Namcor re-advertises MD position

The Namcor board has decided to re-advertise the vacant position of managing director after initial efforts to find a replacement for sacked Sam Beukes, came to naught.

The position of MD became vacant after Minister of Mines and Energy, Isak Katali relieved Beukes of his duties early November last year after a forensic audit ordered by Cabinet into a controversial multimillion-dollar petroleum supply contract signed with Swiss-based commodity broker Glencore, found that Beukes and the entire former Namcor board had failed to do a “proper due diligence regarding the supply agreement”.
As a result of Beukes’ actions, government was forced to pay N$538 million to Glencore when it  terminated the supply contract.
Acting Namcor MD, Robert Mwanachilenga told the Economist on Thursday that the recruitment process is now only scheduled to be completed before June. He said the decision to extend the recruitment process was to give other candidates who had missed the first deadline a chance.
“The Board of Directors commenced with this process and have taken note of all the applications received. Furthermore, the board has decided to re-advertise to extend the net to other candidates that should be considered that may have missed the first round of advertisements. The appointment process is envisaged to be completed during the 2nd quarter of 2012,” Mwanachilenga said.
He added: “The recruitment of a substantive managing director for NAMCOR is in full swing and the Board of Directors has approved a process to ensure the recruitment is in accordance with best practice, good corporate governance and the mandate of the business.
“NAMCOR is an important instrument in the economic development of Namibia and have a much broader impact on the economy and society and we need to ensure that a leader be appointed that will help to discharge the mandate of the business in a value-adding and sustainable manner.”
It couldn’t be immediately established how many people had applied for the vacant MD position when it was first advertised, but Mwanachilenga who was appointed to the position of acting MD after Beukes was sent on ‘special leave’ in November 2010, said he is not interested in running for the post full time.
Meanwhile, Namcor has announced the appointment of Johannes !Gawaxab as the new chairperson of its board with effect from 10 December 2011. His contract will run until 11 December 2014.
The appointment of !Gawaxab, recently honoured as the Best Business Leader in the country, has raised some few eyebrows. The contract of outgoing chairperson, Siseho Simasiku, who together with Beukes were the only survivors when Minister Isak Katali axed the entire Namcor board in October 2010, was only due to expire in March this year.
Asked why Namcor had decided to terminate Simasiku’s contract prematurely, Mwanachilenga said he was not in a position to speak on behalf of the government. Minister Katali could not be reached for comment at the time of going to press.