Disruptions at Tsumeb crèche put down to personal conflicts

A CONFLICT between individuals at Tsumeb led to class disruptions at the town’s Community Development Children’s Centre, a Government team of investigators has found.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare sent a team to Tsumeb to probe allegations of mismanagement at the centre after a war of words erupted between the Mayor of the town, Veueza Kasiringi, Councillor Tobias Lebbius and a Ministry employee, Anna Kuwa, on one side and a founder of the centre, Hilja Mweshiningwa, on the other side. Mweshiningwa said she was concerned about the situation at the Children’s Centre after the Mayor and her group put Christa Louw in charge of it.According to Victor Shipoh, Deputy Director of Research, Legal and International Affairs in the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, their investigation found that personal conflicts between Mweshiningwa and Louw had resulted in chaos at the centre.”We talked to different people and it was apparent that personal conflicts between the two individuals were affecting the performance of the centre.We told the two that it was not in the best interest of the learners and must not interfere with the day-to-day running of the crèche,” Shipoh told The Namibian.He led a three-person team of investigators to the town.According to Shipoh, allegations of theft against Louw were not true and all the equipment said to have been removed was found on the premises.Mweshiningwa and some teachers alleged that Louw stole equipment, such as a fridge, from the centre.Teachers claimed they had not been paid for months because of alleged poor financial management by Louw, and locked the gates of the centre at one stage in April.According to Shipoh, when the team arrived at the town, the majority of teachers sided with Louw.He said the fridge had been used to generate income for the centre.”As the centre is a community project, we told our officials to stay out.They must work at the Ministry and leave the day-to-day running to the principal.The Ministry is just assisting to set up community centres, not to run them,” he said.He said the disputes between individuals should not be allowed to hinder the development of children.Mweshiningwa said she was concerned about the situation at the Children’s Centre after the Mayor and her group put Christa Louw in charge of it.According to Victor Shipoh, Deputy Director of Research, Legal and International Affairs in the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, their investigation found that personal conflicts between Mweshiningwa and Louw had resulted in chaos at the centre.”We talked to different people and it was apparent that personal conflicts between the two individuals were affecting the performance of the centre.We told the two that it was not in the best interest of the learners and must not interfere with the day-to-day running of the crèche,” Shipoh told The Namibian.He led a three-person team of investigators to the town.According to Shipoh, allegations of theft against Louw were not true and all the equipment said to have been removed was found on the premises.Mweshiningwa and some teachers alleged that Louw stole equipment, such as a fridge, from the centre.Teachers claimed they had not been paid for months because of alleged poor financial management by Louw, and locked the gates of the centre at one stage in April.According to Shipoh, when the team arrived at the town, the majority of teachers sided with Louw.He said the fridge had been used to generate income for the centre.”As the centre is a community project, we told our officials to stay out.They must work at the Ministry and leave the day-to-day running to the principal.The Ministry is just assisting to set up community centres, not to run them,” he said.He said the disputes between individuals should not be allowed to hinder the development of children.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.