31 July 2012, Windhoek, Namibia - The Board of NBC and its management have taken note, with dissatisfaction, the following rumours being mooted around the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) project of Namibia. 

Specific allegations are that;

1. The figure is inflated from N$30 million to N$70 million;
2. That some form of foul play and impropriety is at play;
3. That the Communications Regulator of Namibia (CRAN) has reported the matter to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for investigation

As chairperson of the Board of Directors of NBC for the past 2 years now, I wish to state the following without any fear of contradiction that nothing could be further from the truth.  we can confirm the following:

1. That NBC ran an open and transparent public tender from 25 March 2011 to 19 April 2011.
2. 4 companies submitted bids were:

3. The Huawei’s technical and financial offers were accepted and a further N$10 million discount negotiated off the original offer prize.  The indicative prize was N$ 376,796,716.44 at the exchange rate that prevailed at the time.

We can confirm that CRAN or the Ministry of ICT were not responsible for any reports to the ACC or the rumours that commenced last week.  The Board is further satisfied that Management has applied the most appropriate and tested standards of governance in managing this tender and the process afterwards. 

What we at NBC, at both Board and management level, want to stress is the opportunity that DTT will present to Namibians of all walks of life.  This is an opportunity to close the digital divide in this country through offering innovative solutions other than TV viewing through the new broadcast platforms. More channels, more choice of entertainment and gaming, maybe internet access through the TV set are all possibilities we are working on. 

Allow me, in conclusion, to assure the Namibian nation that every cent of the Namibia taxpayers money to be invested in this project will be carefully managed and put to the use that it is intended for.  We will also deal with all those who spread such rumours firmly and fairly because it distracts our attention from the work at hand and that will not be tolerated.  We are a united Board determined to work hard at improving NBC and by extension serve the Namibian nation through offering compelling content that entertains, informs and educates all. 

End/

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Issued by:  Sven Thieme

Chairperson, NBC Board of Directors

Queries:                     

Albertus Aochamub

NBC Director General, Tel: +264-61-291 3148, Fax to e�]mail: +264 8863 2076, E-mail: aaochamub@nbc.na