Noa invites Nust whistleblowers to testify under oath
'We cannot be used by people by those with issues against Nust'
ACC boss Paulus Noa says anonymous leaks will not trigger an investigation into explosive corruption claims at Nust unless whistleblowers must come out in the open.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director-general Paulus Noa has asked whistleblowers who circulated a damning dossier against Nust vice-chancellor Erold Naomab and senior officials to present sworn statements if their claims are genuine.
Speaking to Namibian Sun yesterday, Noa dismissed reliance on unsigned documents and social media leaks, stressing that the commission could not act on anonymous allegations.
“Those people, if they have issues with Nust, then they must come out openly and present statements. They should not hide behind it,” he said.
Noa added, “They will not be bothered until they come out in the open, and then they give statements. If they don’t have a justice matter but are damaging others’ reputations, then we have no business with that. We cannot be used by people who have personal issues with people in certain positions.”
Allegations of “systematic looting”
The whistleblowers’ letter, addressed to Noa and copied to several Cabinet ministers and senior officials, paints a picture of what they call the “catastrophic fall of Nust” under Naomab’s watch.
They accuse the vice-chancellor and his allies of nepotism, abuse of power, and “brazen looting of public resources for personal gain”.
According to the document, the allegations date back to 2023 when multiple complaints were submitted to the ACC, the then higher education minister, Itah Kandjii-Murangi, and the university council.
The whistleblowers allege that failure to act at the time allowed “unchecked corruption” to fester.
They claim Naomab misused university funds to create a separate budget line for the chancellor’s office, funded questionable overseas trips, and sought inflated increases to his credit card limits without proper accountability.
Procurement and financial irregularities
Central to the dossier are allegations of large-scale procurement abuses.
The whistleblowers accuse Naomab, along with senior officials including special adviser Klemens /Awarab, chief operations officer Browny Mutrifa, head of maintenance and infrastructure Frank Puriza, and executive director Anna Matros-Goreses, of manipulating procurement processes to favour certain service providers.
One cited example is the purchase of a second-hand bus for more than N$5 million despite a procurement submission allegedly being for a N$3 million standard bus.
Another is the allocation of N$30 million to Puriza’s department for “rebranding”, a function outside his mandate.
They further allege that Matros-Goreses pushed to bypass procurement procedures to award a N$35 million Social Innovation Hub contract to a preferred architecture firm linked to her circle.
Questioned reappointment
The whistleblowers also argue that Naomab is manoeuvring to secure reappointment when his contract expires in December 2025.
They accuse him of commissioning a legal opinion from a firm that previously defended his appointment in 2020, paid for with university funds, as part of a bid to “cling to power”.
They allege that Chancellor Prof Peter Katjavivi, who has held the largely ceremonial position since 2015, is complicit in lobbying for Naomab’s extension while benefiting from what they describe as an “unprecedented” N$1 million budget allocation for his office.
Broader governance concerns
The letter accuses past and interim councils of dereliction of duty by ignoring mounting red flags, while implicating senior politicians, including former higher education minister Kandjii-Murangi, in shielding Naomab from scrutiny.
It further warns that unless urgent action is taken, “Nust’s integrity and legacy will be destroyed beyond repair”.
In response to queries, Nust spokesperson Cindy van Wyk confirmed that the university was aware of the whistleblowers' document.
“We encourage our community to make use of the university’s formal channels to raise complaints or concerns,” she said. “Nust is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, and we therefore remain open to formal engagement on pertinent matters such as this one.”
Speaking to Namibian Sun yesterday, Noa dismissed reliance on unsigned documents and social media leaks, stressing that the commission could not act on anonymous allegations.
“Those people, if they have issues with Nust, then they must come out openly and present statements. They should not hide behind it,” he said.
Noa added, “They will not be bothered until they come out in the open, and then they give statements. If they don’t have a justice matter but are damaging others’ reputations, then we have no business with that. We cannot be used by people who have personal issues with people in certain positions.”
Allegations of “systematic looting”
The whistleblowers’ letter, addressed to Noa and copied to several Cabinet ministers and senior officials, paints a picture of what they call the “catastrophic fall of Nust” under Naomab’s watch.
They accuse the vice-chancellor and his allies of nepotism, abuse of power, and “brazen looting of public resources for personal gain”.
According to the document, the allegations date back to 2023 when multiple complaints were submitted to the ACC, the then higher education minister, Itah Kandjii-Murangi, and the university council.
The whistleblowers allege that failure to act at the time allowed “unchecked corruption” to fester.
They claim Naomab misused university funds to create a separate budget line for the chancellor’s office, funded questionable overseas trips, and sought inflated increases to his credit card limits without proper accountability.
Procurement and financial irregularities
Central to the dossier are allegations of large-scale procurement abuses.
The whistleblowers accuse Naomab, along with senior officials including special adviser Klemens /Awarab, chief operations officer Browny Mutrifa, head of maintenance and infrastructure Frank Puriza, and executive director Anna Matros-Goreses, of manipulating procurement processes to favour certain service providers.
One cited example is the purchase of a second-hand bus for more than N$5 million despite a procurement submission allegedly being for a N$3 million standard bus.
Another is the allocation of N$30 million to Puriza’s department for “rebranding”, a function outside his mandate.
They further allege that Matros-Goreses pushed to bypass procurement procedures to award a N$35 million Social Innovation Hub contract to a preferred architecture firm linked to her circle.
Questioned reappointment
The whistleblowers also argue that Naomab is manoeuvring to secure reappointment when his contract expires in December 2025.
They accuse him of commissioning a legal opinion from a firm that previously defended his appointment in 2020, paid for with university funds, as part of a bid to “cling to power”.
They allege that Chancellor Prof Peter Katjavivi, who has held the largely ceremonial position since 2015, is complicit in lobbying for Naomab’s extension while benefiting from what they describe as an “unprecedented” N$1 million budget allocation for his office.
Broader governance concerns
The letter accuses past and interim councils of dereliction of duty by ignoring mounting red flags, while implicating senior politicians, including former higher education minister Kandjii-Murangi, in shielding Naomab from scrutiny.
It further warns that unless urgent action is taken, “Nust’s integrity and legacy will be destroyed beyond repair”.
In response to queries, Nust spokesperson Cindy van Wyk confirmed that the university was aware of the whistleblowers' document.
“We encourage our community to make use of the university’s formal channels to raise complaints or concerns,” she said. “Nust is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, and we therefore remain open to formal engagement on pertinent matters such as this one.”
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