URBAN and rural development minister Peya Mushelenga yesterday suspended the Okahandja municipal council due to allegations of mismanagement, failure to comply with ministerial directives and non-submission of council minutes.
The minister accused the councillors of not having the required level of leadership in general, persistent non-adherence to appropriate laws governing the council and lack of accountability as well as recklessness with public resources.
The seven ousted councillors are mayor Johannes Congo Hindjou, his deputy Hileni Iita, chairperson of the management committee Gideon Uwu-Khaeb, and members of the management committee, Helmi Maruru, Sophia Upithe and opposition councillors Frederick Shimanda of UDF, and Sylvia Karuombe of PDM.
Mushelenga announced the dissolution of the council at a meeting held at the town yesterday.
After dissolving the council, Mushelenga appointed an official from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, Linus //Garoëb, to implement the directives of the minister at the council.
Mushelenga said the ongoing fights at Okahandja can be summed up as a case of a council failing to exercise the powers and perform the duties and functions assigned to a local authority council.
He further noted that a lack of the requisite level of leadership in general as well as a lack of teamwork within the governing council and between the councillors and management, are also to be blamed.
Other reasons the minister gave were mismanagement and lack of accountability for public resources entrusted to the council as well as revenue related to services rendered by bulk utility providers such as NamWater and NamPower.
In addition, he mentioned the persistent non-adherence and compliance with the provisions of the Local Authorities Act and directives from the minister in almost all aspects and areas of the affairs of the council.
“The combined effect of non-compliance, poor management and maladministration is that the municipal council is unable or failing to perform its powers, duties and functions that have been conferred and imposed on and required of it,” he said.
The minister said //Garoëb would assume duty with immediate effect and would be supported by management, led by the chief executive.
//Garoëb would also be tasked to thoroughly investigate “without fear, favour or prejudice”, the allegations of misconduct that have been levelled against the town’s chief executive officer, Martha Mutilifa, who was suspended by the council earlier this year.
Mushelenga said //Garoëb would also be expected to institute the necessary disciplinary action against Mutilifa, should the outcome of the investigation provide evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the chief executive officer.
“It must be clear to all local authorities that the ministry in general and the minister, in particular, will continue to monitor performance and will not hesitate to take swift action against any local authority whenever discipline, order, harmony and service delivery are at stake,” he said.
Ousted mayor Hindjou, however, criticised the minister for removing them, saying Mushelenga was biased and had a hidden agenda.
He said their removal was political.
“This thing has been coming. This is bias of the highest level. He is saying that it is because of the suspended CEO that we are suspended. But we wrote to him informing him of the misconduct by the CEO, but in his statement, he is talking about the investigation against the CEO by the new person he appointed [//Garoëb] while we told him that we wanted to investigate the CEO and he never replied to our letters,” Hindjou said.
