Jun 10, 2026 (New Era/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) --
Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) leader Panduleni Itula has come out swinging, raising concerns over a N$612 million solar power project linked to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah's sons, questioning whether all legal arrangements surrounding the development were made.
The IPC president said the public deserves full disclosure on a solar power project intended to supply electricity to the Tsumeb smelter owned by Chinese mining giant Sinomine Resource Group.
This comes after a local media outlet reported Tate Nande Ndaitwah is a shareholder and director in Massaus and Titan Energy Solutions (Pty) Ltd alongside his brothers.
Response
"This is a lawfully registered private company, one of thousands operating across Namibia and globally. There is nothing extraordinary about its existence or structure. This is my first plant, and I plan on developing more in the future," Ndaitwah said in an interview with a local media outlet.
"Our only engagement with government relates to regulatory requirements such as permits, licences and compliance with standard industry regulations," he said. "Every Namibian, regardless of their family, has the right to participate in this country's economy," he said. The project recently came under scrutiny after reports revealed that Massaus and Titan Energy Solutions (Pty) Ltd, a company co-owned by Tate Nande Ndaitwah and his brothers, was granted a licence to develop a solar facility estimated at N$612 million.
However, Itula said the issue goes beyond the generation licence.
"The issue before the country is simple: a strategic smelter passed into foreign ownership; a power project to supply that smelter was pushed through a regulated electricity process; the project is linked in public documents to companies associated with the president's sons; and the farm name appearing in the project documents is also the farm owned by the president and her husband," he said at media briefing last week. While stressing that IPC is not accusing anyone of corruption, Itula said the information currently available to the public is insufficient to determine whether the transaction was conducted transparently.
"We are not saying the deal is corrupt. We are saying the public cannot verify that it is clean," he said.
At the centre of IPC's concerns is Farm 865 Massaus in the Oshikoto region, which Itula said is owned by Nandi-Ndaitwah and First Gentleman, Epaphras Denga Ndaitwah.
According to Itula, title deed records in the party's possession confirm the ownership of the farm by the presidential couple.
He further claimed that a memorandum of intent between Sinomine and Massaus Investment CC identifies Tate Nande Ndaitwah as managing member of the company and outlines plans to explore the development of a solar power plant to supply electricity to the Tsumeb Smelter. The memorandum, according to Itula, also references Farm 865 Massaus and contemplates future agreements relating to electricity generation, environmental approvals and grid connections.
IPC has questioned what it describes as inconsistencies in publicly available records relating to the project.
Among them is an apparent discrepancy between the registration date of Massaus Investment CC and the date on which the memorandum of intent was signed.
Itula claimed public records indicate the company was registered on 11 March 2025, while the memorandum appears to have been signed several days earlier. "This may have an innocent explanation. It may be a pre-incorporation arrangement, a regularisation issue, a draft issue or a records issue. Fine. Then show us the full BIPA extract, the incorporation file and the version history," he said. The opposition leader also questioned why the memorandum was reportedly concluded with Massaus Investment CC while environmental approvals were later issued to Massaus and Titan Energy Solutions (Pty) Ltd.
According to Itula, the two are separate legal entities, and the public should be shown documents explaining the transition between them. "The missing document is the legal bridge," he said.
Clarity
IPC also wants clarity on the exact location of the proposed solar facility.
While project documents reportedly refer to Farm 865 Massaus, Itula noted that environmental records describe the development as being situated within the Sinomine smelter area in Tsumeb Townlands.
He called on authorities to release site agreements and related documents to clarify the relationship between the farm and the project. Beyond the project itself, Itula questioned potential arrangements involving Nampower and whether public infrastructure would be used to support the development.
He further called for the disclosure of financing agreements, power-purchase arrangements, engineering contracts and other key project documents.
The IPC leader said the solar project forms part of broader concerns previously raised by his party regarding alleged links between politically connected individuals and strategic sectors of the economy. "The Massaus file does not stand alone. It sits next to the petroleum file already discussed," he said.
He added that the issue raises wider questions about access to economic opportunities in sectors such as energy, mining, fisheries and housing. Drawing a comparison between the project's reported value and government spending on youth development, Itula argued that ordinary young Namibians have limited access to opportunities of a similar scale.
COMTEX_483646958/2029/2026-06-10T15:35:23
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