PUBLIC enterprises minister Leon Jooste recommended that businessman Leake Hangala be appointed as a member of the Namibia Airports Company board.
Jooste made this recommendation in a 20 September letter to works minister John Mutorwa. In the letter, he also recommended that advocate Irene Visser be appointed to the board to make up for what he called a skills deficit created by the resignation of the former board chairperson, Rodgers Kauta.
“The Ministry of Public Enterprises hereby recommends Dr Leake Hangala, a distinguished corporate leader; for the position of a member with legal expertise, we wish to recommend advocate Irene Visser,” Jooste wrote to Mutorwa. Visser was appointed as the board’;s deputy chairperson, a position that was previously occupied by ousted director Beverly Gawanas-Vugs. She was also the acting board chairperson after Kauta left.
Gawanas-Vugs is challenging her removal from the board, despite the minister writing to his lawyers that he has reinstated her as an ordinary board member. However, her lawyer, Sisa Namandje, said they will not accept an ordinary board member’;s position. Mutorwa, in a letter reinstating Gawanas-Vugs to the board, but as an ordinary board member, wrote that Jooste had “passionately and convincingly” written a letter recommending the two new appointments to him.
Jooste yesterday told that he only recommended Hangala and Visser to be added to the board, but did not “recommend them to be appointed as chair and deputy chair”.
Meanwhile, sources said late yesterday that there was a strong indication that Gawanas-Vugs will be reinstated as the deputy board chairperson.
Namandje declined to comment on the recent developments.
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