Advertising the tender to complete the construction of the Dr. Hifikepunye Pohamba Highway will result in delays that can cause congestion and road accidents.
The Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa, says the current contractor should be allowed to complete the construction.
The Dr. Hifikepunye Pohamba Highway, which links Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, is in the dunes.
It is a key component in Namibia's dream of becoming a logistics hub in southern Africa.
The construction of the dual carriage has been ongoing, and only a few kilometres remain before the project is completed.
"Some people will stand up and say, No, no, no, just stop there. Let's go back to the drawing board and advertise, which I don't have an objection to, but I know it will take a long time because of the contractor and this procurement process and because it's very transparent. If I feel that I was not properly and fairly treated, I can appeal, and then the thing is in the courts. It takes time, and by the time it is finalised in the case of the roads, like that one now, all the trucks will flow from Swakopmund on that road. The consequences are that whatever we have done there is spoiled here; there will be accidents here; there will be congestion there."
As the Walvis Bay harbour strives to be a logistics hub in southern Africa, Mutorwa says the best approach would be to complete the construction of the road as fast as possible for a seamless flow of traffic and trade.
He further says the situation is similar to what is going on in Windhoek.
"Okahandja-Windhoek, there is a freeway, and then when you approach the area near UNAM, the road is still very narrow, and then after that, towards the Windhoek Country Club, free flow, it's a freeway, but this neck near UNAM, we need to address it. I know that technical officials at the Roads Authority have already alerted us, and we have already alerted the public procurement board that the sooner this tender for dealing with that particular bottleneck is given, the better. But sometimes we spend too much time on bureaucracy and talking until an accident takes place."
Mutorwa added that there is a provision in the Public Procurement Act that allows the government to go for emergency procurement, and he believes it should be applied in this case.