Renthia Kaimbi
Namibia Football Association (NFA) vice president Jakobus Murs Markus is facing pressure to step down from his football post, following his dismissal as chief control officer from the Rehoboth magistrate’s court for theft involving approximately N$30 000 in traffic fines.
Sources within the judiciary told the Windhoek Observer that Markus was fired after an internal disciplinary process found him guilty of swindling traffic violators.
The scheme allegedly involved Markus seeking approval from a magistrate for fine reductions via a prosecutor, then falsely telling violators their requests had been rejected.
He would then allegedly collect the full payment and pocket the difference.
“The prosecutor-general removed the powers from prosecutors to approve these reductions in fines, giving authority only to magistrates. What he did was get those approvals, make them (violators) pay the full amount by telling them it was not approved, and pocket the difference,” a judicial source revealed.
The source indicated that no criminal case was opened because none of the violators noticed the fraud. The scheme reportedly ran for about a year before he was caught.
Following an internal process, Markus was found guilty of theft and discharged. His subsequent appeal to the Prime Minister was reportedly also rejected.
When contacted for comment, Markus denied any theft and insisted he had resigned.
“You are wasting your time. If you want more information, talk to the ministry. I resigned,” Markus told the Windhoek Observer, maintaining his innocence.
However, football commentators have questioned Markus’s eligibility to continue serving as vice president given the NFA’s constitutional provisions on integrity and ethical conduct.
Article 37 (5) of the NFA Statutes stipulates eligibility requirements for Executive Council members, including that candidates “has not been found guilty of an offence relating to dishonesty” and “has not been found guilty of bringing or attempted to bring the game of football in Namibia into disrepute.”
The statutes also require that candidates pass an integrity check as outlined in Annex 1, with a questionnaire that asks candidates whether they have “previously been convicted by a final decision of any intentional indictable offence” and whether a “sports governing body has ever imposed any disciplinary or similar sanction or measure on you in the past for actions which amount to a violation of the rules of conduct.”
Article 61 of the NFA Statutes empowers the Disciplinary & Ethics Committee to impose sanctions ranging from formal reprimands to lifetime bans for breaches of ethics.
Nevertheless, NFA President Robert Shimooshili defended Markus, arguing that without a criminal court conviction, Markus cannot be deemed a criminal or face sanctions.
“He will never be regarded as a criminal, because he was not prosecuted by a court of law. By law, unless a court pronounced itself, even then, his code of conduct will remain intact,” Shimooshili told the Windhoek Observer.
Markus echoed Shimooshili’s sentiment, stating: “There is no code of conduct that prohibits me [at the NFA]. I’m upholding integrity. I am a person of integrity.”
Sources further stated that even when his unpaid leave would be disapproved, Markus would apply for sick leave, only to be seen on television while attending football related events.
Despite the NFA president’s stance, Markus continues to represent the football association in official capacities, including recent events celebrating the Brave Gladiators’ historic COSAFA triumph and launching the Standard Bank Top Eight Cup.
