Africa-Press – Namibia. Solomon Duiker’s time at the Namibia School Sport Union (NSSU) and Confederation of Southern African Schools Sport Associations (Cosassa) appears to be coming to a premature end following his suspension from both bodies this week. Duiker is the NSSU national coordinator and Cossasa president.
Solomon Duiker’s time at the Namibia School Sport Union (NSSU) and Confederation of Southern African Schools Sport Associations (Cosassa) appears to be coming to a premature end following his suspension from both bodies this week. Duiker is the NSSU national coordinator and Cossasa president.
Both organisations suspended Duiker with immediate effect and pending investigations over his role in the failed 2022 Cosassa Games controversy.
Only Namibia, with a full team, and Lesotho’s u17 football team pitched for the competition meant to take place from 5-9 October in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
The rest of Cossasa’s members snubbed the event after expressing reservations over the games’ poor organisation. Namibia spent in excess of N$400 000 for the non-event.
NSSU chairperson Theophilus Nuugulu and sport commissioner Patrick Xoagub will take over Duiker’s functions until the matter is resolved, while Cossasa has installed Zimbabwe’s Arthur Maposa to act as president. “Investigations will be launched against him and that process will determine the way forward,” Nuugulu said.
“We were invited to participate, not to organise [the competition]. We were invited and based on the invitation, we took our team.”
A Cossasa executive committee meeting on Tuesday found Duiker to be over excising his powers as its president and contravening the body’s constitution. Duiker’s transgressions include “the withdrawal of Cossasa funds without the second authorised signature and making unauthorised payments; misleading the executive on the just failed Cossasa Games held in Potchefstroom, South Africa which has put Cossasa into disrepute; and his questionable relationship with the United School Sport Association of South Africa (Ussasa)”. Furthermore, the NSSU will “engage the arm of the law enforcement” to recover the funds paid to Cossasa for the games.
Xoagub absolved the NSSU of wrongdoing despite Duiker’s ties to the body. Duiker, who only has two months left on his NSSU term, is yet to issue the statement on the controversy which he promised last week.
“Under no circumstances should the picture be painted that NSSU is disorganised. From the government and NSSU’s side, everything was done according to the book. The Cossasa leadership must be held accountable for whatever mess we found ourselves in,” Xoagub said.
Nuugulu also denied that parents of the athletes had been compelled to contribute towards the cost of the trip.
“It is news to me. The only payment that was made by parents was towards the national attire. The payments’ regarding travelling and all that was catered for by the NSSU. If there’s any parent that was made to pay for their child to go to Cossasa, that parent needs to come forward,” he said.
Both organisations suspended Duiker with immediate effect and pending investigations over his role in the failed 2022 Cosassa Games controversy.
Only Namibia, with a full team, and Lesotho’s u17 football team pitched for the competition meant to take place from 5-9 October in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
The rest of Cossasa’s members snubbed the event after expressing reservations over the games’ poor organisation. Namibia spent in excess of N$400 000 for the non-event.
NSSU chairperson Theophilus Nuugulu and sport commissioner Patrick Xoagub will take over Duiker’s functions until the matter is resolved, while Cossasa has installed Zimbabwe’s Arthur Maposa to act as president. “Investigations will be launched against him and that process will determine the way forward,” Nuugulu said.
“We were invited to participate, not to organise [the competition]. We were invited and based on the invitation, we took our team.”
A Cossasa executive committee meeting on Tuesday found Duiker to be over excising his powers as its president and contravening the body’s constitution. Duiker’s transgressions include “the withdrawal of Cossasa funds without the second authorised signature and making unauthorised payments; misleading the executive on the just failed Cossasa Games held in Potchefstroom, South Africa which has put Cossasa into disrepute; and his questionable relationship with the United School Sport Association of South Africa (Ussasa)”. Furthermore, the NSSU will “engage the arm of the law enforcement” to recover the funds paid to Cossasa for the games.
Xoagub absolved the NSSU of wrongdoing despite Duiker’s ties to the body. Duiker, who only has two months left on his NSSU term, is yet to issue the statement on the controversy which he promised last week.
“Under no circumstances should the picture be painted that NSSU is disorganised. From the government and NSSU’s side, everything was done according to the book. The Cossasa leadership must be held accountable for whatever mess we found ourselves in,” Xoagub said.
Nuugulu also denied that parents of the athletes had been compelled to contribute towards the cost of the trip.
“It is news to me. The only payment that was made by parents was towards the national attire. The payments’ regarding travelling and all that was catered for by the NSSU. If there’s any parent that was made to pay for their child to go to Cossasa, that parent needs to come forward,” he said.
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