Minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa has rejected a request by the Divundu Village Council to renew the contract of its chief executive Athanasius Maghumbo for another five years.
In a letter dated 27 August addressed to the village council, Sankwasa says he does not support the council’s decision to renew Maghumbo’s contract.
He says Maghumbo has served as chief executive since the local authority was proclaimed but failed to submit the required budgets, audit reports and financial statements during his tenure.
“His overall performance has not met the required standards. In view of these shortcomings, the renewal of his contract is, therefore, not supported by my office for approval,” the letter reads.
Sankwasa also raises concerns about mismanagement related to compensation. He confirmed the letter to The Namibian on Monday.
The minister’s response follows a letter from the council dated 12 August, requesting approval for the contract extension.
The council has now appealed the minister’s decision, noting his assessment does not fully take into account the operational realities and institutional challenges facing the council.
The appeal letter disputes the minister’s assertion that it failed to submit annual budgets, saying budgets had consistently been prepared, considered and approved by the council before being submitted to the ministry.
“We request that the ministry reconsider this aspect upon verification of the council’s records. On outstanding financial statements and audits, the council acknowledges that challenges existed but these were caused by broader institutional problems rather than Maghumbo alone,” the appeal reads.
It lists vacancies in critical finance and accounting positions, shortages of qualified accounting and audit personnel, technical capacity constraints, delays in external audit processes and consultations, and financial and administrative resource limitations.
It argues that there is no proven misconduct or negligence by Maghumbo and that no disciplinary determination has established that the shortcomings identified were the direct result of his deliberate actions.
“In the absence of such findings, the council respectfully submits that the non-approval of the renewal may be disproportionate to the circumstances,” it says.
The letter warns that implementing the minister’s directive could disrupt ongoing projects and programmes, which may affect institutional stability, delay implementation of council resolutions, and create uncertainty among employees.
“The council believes that continuity in leadership is critical while ongoing governance and financial improvement measures are being implemented,” the letter reads.
The Local Authorities Act provides for village councils to appoint a person as their village secretary, who serves as the chief executive.
The act allows for a five-year appointment to be extended for a further period or successive periods. However, it does not expressly require the minister’s approval for the appointment or reappointment or extension of a village council chief executive.
‘WE KNOW NOTHING’
A senior official at the village council this week said the council was not informed about the letter requesting the contract renewal to the minister and only became aware of the documents after they were leaked.
The appeal letter, which The Namibian has seen, identifies the human resources office and management committee as its source.
The official who is part of the committee said they did not know about it nor have they written it.
“Some of us just found out about the letter. We are in the management committee, but we know nothing,” they said.
They said Maghumbo left two weeks ago as he was told to step down.
“We did not write those letters. Maghumbo is playing games and trying to persuade the council to extend his contract,” the official said.
They said he has been in the same position for 10 years, but has not done anything tangible for the community.
