Tsumeb CEO back in office after apology

By: DENVER KISTING

A MERE apology was all that was needed for Tsumeb’s chief executive officer, Archie Benjamin, to return to work after allegedly selling land to a friend.

The latest storm that has been brewing in the Municipality of Tsumeb for the last week is claimed to have come to an amicable end.
At the centre of the controversy was the town’s CEO, who was suspended on July 20 and reinstated on Wednesday.
Benjamin was given the boot temporarily after allegedly unilaterally signing off on a land deal. In terms of procedure, the town council should have dealt with the sale.
Upon enquiry, the town’s mayor, Engel Nawatiseb, said Benjamin was reinstated after talks during which he apologised.
Nawatiseb said the council expected administrative staff, of whom the CEO is the head, “to follow the laid-down procedures” – irrespective of whether there were friends involved.
However, the council decided to “condone the omission” on an undertaking that it would not be repeated.
The mayor told The Namibian that the deal – the selling of a “small residential plot” – had gone through already and was not reversed.
In a press release, the council yesterday said it had decided not to lay formal charges against Benjamin. Instead, it was undertaken “to take collective ownership of the challenges which we faced due to pressure and high demand for investment in our town”.
It is further stated: “The challenges have since been addressed and redressed and consequently reduced to the dustbin of history through amicable interaction. We as proud Tsumebers confidently announce that we have mastered the concept of conflict resolution hence our ability to resolve any challenge facing us in the shortest possible timeframe without any external influence or intervention into our internal affairs.”

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