THE announcement earlier this month by the Director General of the NBC, Vezera Kandetu, that the NBC would ‘take back’ the collection of NBC licence fees as from September 1 this year, raises more questions than it gives answers.
Kandetu did not provide background for his decision or state why an immediate decision had been made to cancel the agreement with Penduka NBC, one of several subsidiaries of the J & P Holdings Group, which had been responsible for this task since April 2004. The public now deserves to know the reasons, and if wrongdoing is suspected, the matter should be immediately referred to the Anti-Corruption Commission for further probing.After the disgraceful demise of former NBC Director General Gerry Munyama, who was permitted to resign with immediate effect when exposed for fraud and wrongdoing, Government commanded a forensic audit into the financial affairs of the NBC, which included the Penduka arrangement.It is known by now that substantially less money was paid over to the NBC in the over two-year arrangement with Penduka during which the latter company collected the licence fees, but the question of wrongdoing in the whole affair has not yet been ruled out, and so the public must be put fully in the picture.The forensic audit has now been completed but few appear to have had sight of this investigation, which must be handed to Government who initiated it in the first place.It is almost certain that the decision of the incumbent Director General to release Penduka from its obligations with immediate effect must have been based on at least some knowledge of problems with the Penduka contract, but Kandetu has not given any detail to this effect.The early September announcement by the NBC has given viewers an ‘amnesty’ from outstanding licence fees as long as they pay due fees of N$204 per annum directly to the NBC in the course of October.The only reference Kandetu made to Penduka in this announcement was to imply they had been party to the decision, when he stated that “both the NBC and Penduka agreed” that licence collection would revert back to the national broadcaster with immediate effect.The licence fee ordinarily represents a large chunk of income for the broadcaster, which has been beset by financial woes and dependent on Government bailouts for the past number of years.The NBC may want to ‘wipe the slate clean’ and start afresh, but what happened during the Munyama era still has to be cleared up in the eyes of the public.The former Director General has been charged with fraud and theft, and the trial still has to be concluded.The Penduka period clearly falls within his former ambit, and the company’s involvement with the NBC, as well as what was done with public money collected over more than two years, remain to be clarified.We would therefore call for the results of the forensic audit to be made public, whether this decision lies with the Director General, the NBC Board or the Minister of Information and Broadcasting.If the forensic audit has revealed more theft, fraud and wrongdoing in the time during which Penduka was responsible for licence fee collection, then this should be referred to the Anti-Corruption Commission for further investigation so that the perpetrators can be brought to book.It is the only way in which the NBC can hope to start on a clean slate after having been discredited in the public eye over a long period of mismanagement.The public now deserves to know the reasons, and if wrongdoing is suspected, the matter should be immediately referred to the Anti-Corruption Commission for further probing.After the disgraceful demise of former NBC Director General Gerry Munyama, who was permitted to resign with immediate effect when exposed for fraud and wrongdoing, Government commanded a forensic audit into the financial affairs of the NBC, which included the Penduka arrangement.It is known by now that substantially less money was paid over to the NBC in the over two-year arrangement with Penduka during which the latter company collected the licence fees, but the question of wrongdoing in the whole affair has not yet been ruled out, and so the public must be put fully in the picture.The forensic audit has now been completed but few appear to have had sight of this investigation, which must be handed to Government who initiated it in the first place.It is almost certain that the decision of the incumbent Director General to release Penduka from its obligations with immediate effect must have been based on at least some knowledge of problems with the Penduka contract, but Kandetu has not given any detail to this effect.The early September announcement by the NBC has given viewers an ‘amnesty’ from outstanding licence fees as long as they pay due fees of N$204 per annum directly to the NBC in the course of October.The only reference Kandetu made to Penduka in this announcement was to imply they had been party to the decision, when he stated that “both the NBC and Penduka agreed” that licence collection would revert back to the national broadcaster with immediate effect.The licence fee ordinarily represents a large chunk of income for the broadcaster, which has been beset by financial woes and dependent on Government bailouts for the past number of years.The NBC may want to ‘wipe the slate clean’ and start afresh, but what happened during the Munyama era still has to be cleared up in the eyes of the public.The former Director General has been charged with fraud and theft, and the trial still has to be concluded.The Penduka period clearly falls within his former ambit, and the company’s involvement with the NBC, as well as what was done with public money collected over more than two years, remain to be clarified.We would therefore call for the results of the forensic audit to be made public, whether this decision lies with the Director General, the NBC Board or the Minister of Information and Broadcasting.If the forensic audit has revealed more theft, fraud and wrongdoing in the time during which Penduka was responsible for licence fee collection, then this should be referred to the Anti-Corruption Commission for further investigation so that the perpetrators can be brought to book.It is the only way in which the NBC can hope to start on a clean slate after having been discredited in the public eye over a long period of mismanagement.
