The municipality's Acting Chief Executive Officer, Piet du Pisani, confirmed yesterday that !Owos-Oab had been served with his charges but declined to reveal them.

The Namibian has established that the charges against !Owos-Oab include fondling a woman in June last year and promising her a job by telling her: "If you look after me, I will look after you".

His lawyer, Richard Metcalfe, wrote to City CEO Niilo Taapopi in May to determine the grounds for his client's suspension but it took management two more months to finalise the charges amid claims that it was a witch-hunt and that his job was already reserved for someone else.

In the first charge, the City claims that !Owos-Oab disobeyed an instruction given by his senior, Abraham Kanime, on November 28 last year.

Kanime allegedly instructed him in writing to implement an action plan for the improvement of the traffic management unit's performance through specified projects led by selected officers, but !Owos-Oab allegedly disobeyed the instruction.

Between November 2005 and March this year, the City claimed, !Owos-Oab withdrew various traffic tickets and summonses issued to people despite the fact that he was not supposed to do that and was supposed to submit them to the Office of the Prosecutor General or consult Kanime.

Alternatively, he failed to effectively manage or keep proper control over traffic notices or summonses issued by the traffic management unit.

Another charge said that in June last year !Owos-Oab "touched the upper thigh of your female passenger, Ms Victoria Kavendjima, and told her 'if you look after me, I will look after you' whilst the two of you were discussing her possible employment with the Windhoek Municipal Police Service.

This conduct happened while you were on duty."

On another occasion in January or February this year, the City charged, !Owos-Oab "propositioned, in a disgraceful, improper or unbecoming manner, a female, Ms Hendrina Shikedule, in the corridor at the Namibian Police head offices", while he was on duty.

!Owos-Oab, who is on paid leave, is reportedly suing the City of Windhoek.

The Namibian understands that the council's endorsement of !Owos-Oab's appointment to one of the top three positions within the City Police was not a unanimous decision and that concern was raised at the time that he was heading the City's traffic unit in an acting capacity at the time he was being considered for the higher post he now holds.

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