The suspended Managing Director of Erongo Marine Enterprises claims she was ethically compromised while working at the fishing subsidiary owned by South African fishing conglomerate Oceana Group.
Dr. Martha Uumati says when her principles were challenged, she raised concern, which she believes is among the reasons she got in trouble with the South African principals, who then suspended her.
Award-winning Managing Director, Dr. Martha Uumati, has been on suspension from Erongo Marine Enterprises for about a month.
The enterprise is a subsidiary of the South African Oceana Group, which is in a joint venture with three Namibian fishing rights companies.
According to the suspension letter she received, she was suspended for gross subordination and improper behaviour as a leader of the enterprise.
Dr. Uumati noted that, often, she differed with the South African business leaders when it came to good governance.
"So we contribute more than 80% of the net operating profit of that entity from here. So, as a Namibian, put yourself in my shoes. As a Namibian, are you going to be okay with that? You're constantly seeing the investments that are being made on the other side. But then, where are the opportunities to also grow in this business? Where are the opportunities to actually make a difference? So it is just not ethical. So I was ethically challenged. My principles were challenged; I was just not comfortable. I'm sorry. I have always made it clear: number one, I'm not a blackface; number two, I'm not a puppet. I believe that when this country makes sure that I get to go to school and become educated, I am applying my mind. So when you take away that ability or the opportunity for me to apply my mind, I cannot; it becomes difficult for me to also just operate in that space."
EME is being investigated by the Namibia Competition Commission for price fixing of horse mackerel.
Dr.Uumati says she prepared relevant information that the NaCC needed for the investigation.
However, Dr. Uumati, in an email correspondence, asked why her colleagues in South Africa decided to exclude some of the information that ought to be in her statement to NaCC.
Before her scheduled appearance at NaCC on the 21st of February, Dr. Uumati says she was requested to attend a meeting in Cape Town in person, but she did not.
"There must have been reasons why they wanted me in person. And I also knew that, in my view, there were two reasons why they wanted me in person. The one is that we're busy with a Namibia Competition Commission price-fixing investigation, which, in my view, is an investigation with nothing to it. And then the second one was that letter that I wrote on behalf of the team with the team on the sixth of February that I sent to the board, after the suspension, I actually went to reflect upon this, and I discovered that it's actually more the letter than anything else. Why would you want to have a conversation with me? Because the group CEO asked me whether I'm aligned and said they would like to have a discussion with me to understand whether I'm aligned with a group with Oceana Group."
Dr. Uumati says she will not compromise on her integrity, character, or patriotism.
According to a statement from Oceana, Dr. Uumati was suspended for the NaCC investigation to proceed unhindered.