Public enterprises minister Leon Jooste declined yesterday to discuss his plans for the future.

He said for now his focus is purely on transforming the ministry into a department under treasury which he said could be finalised by March.

A High-Level Panel on the Namibian Economy (HLPNE) appointed by President Hage Geingob late last year recommended to dissolve the public enterprise’s ministry, effectively abolishing Jooste’s ministerial position. The ministry will be transformed into a department of public enterprises, which will fall under the ambit of the finance ministry. 

“I will make an announcement regarding my future plans at an opportune time but for now, I’m purely focused on the transition,” Jooste told New Era upon enquiry yesterday.

In 2015, Jooste helped establish the public enterprises ministry to oversee the functions and responsibilities of the 98 parastatals and to benefit from synergies between the public enterprises. 

Decisions under his reign were often unpopular and included the acrimonious closure of state-owned Air Namibia. Several parastatals struggle financially and many are embroiled in power struggles between boards and management.

Jooste also introduced the three-tier system, where chief executive officers (CEOs) are paid according to the parastatals’ income, number of workers, market share, skills, and total assets.

SOE CEO perks after the review, range from N$545 000 to a maximum of N$1 million for tier one, to N$964 000 - N$2 million per year in tier three, including inflation adjustments, but excluding bonuses.

- ktjitemisa@nepc.com.na