Suspension of top City Traffic official shrouded in secrecy

THE Windhoek Municipality has thrown a tight veil of secrecy around the suspension of a top municipal Police official.

Eliphas !Owos-Oab, the Chief of the municipality’s Traffic Management Unit, says even he doesn’t know why he was suspended. Although the City yesterday confirmed the suspension – effective from Friday – it declined to divulge the reasons.!Owos-Oab said yesterday that his suspension had come like a bolt out of the blue.He has been employed by the City for more than 20 years.”I’m shocked and surprised particularly because no reasons have been given,” he told The Namibian.!Owos-Oab said he had only been given a suspension letter which contained no reasons for putting him off work.”I don’t have a clue.I wish I knew,” he said when he was asked what he suspected the possible reasons could be.He said he had asked the municipality to shed more light on what the charges were against him, and was still awaiting feedback.!Owos-Oab has been suspended indefinitely on full pay, while the City undertakes “investigations”.”We can only confirm that he was suspended,” the City’s Corporate Communications head Ndangi Katoma said yesterday.The Namibian understands that the City Council’s management committee last year took a decision that the suspension of any senior City official be done with the knowledge of the Council.However, councillors The Namibian approached yesterday said they did not even know that the municipality had suspended !Owos-Oab, let alone the reasons for his suspension.!Owos-Oab became a Deputy Chief of the City Police, as the commanding officer for traffic management, when the division was incorporated into the City’s crime prevention force last year.By late yesterday, the City had not yet appointed anyone to act in !Owos-Oab’s position.Although the City yesterday confirmed the suspension – effective from Friday – it declined to divulge the reasons.!Owos-Oab said yesterday that his suspension had come like a bolt out of the blue.He has been employed by the City for more than 20 years.”I’m shocked and surprised particularly because no reasons have been given,” he told The Namibian.!Owos-Oab said he had only been given a suspension letter which contained no reasons for putting him off work.”I don’t have a clue.I wish I knew,” he said when he was asked what he suspected the possible reasons could be.He said he had asked the municipality to shed more light on what the charges were against him, and was still awaiting feedback.!Owos-Oab has been suspended indefinitely on full pay, while the City undertakes “investigations”.”We can only confirm that he was suspended,” the City’s Corporate Communications head Ndangi Katoma said yesterday. The Namibian understands that the City Council’s management committee last year took a decision that the suspension of any senior City official be done with the knowledge of the Council.However, councillors The Namibian approached yesterday said they did not even know that the municipality had suspended !Owos-Oab, let alone the reasons for his suspension.!Owos-Oab became a Deputy Chief of the City Police, as the commanding officer for traffic management, when the division was incorporated into the City’s crime prevention force last year.By late yesterday, the City had not yet appointed anyone to act in !Owos-Oab’s position.