Salaries Without Performance

THIS is a reference to an article published on 23 May 2012 about the appointments of foreigners/non-Namibians at Unam.

I am not a person to write anonymous letters for publication because in our democratic society everyone is entitled to voice his opinion openly.Not doing this makes you a coward who does not want to defend his allegations in public.This kind of journalism has also implicated this author and Professor Osmund Mwandemele in fraud, theft, corruption etc. all of which were established to be unfounded but complete lies. Your newspaper however did not report back on the findings, because it will infringe on so-called journalistic freedom.Having said the above, I want to open a new can of worms and I am willing to prove every word I said on the fact. This perspective may not apply to other centres but specifically to the SANUMARC [Sam Nujoma Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre] where I am employed for over eight years.The now (PVC) Pro Vice Chancellor: Academic and Research was with my appointment the director of SANUMARC in 2004. The PVC inherited a dormant centre already existing for years, but that was as good as non-existent with only buildings standing as white elephants.Unam will recall that when this author was still the financial advisor for higher education he reprimanded Unam for not developing this centre for its purpose namely becoming a local and international research station.With Professor Mwandemele’s takeover this changed within one year and today this centre is known worldwide with the award as a centre of excellence for the United Nations Universities.This letter does not intend to defend Professor Mwandemele but to acknowledge his achievements.During my years of employment at SANUMARC this centre was already managed by three non-Namibians/foreigners and one Namibian. Being here I can prove that the slowest progress was when the Namibian was managing the centre.My experience with the research faculty employed by Unam (all Namibian) is that in spite of having all the means and support they need not enough is done and research is very slow. Where the ability exists to research more than one subject the researchers only do one research project to indicate that they are busy, in that way getting their salary.I want to be proven wrong and I already said publicly this that if it was not for people on contract, both Namibian and non Namibian, very little would have happened here at the centre if the performance of the permanently employed Namibian researchers is measured.Once on permanent employment at Unam it seems that, some (not all) feel comfortable getting a salary and not earning it while the contract employees have to prove themselves in order to earn their salaries and through this have the possibility to have the contract renewed.Fellow Namibians, let us prove that we are willing and able to work then we can afford to be xenophobic. However if an institute like Unam should function and experienced Namibians are not up to the task what other options remain but to make use of contract employees both Namibian and non Namibian?Flip Van VuurenSANUMARC, Henties Bay