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Benjamin Hauwanga (born 04 February 1963 in Tsumeb, Oshikoto Region) is a Namibian businessman.

Personal Life

Benjamin "BH" Hauwanga was born on 04 February 1963 at Tsumeb in the Oshikoto Region. His parents separated while he was still a young boy, his mother single-handily raised him, although his father still visited the family regularly. He has eight other siblings.

He was fascinated with business at a very young age, as a child he sold indigenous food after school to contribute to the household income while his mother worked as a domestic worker. As with every business money is the key and the main objective, what he did was: whenever he got send he uses the change to buy sweets and resells the sweets at school to get more money and increase cash-flow.

At the age of nine, he started cleaning yards and got paid on a weekly basis. This was a great incentive for him but later he realized that, the money coming in weekly, was not enough to buy enough stock to satisfy the demand for the product (sweets) at school. He arranged to receive the money month-end, this improve the cash-flow and the stock levels as well. As the cash-flow improved he bought a bicycle to extend his operations. The bicycle took him three years to pay-off.

His first shop was a cardboard-box-shop in front of his mother's house in the black township, called "the Location".

Education

As he grew up and finished secondary education, he opted to receive his tertiary education at the Namibian Technical Institute of Mining (NITM) in Arandis. He completed his education at the technical institute as a mechanic.

Business career

Benjamin opened his first spares shop in Ongwediva, selling car parts. He grew this business from suppliers in Windhoek and Johannesburg and then to the world. He has several operations around the country and has expanded into neighboring Angola. His operations in Angola are property development, and has already completed several projects in Angola.

Benjamin "BH" has branches of the BH Group of Companies across Namibia, branches in the following regions: Kavango, Oshana, Omusati, Khomas and last but not least Ohangwena.

Benjamin Hauwanga is the 5th richest man in Namibia. He also joins an elite group of Namibian businessmen in the owning a private plane. His plane is a Beechcraft 55 Baron aircraft, it is believed to have cost around N$3 million dollars. He says he bought the plane to improve the logistical dimensions of his business operations. He bought it from Rami Barnes, a South African entrepreneur.

Mr Benjamin Hauwanga is the owner of the magnificent, entertainment-infested Bennies Entertainment Park and Lodge in Ongwediva, this he believes is his way of giving back to the community. It has been his childhood dream to give back to the community that he grew up from. Bennies Park is managed by Six Hauwanga, the general manager.

Bennies Park is a hub of entertainment, the palce has all that one can need to be entertained. There is a night club, swimming pool, 92 rooms of the best quality, a conference center, a gambling house and a putt-putt golf field. Bennies Park is always busy during weekends as it caters for business people who are only able to take time off during the weekends.The park has an occupancy rate of between 60 and 70% during weekends and an occupancy rate of between 30 to 40% during weekdays.

Controversies

In 2008 Benjamin was involved in a legal saga with another prominent businessman Harold Pupkewitz. The legal showdown that erupted between the two was over money that the BH businesses claim to have lost in non-existent orders and deliveries from Pupkewitz: the amount of money in discussion was N$4 947 250.60. The dispute arose from payments that BH Motor Spares alleges to have made to Pupkewitz for goods that they had neither ordered nor received from the motoring mogul. BH claims that Pupkewitz invoiced and collected money for the orders.

The sum of N$4 947 250.60 is accordingly due, owing and payable by the defendant to the plaintiff which sum, the defendant, despite demand, fails and/or refuse to pay to the plaintiff.

BH was represented by Sisa Namandje law firm while Pupkewitz was represented by the Lorentz Hangula inc law firm.

In 2009, BH was also involved in a scandal with the grandson of the former president Sam Nujoma. Joseph Nakanyala. grandson of Nujoma, tried to extort Mr. Hauwanga by using Nujoma's cell phone (mobile phone) in June purporting to be the former president. In SMSes, Nakanyala threatened to kill Hauwanga if he did not give him money. Nakanyala was again caught red-handed by the police while stealing a briefcase with money from Nujoma's residence and he later claimed that Hauwanga had sent him. Through some thorough investigations it was concluded that Nakanyala made all the stories up in an attempt to extort Hauwanga. Nakanyala withdrew his claims and publicly apologized to Hauwanga through lawyer Sisa Namandje.

In a statement signed by Nakanyala, he acknowledged having made these allegations saying: "I had no basis and right at the time of making such allegations to accuse Mr Benjamin Hauwanga. I acknowledge and recognize that the allegations I made have injured the good reputation and name of Mr Hauwanga, and I unconditionally and unreservedly apologize to him , his family, friends and all those who have been affected and inconvenienced by the false allegations I made" the statement reads further. The two shook hands and embraced each other warmly after Nakanyala finished reading his apology.

Honours

In 2011, Hauwanga received an Honorary Masters Degree in Entrepreneurship (honoris causa) from the International University of Management (IUM).

He received a Junior Achievement Laureate in Business in 2008.

References

[[Category:1950 birth] Category:Living people Category:Namibian businesspeople Category:People from Oshikoto Region Category:Ovambo people Category:Namibian people stubs