The Gobabis municipality faces mounting criticism after spending N$589 153 in legal fees to handle a disciplinary dispute involving an alleged daily subsistence allowance of N$6 000.
Councillors are questioning the fees, which were charged for the period between January and August.
Two municipal employees had been suspended since September last year, but remained on full pay.
They are facing allegations of fraud and insubordination.
The municipality has defended the disciplinary proceedings against the suspended employees, saying they were conducted in accordance with its staff rules.
Councillor Wynand Lukas raised concerns with minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa on 18 September, questioning the costs of the proceedings and whether proper procedures had been followed.
He estimated disciplinary committee expenses at about N$76 000, excluding medical and related costs between April and August.
The figures have sparked questions about whether the cost of pursuing the disciplinary matter were proportionate to the original dispute.
Municipality spokesperson Frederick Ueitele, however, says the figures Lukas cited did not correspond with the council’s official records.
“The municipality can confirm that the figures referred to do not correspond with the official records and information held by the municipality,” Ueitele says.
He says the proceedings were conducted in terms of Rule 36(1) of the Municipality of Gobabis Personnel Rules, which provides for a formal disciplinary inquiry by a duly constituted committee.
The municipality says it had appointed external members to the committee to strengthen the impartiality, objectivity and independence of the process.
Ueitele says the disciplinary committee would conduct the inquiry and make recommendations on possible sanctions to the management committee once the process was completed.
“The disciplinary proceedings are still ongoing,” the municipality says, adding that details could not be released before the process was concluded because premature disclosure could compromise its integrity and fairness.
Meanwhile, councillor Veronia Mokaleng-Kuzeeko questions the length of the suspensions and the continued financial burden on the municipality.
She wants to know why no investigation report had been tabled before the council, despite the employees facing allegations of fraud and insubordination.
During a meeting with the ministry on 9 September, it was proposed that the disputed daily subsistence allowance be recovered from the suspended employees’ salaries rather than through continued suspension, she says.
“We are not against the suspension. But as councillors we have oversight of the council budget. Every dollar must be accounted for. But to spend so much on legal fees for a mere N$6 000 is unacceptable,” she says.
The councillor links the matter to Gobabis’ financial reporting challenges, saying seven years of audited financial statements remained outstanding and consultants had been brought in to assist with the process.
