VTC corruption cases drag on

THE Public Service Commission has yet to pronounce itself on the outcome of disciplinary hearings against the heads of the Rundu and Zambezi Vocational Training Centres.

Felix Mukasa from the RVTC in the Kavango Region and Simon Mubiana from the Caprivi Region, were charged with corruption and the findings were forwarded to the Public Service Commission (PSC) for endorsement. Sebedeus !Naruseb, Deputy Director of Human Resources in the Ministry of Education, said they were charged in August after an internal investigation and the hearing was conducted in October.The chairperson of the disciplinary hearings submitted the findings to Permanent Secretary Vitalis Anakama, who forwarded the documents to the PSC for further action.Some staff members at the two centres have expressed concern about how long the process is taking and that the two might return to work when the centres reopen next month.”Is this not also corruption? Not dealing with issues timely and efficiently?” one asked.!Naruseb said the Ministry had acted at a reasonable speed and that the outcome would be known soon.The two were also charged in criminal court and are out on bail of N$10 000 each.It is alleged that since 2004 the two were involved in ordering items for their centres from non-existent companies and pocketing the money made available by the Ministry of Education.”For example, in one instance they ordered wood for the Joinery and Cabinet Making Trade (one of the courses offered).They ordered this wood from a non-existing company, took the money when it came and shared it between the two of them,” a source claimed to The Namibian earlier.Police apparently started investigating the case in June.They were suspended without pay but objected to it and the Ministry resumed paying their salaries while on suspension.Sebedeus !Naruseb, Deputy Director of Human Resources in the Ministry of Education, said they were charged in August after an internal investigation and the hearing was conducted in October.The chairperson of the disciplinary hearings submitted the findings to Permanent Secretary Vitalis Anakama, who forwarded the documents to the PSC for further action.Some staff members at the two centres have expressed concern about how long the process is taking and that the two might return to work when the centres reopen next month.”Is this not also corruption? Not dealing with issues timely and efficiently?” one asked.!Naruseb said the Ministry had acted at a reasonable speed and that the outcome would be known soon.The two were also charged in criminal court and are out on bail of N$10 000 each.It is alleged that since 2004 the two were involved in ordering items for their centres from non-existent companies and pocketing the money made available by the Ministry of Education.”For example, in one instance they ordered wood for the Joinery and Cabinet Making Trade (one of the courses offered).They ordered this wood from a non-existing company, took the money when it came and shared it between the two of them,” a source claimed to The Namibian earlier.Police apparently started investigating the case in June.They were suspended without pay but objected to it and the Ministry resumed paying their salaries while on suspension.