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A BOARDROOM fight between Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (Nipam) executive director Maria Nangolo and secretary to Cabinet George Simataa has taken a new twist.

This involves allegations about tenders, illegalities and interference.

Nangolo’s allegations come at a time when the Nipam council is allegedly trying to push her out of the parastatal.

Documents seen by The Namibian show that Nangolo accused Simataa – Nipam’s council chairperson – of interfering in tenders and management of the state institution that was created to improve the public service.

“The governing council is my appointing authority and that purging is highly likely,” she said last week in a communication sent to government leaders.

The letter was addressed to the legal support and compliance director at the Procurement Policy Unit in the Ministry of Finance, Phineas Nsundano.

Prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and minister of finance Iipumbu Shiimi were copied in on the corres­pondence.

Simataa has in turn accused Nangolo of irregularities, such as around the appointment of an acting executive director, while she was away on leave.

Simataa and Nangolo declined to comment yesterday, but The Namibian has obtained documents providing a glimpse of the ongoing fight between the two.

THE AUDIT TENDER

The latest fallout between Simataa and Nangolo is linked to an audit tender that was advertised by Nipam in September.

“I currently find myself in a position where I am receiving instructions from the chairperson of the governing council of Nipam on how to conduct procurement,” Nangolo said in a letter dated 10 November.

According to Nangolo, she went on sick leave from 26 October to 4 November and appointed Nespect Salom to act as Nipam’s executive director.

But Simataa revoked that decision and instead appointed Nipam’s director of finance and administration, Mino Gariseb.

Gariseb was on probation at the time.

Simataa believes Salom did not qualify for the position and said he was not informed of the decision.

Nangolo rejected these claims.

She said Simataa pressured her to approve the Nipam auditors’ tender.

“On the first day of my sick leave, I received an email from the chairperson of the governing council [Simataa], instructing me to procure auditors using the emergency procurement option,” Nangolo told the finance ministry.

Two companies were shortlisted for the audit tender, namely Ernst and Young Namibia, which submitted a N$1,3 million bid, while PKF Financial Consulting submitted an N$828 000 bid.

Ernst and Young Namibia is allegedly the favourite to land this contract.

Simataa, according to Nangolo, reminded her on 8 November to make sure an auditor is appointed by 16 November.

“The challenge I have is that the chairperson wants to add new terms of reference to the scope of work to be done by internal auditors,” she said, adding that this was contrary to national procurement laws.

Any additional terms of reference should have been advertised with target first terms of reference when the tender was advertised, she said.

Gariseb joined Nipam as director of finance and administration this year, replacing Beatus Amadhila, who is now the chief executive officer of PowerCom, a subsidiary of Telecom Namibia.

Sources say Nangolo was against confirming Gariseb’s appointment beyond his probation as finance and administration director at Nipam.

Nangolo in her letter said that Gariseb approved eight tenders worth N$1,4 million while he was acting as executive director.

“The chairperson states that all the decisions taken by Gariseb are valid and will remain valid until withdrawn or varied by the governing council”.

She added that “I am also doubting the fairness, transparency and integrity of the procurement process from inception to date. I am not comfortable awarding the procurement contract”.

Simataa wrote an email to Nangolo about the implementation of urgent council decisions, including the procurement of auditors using the emergency route.

The other decision Simataa reminded Nangolo to urgently implement was the reinstatement of Sankwasa Mubita, who worked at Nipam’s strategy, organisational performance and business processes.

He was fired after a disciplinary hearing.

Simataa is considered as one of the most powerful technocrats in the government.

He was Nipam’s boss when the parastatal evicted its former boss, Joseph Diescho, from his office in 2015.

Diescho, who earned N$150 000 per month, blamed Simataa for his exit from Nipam.

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

People familiar with Nangolo’s contract said the Nipam council is supposed to inform her by next month whether they would renew her contract.

The board is currently allegedly trying to find a loophole by rechecking Nangolo’s performance assessments over four years.

The minutes of a council remuneration meeting that took place in May this year shows concerns were raised about Nangolo’s performance assessments over the years.