Chaos at City

Several City of Windhoek councillors who do not sit on the management committee (MC) on Wednesday night took a hard-line stance not to discuss employee grievance matters at council level until the disciplinary process of the municipality’s legal head Ben Ngairorue is reinstituted.

The MC last month took a decision to halt all disciplinary processes instituted against Ngairorue, who has been under fire over the years for alleged gross misconduct, dishonesty and gross negligence over the 5G saga.

The move was questioned by municipal insiders who felt the MC was usurping the powers of the executive.

The MC is made up of Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) and Landless People’s Movement (LPM) councillors.

Namibian Sun understands Wednesday’s special council meeting turned ugly when the council was about to discuss an agenda item relating to the salary status of an employee who was suspended without basic salary earlier this year.

He was sent home after he was caught allegedly attempting to steal municipal property. He was nabbed by the security guards at the municipal headquarters on his way out.

“MC members were at pains to justify the move. Those who are not in MC wanted to know why employees are treated differently. There was seemingly consensus that no employee grievance will be discussed at council level going forward if this matter is not addressed,” a municipal insider privy to the discussions said.

Ruffle feathers

The employee, who cannot be named at this stage, wrote to council seeking approval on his request to receive his salary while on suspension in order to take care of his family.

Due to the Ngairorue matter, non-MC councillors used the opportunity to ruffle the feathers of MC members in attendance.

Swapo councillor Fransina Kahungu was allegedly one of those who expressed her concern on the matter by calling out the MC for not handling the matter in accordance with the municipality’s governance principles.

LPM councillor Ivan Skrywer, sources said, also opposed the decision taken by the MC. Skrywer also sits on the committee but decided to break ranks on this issue.

It is understood that Skrywer warned that the matter sets a bad precedence and further amplified that all employees must be treated equally.

MC chairperson Ndeshihafela Larandja hung up when called for comment yesterday.

Red flags

The move to stop the disciplinary proceedings did not sit well with the municipality’s strategic executive for human capital and corporate services George Mayumbelo, who described it as “unprecedented”.

After receiving the instruction, he wrote to acting CEO Jennifer Comalie saying the CEO and management committee do not have the power “to postpone or stay the disciplinary hearing process once the disciplinary committee is appointed”.

He claimed the move to halt the disciplinary process against Ngairorue is a serious interference and disruption of the ongoing process.

“It goes without saying that the disciplinary process is not dependent upon the conclusion or outcome of the grievance processes. The acting CEO and management committee have a duty to maintain impartiality and professional distance on matters of an operational nature and ensure that such remain intact,” Mayumbelo said.

He cautioned that: “This approach and interventions will create unsustainable precedents going forward which have the potential to bring the organisation into disrepute and undermine all ongoing and future disciplinary matters and efforts of the organisation.”

According to Mayumbelo, Ngairorue failed to appear at his disciplinary hearings last month.

Ngairorue’s excuse, according to Mayumbelo, was that Comalie had instructed him to accompany her to a meeting and to attend management committee meetings instead of attending the hearings.