Abuse Rocks UNAM

Toivo Ndjebela

18 May 2011

Windhoek — Controversy has engulfed the University of Namibia (Unam), with allegations rife that Student Representative Council (SRC) president, Francine Muyumba, was irregularly registered for the current academic year.

Two members of the university’s SRC, Eugene Khumalo and Rosa Kangandjera, are already on suspension awaiting the outcome of a forgery and uttering investigation lodged against them.

The pair is accused of having a hand in the illegal leasing out of hostel rooms to desperate students seeking accommodation at the university.

Muyumba, who warned the university management in February that her office would not tolerate ‘negligent work this year’ owed the university N$1798 at the beginning of this year, confirm documents seen by New Era.

This bill seems to be inherited from the 2010 academic year, and questions are being raised as to how the Rwandan student leader circumvented Unam’s strict policy that prevents anyone from sitting for end-of-year exams while owing the university.

The same policy also prevents students who owe money to the university from registering for the following academic year.

New Era can confirm that as of January 1, 2011, Muyumba’s university record showed that she was in arrears amounting to N$1798.60, but it is not clear if this was settled before she registered on February 8.

Unam Public Relations Officer Utaara Hoveka reasoned that all students who owed the university last year were allowed to write exams at the request of the Ministry of Education, on condition that they settle their accounts by December 2010.

But the fact that by January 1, 2011 Muyumba still owed Unam some N$1798 in unpaid tuition fees raised eyebrows, more so because she was allowed to register for the current academic year.

Hoveka refused to explain this, citing Muyumba’s privacy as the reason.

“As for the current year, I am not at liberty to discuss individual student accounts as this borders on infringement of privacy,” he said.

New Era can further confirm that Unam, which received N$500 million in State subsidies this year, approved N$13 600 for Muyumba’s return ticket to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on her way to Rwanda where a relative had passed away in April. In total, Muyumba received N$18 600 for the trip, after an official in the Dean of Students department, a certain M. Nependa, asked the finance department to avail a further N$5000 as ‘pocket money’ for the bereaved SRC president.

Normally, the SRC secretary for finance initiates requisitions for money needed for the activities involving the body or any of its members, but it is not clear whether Nependa’s instructions were based on this basic requirement. Hoveka referred inquiries in this regard to the university’s assistant dean of students Levi Shigwedha, but attempts to reach him proved fruitless.

The continued pampering of Muyumba by the university and the alleged conduct of Khumalo, a Botswana national, and Kangandjera, have provoked emotions within the student population at the university.

Khumalo, the SRC’s secretary general, and Kangandjera who is in charge of the student body’s finances, are said to have tried to rent out rooms, despite the fact that by virtue of being SRC members, they are entitled to a 50 percent discount on their tuition fees.

“The two students who were suspended following allegations of selling rooms, are still suspended from the student leadership. Their hearing will take place at the end of May,” Hoveka said.

The current student leadership has particularly come under the hammer for falling for the lure of money and for supposedly forgetting what they were elected into office for.

Allegations are currently rife that the Student Corner, a printing shop based on the university’s main campus in Windhoek, is being abused by some student leaders for self-gratification.

“The university has launched an investigation into the operations of the printing shop including its finances,” Hoveka confirmed.

The Unam student parliament, the body to which SRC reports, is expected to discuss these allegations during its next session on Monday next week.

This was confirmed by the parliament’s executive secretary Lukas Shekwaanyena as well as speaker John Haufiku.

Numerous attempts to reach Muyumba for comment proved futile, while text messages sent to her phone went unanswered.

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