WINDHOEK – Deputy chairperson of the University of Namibia (Unam) council Rosalia Martins-Hausiku has denied involvement in the suspension of the university’s senior internal investigator Charles Mwangala, who was allegedly investigating her.
Mwangala was placed on suspension with full pay after he allegedly launched an investigation into Martins-Hausiku without a mandate from his superiors at the university.
He allegedly wanted to get to the bottom of assertions that Martins-Hausiku chaired an appeal hearing in which a supposed relative of hers was the respondent.
Mwangala allegedly contacted an employee at MVA Fund, where Martins-Hausiku is employed as CEO, to ask about her possible link to the Unam employee facing disciplinary hearing.
Unam employee Elly Hausiku faced disciplinary action for allegedly accepting a bribe from a university student desperate for hostel accomodation.
Hausiku was initially dismissed, but after appealing she was issued with a final written warning. Martins-Hausiku, by virtue of being deputy council chairperson, chaired the appeal hearing, which ended in Hausiku’s dismissal being overturned and replaced with a final written warning.
Martins-Hausiku, in sworn affidavits, declared that Hausiku was not a relative of hers in any way.
Reiterating her stance to New Era yesterday, the MVA Fund CEO said: “I refute this fabrication as I am not related to her in any manner. My husband is Justus Hausiku (40), firstborn to his parents. He had two brothers, one now deceased and the only surviving is Sixtus Hausiku, now 23-years-old and unmarried. I have now come to know that Ms. Eli Hausiku’s husband is a certain Mr. Veiko Hausiku, who is 55-years-old, whilst my mother-in-law is 62-years-old and my late father-in-law would have been 67-years-old.”
Martins-Hausiku said the appeals committee that she chaired consisted of four council members, of whom three were external.
Mwangala is said to have sought to find out if there was any truth in suspicion that Hausiku is a relative of Martins-Hausiku and, as part of his probe, he called called an employee at MVA Fund seeking information on the latter’s husband and how he may be related to Unam employee Hausiku.
“Upon learning this I called chair of council [Sem Shivute] to inquire whether he is aware that I am being investigated to which he was surprised,” she defended.
She reasoned that she called Shivute because she is not a Unam employee, hence any investigation of a council member should be instituted by council or the President of Namibia who is her appointing authority – and not an employee of Unam.
She also said if she is being investigated on a matter related to council, she expected the chairperson to know.
She added that Shivute called a council meeting where she was asked to present what transpired. She recused herself from the meeting afterwards, where the decision to suspend Mwangala was seemingly taken afterwards.
Information gathered by New Era suggests that Mwangala – who confirmed his suspension upon enquiry – could face charges related to abuse of power.
Unam spokesperson John Haufiku confirmed Mwangala’s suspension.
“His suspension is an internal matter and Unam is not at liberty to divulge the details thereof at this time,” Haufiku said.
In terms of Unam policy, Haufiku explained suspension is not a punitive measure or a presumption of guilt, but rather a measure meant to allow for unhindered investigations and to avoid any interference with possible witnesses and or evidence.