FNB denies nepotism claims

THE First National Bank (FNB) has denied nepotism claims levelled against a senior manager, Elmarie Cilliers, who heads the bank’s asset finance institution, Wesbank.

A source within Wesbank had accused Cilliers of pushing for appointments of white people into managerial positions, allegedly at the expense of qualified and experienced black people.
The source claimed two coloured people and three white people currently held senior managerial positions at Wesbank.
FNB’s head of strategic marketing and communications, Dixon Norval, rubbished the accusations against Cilliers as ‘strange and disappointing’.
He said accusations against Cilliers that she had leaked interview questions were internally investigated and dismissed.
‘The mere fact that Ms Cilliers took disciplinary action against a manager in her area is proof that she does not favour anyone who does not act in the interest of FNB,’ Norval said.
Norval said strict procedures were followed to ensure that abuse did not take place at FNB.
This, he said, also applied to the recruitment, appointment and termination of services of all staff.
‘These processes are closely monitored by our HR department. In addition, transparency and good practice are imposed by interview panels consisting of independent panellists, inclusive of staff from FNB HR and Employment Equity representatives,’ he added.
Norval believed the complaint to the media came from a staffer who chose to bypass the bank’s internal process to air grievances and who preferred to use ‘extraordinary tactics’ to show his or her dissatisfaction.
‘As a matter of fact, it resembles the abuse of media that we experience when The Namibian was the only newspaper to carry a fabricated story by a staff member who accused the company of institutional racism last year.
‘Not only was this an insult to the integrity of the FNB senior leadership, closer investigation clearly confirmed that it was an isolated case of wilful lies,’ said Norval.When approached, Cilliers also rejected the accusations against her as false.
luqman@namibian.com.na