Maqonda Ndlovu
Landless People’s Movement (LPM) member of Parliament Utaara Mootu and her party’s national spokesperson Lifalaza Simataa have made startling allegations against the Namibia Boxing and Wrestling Control Board, saying their focus is on personal gains over the advancement of wrestling and boxing.
Speaking during a press conference in Windhoek yesterday, Mootu said documents at their disposal show correspondences on retainer fees and sitting payment requests which indicate looting of a massive scale through what she termed “the ponding of money by the board through allowance schemes”.
“Bank statements obtained during our investigations paint the picture of the conduct of the board members blurrier, as follows: over-the-counter cash withdrawals in November 2022 worth over N$454 829.15; unverified cash withdrawals of other amounts between December 2022 and May 2023,” Mootu said. She produced email communications between sport minister Agnes Tjongarero and finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi as they tried to find common ground on the status of the board.
Other allegations include the absence of a chief executive officer as the board is said to have failed to appoint a replacement for the previous one; the use of an outdated Act which continues to run the board; the sustained promotion of patriarchal norms that continues to aid male dominance in the industry by refusing to allow women to participate in the sport; and the continued undesirable practices and the protection of the interest of boxers, wrestlers, promoters, officials, and the public.
She lambasted the appointment of Margreth Mengo as the first woman ever to chair the board, saying it is just for window dressing.
Mootu said it is confusing that the board members are remunerated while the colonial boxing Act clearly states that they should not be. The government Notice 4221 of 14 July 1980 under Official Extraordinary Gazette South-West Africa under an Act (No. 11) adopted in terms of the National Assembly Proclamation, Section 19 of South-West Africa of Parliament of 1980 continues to refer to Namibia as South West Africa.
“What is bewildering is Section 5 (3) which states the following… Members of the board shall receive no remuneration in respect of their services on the board but may, out of the funds of the board, be paid such allowances to cover expenses reasonably incurred by them in respect of either attendance of the meetings of the board,” she said.
On the day of their appointment, Mengo said their priority was to deal with the repressive colonial Act.
“Thank you for entrusting us, and for allowing us to serve this big national responsibility. We reassure you that we will serve with total commitment as a board and you have our total commitment from the beginning until the end. We are here to drive harmony between us, stakeholders, promoters and partners as well as the potential sponsors of boxing in Namibia,” Mengo said at that time.
The firebrand parliamentarian revealed that board members are said to have earned between N$85 960.94 per non-executive board member, and N$113 853.24 per executive board member respectively, between April 2021 and November 2022.
“The board’s capacity to adequately address the concerns of boxers and passionate boxing enthusiasts, who have consistently voiced their dissatisfaction regarding the Namibian Boxing Federations ability to implement comprehensive boxing development programmes nationwide, is inadequate.
This has hindered the establishment of an inclusive boxing community that caters to a diverse range of individuals,” Mootu bemoaned.
The LPM parliamentarian demanded answers from minister Tjongarero.
Efforts to get comments from Mengo and another board member did not yield any results.
– jrnmarko@gmail.com