NSC can of worms

Five Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) commissioners are backing the character and work ethic of veteran sports administrator, Jesse Schickerling, who recently resigned due to unhappiness.

Commissioners Erica Beukes, Adelheid Jacobs, Monica Shapwa, Benjamin Rebang, and Peter Wilson have written a lengthy letter in which they shared Schickerling's sentiments and refuted claims made by NSC chairperson Joel Mateus regarding his conduct.

“We distance ourselves from the allegations by the chairperson and want to state categorically clear that we fully understand and associate with the frustrations expressed by Schickerling in his letter of resignation.”

Schickerling said his decision to quit the NSC is a result of continuous frustration and lack of proper work ethics by his fellow commissioners as well as NSC chief administrator Freddy Mwiya, whom Schickerling said makes decisions that are beyond his designated powers.

In his resignation letter he added that Mwiya's salary package was not agreed upon by the rest of the commissioners and that he continues to run the NSC as he sees fit.

Schikerling said the NSC has become a vehicle that usurps a vast amount of funding that is supposed to benefit athletes.

“The overheads of the NSC, in my respectful view, simply continue to grow exponentially, whilst the value added to sport is not commensurate with the costs of the NSC.”

Mateus responded to Schickerling's statements regarding Mwiya's salary in a New Era article last Friday.

“As an outgoing commissioner, Schickerling knows that the NSC is recognised and categorised as a public enterprise, and the Act that governs public enterprises is very clear on the remuneration of CEOs and so forth, and with Mwiya, we simply followed the new Act, as the NSC was previously not regarded as a public enterprise by government.

“So, the matter is that straightforward; I don't understand what the fuss is all about,” he was quoted as saying.

In the same article, a source also claimed that Schickerling hardly attended meetings, has a personal vendetta against Mwiya and that his resignation is a blessing in disguise.



Sticking together

“Our experience of Schickerling is certainly not what is portrayed by the chairperson and those who do not have the courage of their conviction to identify themselves.

“We entirely disagree with the unfounded statements made in that article of and concerning commissioner Schickerling.

“What is stated of and concerning him is not our experience of him. Our experience of Schickerling is that he is dedicated and principled.

“His track record speaks for itself. Ask the sport bodies and in particular the athletes for whom he acted a chef de mission.

“To state that Schickerling's resignation is a 'blessing in disguise' is a crying shame,” the five commissioners wrote in their rebuttal.

More from the letter

The commissioners shared Schickerling's sentiments and said that Mwiya's remuneration package was never approved.

“We have repeatedly made this clear to the chairperson of the board. The chairman on his own signed an agreement determining Mwiya's remuneration package without discussing or getting approval from the other commissioners.

“We, together with Schickerling, have questioned this action throughout, since it became known to us.

“The commission did not approve the remuneration package of Mwiya and we do not accept it as valid.

“We agree with the sentiments expressed by Schickerling.”

The letter also states that Schickerling was never opposed to Mwiya's appointment.

“Schickerling's objection was that an earlier decision by the commission to recommend another person for appointment could not be revisited and overruled by the commissioner who already decided the issue.

“To say that Schickerling was the only commissioner who was opposed to the appointment of Mwiya is not correct.

“It seems to us that the chairperson is attempting to use the media to justify his own unauthorised actions,” the letter said.

“Thirdly, to accuse Schickerling of attending only two board meetings is also misleading. Schickerling has always made it plain that he cannot, given his professional work schedule, attend meetings on short notice and within working hours.

“The commission is unfortunately plagued by late and short notices of meetings. Board packs are not distributed in advance. We have continuously complained about the standard of minutes and recordkeeping.

We fully understand Schickerling's frustration.” Fourthly, the commissioners also stated that they have continuously raised concerns about the Mwiya's regular absence from office and the manner in which he conducts himself.

“He refers to himself as CEO, whereas he is not. He is the chief administrator. Himself and the chief accountant must manage the office staff and execute the instructions of the commission.

“Between himself and the chairperson they conduct themselves as if they and they alone are the commission,” the disgruntled commissioners said.

“In addition they also stated that the overhead costs of the commission has become such that funding destined for national sport bodies and national umbrella bodies are slurped up.

“We invite the sport codes to respond and to provide details of when last they received funds for development and international participation. Generally they receive a meagre amount for administration.”

The five commissioners also vented frustration over the fact that despite lengthy correspondence and objections from them, staff NSC members decided to go ahead and attend the ongoing African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region Five Under-20 Youth Games in Gaborone, Botswana.

LIMBA MUPETAMI