Mutorwa reinstates Gawanas-Vugs
Transport minister John Mutorwa has reversed his decision to fire Beverly Gawanas-Vugs from the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) board.
Mutorwa fired the entire NAC board last week, but Gawanas-Vugs approached lawyer Sisa Namandje to challenge her removal.
She was the acting board chairperson at the time of her removal.
Defending his decision to remove Gawanas-Vugs last week, Mutorwa said: “I just removed her. I have my reasons to remove her. After extensive consultations, my ultimate decision was to remove her.”
However, yesterday Mutorwa said: “I concede that some provisions of the Companies Act might not or could not have been scrupulously and fully adhered to, neither appropriately considered, during the process of taking the decision to remove Gawanas-Vugs as a member of the NAC board of directors.
“Consequently, she is hereby reinstated as an ordinary board member of the NAC, with immediate effect.”
Last week, Mutorwa announced changes to the NAC board, naming Leake Hangala as the board chair while Irene Visser replaced Gawanas-Vugs.
Gawanas-Vugs had been acting as board chairperson following the resignation of Rodgers Kauta two months ago. Her term was only due to expire in July next year.
Her lawyer, Sisa Namandje, confirmed that he was preparing an urgent court application in a bid to reverse Gawanas-Vugs's removal from the board.
In a letter to Mutorwa on Friday, Namandje wrote that the Airports Company Act did not give the minister the right to remove directors and demanded that his client be reinstated by close of business on Friday.
“We have advised our client that quite apart from the fact that our client was not given reasonable and fair notice of her removal and was further not given a fair and reasonable opportunity to make representation as to why she cannot be removed as board member, the minister did not follow any statutory processes in terms of the Companies Act of 2004,” he wrote.
OGONE TLHAGE
Mutorwa fired the entire NAC board last week, but Gawanas-Vugs approached lawyer Sisa Namandje to challenge her removal.
She was the acting board chairperson at the time of her removal.
Defending his decision to remove Gawanas-Vugs last week, Mutorwa said: “I just removed her. I have my reasons to remove her. After extensive consultations, my ultimate decision was to remove her.”
However, yesterday Mutorwa said: “I concede that some provisions of the Companies Act might not or could not have been scrupulously and fully adhered to, neither appropriately considered, during the process of taking the decision to remove Gawanas-Vugs as a member of the NAC board of directors.
“Consequently, she is hereby reinstated as an ordinary board member of the NAC, with immediate effect.”
Last week, Mutorwa announced changes to the NAC board, naming Leake Hangala as the board chair while Irene Visser replaced Gawanas-Vugs.
Gawanas-Vugs had been acting as board chairperson following the resignation of Rodgers Kauta two months ago. Her term was only due to expire in July next year.
Her lawyer, Sisa Namandje, confirmed that he was preparing an urgent court application in a bid to reverse Gawanas-Vugs's removal from the board.
In a letter to Mutorwa on Friday, Namandje wrote that the Airports Company Act did not give the minister the right to remove directors and demanded that his client be reinstated by close of business on Friday.
“We have advised our client that quite apart from the fact that our client was not given reasonable and fair notice of her removal and was further not given a fair and reasonable opportunity to make representation as to why she cannot be removed as board member, the minister did not follow any statutory processes in terms of the Companies Act of 2004,” he wrote.
OGONE TLHAGE
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