By: Ester Mbathera
University of Namibia (UNAM) employees will not receive their May salary on the normal payday of 15 May.
On Tuesday, the Pro-Vice chancellor of administration and finance, Prof. Ellen Namhila, notified the staff that there would be a delay in the disbursement of salaries.
“We will keep you updated without delay as soon as we have a resolution. We recognise the importance of timely salary payments and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause,” she said.
UNAM spokesperson Simon Namesho attributed the salary delay to an administrative glitch.
“We anticipate that salaries will be processed during the day of 15 May,” he said.
According to sources at Unam, the institution is facing financial difficulties due to a lack of revenue-generating activities by the academic staff and ineffective leadership.
“One of the core issues is that probably 95% of the academics at UNAM don’t bring in money. A university’s sustainability relies heavily on active researchers and academics who engage with the community and secure funding through their work. Unfortunately, this is not happening at UNAM,” said the source.
According to the source, Unam is heavily dependent on government subsidies, which the source argues is unsustainable in the long term.
Last week, the University of Pretoria announced that Unam vice chancellor, Keneth Matengu is one of the four shortlisted candidates for the role of vice chancellor at that university.
