The National Youth Council (NYC) board yesterday reinstated Calista Schwartz-Gowases as its director after 10 months of paid suspension.
Schwartz-Gowases yesterday confirmed she is back in office following instructions from the NYC board and minister of sport, youth and national service Agnes Tjongarero.
“I am back. I don’t have any other comment other than what is in the media release issued by the NYC,” she said.
NYC interim board chairperson Beverly Silas-Garas in the statement said Schwartz-Gowases was requested to return to her position as director yesterday in compliance with Tjongarero’s directive issued on Friday.
“Her so-called suspension was glaringly unprocedural and can at best be described as a leave of absence,” Silas-Garas said.
Silas-Garas yesterday pointed to internal conflicts between a former executive chairperson and Schwartz-Gowases between 2021 and 2023 as a major factor in governance failures.
Silas-Garas accused the previous NYC board of misalignment and mismanagement, including failing to submit audited financial statements since 2021 despite receiving N$129.6 million in budgetary allocations.
Further allegations include illegal payments, financial mismanagement at the NYC’s investment arm, Bridgehead Group Holdings, and the unlawful procurement of legal services.
“Such corporate malfeasance as set out above provided the basis upon which the minister of sport, youth and national service removed the former NYC board and appointed an interim NYC board for a period of six months on 20 December 2024, with the expectation that the interim NYC board will oversee the transition and facilitation of corporate governance, rectify corporate malfeasance and implement a fully functional governance structure at the NYC in the interests of Namibia’s most precious [resources] – our youth,” Silas-Garas said.
Schwartz-Gowases was suspended in March last year following allegations of misconduct, mismanagement and corruption, as per a report seen by The Namibian.
An investigative report, dated 8 March 2024, was provided to Tjongarero and minister of finance and public enterprises Iipumbu Shiimi, detailing governance failures, corruption, and the systematic weakening of the NYC’s operational structures.
Many of its findings blamed Schwartz-Gowases, who was suspended shortly after this.
SHIIMI’S INVOLVEMENT
The Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises last week denied any involvement in the ongoing administrative dispute at the NYC.
The ministry said non-commercial public enterprises, such as the NYC, fall under the direct jurisdiction of their respective line ministries.
In this case the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service, and the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises had no influence in the matter, the finance ministry said.
However, in a letter dated 28 March 2024, Shiimi, based on the report by the independent investigation committee, granted the board approval to suspend the Schwartz-Gowases.
“This permission is given in line with directive 3/2016 issued by the Ministry of [Finance and] Public Enterprises on 10 February 2016. I have consulted the honourable Agnes Tjongarero . . . in this regard,” Shiimi wrote at the time.
‘NOT SURPRISED’
Popular Democratic Movement parliamentarian Maximalliant Katjimune says he is not surprised about the NYC saga “as the NYC is a mess”.
He says the NYC should be merged with the National Youth Service (NYS) as per a motion he has tabled in the National Assembly.
“The NYC has no capacity whatsoever to manage its affairs, and that is why it’s in such a mess. It’s a duplicate body that performs the same functions as the NYS and its existence as a statutory body is counterproductive,” Katjimune says.
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