Africa-Press – Namibia. THE chairperson of Ongwediva Medipark’s board of directors, Riel du Toit, says an investigation carried out at the hospital in 2018 suggested serious financial mismanagement.
This comes after the managing director of the healthcare facility, Tshali Iithete, was dismissed last week, sparking allegations of racism and false accusations.
Du Toit says the investigation conducted by MAC and Associates revealed more than 20 wide-ranging irregularities, many of which are still being investigated. This has led to Iithete being charged with dishonesty and failing to disclose interests.
Du Toit says Ithete was the controlling member of Northern Surgicals, a close corporation that supplied Ongwediva Medipark with medical equipment to the value of more than N$9 million.
He says Iithete did not declare the interest he had in Northern Surgicals, or that his brother, Taamba Ithete, also had an interest in the company. FRAUD
Du Toit says Iithete was charged with fraud for signing bank documentation, which falsely declared that the Ongwediva Medipark board approved a loan agreement of more than N$14 million.
He says Iithete has also irregularly paid out over N$2,5 million of the company’s funds as ‘bursaries’ to various students. He says Namibian Sun reported that Iithete, on behalf of Ongwediva Medipark, donated medical equipment to the value of N$700 000 to the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital.
When the donation was queried by the board, Iithete allegedly called it a loan. “He inflated the value for public relations purposes,” Du Toit says. He says Iithete’s actions took the hospital to the brink of collapse.
In a memorandum dated 21 January this year, Du Toit alleged that the financial reports of the hospital were mostly fabricated, and that value-added tax, income tax, and pay-as-you-earn taxes were not paid regularly.
Iithete was suspended as managing director in August 2021, upon which a disciplinary hearing was instituted. The hearing was recently finalised, resulting in Iithete’s dismissal last week.
Iithete, who is also one of the founders of the hospital, is former president Sam Nujoma’s personal doctor. Du Toit in a memorandum last week said Iithete was dismissed after he was found guilty of fraud, dishonesty, gross negligence and charges relating to non-disclosure of interest.
The board has subsequently appointed Sakeus Kamati as the hospital’s manager. However, one of the shareholders of the hospital, who prefers anonymity, says Iithete is falsely accused.
‘RACISM’
“The whole agenda is pure racism,” the shareholder says. Founding shareholders and black board members have allegedly been removed from the board.
These individuals are former board chairperson Fillemon Amaambo, hospital founding member David Iimbili, and Penda Kashihakumwa, an environmental health officer who represented the Ongwediva Town Council on the hospital’s board.
Du Toit, however, says Amaambo was not removed but resigned. “Mr David Imbili was not removed. He represented one of the shareholders on the board of directors. That shareholder did not reappoint him at the end of his term,” he says.
Iimbili in a letter to Du Toit in January this year, however, said he was unceremoniously removed from the board by Du Toit and his associates. “I trust and hope the doctors and staff of Ongwediva Medipark have more common sense than to swallow the misinformation being peddled by Mr Du Toit,” Iimbili said in his letter.
Du Toit yesterday said Kashihakumwa was removed to provide for the appointment of another director who would ensure that the composition of the board meets the “domestic and international guidelines for good and sound governance”.
Iithete could not be reached for comment yesterday, but on Saturday said he would comment once an internal process has been “exhaustively finalised”. Iithete’s lawyer, Petrus Elago, said that the matter was not properly adjudicated internally and for that reason they cannot comment at this stage.
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