THE Anti-Corruption Commission has directed the Polytechnic of Namibia council to investigate administrative matters involving rector Tjama Tjivikua and another top executive for alleged corruption.
The call for a probe comes after a whistle-blower wrote to the ACC last month, complaining about how the Polytech’s management was allegedly favouring some people.
ACC director Paulus Noa confirmed writing the letter yesterday, saying he had given the Polytechnic reasonable time to investigate several allegations.
The letter, dated 30 June 2015, was sent to the Polytechnic council chair, Evelyn Breuer, and copied to the minister of higher education, Itah Kandjii-Murangi, and council deputy chair Silas Shakumu.
Titled “Administrative Corruption in the Form of Favouritism at the Polytechnic of Namibia”, the letter points at six allegations among them that Tjivikua overspends on travelling allowances by about N$1,5 million per year.
It also alleges that Tjivikua’s management paid N$350 000 to Polytechnic’s director of planning and international relations Neveara Olivier to study at Walden University in the US.
The ACC also asked the council to investigate how Olivier was promoted to the position of director of planning and international relations without the position being advertised.
“Such a promotion casts a perception of favouritism as other staff members were allegedly not given an opportunity to apply,” the ACC said.
The corruption watchdog asked the Polytechnic council to probe why Olivier has been out of the office for unexplained reasons and allegedly taking questionable international trips.
The ACC said the allegations have the potential of putting the institution in disrepute.
“The council is entrusted with the responsibility to direct the management of this national academic institution in a transparent and fair manner, free of favouritism. I am kindly requesting the council to table the allegations and demand explanation from the management,” Noa said.
“Kindly provide ACC with feedback on your findings,” he said.
The Polytechnic council continues to be heavily divided despite the intervention by the ACC, with a meeting held last Friday ending in a deadlock after some leaders walked out.
The division of the 15-member council led to a failure to table the ACC report as requested after some councillors used delaying tactics to ensure that the report was not discussed. Those pushing for an investigation are mostly external council members.
Polytechnic council troubles are not only about allegations of corruption, but about the fate of the deputy rector for academic affairs, Andrew Niikondo, whose contract ended last month. Niikondo’s contract was one of the items that were not discussed on Friday after the premature end of the meeting. It is understood that Kandjii-Murangi had ordered that Niikondo’s contract should be renewed.
The appointment of Corneels Jafta as the vice rector for finance also divided the council, after Shakumu and unionist Loide Shaanika proposed that the vacancy should be readvertised to give more people a chance to apply, since the requirements were lowered.
This was not accepted by those who wanted the matter to be taken to the minister to decide whether to appoint Jafta to replace the 75-year-old veteran Gert Günzel, but Shakumu and others argued that the council is empowered to decide on such issues.
In his response by email yesterday, Tjivikua said he had received the questions sent by The Namibian and that both he and the council do not have access to the information of the Polytechnic during weekends.
“You should note that we do not necessarily devote time to the office over weekends as life imposes other obligations on us. For instance, this weekend we have other obligations to attend to, including funerals of a colleague and a child of a colleague,” he wrote, and requested an opportunity to respond to the query during the course of the week.
Shakumu and Niikondo declined to comment, while Olivier did not respond to either SMSes or calls.
