NTA suspends manager amid governance fallout

Namibia Training Authority (NTA) senior manager Gad Kangueehi has been suspended and now faces disciplinary action, which he claims stems from his attempts to raise concerns over what he describes as unlawful financial decisions, procurement irregularities and governance failures at the institution. NTA insists the two matters are unrelated.

Kangueehi, NTA’s manager for capital projects, was suspended on 6 May 2026 on allegations of insubordination and gross dereliction of duty linked to the Khorixas Vocational Training Centre learners’ accommodation project.

At the centre of the dispute are claims that NTA approved and spent public funds while operating without a board, despite the Vocational Education and Training Act allegedly vesting expenditure approval powers exclusively in the board.

Kangueehi claims he repeatedly warned management about procurement and governance irregularities surrounding the Khorixas VTC project, including the reduction of the originally approved project budget from about N$28 million to N$19.9 million without a corresponding board resolution.

“The initial Board-approved amount of approximately N$28 million for the construction of learners’ accommodation was later reduced to approximately N$19.9 million, without a corresponding Board resolution confirming that reduction. Consequently, the project could not be completed as originally envisioned,” he said.

According to Kangueehi, the project later required an additional N$8 million to complete — a figure he says would have triggered further approvals under the Public Procurement Act and required clearance from the Central Procurement Board of Namibia.

He further alleged that suppliers were appointed outside normal technical recommendation processes, budgets were split to avoid procurement thresholds, consultants were handpicked and project funds were transferred to the education ministry outside normal audit oversight.

“When these concerns are raised, the individuals raising them are often sidelined, victimised, or subjected to disciplinary action,” Kangueehi said, adding that he has endured a hostile working environment for seven years.

He said some of his grievances remain pending internally, while others are already before the Labour Court.

A budget submission dated 25 February 2026, signed by NTA chief executive Erick Fundula Nenghwanya and approved by executive director Erastus Haitengela, proposes N$944 million in expenditure for the 2026/27 financial year.

Separate processes

NTA, however, insists the grievance and disciplinary matters are separate processes handled independently under its human resources policies.

The authority said Kangueehi’s alleged lack of cooperation delayed the grievance process and described his suspension as a precautionary measure intended to protect the integrity of the investigation.

“The fact that an employee has initiated a grievance does not absolve that employee from disciplinary action where allegations of misconduct arise independently,” the institution said.

NTA further rejected claims that the disciplinary process was unfair or predetermined, saying Kangueehi would be afforded an opportunity to prepare for any disciplinary hearing.

The disciplinary hearing scheduled for 24 April did not proceed after the Public Service Union of Namibia requested 16 categories of documents, including board resolutions, witness statements, procurement records and the full Khorixas investigation report.

Kangueehi’s lawyers, Metlaw Attorneys & Notaries, argue that the disciplinary process amounts to an attempt to silence a whistleblower.

Lawyer Richard Metcalfe said no disciplinary hearing should proceed without Labour Court intervention.

“It is obvious that a kangaroo disciplinary hearing has been contrived to get rid of our client,” Metcalfe said.

Settlement controversy

Metcalfe further alleged that Nenghwanya personally approached Kangueehi’s former legal representatives before the suspension in an effort to negotiate his exit from NTA.

“Before our client’s suspension, you, as CEO, took our client’s previous legal representative to dinner, where you proposed various offers to settle this matter on the basis that our client would relinquish employment at NTA,” Metcalfe alleged.

Kangueehi said his former legal representatives later informed him about a meeting with Nenghwanya at the Country Club on 23 April 2026 — one day before the scheduled disciplinary hearing.

According to Kangueehi, the CEO suggested that a medical separation or special leave arrangement might be the most practical option following his recent lower back surgery in Cape Town.

“Given my physical condition and the fact that I had recently undergone lower back surgery in Cape Town, the CEO suggested that a medical separation or special medical leave might be the most practical option,” Kangueehi said.

He added that he terminated the mandate of his previous legal representatives on 3 May 2026 and appointed Metlaw Attorneys instead.

NTA disputes that Nenghwanya initiated the settlement discussions, saying it was Kangueehi’s former lawyer who approached the CEO requesting a meeting to discuss possible settlement options.

According to NTA, settlement discussions are common in labour disputes and no commitment was made by the CEO during the engagement.

The authority further stated that no formal settlement proposal has been submitted.