Chaos rocks Nabta management

THE Namibia Bus and Taxi Association (Nabta)’s president Vespa Muunda on Saturday accused some members of the association of engaging in fraudulent activities, and misleading the public.

Muunda, who was suspended in November 2016 amid an investigation over charges of misconduct, claimed during a press conference in Windhoek that the union was experiencing a crisis because of the lack of a committed leadership.

“What we have are people who are in the association to serve their own interests instead of serving their members and communities as they were entrusted by the government,” he charged.

During the almost two-hour press conference, he accused the union’s secretary general, Pendapala Nakathingo, of engaging in fraudulent activities, and misleading the public.

Muunda had with him a pile of documents, and went through each one to reveal the alleged wrongdoings that Nakathingo was involved in.

“I won’t keep silent anymore while people are continuing with their criminal activities,” he said.

According to Muunda, the union’s constitution states that there is no secretary general within the association, and it should read national secretary.

“Those who call themselves the secretary general of Nabta are completely lying and misleading the public and confusing the members,” he said.

Muunda claimed that those people are committed to defrauding the bus and taxi operators, creating confusion among the operators and themselves by not being reliable and trustworthy.

“Therefore, many companies, individuals and stakeholders do not trust Nabta as the recognised association for the public transport industry,” he said.

The suspended president condemned Nakathingo for interfering with other associations’ operations, preventing the taxi union from holding a demonstration to present their grievances to the ministry of works.

“Everyone has the given right to demonstrate by the Constitution of this Land of the Brave,” he added.

Muunda also accused the association’s acting president Jeffrey Platt and Nakathingo of requesting the ministry of works not to communicate with him, and writing to the media that he had been suspended.

Namibia Transport and Taxi Union (NTTU) president Werner Januarie, who had a fallout with Nakathingo over an intended joint strike by taxi drivers and Nabta members in Windhoek in February this year, asked if he (Nakathingo) could then be classified as a common criminal.

“I cannot comment on that because that is for the police to say. From the documents that I have presented, you can judge for yourself,” Muunda said.

He furthermore highlighted the challenges that long-distance bus drivers face, which include no security for the drivers, and a lack of communication between the ministry of works and the union over drivers’ plight.

He also blamed the Road Fund Administration, the Roads Authority and the National Road Safety Council for not doing enough to stop illegal taxis from operating in the transport sector.

“On the other hand, they impose strict measures for long-distance operators to make sure that they pay huge amounts of money to the government, even if the bus travels empty,” he said.

The ministry, he added, must thus remove all sedan cars from operating on long-distance routes.

Platt and Nakathingo told The Namibian yesterday that Muunda had no right to hold any official meeting on behalf of the union.

“He is on suspension, and this is a serious contravention of his suspension,” Nakathingo said during a telephonic interview.

Nakathingo said he went to Walvis Bay with Platt on Friday on official business, so he was not aware of the press conference Muunda had called.

“Muunda was asked to return all documents in his possession to the union, including the office stamp he is currently using,” he said, adding that the official has been uncooperative since his suspension, and never followed the conditions set out for him.

Nakathingo said the press conference was a mere campaign by Muunda to save himself, and promote his agenda.

“Muunda has no legal right to speak to the public, and he was previously warned by lawyers,” he said, adding that this new information from Saturday’s meeting will be handed over to the lawyers.

The accusations made against them, Platt said, are null and void, and that Nakathingo was appointed according to Nabta’s constitution.