TransNamib investigation wrapped up

THE Ombudsman’s Office has completed a five-month probe into allegations of corruption, favouritism and nepotism at TransNamib.

Sources at the transport parastatal say the findings have been presented to the company’s board of directors, who have promised to act on it as soon as they have met. TransNamib’s Human Resources General Manager, Jason Hamunyela, has been accused of awarding a tender to a security company that put in the lowest bid, but afterwards increased the amount.Hamunyela is said to have been appointed by TransNamib despite submitting a “dubious” copy of a Matric certificate.TransNamib has since cancelled the contract with the security company, GF Security.It discovered that Cletius Sipapela, the head of TransNamib’s security department, was a co-owner of the company.Sipapela was fired after he was found guilty on charges of breach of trust, fraud and disobedience.He was appointed as Security Chief in May last year and promoted to Security Superintendent exactly a month later.The Office of the Ombudsman reportedly investigated several other cases of alleged favouritism and nepotism, and the manner in which some of the company’s senior managers were booted.Godhardt !Howaeb, Bernhardt !Gaeb, Moses Mbai and Erenfried ‘Tjivi’ Ndjoonduezu were sacked for alleged “poor time management and absenteeism”.They have taken the company to the Labour Court and Ndjoonduezu’s case was recently postponed to October 25.!Gaeb is still awaiting judgement after TransNamib approached the court to set aside a N$468 200 order that he had obtained against them.Judge Elton Hoff reserved judgement in July after the legal teams of !Gaeb and TransNamib presented their cases.!Gaeb obtained a Labour Court order against TransNamib in May but the company filed an urgent application on May 19 to stay the order until their appeal is heard.TransNamib wants to stop an order that will keep !Gaeb on the company’s medical aid scheme for the next four years and pay him full pension benefits.In June, TransNamib offered to reinstate Mbai after he was allegedly dismissed without a hearing in January and his appeal was rejected by the company.Now the parastatal is talking of re-employing him.Magistrate Uaatjo Uanivi gave the two sides an unspecified time to work on a possible out-of-court settlement but so far the two sides have failed to reach an agreement.Mbai’s lawyer, Clive Kavendjii, told The Namibian earlier that Mbai was not interested in reinstatement because the relationship between him and the company had deteriorated beyond repair.TransNamib’s Human Resources General Manager, Jason Hamunyela, has been accused of awarding a tender to a security company that put in the lowest bid, but afterwards increased the amount.Hamunyela is said to have been appointed by TransNamib despite submitting a “dubious” copy of a Matric certificate.TransNamib has since cancelled the contract with the security company, GF Security.It discovered that Cletius Sipapela, the head of TransNamib’s security department, was a co-owner of the company.Sipapela was fired after he was found guilty on charges of breach of trust, fraud and disobedience.He was appointed as Security Chief in May last year and promoted to Security Superintendent exactly a month later. The Office of the Ombudsman reportedly investigated several other cases of alleged favouritism and nepotism, and the manner in which some of the company’s senior managers were booted.Godhardt !Howaeb, Bernhardt !Gaeb, Moses Mbai and Erenfried ‘Tjivi’ Ndjoonduezu were sacked for alleged “poor time management and absenteeism”.They have taken the company to the Labour Court and Ndjoonduezu’s case was recently postponed to October 25.!Gaeb is still awaiting judgement after TransNamib approached the court to set aside a N$468 200 order that he had obtained against them.Judge Elton Hoff reserved judgement in July after the legal teams of !Gaeb and TransNamib presented their cases.!Gaeb obtained a Labour Court order against TransNamib in May but the company filed an urgent application on May 19 to stay the order until their appeal is heard.TransNamib wants to stop an order that will keep !Gaeb on the company’s medical aid scheme for the next four years and pay him full pension benefits.In June, TransNamib offered to reinstate Mbai after he was allegedly dismissed without a hearing in January and his appeal was rejected by the company.Now the parastatal is talking of re-employing him.Magistrate Uaatjo Uanivi gave the two sides an unspecified time to work on a possible out-of-court settlement but so far the two sides have failed to reach an agreement.Mbai’s lawyer, Clive Kavendjii, told The Namibian earlier that Mbai was not interested in reinstatement because the relationship between him and the company had deteriorated beyond repair.