The Rehoboth Town Council says the council is not obliged to respond to public commentary or inquiries on social media regarding the writ of execution against the council to pay N$1.8 million to a former staff member.
The Rehoboth Town Council lost an unfair labour practice case in the High Court brought by former council employee Bertha Drotsky in 2018.
The High Court ruled in favour of Drotsky and in the judgement issued this year ordered the council to pay N$1.8 million to Drotsky. The council is, however, unable to settle this amount and will auction five of its vehicles and one grader on 6 September to settle the legal dispute.
Members of the public have been flocking to the town council’s Facebook page to inquire about the matter as the items to be sold are public property and will adversely impact basic service delivery.
In a disclaimer issued on Friday, the council says its official Facebook page is a platform for community updates and engagement, and not for personal grievances, defamatory remarks or hostile commentary.
“The Rehoboth Town Council acknowledges the recent High Court ruling of the writ of execution involving a former employee. We respectfully clarify that neither the chief executive nor the mayor is obliged to respond to public commentary or inquiries on social media regarding this matter,” reads the disclaimer.
After being asked on Facebook by former mayor Emrico Junius about the process, chief executive Ronal Windswaai responded. Other community members followed. The council issued a disclaimer saying all official communication will be issued through appropriate legal and administrative channels.
The disclaimer adds that the public relations office does not block individuals from the council’s Facebook page as alleged but that hateful speech and harassment may trigger automatic restrictions or content removal by Facebook.
The council encourages members of the public to bring written submissions, schedule consultations and participate in designated public forums.
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