Lüderitz residents are demanding permanent executive leadership and improved financial reporting after years of acting appointments and delayed audits at the town council.
The positions of chief executive officer (CEO), strategic executive for finance and strategic executive for engineering have been occupied in an acting capacity for almost four years.
The residents are also concerned that the council’s financial reporting is allegedly several years behind and that its annual financial statements have not been submitted to the auditor general, which could result in the council’s budget not being released by the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development.
Speaking to The Namibian on Tuesday, spokesperson and community activist Ndeshipenda Akwenye said Lüderitz cannot fully realise its economic potential while these executive positions remain vacant and financial governance remains unaccounted for.
“While only the council and the auditor general can explain the exact circumstances, possible contributing factors may include prolonged leadership instability, vacancies in critical executive positions, capacity constraints within the finance department, and broader governance and oversight challenges.”
Akwenye said strong municipalities and councils are built on strong leadership.
He added that the town, its residents and future deserve permanent, capable, and accountable leadership with the authority and mandate to make strategic decisions and drive development.
He said the town is entering one of the most important periods in its history, with ongoing and anticipated investment in the port, renewable energy, green hydrogen and other economic sectors requiring experienced and decisive leadership.
Akwenye said after almost four years under an acting arrangement, residents want to know why no suitable candidate has been identified after four recruitment rounds.
Since the resignation of Reinhardt Ochs as CEO in 2022 after allegations of undue influence, strategic executive for corporate affairs Otto Shipanga has been acting CEO.
Council minutes show that the technical executive left in June 2022, the CEO left in August 2022, and the finance executive in January 2025.
Former mayor Phil Balhao says during his tenure, the position was advertised on more than three occasions.
However, concerns about fair recruitment processes and remuneration emerged, which required further engagement with the line ministry.
Balhao says the council wrote to the ministry requesting permission for the Lüderitz Town Council to appoint an independent recruitment agency to assist in identifying suitably qualified candidates rather than simply proceeding with an appointment because the community was demanding one.
He says the request was declined on the basis that the Local Authorities Act did not make provision for such an appointment, despite their reference to other municipalities that had successfully used similar services.
“There was also another challenge that cannot be ignored.
Remuneration. Lüderitz is classified as a part two local authority (town council), which places limits on the salary package that can be offered to a CEO.
“Unfortunately, this makes attracting highly experienced and suitably qualified candidates considerably more difficult, particularly when asking professionals to relocate to a relatively remote coastal town,” Balhao says.
Current Lüderitz mayor Brigitte Fredericks says the positions of finance and technical services were filled on 3 August, while the shortlisted candidate for the CEO position took up employment at the Hardap Regional Council.
Fredericks says the council is at an advanced stage of obtaining a secondment from the line ministry for an interim CEO, while the position has been advertised again and applications will close on 19 August.
“Shipanga is no longer acting CEO as he withdrew last month from the position and returned to his substantive post of strategic executive for corporate affairs.
We have appointed the chief accountant, Austin Mubiana, as acting CEO,” the mayor says.
She acknowledges that the council is two years behind with its financial audits, as it is currently working on the 2022/23 audit.
She says the council has resolved to appoint external auditors to fast-track the auditing of its financial statements and bring it into compliance with the Local Authorities Act.
