NEWS - NAMIBIA | 2013-08-01Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila
Cabinet divided over RFA package
Tileni Mongudhi
THE pay packages of parastatal chiefs have once again proven to be a hot potato for Cabinet, government’s highest decision making body.
The Namibian has learned that this Tuesday’s Cabinet session saw another heated debate over SOE salaries. The debate allegedly started when Finance Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila proposed that the Road Fund Administration be reclassified from Tire 2 group of parastatals to Tire 3.
The reason for the request was to allow the RFA to make a favourable offer to its preferred candidate for the company’s chief executive officer post.
RFA’s successful candidate, John (Ali) Ipinge, allegedly earns an annual package, which is 30% higher than the Tier 2 cap of N$987 000, while the RFA board of directors proposed to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila that the parastatal offer him at least N$150 000 more than his current annual salary package.
President Hifikepunye Pohamba allegedly also joined the fray, which eventually denied the finance minister’s request. Pohamba allegedly also asked Kuugongelwa-Amadhila who was persistent on her request whether “she has seen Ipinge’s work” before.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila yesterday confirmed that Cabinet approved of Ipinge as the preferred candidate. She added that Cabinet also decided that the RFA board must make an offer that is within the State Owned Enterprises Governance Council’s guidelines.
Ipinge who is currently the Head of Public Sector Banking at First National Bank outperformed his competitors for the RFA job, which has been vacant since Penda Kiiyala’s departure in 2011.
Air Namibia’s General Manager for Airport Services Nokokure Katjiuongua came out as the second preferred candidate. Other shortlisted candidates are Namfisa’s Research, Policy and Statistics General Manager Adrianus Vugs and Abed Iyambo who is the Deputy Director of Research at Bank of Namibia. The RFA board allegedly proposed that should Ipinge and Katjiuongua not be available then the post should be readvertised.
The reason for the request was to allow the RFA to make a favourable offer to its preferred candidate for the company’s chief executive officer post.
RFA’s successful candidate, John (Ali) Ipinge, allegedly earns an annual package, which is 30% higher than the Tier 2 cap of N$987 000, while the RFA board of directors proposed to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila that the parastatal offer him at least N$150 000 more than his current annual salary package.
President Hifikepunye Pohamba allegedly also joined the fray, which eventually denied the finance minister’s request. Pohamba allegedly also asked Kuugongelwa-Amadhila who was persistent on her request whether “she has seen Ipinge’s work” before.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila yesterday confirmed that Cabinet approved of Ipinge as the preferred candidate. She added that Cabinet also decided that the RFA board must make an offer that is within the State Owned Enterprises Governance Council’s guidelines.
Ipinge who is currently the Head of Public Sector Banking at First National Bank outperformed his competitors for the RFA job, which has been vacant since Penda Kiiyala’s departure in 2011.
Air Namibia’s General Manager for Airport Services Nokokure Katjiuongua came out as the second preferred candidate. Other shortlisted candidates are Namfisa’s Research, Policy and Statistics General Manager Adrianus Vugs and Abed Iyambo who is the Deputy Director of Research at Bank of Namibia. The RFA board allegedly proposed that should Ipinge and Katjiuongua not be available then the post should be readvertised.
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