Sports minister Agnes Tjongarero wants to negotiate with Namibia Sports Commission chief administrator Simataa ‘Freddy’ Mwiya to settle their dispute amicably.
“After advice from her legal practitioners, the first respondent (Tjongarero) is also considering negotiating for a possible settlement of the matter between the parties,” reads a joint status report.
Yesterday, High Court judge Kobus Miller postponed the case to 31 August for the parties to negotiate a settlement.
Should they not reach an agreement, they will proceed to file the necessary paperwork so the court may hear the case and reach a conclusion.
Mwiya instituted court proceedings against Tjongarero after she refused to renew his contract for another five years as recommended by the commission’s board.
He wants the court to direct Tjongarero to implement the board’s decision to give him another term after his term came to an end in March.
Mwiya has been head of the commission since April 2017.
According to him, the law dictates that the minister must appoint a chief administrator on the recommendation of the board.
Tjongarero, in a letter dated 24 May 2022, addressed to former chairperson of the NSC Joel Matheus, said she told the board to advertise the position of the chief administrator to allow interested Namibians to apply for this position, which they failed to do.
“The tenure of the current chief administrator, Mr Freddy Mwiya expired on 31 March 2022, and in my correspondence, dated 21 October 2021, I requested that you inform him accordingly,” reads the letter.
“The same correspondence also requested for a name of a person to act in the interim. Since then, I have waited in vain for the position to be advertised as well as the name of the nominee to act,” said Tjongarero in her letter.
Tjongarero also complained of Mwiya’s increase in salary, which was unauthorised, and the board ignored her directive to reverse the increase.
Interestingly, the commission chose to allow Mwiya to continue carrying out the functions of the office of the chief administrator, which is in direct contravention of her directives.
Their continued defiance led to Tjongarero’s decision to fire the entire NSC board.
The board consisted of Joel Matheus – board chairperson, Linda Chicalu, Erica Beukes, Thomas Mbeeli, Karen Mubonenwa and Marius Johannes.
– mamakali@nepc.com.na