The Office of the Ombudsman says former City of Windhoek councillor Job Amupanda has breached the code of conduct for members of local authority councils.
This after he allegedly made discriminating comments about Windhoek resident Tommy Tjaronda.
This is contained in a letter Ingrid Husselmann from the Office of the Ombudsman sent Windhoek mayor Joseph Uapingene.
The letter was sent on 25 October.
Amupanda in August on social media accused Tjaronda of being a middleman “who has been running up and down” to distract from matters which were settled 10 years ago.
He also accused Tjaronda of spending his days at the City of Windhoek soliciting information for the purpose of selling it.
Amupanda claimed Tjaronda records conversations and sells it to others to later blackmail individuals with.
“For business people, the City of Windhoek no longer deals with middlemen. Do not pay for a middleman as no single deal can come through a middleman.
“Follow up on your application yourself and study the process yourself. Our country can never develop through middleman. Be alert and careful,” he posted.
Tjaronda in his complaint to the ombudsman said Amupanda made false and defamatory remarks in an attempt to mobilise city employees against him to execute a “malicious economic extermination order” against him.
“Accordingly we request that you table this complaint before the management committee for their consideration and further handling … at your earliest convenience.
“In the event it is already serving before the management committee and the council, please inform us accordingly,” Husselmann wrote.
She said Amupanda’s social media post was firstly made in response to an appeal Tjaronda made on behalf of Vito Investment 2030 to the minister of urban and rural development on 2 September 2022, highlighting the possible abuse of power and policy on the part of the City of Windhoek as an institution.
“Secondly, as a result of a complaint he laid on 23 April 2023 with the Office of the Ombudsman about possible irregularities at the City of Windhoek, involving Raccoon Investment CC, which honourable Amupanda allegedly was a member of at the time the item served at council for consideration in 2023,” Husselmann wrote.
Thirdly, she said the posts were in response to an objection to the sale of land by private treaty to Racoon Investment, Quiver Tree and Betula Nigra Investment, lodged in July.
She said Tjaronda believes Amupanda’s post was tantamount to a personal attack.
Asked to comment on the ombudsman’s letter, Amupanda said he does not have time for “nonsense”.
He said Tjaronda has been “running around and must keep running”.
“We cannot build a country with imposters and middlemen pretending to be and confusing society that they are businessmen. We want real entrepreneurs, not middlemen,” Amupanda said.
City of Windhoek spokesperson Harold Akwenye says the matter has been escalated to the minister of urban and rural development’s office.
“In response, the city advises Tjaronda to await a response from the office of the honourable minister.
“This step ensures a structured and comprehensive approach to addressing the concerns raised.
“It’s important to await the guidance and resolution from this higher authority to avoid any potentially conflating issues,” he says.
Akwenya says the City of Windhoek remains committed to transparency, fairness, and addressing concerns in accordance with due process.
