Two remain on Govt payroll two years after leaving Ministry

WINDHOEK – The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry is allegedly paying full salaries and benefits to people who resigned over two years ago.

Sources within the Ministry told Nampa this week that at least two former employees of the Ministry’s Forestry Directorate are still on the Government payroll although they left the public service two years ago to pursue studies at the University of Namibia. The two, Kavango-based Forest Ranger Mariam Kahorongo and Victorina Amwaama, who was based at Ongwediva, are allegedly still receiving a monthly salary – collectively amounting to N$100 000 a year.Officials of the Forestry Directorate at Rundu and Ongwediva confirmed that the two people had indeed resigned but still received a monthly salary.”Kahorongo left us a long time ago, but we are still receiving her payslips.We just keep them in the office here,” an official at Rundu said.The Director of Forestry, Joseph Hailwa, confirmed that such cases might be happening in the Forestry Directorate because of the chaos caused by the transfer of the directorate from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to the Agriculture Ministry.”It is not a strange matter that these people are receiving salaries from Government.Sometimes the notice to the Ministry of Finance takes some time to reach it and that could account for the delay,” said Hailwa.He said the Directorate of Forestry was informed only towards the end of last year that Amwaama had left.Kahorongo was apparently on study leave until early this year when she was informed that she would have to resign because Government would no longer extend her study leave.”We wrote a letter to the personnel office to facilitate the stoppage of Amwaama’s salary.But it took some time for it to be stopped in the end,” Hailwa said.He was, however, quick to point out that all these problems could be attributed to “a bit of abnormality” experienced throughout the Directorate of Forestry after it was moved from the Environment and Tourism Ministry to Agriculture, Water and Forestry.”We had a bit of an abnormality between April 2005 and January this year, especially in the personnel department, because of the move to shift us to another ministry.”Even the Office of the Prime Minister can confirm that when the structure of forestry was abolished from the MET, it was not immediately approved for the Ministry of Agriculture.It is during this transitional phase that we started experiencing problems, especially with regard to the handling of administrative matters,” Hailwa said.He could not say whether the “abnormality” was continuing.”It is a cumbersome process to move from one ministry to another because it has to come through the Office of the Prime Minister.Yes, there might be some problems but nobody is to blame – only the transitional period,” he maintained.- NampaThe two, Kavango-based Forest Ranger Mariam Kahorongo and Victorina Amwaama, who was based at Ongwediva, are allegedly still receiving a monthly salary – collectively amounting to N$100 000 a year.Officials of the Forestry Directorate at Rundu and Ongwediva confirmed that the two people had indeed resigned but still received a monthly salary.”Kahorongo left us a long time ago, but we are still receiving her payslips.We just keep them in the office here,” an official at Rundu said.The Director of Forestry, Joseph Hailwa, confirmed that such cases might be happening in the Forestry Directorate because of the chaos caused by the transfer of the directorate from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to the Agriculture Ministry.”It is not a strange matter that these people are receiving salaries from Government.Sometimes the notice to the Ministry of Finance takes some time to reach it and that could account for the delay,” said Hailwa.He said the Directorate of Forestry was informed only towards the end of last year that Amwaama had left.Kahorongo was apparently on study leave until early this year when she was informed that she would have to resign because Government would no longer extend her study leave.”We wrote a letter to the personnel office to facilitate the stoppage of Amwaama’s salary.But it took some time for it to be stopped in the end,” Hailwa said.He was, however, quick to point out that all these problems could be attributed to “a bit of abnormality” experienced throughout the Directorate of Forestry after it was moved from the Environment and Tourism Ministry to Agriculture, Water and Forestry.”We had a bit of an abnormality between April 2005 and January this year, especially in the personnel department, because of the move to shift us to another ministry.”Even the Office of the Prime Minister can confirm that when the structure of forestry was abolished from the MET, it was not immediately approved for the Ministry of Agriculture.It is during this transitional phase that we started experiencing problems, especially with regard to the handling of administrative matters,” Hailwa said.He could not say whether the “abnormality” was continuing.”It is a cumbersome process to move from one ministry to another because it has to come through the Office of the Prime Minister.Yes, there might be some problems but nobody is to blame – only the transitional period,” he maintained.- Nampa