Mutorwa asks AN to pick up pieces

ATHLETICS Namibia (AN) has been given a last chance to redeem itself after a report on its activities was finalised on Monday.

Sport Minister John Mutorwa yesterday issued a statement in which he stated that the organisation should be managed professionally, transparently and strictly at all times. The Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) was mandated by Mutorwa to launch an investigation into the activities of the athletics mother body after its leadership was accused of being inefficient.The 18-page report was submitted to Mutorwa.The poor performance of Namibian athletes of late has been blamed on poor administration.At the centre of the investigation was AN president Alpha Kangueehi and his executive committee, which has largely failed to develop the sport in the regions, while it has also not been accountable for its finances and in the process lost out on a major sponsorship.After taking over as president at the end of November 2004, Kangueehi has constantly been embroiled in controversy, with the most prominent being his strained relations with former AN member Quinton-Steele Botes Botes resigned from AN earlier this year after he accused Kangueehi of being unprofessional and lacking knowledge of the sport, while Kangueehi accused him of racism.Kangueehi, before becoming president, was a vice president of the organisation.Mutorwa told the association that it must also improve its communication as a matter of urgency.”AN must ensure and reassure its general membership, that its secretary-general is elected fairly, transparently and democratically as per AN constitution,” he said.Elizabeth Kamutuezu is the current secretary-general of the body and it has been widely speculated that she was handpicked by Kangueehi for the position.Mutorwa said the treasurer must exercise financial management and control at all times, and if there was no one to do that job, a person must be appointed or elected and should preferably be a Namibian national.At this stage, Theo ‘Bafana’ Tjiueza is the treasurer.He too was roped in again by Kangueehi after he had resigned from the body.AN also ran into problems with the NSC after it failed to submit its audited financial statements in time late last year.Mutorwa added that the NSC should set conditions and deadlines to be fulfilled and met by AN before the suspension of funds is lifted.”The NSC cannot apply the suspension indefinitely, as it would be the innocent athletes that would suffer,” he said.AN has lost a lucrative sponsorship deal with Bank Windhoek because most of its activities were poorly organised and this discouraged athletes from performing.Mutorwa asked the NSC to lobby Bank Windhoek to bring back their sponsorship to the body for a new agreement.Bank Windhoek injected a total of N$2 million into the sport two years ago to be used mainly for the development of the sport and for hosting major athletics meets to expose athletes to competition against runners from other countries.The Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) was mandated by Mutorwa to launch an investigation into the activities of the athletics mother body after its leadership was accused of being inefficient.The 18-page report was submitted to Mutorwa.The poor performance of Namibian athletes of late has been blamed on poor administration.At the centre of the investigation was AN president Alpha Kangueehi and his executive committee, which has largely failed to develop the sport in the regions, while it has also not been accountable for its finances and in the process lost out on a major sponsorship.After taking over as president at the end of November 2004, Kangueehi has constantly been embroiled in controversy, with the most prominent being his strained relations with former AN member Quinton-Steele Botes Botes resigned from AN earlier this year after he accused Kangueehi of being unprofessional and lacking knowledge of the sport, while Kangueehi accused him of racism.Kangueehi, before becoming president, was a vice president of the organisation.Mutorwa told the association that it must also improve its communication as a matter of urgency.”AN must ensure and reassure its general membership, that its secretary-general is elected fairly, transparently and democratically as per AN constitution,” he said.Elizabeth Kamutuezu is the current secretary-general of the body and it has been widely speculated that she was handpicked by Kangueehi for the position.Mutorwa said the treasurer must exercise financial management and control at all times, and if there was no one to do that job, a person must be appointed or elected and should preferably be a Namibian national.At this stage, Theo ‘Bafana’ Tjiueza is the treasurer.He too was roped in again by Kangueehi after he had resigned from the body.AN also ran into problems with the NSC after it failed to submit its audited financial statements in time late last year.Mutorwa added that the NSC should set conditions and deadlines to be fulfilled and met by AN before the suspension of funds is lifted.”The NSC cannot apply the suspension indefinitely, as it would be the innocent athletes that would suffer,” he said.AN has lost a lucrative sponsorship deal with Bank Windhoek because most of its activities were poorly organised and this discouraged athletes from performing.Mutorwa asked the NSC to lobby Bank Windhoek to bring back their sponsorship to the body for a new agreement.Bank Windhoek injected a total of N$2 million into the sport two years ago to be used mainly for the development of the sport and for hosting major athletics meets to expose athletes to competition against runners from other countries.