Justicia Shipena
Prime minister Elijah Ngurare says former Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) chief executive officer Mwilima Mushokabanji should be commended for his leadership at Meatco.
Ngurare said Mushokabanji led Meatco under difficult circumstances.
Ngurare recently told Parliament that it would be an oversimplification to blame Meatco’s financial and structural challenges on one individual.
He said the company’s problems stem from long-standing inefficiencies that existed before Mushokabanji’s tenure.
“The difficulties encountered by Meatco are rooted in longstanding structural and operational inefficiencies that predate Mr Mushokabanji’s tenure. Notably, it was during his tenure that many of these contractual anomalies and unsustainable pricing arrangements were brought to light,” Ngurare said.
He added that Mushokabanji’s leadership helped expose the institution’s internal problems, positioning it to address them more proactively.
“It was during his time that these issues were disclosed, providing a clearer understanding of Meatco’s challenges and allowing the institution to start dealing with them more effectively,” he said.
Ngurare was answering questions from McHenry Venaani, the leader of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), who questioned the cabinet’s decision to push for the Mushokabanji’s reinstatement.
Venaani said the move appeared to undermine corporate governance and the independence of state-owned enterprise boards.
He argued that both the Namibian Code of Corporate Governance (NamCode) and the Public Enterprises Governance Act promote the minimisation of political interference in executive appointments.
He also questioned whether the cabinet’s involvement violated the NamCode and the Public Enterprises Governance Act, both of which protect board-level autonomy in executive appointments. Venaani asked on what legal basis the minister instructed Meatco to halt the recruitment process and reinstate Mushokabanji, saying such actions fall under the authority of the board.
In June, a legal opinion obtained by the Meatco board on 9 April found that the cabinet’s decision to ask the board to renew Mushokabanji’s contract was unlawful. The opinion stated that Meatco did not act unlawfully when it decided not to renew Mushokabanji’s contract or when it began the process of recruiting a new CEO.
Ngurare in parliament last week maintained that the cabinet’s involvement was not political interference but an attempt to ensure stability in a key economic sector.
“The cabinet’s action was not intended to interfere with corporate governance but rather to preserve it by mitigating potential disruptions in a crucial sector of the economy,” he said.
He explained that the decision to suspend the recruitment process was taken collectively and aligned with the cabinet’s constitutional oversight role.
He added that the government’s intervention should not be seen as undermining the autonomy of public enterprise boards but as reaffirming its commitment to stability, transparency, and the protection of national assets.
“This process reinforces the significance of responsive leadership and demonstrates that government remains vigilant in managing leadership transitions transparently and responsibly,” he said.
“Rather than diminishing investor confidence, the cabinet’s decision demonstrates a resolute commitment to being responsive, transparent, and deliberate in addressing matters of strategic national importance,” he said.
Expert warns praise culture weakens integrity
Reports show that under Mushokabanji’s leadership, Meatco became a perennial underperformer. Its market share fell from 48% in 2015 to below 15% in 2023.
A 2023 forensic report revealed that Meatco was losing about N$5 million a week, with liabilities exceeding assets by N$133.2 million.
The report indicated monthly losses of more than N$20 million, with annual losses climbing from N$119 million in 2021 to N$205 million in 2022 and an estimated N$196 million in 2023.
Corporate governance expert Ntelamo Ntelamo said Meatco was in financial distress during Mushokabanji’s tenure and depended heavily on government bailouts.
“As far as we are aware, the board expressed itself on his performance—that he didn’t meet the level of performance required to bring Meatco to a standard of profitability,” Ntelamo said.
He told the Windhoek Observer that the company’s dependence on bailouts under Mushokabanji showed a leadership crisis.
“If you look at the record, Meatco was on bailout in his term. Wouldn’t that then suggest that the company wasn’t profitable when he was leading it, which points to a leadership crisis which was prevailing in his time?” he said.
Ntelamo added that accountability must accompany executive responsibility. “He was in charge of the day-to-day affairs of the institution. Why wouldn’t anybody blame him? What was he doing there?” he asked.
He said he disagreed with Ngurare’s defence of Mushokabanji, arguing that the government’s stance condones poor leadership.
“They are eager to condone it and allow it to manifest, and institutions are being run down. So it does not send a good message at all. It must be condemned. Get people to account. If you are in a leadership position and the institution is failing or you are running it into the ground, you must account for it. It cannot be said you cannot be blamed. Who then? Because you are in charge. Why should we leave the CEO and then blame who and ask who for answers?”
Mushokabanji was dismissed on 31 January after the Meatco board appointed Patrick Liebenberg as acting CEO for six months or until a substantive appointment was made.
Liebenberg was later suspended pending an investigation into the disappearance of 400 cattle valued at about N$7 million.
Meatco then appointed Kingsley Kwenani as acting CEO from 20 July to 31 August 2025, pending an external secondment by the Ministry of Finance.
Last month, Meatco appointed former ambassador to France, Albertus Aochamub, as interim CEO for six months.
