Questions over transportation commission chair appointment
The transport ministry has given newly-appointed chairperson of the Transportation Commission of Namibia (TCN) Rachel NathanielKoch two weeks to clarify the issues that had prevented her from being gazetted by the Directorate of Legislative Drafting (DLD).
TransportministerJohnMutorwa during a press briefing in Windhoek on Monday said the ministry’s advice to Nathaniel-Koch with regard to the issue whether she has fulfilled the applicable requirements of the Legal Practitioners Act, 1995, particularly Section 3 (5) was and still is that she must urgently clarify the issues at stake, directly with the relevant authorities within the Ministry of Justice and revert to the ministry of transport by 15 March 2021.
This directive comes after issues were detected by the DLD regarding the TCN chairperson during the gazetting process after the five names of the appointed members of the board were submitted to DLD within the Ministry of Justice for the purpose of having the names gazetted in the Government Gazette.
Nathaniel-Koch is among the five new TCN board members appointed by President Hage Geingob in accordance with the provisions of section 3, sub-section 1 (b) of the Road Traffic and Transport Act 22 of 1999.
During the briefing, Mutorwa said the names of the other board members were successfully gazetted on 15 February 2021, adding that the process used to select these
candidates was rigorously followed and eventually concluded in the final appointment.
The minister went on to say the current commission did not have a meeting since their appointment as only the chairperson can convene a meeting of the commission, thus the gazetted members will not be able to convene legally valid meetings of the commission.
He further stated that the attorney general Festus Mbandeka is currently finalising his legal advice with regard to the correct interpretation of section 6 (1) of the Road Traffic and Transport Act as to whether the deputy chairperson is legally empowered to convene legally valid meetings. Nathaniel-Koch is deputised by James Diedericks while Jose Shipepe, Mapuku Thikusho and Helvi Petrus serve as ordinary members.