New Official Mayoral Vehicle delivered

Rudi Bowe 

The municipality of Walvis Bay received two Peugeots on Friday 5 November. The two Peugeot 3008 Active 1.6 PureTechs were bought after the Management Committee recommended a supplementary budget allocation for the 2019/2020 financial year.

The vehicles were bought in accordance with a Cabinet Directive issued in terms of Section 72 of the Public Procurement Act, 2015 (Act No. 15 of 2015) on Reservation to Local Suppliers.
The Council of the municipality of Walvis Bay was among the first to adhere to the directive as they approved a recommendation of the Management Committee to purchase two Peugeot vehicles from the Peugeot Opel Assembly Plant Namibia (POAN) in Walvis Bay, in order to

replace the mayoral Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen Jetta at the August 2019 Council meeting.
The new Official Mayoral Vehicle is a Platinum Grey Peugeot 3008 GT Line 1.6 PureTech and was bought for an amount of N$621 045.870 (including all taxes).
The Pearlescent White Peugeot 3008 Active 1.6 PureTech was bought for an amount of N$484 844.77 (including all taxes) and will be used by Councillors for official duties only.
The arrival of the new mayoral vehicle could not have come at a better time as the mayoral Mercedes Benz that was purchased in 2011/2012 financial year had to be replaced. The mayoral Mercedes Benz and the Volkswagen Jetta that was used for official duties by the staff members in the office of the mayor will soon be sold on auction.
The Peugeot Namibia assembly plant that was officially launched and unveiled by His Excellency, Dr Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia on, 5 December 2018 at Walvis Bay has to date sold only 22 vehicles, with 131 units still in stock.
So far, despite a directive by President Hage Geingob for State entities to procure locally manufactured goods, only the Walvis Bay municipality, the Namibia Industrialisation and Development Agency, the National Training Authority, the Swakopmund municipality and the Namibia Investment and Promotion Development Board bought have acquired locally assembled Peugeots.
Critics have also castigated government for not following its own directive, as the Road Fund Administration recently handed over 25 vehicles produced out-side the country from Volkswagen and Toyota to the Namibian Police.
The Minister of Industrialisation and Trade Hon Lucia Iipumbu recently said in her statement at the hand-over of ministerial vehicles procured from POAN “We know that currently POAN is faced with a critical issue of an 18% duty on export ready vehicles. The importation of components is thus now unhindered bar for the Rules of Origin based duty at export-ready stages.”
“This surely has implications on the competitiveness of POAN product and ultimately on the sustainability of the plant. Both MIT and Ministry of Finance (MoF) recognised that the matter is sector-wide and will afflict any other entrant to the sector and therefore not exclusive to POAN” the minister added.
According to Iipumbu POAN have around 120 vehicles on the factory floor, which the company is unable to export due to the 18% effective tariff.
“Allow me at this juncture to thank all those who have procured their vehicles from POAN such as the municipality of Walvis Bay and all other individuals and entities who have indeed so far answered our call to support this strategic investment initiative in the country” Iipumbu said.
Iipumbu urges all local private and public entities including the general public to start pro-curing these vehicles just as the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade, The Municipality of Walvis Bay and the other few has done, as this will enabled keeping the assembly plant afloat and in the meanwhile to save jobs.