Justicia Shipena
Prime minister Elijah Ngurare says former Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) chief executive officer Mwilima Mushokabanji should be commended for his leadership at Meatco.
Ngurare said Mushokabanji led Meatco under difficult circumstances.
Ngurare recently told Parliament that it would be an oversimplification to blame Meatco’s financial and structural challenges on one individual.
He said the company’s problems stem from long-standing inefficiencies that existed before Mushokabanji’s tenure.
“The difficulties encountered by Meatco are rooted in longstanding structural and operational inefficiencies that predate Mr Mushokabanji’s tenure. Notably, it was during his tenure that many of these contractual anomalies and unsustainable pricing arrangements were brought to light,” Ngurare said.
He added that Mushokabanji’s leadership helped expose the institution’s internal problems, positioning it to address them more proactively.
“It was during his time that these issues were disclosed, providing a clearer understanding of Meatco’s challenges and allowing the institution to start dealing with them more effectively,” he said.
Ngurare was answering questions from McHenry Venaani, the leader of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), who questioned the cabinet’s decision to push for the Mushokabanji’s reinstatement.
Venaani said the move appeared to undermine corporate governance and the independence of state-owned enterprise boards.
He argued that both the Namibian Code of Corporate Governance (NamCode) and the Public Enterprises Governance Act promote the minimisation of political interference in executive appointments.
He also questioned whether the cabinet’s involvement violated the NamCode and the Public Enterprises Governance Act, both of which protect board-level autonomy in executive appointments. Venaani asked on what legal basis the minister instructed Meatco to halt the recruitment process and reinstate Mushokabanji, saying such actions fall under the authority of the board.
In June, a legal opinion obtained by the Meatco board on 9 April found that the cabinet’s decision to ask the board to renew Mushokabanji’s contract was unlawful. The opinion stated that Meatco did not act unlawfully when it decided not to renew Mushokabanji’s contract or when it began the process of recruiting a new CEO.
Ngurare in parliament last week maintained that the cabinet’s involvement was not political interference but an attempt to ensure stability in a key economic sector.
“The cabinet’s action was not intended to interfere with corporate governance but rather to preserve it by mitigating potential disruptions in a crucial sector of the economy,” he said.
He explained that the decision to suspend the recruitment process was taken collectively and aligned with the cabinet’s constitutional oversight role.
He added that the government’s intervention should not be seen as undermining the autonomy of public enterprise boards but as reaffirming its commitment to stability, transparency, and the protection of national assets.
“This process reinforces the significance of responsive leadership and demonstrates that government remains vigilant in managing leadership transitions transparently and responsibly,” he said.
“Rather than diminishing investor confidence, the cabinet’s decision demonstrates a resolute commitment to being responsive, transparent, and deliberate in addressing matters of strategic national importance,” he said.
Expert warns praise culture weakens integrity
Reports show that under Mushokabanji’s leadership, Meatco became a perennial underperformer. Its market share fell from 48% in 2015 to below 15% in 2023.
A 2023 forensic report revealed that Meatco was losing about N$5 million a week, with liabilities exceeding assets by N$133.2 million.
The report indicated monthly losses of more than N$20 million, with annual losses climbing from N$119 million in 2021 to N$205 million in 2022 and an estimated N$196 million in 2023.
Corporate governance expert Ntelamo Ntelamo said Meatco was in financial distress during Mushokabanji’s tenure and depended heavily on government bailouts.
“As far as we are aware, the board expressed itself on his performance—that he didn’t meet the level of performance required to bring Meatco to a standard of profitability,” Ntelamo said.
He told the Windhoek Observer that the company’s dependence on bailouts under Mushokabanji showed a leadership crisis.
“If you look at the record, Meatco was on bailout in his term. Wouldn’t that then suggest that the company wasn’t profitable when he was leading it, which points to a leadership crisis which was prevailing in his time?” he said.
Ntelamo added that accountability must accompany executive responsibility. “He was in charge of the day-to-day affairs of the institution. Why wouldn’t anybody blame him? What was he doing there?” he asked.
He said he disagreed with Ngurare’s defence of Mushokabanji, arguing that the government’s stance condones poor leadership.
“They are eager to condone it and allow it to manifest, and institutions are being run down. So it does not send a good message at all. It must be condemned. Get people to account. If you are in a leadership position and the institution is failing or you are running it into the ground, you must account for it. It cannot be said you cannot be blamed. Who then? Because you are in charge. Why should we leave the CEO and then blame who and ask who for answers?”
Mushokabanji was dismissed on 31 January after the Meatco board appointed Patrick Liebenberg as acting CEO for six months or until a substantive appointment was made.
Liebenberg was later suspended pending an investigation into the disappearance of 400 cattle valued at about N$7 million.
Meatco then appointed Kingsley Kwenani as acting CEO from 20 July to 31 August 2025, pending an external secondment by the Ministry of Finance.
Last month, Meatco appointed former ambassador to France, Albertus Aochamub, as interim CEO for six months.
