Erasmus Shalihaxwe
The new minister of works and transport, Veikko Nekundi says the government will use emergency procurement to repair the damaged bridge between Windhoek and Rehoboth.
He said this on Monday during a visit to the bridge, which was damaged by flooding in the aftermath of heavy rain last week.
An emergency route was cleared overnight to allow traffic to pass.
Nekundi said he instructed officials in the ministry and the Roads Authority to begin emergency procurement processes immediately, as the situation cannot follow the usual procurement timeline.
“For national interest, we cannot go through the normal method of procurement that takes months. So I directed my colleagues to apply the emergency plans but stick to the rules of the emergency procurement and not deviation from the emergency procurement policy. Any reasonable Namibian will understand that this cannot go through a normal procurement and emergency is the best and suitable method to solve this,” Nekundi said.
He said the bridge, built in the 1960s, is old but that the government will not use that as an excuse.
“Instead, efforts will focus on finding urgent solutions,” he said.
The bridge lies on one of the country’s busiest roads, linking the south as well as South Africa to the rest of Namibia and supporting economic activity.
The Roads Authority’s chief executive officer, Conrad Lutombi said a technical team has been appointed to assess the damage and determine the next step.
