Minister hand-picks Meatco board

Agriculture minister John Mutorwa yesterday announced the new Meatco board members, all of whom were appointed by him and none nominated by the company.This follows an allegedly illegal meeting by Meatco members on 12 August last year where new board members were nominated. These nominations were considered invalid.“The law is now punishing those members who went ahead with the meeting in August 2016 after it was postponed,” Mutorwa said yesterday.“If they were wise, they would not have responded emotionally and continued, in a challenging manner, with the meeting. The meeting was illegal without the presence of a chairperson and thus, I cannot accept their nominations.”He added that by 4 January, he had not received valid nominations from the members for the new board and because the former board's term had expired, he appointed a board according to the company's regulations, section 5(4).Meatco CEO Vekuii Rukoro did not want to comment on the procedures followed by the minister but did say that Mutorwa probably was correct in saying that the 12 August meeting was illegal. He did not want to comment on whether the Meatco executive would recognise the new board members.The new members are Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun, Ronald Kubas, Ismael Ngangane, Sophia Kasheeta, Fanie Oosthuizen and Mushokobanji Mwilima. The new chair and deputy chair will be elected on Monday.Mutorwa says he consulted legal counsel and was advised that if there was no board and no chairperson, and if no nominations had been received, he could appoint a board.“I trust the advice fully,” Mutorwa said.The 12 August meeting was postponed at very short notice and no new date was set for a meeting where members could make their nominations. It is the ministry that should set such a date.Producers were enraged yesterday and said their right to nominate candidates of their choice had been taken away from them because no new date was set for the meeting. “The only conclusion we can infer is that this was done purposefully. We were told 45 minutes prior to the start of the meeting that it was cancelled and that after many of us had travelled far to Windhoek,” one farmer said.“We were never given a reason as to why the meeting was cancelled. If the minister and the chairperson say the 12 August meeting was illegal, why not set a new date?” he asked.Mutorwa had extended the board's term for three months from October last year. In January he appointed six temporary members. He was advised to appoint a permanent board in February. ELVIRA HATTINGH

Minister hand-picks Meatco board

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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Minister hand-picks Meatco board

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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