Windhoek: The Namibia Press Agency (NAMPA) officially bid farewell to its former Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Linus Chata, on 30 June 2025, following six years of service. Speaking at his farewell event held on Thursday, Chata expressed heartfelt gratitude to NAMPA for entrusting him with the opportunity to lead the organisation. 'I took on the role of CEO with a singular conviction: that NAMPA works,' he said.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Chata, who came from a management and leadership background rather than the media industry, joined NAMPA during a particularly challenging period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and severe budget constraints. Despite these hurdles, he is credited with revitalising the agency. One of his key achievements was the development of a Strategic Plan with a strong commercial focus, which has already yielded results. Under his leadership, NAMPA reported a surplus of over N.dollars 10 million in the most recent financial year.
'To our stakeholders, particularly the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (MICT): thank you for trusting my leadership. Thank you for the annual subsidy and for the government business entrusted to NAMPA through the sale of presidential portraits,' Chata said. Also speaking at the event, vice chairperson of the NAMPA board, Kingsley Guiseb extended his well wishes to Chata on his retirement. 'Not many CEOs in the media retire and exit gracefully and peacefully, so congratulations on doing so, and with a clean audit,' Guiseb remarked.
The entire NAMPA team expressed their gratitude to Chata for his dedicated service and leadership over the years. They thanked him for the valuable time, guidance and commitment he invested in the agency's growth and success. Chata will be succeeded by Jata Kazondu, who has been appointed Acting CEO for a transitional period of three months. 'On behalf of the entire NAMPA team, we extend our sincere thanks and wish you a joyful and fulfilling retirement. May this new chapter be a special time spent with your loved ones,' said Kazondu to Chata.