Health ministry ditches 35 appointments Members of Oshana Men and Women Network against Crime were left disappointed after the Ministry of Health and Social Services cancelled their appointment offers without any apparent reason.Some 35 members of the network in Oshana were appointed to take up employment at the health ministry last year, but these appointments were cancelled, this year.
The letters of appointment were signed by former health permanent secretary, Andrew Ndishishi on 2 June 2015, and they were supposed to start working on 1 July 2015 in various positions including cleaners, massage therapists, handymen, cooks, equipment attendants, portal assistants, administrative officers and several other positions at the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital.
However, the current permanent secretary at the health minister Andreas Mwoombola cancelled all these appointments on 8 June this year without giving any explanation.
All the recipients of these positions had signed their appointment letters and they were ready to start. One of the job recipients and vice-chairperson for network, Delila Mbabi said she is now the most “hated” person in their organisation.
“Just few days before 1 July last year, my office was informed that the health ministry is demanding their appointment letters back. We were told that some of the members went to the hospital to protest that there were irregularities in the appointment. These were the members who were not part of the employed group,” Mbabi said.
She added that they were told that their appointments were frozen for further investigation. They waited for the investigation until this year June when they received a letter that informing them that their appointments were summarily cancelled. She said her fellow job recipients are accusing her of irregularities and they are now demanding their jobs from her.
“The ministry needs to clear up the issue because I am being threatened here. Members have turned against me and they are demanding for an explanation that I do not have. Every day I am receiving threatening calls and text messages that I must give their jobs,” Mbabi said.
On 22 September, Mbabi wrote a letter to Mwoombola demanding an explanation on the cancellation of the signed job offers. “This office would like to demand an explanation as to why employment opportunities which were offered to us last year have been cancelled,” the letter read.
This news came few days after Shilimela Security announced that they were going to provide employment to 50 members of the Oshana Men and Women Network.
When contacted, Mwoombola referred Namibian Sun to the ministry''s public relations officer, Ester Paulus who is currently on leave. The acting PRO Libita Manga could not provide any information despite repeated efforts made over a period of two weeks, including telephone calls and text messages.
The Oshana Men and Women Network Against Crime was established in 2009 by retired former Oshana police regional commander, Commissioner Ndahangwapo Kashihakumwa and they have been working voluntarily in the fight against crime since.
ILENI NANDJATO