President Cyril Ramaphosa and Commander-in-Chief of the South African National Defence Forces observes the Military Marching Column during at the Armed Forces Day held in Cape Town. The Marching Column is the Mechanised Column of military vehicles driving past the presidential podium and providing the salute to the Commander-in-Chief. The SANDF; SA Army; SA Air Force, SA Navy and the SA military Health Services contibutes their assets in the mechanised column ranging from military parade, support vessels, offshore patrol, vessels;submarine;artillery guns, tanks and armoured cars, bridge building hardware, ground based air defence anti-aircraft guns and the infantrys range of Ratel Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Armed Forces Day is observed and commemorated annually on 21 February to celebrate and honour members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).21/02/2019
SANDF tender probe: How R180m fell in the hands of Major General’s wife
A tough one for Major General Noel Ndhlovu to explain.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Commander-in-Chief of the South African National Defence Forces observes the Military Marching Column during at the Armed Forces Day held in Cape Town. The Marching Column is the Mechanised Column of military vehicles driving past the presidential podium and providing the salute to the Commander-in-Chief. The SANDF; SA Army; SA Air Force, SA Navy and the SA military Health Services contibutes their assets in the mechanised column ranging from military parade, support vessels, offshore patrol, vessels;submarine;artillery guns, tanks and armoured cars, bridge building hardware, ground based air defence anti-aircraft guns and the infantrys range of Ratel Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Armed Forces Day is observed and commemorated annually on 21 February to celebrate and honour members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).21/02/2019
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has revealed that it is currently investigating claims that its Major General, Noel Ndhlovu, has siphoned millions of tender money to his wife, Nomsa Ntsondwana-Ndhlovu.
A recent exposè published by the Sunday Times detailed the allegations levelled against the couple.
What we know about Ndhlovu and Umkhombe Marine
It is believed that Major General Ndhlovu has, for at least the past three years, used his influence as the SANDF honcho, to funnel millions into his wife’s business.
Mind you, with all due respect, Ntsondwana-Ndhlovu went from working at South African Airways (SAA) as a cabin attendant to owning a multimillion-rand freight and logistics company, servicing the military, in a space of three years.
The Military Police, working in conjunction with officials in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, have obtained evidence that places Ndhlovu in a bit of a sticky situation that will be difficult to wiggle out of.
Ntsondwana-Ndhlovu is the founder of Umkhombe Marine, a provider of sea and air freight services for the military. On its website, it is stated that the company was founded in 2012.
How many tenders did SANDF award Ntsondwana-Ndhlovu?
However, documents of its first operations show that business only started booming in the first quarter of 2016 when it was awarded a R79-million tender for freight services of military equipment to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Investigators have reason to believe that the bidders that went up against Umkhombe Marine were allegedly forged by Ndhlovu for his wife’s benefit.
The military freight company managed to continue with its services, despite calls by senior SANDF officials for a probe into the awarding of the contract.
After all, the five bidders that supposedly went against Umkhombe Marine for the tender were either defunct, non-qualifying, or had no knowledge of ever receiving such an invitation from the military.
Alas, two years went by and in November 2018, it is believed that Ntsondwana-Ndhlovu’s company managed to secure another tender, this time, worth an estimated R105-million for freight services to DRC.
Ntsondwana-Ndhlovu’s company received these tenders despite outcry from high-ranking officials.
Military couple denies all allegations
These officials have since cooperated with investigators and leaked information on the contents of their testimonies has made it to the media.
The Major-General’s wife has outrightly denied all allegations levelled against her. She has rubbished claims that the success of her business is largely due to her romantic involvement with the highest seat of power in the military.
The Major, on the other hand, has remained mum about the entire situation and referred all enquiries to the SANDF who have also maintained the same attitude.
