NWR dismisses allegations

Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) has dismissed allegations made in a weekly newspaper saying they are devoid of the truth.According to NWR's spokesperson Mufaro Nesongano, a recent article purported that NWR board chairman, Ambassador Leonard Iipumbu, was unaware of a proposal to pay out the leave days of NWR managing director Zelna Hengari.Nesongano said the facts are that Hengari worked at NWR for close to a decade as the company secretary. When she was appointed as managing director in 2014, she had to resign from her previous position as a company secretary and sign a new five-year performance-based contract with the board as managing director.This applies to all affected staff members whose contract of employment comes to an end.The board, therefore, and in accordance with legal advice received, paid her outstanding leave days which accrued and were due to her in terms of her old permanent employment contract as company secretary.“In any case, it would not have been sound corporate governance for the new board to appoint someone as a substantive managing director and then send her on extended leave as a result of days accrued in her previous role as company secretary.”Nesongano said the current NWR Board has provided decisive and professional leadership to NWR thus far.For instance, the board has, upon assumption of office appointed a substantive managing director with whom the board continues to have an excellent professional relationship, mutual trust and support. She, in turn, has strengthened her management team considerably.He added that it had brought the company in compliance concerning statutory requirements such as annual financial statements that at that stage, were in backlog. Furthermore it concluded long-delayed joint venture agreements to set the company on a path towards financial sustainability. He added that the suggestion that its partner, Sun Karros, is such because of political connections or purported links with the tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta, is devoid of truth. Nesongano said NWR has many partners as shareholders that do not have any political connections. NWR only insists on BEE partnerships as a requirement because it has to, and complies with, the requirements of the Public Procurement Act, and not political affiliation.He said the partnership between Sun Karros and NWR precedes the tenure of Shifeta. “In fact it was during the tenure of previous tourism ministers and Dr Malan Lindeque as the permanent secretary and an NWR board member by virtue of his position when the NWR Turnaround Strategy was submitted to Cabinet for consideration and resulted in the Cabinet decision that affirmed NWR's need and right to partner with the private sector.” Nesongano said Sun Karros has been a trusted partner of NWR since 2006. Daan Viljoen and Windpomp 14 at Mile 14 stand as testimonies to their capacity to deliver time-tested services and products. ELLANIE SMIT

NWR dismisses allegations

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

Please login to leave a comment

NWR dismisses allegations

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

Please login to leave a comment

Login