CEO of Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry Charity Mwiya yesterday said over the recent weeks, false and misplaced allegations have been advanced through the media by misguided individuals and groups purporting to speak on behalf of Namibia’s business sector.
In a statement, she said “It is our position that Namibia Local Business Association (Naloba) is free to pursue their agenda so long as their purpose is not to discredit NCCI. Such amateur behaviour cannot be condoned or tolerated.”
She noted that it is factual that Naloba and its leadership or “the claimed membership” are not a breakaway from NCCI.
“For a fact, NCCI is not experiencing loss of membership, so it is unclear where the black businesspeople are departing from. Furthermore, how is it possible for a firm to resign from an association of which it is not even a subscribing or paid-up member? It is not the norm at NCCI to racialise matters,” said Mwiya.
The CEO added: “But responding to claims that black businesses have ‘departed’ in great numbers, the question that begs an answer is how can their membership be substantiated? Such a claim can easily be backed-up with an NCCI membership certificate which is issued annually when a member firm pays its annual subscription.”
According to her, Naloba claims since January 2022, over 2 000 NCCI members have left to join this body masquerading as a business support organisation. NCCI membership records reveal that, of the 26 businesses that claim to have resigned from the chamber, none are currently members in good standing.
She stated that investigations show membership of two lapsed in 2019 due to failure to pay their annual subscription. A further 23 have not been members since the period between 2009- 2018. As for the one remaining firm, there is no record of that enterprise ever applying to be an NCCI member.
“Representing Namibia’s business community is not a beauty pageant or contest. Namibian registered and locally managed enterprises, irrespective of their size, sector in which they operate, or ownership structure have the right to apply for NCCI membership. They must pay membership annually to remain members in good standing,” explained Mwiya.
She further clarified that the NCCI is not and does not accommodate individuals who wish to push their own agenda, settle scores with competitors, or cultivate a political career.
“Any notion put forward by misguided individuals that the NCCI is not working to support struggling entrepreneurs is simply not true. Anecdotally, there are several key examples of how Naloba founding members have received substantial support and benefits from their involvement with NCCI in the past, including when subscriptions were unpaid and, they were no longer members of the chamber,” she pointed out.
Additionally, during the Covid-19 lockdown period, Mwiya said help was rendered to firms during the tax amnesty, advice on restructuring bank loans and negotiating for payment holidays.
“As for debt servicing and relief for distressed enterprises, initiated way before the onset of the pandemic, NCCI continues to address ongoing concerns with the central bank and lending institutions,” she explained.