Air Namibia (Windhoek International) has suspended three members of its management team as part of an ongoing internal investigation, spokesperson Paul Nakawa revealed in a statement issued on March 1.
Wimpie van Vuuren, acting general manager for commercial services; Johannes Blaauw, manager for cargo sales; and Abraham Nasab, manager for cargo operations, were named as the three suspended employees.
“The suspensions are to allow the airline to conclude pending investigations. The airline holds instructions that there should be no direct or indirect communication between the suspended managers and Air Namibia staff in order not to interfere with the investigations,” Nakawa said.
The airline did not make public the reasons for the suspensions due to company policy, the spokesman added, but the managers have been told why they were ordered to leave.
Elia Erastus, Air Namibia’s acting chief executive, called on all employees to adhere to the company’s rules and procedures at all times and to act in good faith in the best interests of the airline, local media reports said.
Wimpie van Vuuren was promoted to his most senior role in March 2019 and was described at the time as having more than 25 years of experience in commercial aspects of aviation both locally and internationally, previously running Air Namibia’s Frankfurt International office. As acting general manager for commercial services, he was a prominent spokesman for the carrier, for example when it reintroduced its Windhoek International-Luanda 4 De Fevereiro route last October after a three-month suspension.
