Chairperson of the Namibia Sports Commission Joel Matheus has distanced himself from growing perceptions that he is prepared to apply all tricks in the book, jump through hoops and bend over backwards to ensure chief administrator Freddy Mwiya’s contract gets renewed.
In a conversation with New Era Sport over the weekend, Matheus shared that Mwiya’s contract will come to an end on 30 May 2022, and the NSC board has since resolved to renew his contract for another five years.
But the board’s decision and subsequent recommendation to sports minister Agnes Tjongarero to re-appoint Mwiya for another five years have ruffled feathers, with Tjongarero strongly opposed to the automatic reappointment of Mwiya.
The minister has objected to the board’s move and advised that the position be advertised to give all qualified Namibians an opportunity to apply as opposed to limiting it only to Mwiya.
The NSC board has not heeded the minister’s advice to publicly advertise the position, as they feel Mwiya performed remarkably well under difficult circumstances and, therefore, deserves to be given a five-year contract extension.
The back and forth around Mwiya’s contract has since dragged Matheus to the centre of the storm, with growing public perceptions that Matheus has been hard at work behind the scene, making sure that Mwiya gets reappointed, despite the minister’s objection.
But Matheus has denied performing administrative gymnastics to make sure Mwiya’s reappointment goes through, saying despite public perceptions, he has no such powers, nor vested interest in the matter.
“There is no truth in this. The public should not single me out, as this is a collective board matter and not mine. Our resolutions are reached by majority rule. We are a board of eight commissioners. Does the public think I have such power to decide for the board? No, it can’t be. The only time I participate in voting is only when I exercise a casting vote, which, fortunately, was not the case this time around,” explained Mwiya.
Matheus also clarified the board is not entirely opposed to the minister’s advice to publicly advertise the position, but feels they are the ones who have the power to recommend to the minister who gets appointed as head of NSC, and the minister’s job is only limited to endorsing such recommendation.
“The board is not against the minister’s decision. We are just doing our job in accordance with Section 3 (1) (h) of the Sport Act, which is to advise the minister. I think it is important that the public understand what the provisions of the law provide in this case. According to Section 23 (1), the minister must appoint a person as chief administrator of the commission on the recommendation of the commission’s board. The board’s interpretation of the above is that the only ground the minister must appoint or reappoint is subject within the framework of the recommendations of the board.”
Matheus further denied having a personal relationship with Mwiya beyond work boundaries, saying: “There is no truth in this perception. The people who accuse me of nepotism just try to use cheap points to undermine the professional relationship I have with Mwiya. He is not my tribe or family nor a friend. Our relationship starts and ends with the NSC business. I never knew Mwiya in person before he came to NSC. It must be on record that me and Mwiya are not friends in whatever way, and this narrative must stop.”
- ohembapu@nepc.com.na