Keetmanshoop CEO resigns

THE Keetmanshoop Municipality’s Chief Executive Officer, Jeremia Shangadi, has quit following a public row with community activist Carl Christiaans.

Councillor Simon Petrus Tiboth yesterday confirmed the CEO’s resignation. He said the municipality’s Strategic Executive: Human Resources and Corporate Affairs, Empsom Jossop, has taken over the CEO’s position until further notice.According to Tiboth, the CEO tendered his resignation on Friday, just minutes after a row with Christiaans in front of the Council offices.”After the row that almost ended up in a fight, the CEO entered the council chamber and handed over his resignation letter to the Mayor of Keetmanshoop, Finna Elago, in the presence of Councillors Basil Brown, Moses Titus, Arnold Losper and me,” Tiboth said.Titus also confirmed that Shangadi had tendered his resignation.But, when approached yesterday, Elago denied having received the CEO’s resignation letter.”I’m not aware of any resignation letter,” Elago said.Brown and Losper also denied having any knowledge of a resignation letter.”I’m aware that the CEO threatened to resign, but I’m not aware of any resignation letter he handed over to Elago,” Losper said.”I only saw that the CEO threw a paper onto a table of which the contents are not known to me, therefore I cannot deny or confirm his resignation,” Brown said.Jossop yesterday confirmed that he had been given the CEO’s office keys after being informed by Elago that the CEO had resigned.According to Tiboth, the row between Shangadi and Christiaans was over a refund.He said Christiaans demanded a refund from Shangadi, who refused and referred him to the Council.”At one stage the CEO grabbed and pulled Christiaans into the council chambers where the councillors were seated,” Tiboth said.”To be honest Christiaans provoked the CEO to lose his temper,” Tiboth added Shangadi allegedly refused to refund Christiaans N$250, claiming that he owed the municipality N$1 500 for telephone calls he made when he was employed as an emergency service officer, The Namibian was informed.The municipality has been reimbursing people who had been charged too much by the Namibia Football Association for renting stalls during The Namibian Newspaper Cup in April this year.Christiaans was one of the people who had been overcharged.On Saturday, Christiaans confirmed the row between him and Shangadi over the refund.Shangadi could not be reached for comment yesterday.He said the municipality’s Strategic Executive: Human Resources and Corporate Affairs, Empsom Jossop, has taken over the CEO’s position until further notice.According to Tiboth, the CEO tendered his resignation on Friday, just minutes after a row with Christiaans in front of the Council offices.”After the row that almost ended up in a fight, the CEO entered the council chamber and handed over his resignation letter to the Mayor of Keetmanshoop, Finna Elago, in the presence of Councillors Basil Brown, Moses Titus, Arnold Losper and me,” Tiboth said.Titus also confirmed that Shangadi had tendered his resignation.But, when approached yesterday, Elago denied having received the CEO’s resignation letter. “I’m not aware of any resignation letter,” Elago said.Brown and Losper also denied having any knowledge of a resignation letter.”I’m aware that the CEO threatened to resign, but I’m not aware of any resignation letter he handed over to Elago,” Losper said.”I only saw that the CEO threw a paper onto a table of which the contents are not known to me, therefore I cannot deny or confirm his resignation,” Brown said.Jossop yesterday confirmed that he had been given the CEO’s office keys after being informed by Elago that the CEO had resigned.According to Tiboth, the row between Shangadi and Christiaans was over a refund.He said Christiaans demanded a refund from Shangadi, who refused and referred him to the Council.”At one stage the CEO grabbed and pulled Christiaans into the council chambers where the councillors were seated,” Tiboth said.”To be honest Christiaans provoked the CEO to lose his temper,” Tiboth added Shangadi allegedly refused to refund Christiaans N$250, claiming that he owed the municipality N$1 500 for telephone calls he made when he was employed as an emergency service officer, The Namibian was informed.The municipality has been reimbursing people who had been charged too much by the Namibia Football Association for renting stalls during The Namibian Newspaper Cup in April this year.Christiaans was one of the people who had been overcharged.On Saturday, Christiaans confirmed the row between him and Shangadi over the refund.Shangadi could not be reached for comment yesterday.