Dawids denies creating jobs if elected NFA president

BUSINESSMAN Hendrik Dawids, who is running for the Namibia Football Association (NFA) presidency, yesterday dismissed reports that he will create portfolios for his campaigners if elected.

The Namibian quoted sources that Dawids will appoint Willie Swarts as his head of administration and finance, while ousted NFA official, Eric Hansen will move in as the new secretary-general. Dawids said this was not the case, as he believed in transparency and that he would advertise to fill the positions if elected.”I am a principled person and I will never follow that route (appoint).The best thing is to advertise the position to give a fair chance to anyone who aspires to be in that position.I will also not just enter that office and remove people at will.There are procedures to do that and that is what I believe in,” he said.Dawids will go head to head against current acting president John Muinjo in a congress that is billed for Saturday at a local hotel.He was evasive when asked if Hansen and Swarts were in his camp as campaigners.Both Hansen and Swarts initially form part of the interim committee that Dawids is heading, which came into being after they expressed dissatisfaction on the way football was run in the country.The committee is still effective and will only be dismantled after the NFA constitution has been reviewed after the congress this weekend.Meanwhile, Swarts yesterday said he was never approached by Dawids to accept the position of chief of administration and finance.”I am not a qualified accountant and I have never indicated to anyone that I want a position within NFA.The last time I did accounting was in standard six and I can confess that I am not the qualified person to do that job for anyone,” he said.Swarts, who is currently the Swapo district chairman for Rehoboth East, said he had no ambitions for a position at the highest level of football.Asked who he was backing, Swarts said he was behind Dawids because he wants change in football.”I support him because I think he is the right man to clean up and bring change into football,” he said.Dawids, a businessman at the coast and current owner of premier league outfit Blue Waters, will be be standing for president for the first time.Initially, Dawids had ambitions of occupying the hot seat, but did not make any attempts.Meanwhile, Kornelius Kwela Kapenda, who is vying for the position of treasurer at the elections, said he was the deputy director at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, correcting a report in The Namibian that he was the chief accountant in that ministry.Kapenda will go into battle against Walter Kameeta for the position which was recently vacated by Pro Rijatua, who has been serving as such for almost a decade.The NFA yesterday announced that the congress will also be attended by the delegate of the Fifa president, Jerome Champagne, as well as Fifa development officer Ashford Mamelodi.The congress is also expected to elect six new executive members as well as a vice president.For the vice presidency, former Namibia Premier League (NPL) chairman, Anton van Wyk is lining up against Korbinian Amutenya, who is currently serving as a vice president of the NFA.Dawids said this was not the case, as he believed in transparency and that he would advertise to fill the positions if elected.”I am a principled person and I will never follow that route (appoint).The best thing is to advertise the position to give a fair chance to anyone who aspires to be in that position.I will also not just enter that office and remove people at will.There are procedures to do that and that is what I believe in,” he said.Dawids will go head to head against current acting president John Muinjo in a congress that is billed for Saturday at a local hotel.He was evasive when asked if Hansen and Swarts were in his camp as campaigners.Both Hansen and Swarts initially form part of the interim committee that Dawids is heading, which came into being after they expressed dissatisfaction on the way football was run in the country.The committee is still effective and will only be dismantled after the NFA constitution has been reviewed after the congress this weekend.Meanwhile, Swarts yesterday said he was never approached by Dawids to accept the position of chief of administration and finance.”I am not a qualified accountant and I have never indicated to anyone that I want a position within NFA.The last time I did accounting was in standard six and I can confess that I am not the qualified person to do that job for anyone,” he said.Swarts, who is currently the Swapo district chairman for Rehoboth East, said he had no ambitions for a position at the highest level of football.Asked who he was backing, Swarts said he was behind Dawids because he wants change in football.”I support him because I think he is the right man to clean up and bring change into football,” he said.Dawids, a businessman at the coast and current owner of premier league outfit Blue Waters, will be be standing for president for the first time.Initially, Dawids had ambitions of occupying the hot seat, but did not make any attempts.Meanwhile, Kornelius Kwela Kapenda, who is vying for the position of treasurer at the elections, said he was the deputy director at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, correcting a report in The Namibian that he was the chief accountant in that ministry.Kapenda will go into battle against Walter Kameeta for the position which was recently vacated by Pro Rijatua, who has been serving as such for almost a decade.The NFA yesterday announced that the congress will also be attended by the delegate of the Fifa president, Jerome Champagne, as well as Fifa development officer Ashford Mamelodi.The congress is also expected to elect six new executive members as well as a vice president.For the vice presidency, former Namibia Premier League (NPL) chairman, Anton van Wyk is lining up against Korbinian Amutenya, who is currently serving as a vice president of the NFA.