Renthia Kaimbi
The National Youth Council (NYC) is without leadership after interim board chairperson Kennedy Kariseb resigned, just a week after the contract of its director, Calista Schwartz-Gowases, ended.
The Windhoek Observer understands that the council currently has no interim chairperson or director in place.
Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture Sanet Steenkamp confirmed that she received Kariseb’s resignation letter in December 2025.
“I do confirm that, indeed, I did receive the resignation letter from Dr Kennedy and we will always remain indebted and grateful for the time that he worked with us,” Steenkamp said.
She confirmed that the director’s post was advertised on 21 December 2025, with applications closing on 13 February 2026. She said an acting director from within the institution would be appointed to avoid a leadership gap.
The latest development follows a difficult period for the council. Kariseb was appointed in October 2025 to lead a new interim board after Steenkamp dissolved an earlier interim board that had been appointed by former minister Agnes Tjongarero following the dissolution of the NYC’s substantive board in December 2024.
That previous interim board was chaired by Beverly Silas-Garas, who resigned in August 2025 after eight months in office.
Her tenure was marked by legal disputes and protests.
Several members of the dissolved interim board later took Steenkamp to court.
They accused her of breaching a settlement agreement by appointing a new interim board. The applicants claimed the minister had agreed that they would remain in office until a General Assembly elected a new board.
Schwartz-Gowases’ exit was also surrounded by dispute.
Her contract ended on 13 December 2025 after she was informed in July that it would not be renewed.
Through her lawyers, she demanded that her name be cleared of unproven misconduct allegations and that her legal fees be reimbursed.
She said the claims harmed her reputation and requested an independent mediator to resolve the matter. Kariseb said at the time the issue was an internal matter for the board.
Her final months in office also drew attention to several approved international trips to Djibouti, South Africa and Malaysia, as well as an alleged planned trip to Burundi that overlapped with her final working days.
Kariseb defended the travel, saying it was necessary for high-level representation.
He said other interim board members were under a travel moratorium and added that Schwartz-Gowases had legitimately represented the council. He also noted that she received an international youth development award during her tenure.
Steenkamp said the ministry views the situation seriously.
“I think you will agree with me that the National Youth Council is an organisation that is an entity that’s very, very close to youth empowerment, and therefore, we take these issues very seriously,” she told the Windhoek Observer.
She said progress had been made in resolving internal matters but declined to comment on the ongoing court case, saying it was before the courts.
The interim board chaired by Kariseb was expected to serve until 31 March 2026.
With both the chairperson and director positions now vacant, the council’s ability to provide leadership and carry out its youth development mandate remains uncertain until interim arrangements are put in place.
Kariseb had not responded to questions sent to him by the time of publication.
