Three national farmer unions have formally opposed the reappointment of former Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) Chief Executive Officer Mwilima Mushokabanji, warning that the move could destabilise the livestock sector and compromise corporate governance standards.
In a letter to Agriculture Minister Inge Zaamwani, the Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU), the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), and the Namibia Emerging Commercial Farmers Union (NECFU) raised serious concerns over Cabinet Decision 11th/09.07.2024/012, which directed the Meatco Board to retain Mushokabanji in order to ensure continuity, despite his contract having expired in January this year.
The unions argue that Meatco’s financial collapse under Mushokabanji’s leadership severely impacted communal and emerging farmers.
They claim that funds intended to support producers were instead used to cover operational inefficiencies, leaving many farmers unpaid and driving down weaner prices at auctions.
“Meatco is still recovering from a dire financial position under the leadership of the previous Meatco CEO, whose contract ended in January 2025. During that period, Meatco was unable to pay producers, leading to a drop in weaner prices on auctions and adversely impacting the rural economy,” the unions said in the letter dated 9 May.
The unions highlighted that the Namibian government has spent approximately N$730 million on Meatco over the past four years, with most of the funds directed towards settling the company’s debts.
They also questioned Cabinet’s involvement in CEO appointments, arguing that this undermines the independence of the Meatco Board and breaches established governance practices.
“We respectfully submit that such direct Government intervention conflicts with the principles of Good Corporate Governance. According to the NamCode – the Corporate Governance Code for Namibia, principle C2-17 states that ‘The board should appoint the Chief Executive Officer and establish a framework for the delegation of authority,’” the unions said.
The farmer groups further warned that reinstating the former CEO could undo the progress made under the newly appointed board and threaten the sustainability of the cattle industry.
“We, as farmer unions, representing all farmers in Namibia, want to re-iterate that farmers are the main stakeholder which will be negatively affected if the above-mentioned Cabinet decision is enforced and therefore, we seek for a review of such decision,” they said.
The unions have requested an urgent meeting with Minister Zaamwani to discuss the matter and push for a reconsideration of the decision.
