…as cost and procurement details remain undisclosed
Patience Makwele
The ministry of international relations and trade has procured 13 vehicles to transport visiting diplomats, but the total cost, supplier and procurement method have not been disclosed.
Deputy minister Jenelly Matundu announced the purchase in Parliament during debate on the 2026/27 Mid-Year Budget Review, saying the vehicles were acquired to complement the ministry’s ministerial fleet and address challenges in providing appropriate transport for foreign dignitaries.
Matundu defended the decision on the grounds of diplomatic reciprocity, arguing that Namibia should extend the same courtesies to foreign officials that its own representatives receive when visiting other countries.
“If you drive me in an Urban Cruiser vehicle when I visit your country, it is only fair that when you visit my country, I should equally extend the same courtesy by providing you with an Urban Cruiser vehicle,” she said.
She said the procurement was intended to uphold standards of hospitality, dignity and mutual respect in Namibia’s diplomatic engagements, invoking the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.
However, her parliamentary contribution did not specify how much the 13 vehicles cost, their makes and models, who supplied them, the procurement method used or when they were acquired.
It also did not establish whether all 13 vehicles were Urban Cruisers.
The ministry’s 2026/27 budget estimates provide for N$700 000 under the acquisition of vehicles, within a total capital asset allocation of N$900 000.
The estimates do not establish whether this provision was used to finance the 13 vehicles or whether additional funding was approved.
The Protocol and Consular programme, which includes providing protocol services to foreign dignitaries visiting Namibia, has a projected allocation of N$21.925 million for the 2026/27 financial year.
However, this is a broader programme allocation and is not identified as funding for the vehicle purchase.
The ministry of finance’s October mid-year budget review also proposed an additional N$4.9 million allocation within Vote 07, covering the ministry of international relations and trade’s operational requirements.
The review does not specify whether any of this funding was intended for the vehicles.
The procurement comes amid previous parliamentary scrutiny of government spending on diplomatic transport.
In April, PDM leader McHenry Venaani questioned arrangements involving government vehicles and vehicle allowances for Namibian diplomats stationed abroad, asking whether the country could afford the costs.
International relations and trade minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi disputed suggestions that diplomats were receiving both vehicles and allowances.
“I do not actually think we are double dipping; we used to, but not anymore,” she said, adding that she would verify the matter with her administrative team.
The April debate concerned transport arrangements for Namibian diplomats serving abroad, while Matundu’s latest disclosure relates specifically to vehicles procured for visiting diplomats in Namibia.
The Windhoek Observer sent questions to the ministry seeking clarification on the total cost, vehicle models, supplier, procurement process, funding source and intended allocation of the vehicles.
No response had been received by the time of publication.
