Windhoek
The University of Namibia (Unam) this week suspended its deputy dean of students, Leevi Shigwedha, for alleged irregularities surrounding the procurement of goods for the 2014 annual cultural festival.
Unam’s assistant director for communications and marketing, Shahid Shu’aib Dickson confirmed Shigwedha’s suspension yesterday, but remained tight-lipped on the details.
Well-placed sources said Shigwedha was already under scrutiny over suspicious procurement documents prior to his suspension. He was suspended with full pay about two weeks ago and has also been denied access to his office as the university management changed the locks to his office to prevent him interfering with ongoing investigations.
Unam sources further alleged that Shigwedha worked in cahoots with a colleague in the Dean of Students’ office, who is alleged to have faked quotations to procure items for the cultural festival.
Shigwheda’s computer has been confiscated by the university, as well as that of his secretary and Erastus John, the Dean of Students’ Support Officer, to prevent any tampering with electronic records.
Asked on what grounds Shigwedha was suspended, Dickson said the matter is still under investigation and that no charges have yet been laid against him. Dickson also could not specify how long the suspension would last, saying it depends on the course of the investigation, the nature of the charges and the disciplinary process.
The investigation is being conducted by Unam’s internal investigator, Charles Mwangala.
A well-placed source told New Era that “When Charles asked him for documents to prove why they followed a certain procurement policy, other than the set rules, it seems Leevi gave documents falsfied by someone. They were not real documents. They had cooked them up.
“Then Charles went to his office to confiscate his computer, but Leevi didn’t want his computer to be confiscated and they even had a fight. The university suspended him following that incident, after Charles found that the documents did not look authentic.”
Shigwedha, who served at the university for 17 years, also worked as a Student Support Officer prior to being appointed to his current position.
Suspensions of senior officials at Unam are not new, as the university recently suspended Dr Boniface Mutumba, the pro-vice chancellor for administration and finance, who resigned unconditionally and with immediate effect in April.
Mutumba’s suspension followed his arrest by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in June last year. He was subsequently charged with contravening the Anti-Corruption Act through the alleged abuse of office, along with his former colleague, Ruben Prinz.
Unconfirmed reports suggested Mutumba was involved in awarding a N$16 million tender for the construction of hostel facilities at the university’s Neudamm campus to an undeserving company.
It was reported that Unam’s vice-chancellor, Lazarus Hangula, had initiated the ACC investigation into the tender process after discovering irregularities.
It is further alleged that Prinz, on the instruction of Mutumba, left out certain details regarding the company he had recommended to the tender board, thus providing incomplete and incorrect information. Official sources indicated that his resignation effectively concluded all pending internal disciplinary procedures.
Unam’s chief librarian, Ellen Namhila, has since been appointed to the post.
When asked why so many suspensions are taking place at the university, Dickson said, “Unam does not have that many suspensions, but when an offense is alleged to have taken place appropriate steps must be taken, which are not limited to but include suspension”.