HIGHER education minister Itah Kandjii-Murangi has dismissed claims that she has interfered in the internal affairs of the Namibia University of Science and Technology.
Former Nust vice chancellor Tjama Tjivikua, who stepped down in March accused the minister of directing matters at the university beyond her legal mandate.
In his letter of resignation as vice chancellor of the institution on 1 March, which was sent to the Nust council, a copy of was which seen by The Namibian, Tjivikua claims that the minister gave a directive demanding that he vacates his position at the end of that month “in order to ensure a smooth transition without interference”.
In the letter, the retired vice chancellor raised some issues and concerns at the university attributed to the alleged conduct of the minister and some council members.
“We should be very concerned about the minister’s involvement and interference in the governance and management of the university,” he said, adding that this has happened in various forms since 2015 as stated in a report which he had also submitted.
Kandjii-Murangi, however, denied the allegations, which she described as baseless in an interview with The Namibian last week.
The minister said the allegations contained in the letter are devoid of truth.
“Those allegations are unfounded and baseless. I have worked with the former Nust vice chancellor for the last four years and he has never talked about any interference. Why now as he exits Nust?” she asked.
In his letter Tjivikua alleged that some council members had sided with staff members to the detriment of the university’s management.
“A case in point is the matter of unresolved grievances and pending disciplinary hearings, which delay was caused by the minister’s directive to suspend all disciplinary actions against members associated with her,” he said.
He further claimed that the minister directed council members to protect or shield certain staff members and promote her relatives’ interests, adding that some council members “simply dance to the minister’s tune and neglect to carry out their statutory responsibilities.”
Tjivikua further stated; “Even students are on notice to carry out certain instructions or ‘be dealt with’ upon my departure. This is the reality on the ground today, I herewith raise the alarm.”
In addition, Tjivikua denied that he interfered with the search for a new vice chancellor, adding that he did not meet any of the candidates before, during or after the interviews.
He stated that he also did not attend the special council or search committee meetings to decide on the candidates to be interviewed.
Tjivikua noted that for the country to achieve global competitiveness, the universities should be free of politics.
Nust council chairperson Esi Schimming-Chase acknowledged receipt of Tjivikua’s letter.
She told The Namibian last week that any concerns a former employee has regarding his previous workplace will be dealt with by his line manager, the chair of the council in this instance, with appropriate input from the relevant line ministry.
“It is not the function of Nust council to deal with former employee grievances. This function lies within human resources and an HR officer will be in touch with Tjama Tjivikua at the appropriate time to discuss any issues he may have since his departure from the university,” she said.
Tjivikua had been in charge of the university since its inception as a polytechnic in 1995.
He was not reachable for comment.
