Youth minister Agnes Tjongarero has told Eagle FM that she is in the dark about any decision by the National Youth Council to terminate its board of directors.
Tjongarero said she only showed up at the NYC regional council meeting to deliver opening remarks and left and has not been given any report about latest developments.
“I never dissolved anything. I was not there. All I was expected was to make a key-note address, they had a few questions and I left the workshop. Our party work-shop. I was not there. I left them to carry on with their program. I only received something about the dissolving of the board and I have not received any report yet. I myself did not dissolve any board. Where do I derive that power from? I am hearing it from you. Let me wait and see if I can receive any report,” she said.
Eagle FM also pressed on what her thoughts were on reports that the illegally extended their term.
“No! You see, it is not an issue of “illegally extend”. Ok, let me put it this way, what happened is, the current board as they are, their term expired somewhere, I do not know whether it was in May or when was it, but they came to me with a request and I granted the request.
The question which was put to me yesterday by some members of the house was which clause did I use to extend or did I just extend because there was a question from the board. So, I said, I did not use any clause but because of Covid-19, and there could not be any board in the meantime, and we could not have a vacuum, on the request of the present board, I extended their term until, … I think it’s 16 or 17 September. That is also the time we hope the state of emergency will be whatever… come to an end or whatever happens. That was the issue,” she said.
However, a source who spoke on anonymity told Eagle FM that the current board of the NYC was dismissed this afternoon after the council’s second-highest decision-making body, which is the Representative Council, set aside a decision by Tjongarero, to extend the term of the board.
“They have put up an interim board,” the source said.
Confidente has reported that “board members who are employed by the government have received over N$415,536 inboard fees, despite the NYC Act stating that no remuneration is payable to any member of a board who is in the full-time employ of the State.”
Pressed on whether she was in the know of this, Tjongarero said this has not been reported to her.
She said since she took office, she is yet to see the NYC financial statements.
She added that it was her hope these were tabled at the regional council meeting which they had today (Sunday).
“Really let me put it frankly that I do not know anything about this,” she said adding that she will have to investigate this before any action will be taken.
Tjongarero unaware of NYC board termination
