itula said an Ernst & Young forensic audit found prima facie evidence of potential fraud and theft” in Tradeport’s relationship with TransNamib, including procuring on behalf of the state-owned entity in a manner that allegedly bypassed procurement law.
“The EY report was buried. No Public Accounts Committee investigation. No Anti Corruption Commission action,” Itula said.
According to Itula, Tradeport already operates at Lüderitz in fuel distribution, port handling, rail coordination, storage and wholesale logistics.
“An oil supply base requires exactly the same services,” he said.
He added “In August 2025, Namport issued an open Design, Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer (DBOOT) tender for the Lüderitz oil supply base with strict pre-qualification criteria. Days later, the tender was cancelled. No public explanation. The announcement was removed from social media. Reuters reported the cancellation internationally.”
Namibia Business Review has forwarded questions to Namport to respond to Itula’s allegations.
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