Walvis Bay councillor Tegako Donatus, who has been suspended by the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) over alleged misconduct, vows to continue serving the community in a personal capacity.
Donatus was suspended on Friday.
“If I have done wrong in some way, let me be tried in a court of law ..,” he said over the weekend.
Donatus’ suspension comes after the party’s national general secretary, Christine !Aochamus, in a letter dated 5 September informed the councillor of an ongoing investigation into alleged corrupt conduct and the mismanagement and maladministration of council funds.
“You are hereby restrained from acting in any manner or whatsoever in any forum on behalf of the IPC with immediate effect in accordance with the code of conduct for regional councillors,” she writes in the letter.
The party says an investigation committee will be appointed to look into Donatus’ conduct, and urges him to cooperate to swiftly conclude the matter.
Chief regional officer Mpezeni Ntelamo last month announced the Erongo Regional Council is investigating the unauthorised expenditure purchase order of its Metro Supermarket account at Swakopmund.
A police case has since been opened and investigations are ongoing.
Donatus yesterday explained to The Namibian that he accepts the decision and will respect it in the interest of the community and the council.
He, however, vowed to defend his innocence.
“We planned a meeting. We wanted to know how someone used the council purchase order without authorisation. But then, in fact, we did not manage to get that meeting on, because while we were looking for that, we were made to understand the matter is being investigated by the police,” he said.
Donatus said he did not know “if this matter happened before my tenure or during my tenure, but I am fine with my restraint to allow for investigations to take place”.
He said at no point was he ever informed he was being investigated until now.
Donatus said the council does not have a credit card agreement with Metro, but rather an account.
He said any constituency in the region must first get a quotation from a supermarket for goods to be procured, upon which the council’s administration and finance deputy director have to be approached. The purchase order authorisation then needs to be signed off by the chief regional officer.
Donatus said he would continue serving his community in his personal capacity.
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