WINDHOEK – The Executive Director of the State-Owned Enterprises Governance Council – Secretariat (SOEGC-S), Frans Tsheehama, this week lashed out at a local newspaper for a report titled “Government fail to reign in CEOs earning above salary cap.” “I think this act is unethical and deserves disapproval of all well-intending Namibians.
It is on record that the Government of the Republic of Namibia has put in place all the necessary laws, policies and mechanisms to advance good governance and best practices in our State-owned Enterprises,” said Tsheehama.
In a statement released this week the head of the SOEGC-S said the article is devoid of any truth and was maliciously taken out of proportion and is damaging to the good intentions and efforts of the government to make State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) further productive and contributing to the efforts of socio-economic development in the country. “In the first instance, the article depicts a big headline which does not have anything to do with the article and the content of this particular newspaper nor does it recognise the response that was sent to Mr Tiri Masawi, the Editor of the newspaper, earlier on the October 13, 2014. It is utter lies and misinformation being conveyed by the newspaper article concerned. It is only the editor and the reporter of the newspaper concerned who know the rationale behind publishing such a damaging article, which alleges failure on the Government of the Republic of Namibia to control the level of remuneration at the State-owned Enterprises,” said Tsheehama. He continued that the article, reacting to an earlier damaging report, was in fact aimed at rectifying the misinformation of another deliberate insinuation that GRN has ‘failed to reign over remuneration of CEOs in parastatals.’ Tsheehama, who is at the helm of the SOEGC-S, reiterated that the State is still “preoccupied with all the necessary and frantic efforts to find a lasting solution to the SOEs corporate governance in Namibia.
Tsheehama also accused the newspaper of using his name as if he was the source of the article in question. “It is important to note here that at the time of writing the response to the Villager, on the October 13, 2014, I was not in the office and was in the north of Namibia on vacation leave. It is therefore unfair, to say the least, for the said reporter and editor to have used my name against such an unfortunate and damaging article”, stated Tsheehama. He therefore demands that the reporter rectifies the article for it to reflect the facts and for clear reference to the source of where the information was received.