Tshitayi alleges interference with laptop to ‘hide evidence’

A forensic audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has uncovered alleged security lapses at the Northern Regional Electricity Distributor (Nored) around the handling of a laptop during the suspension of former chief financial officer Ndapandula Tshitayi.According to a confidential draft forensic report dated 17 September, the HP ProBook 450 G6 was left in Tshitayi’s office during her suspension, where several people reportedly had access.Investigators established that the laptop had not been handed over to the IT department when Tshitayi was suspended but had reportedly remained in her office.The auditors noted that the laptop had subsequently been found to have become faulty, displaying a “Boot Device Not Found” error message.PwC found that Nored could not provide access records, CCTV footage or an asset register to help investigators establish what happened to the device.“We requested ICT logs to assess who last accessed the laptop of the CFO, but the IT department could not provide such logs,” the report states.CCTV footage that could have shown who entered Tshitayi’s office was unavailable, while the absence of an asset register prevented investigators from confirming whether the returned laptop was the same device originally issued to her.Nored also could not provide formal handover documents confirming the return of the laptop and an iPad.“There was a lack of access control to the office of the CFO during her suspension,” the PwC report stated, adding that the “assets not adequately safeguarded”.Tshitayi yesterday alleged that the laptop's hard drive had been removed to conceal evidence. PwC did not establish whether the device had been tampered with, or whether the hard drive had been removed.“I know what they did, they removed the hard drive to hide evidence,” she told Namibian Sun on Thursday.However, PwC made no finding of tampering and could not establish who last accessed the laptop or what caused the device to stop working.Day of suspensionThe PwC investigation followed allegations raised by Nored executive manager for engineering services, Kudumo Siremo, in a memorandum submitted to the company's board on 8 October 2025.According to the report, Siremo, who was acting chief executive officer at the time, authorised human resources executive Mirjam Kondjeni to allow Tshitayi to collect her personal belongings, including information stored on her laptop.He claimed that Nored executive Toivo Shovaleka subsequently instructed Kondjeni not to proceed with the arrangement.PwC found insufficient evidence to substantiate or refute the allegation that Shovaleka had interfered.The report also refers to a memorandum by Nored acting manager for ICT and security Kristina Shihepo, detailing the collection of Tshitayi’s belongings and the return of her company-issued laptop and iPad.Tshitayi told Namibian Sun on Thursday that she had been ordered to leave Nored's premises within 30 minutes of her suspension, forcing her to leave the laptop behind.“They did not allow me to go inside to have access to the laptop,” she claimed.PwC recommended that Nored management consult its legal representatives and consider holding officials accountable for poor documentation practices, which had prevented them from determining what happened to the laptop.Nored spokesperson Simon Lukas declined to comment on Wednesday.“As a matter of principle, we don’t discuss employment matters involving former employees with the media, nor do we disclose confidential employment-related information,” Lukas said.

Tshitayi alleges interference with laptop to ‘hide evidence’

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Namibian Sun 2026-11-06

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Tshitayi alleges interference with laptop to ‘hide evidence’

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Namibian Sun 2026-11-06

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