…as Okahandja residents reject CEO’s contract renewal, ask Sankwasa to intervene
Patience Makwele
Okahandja residents are challenging the renewal of municipality chief executive officer (CEO) Alphons Tjitombo’s contract, with activists threatening court action and demanding that urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa explain why he was given another five years despite what they describe as poor performance.
“We don’t hate the man. We hate his incompetence,” activist Paulus Haindere told the Windhoek Observer on Tuesday, saying residents were right to question the decision after years of what he described as “inadequate service delivery.”
The municipality announced on Tuesday that Tjitombo’s contract had been renewed with effect from 1 November 2026, following the completion of his first five-year term.
Haindere said the town continues to face problems that residents had expected the CEO to address, including shortages of residential land, frequent water interruptions and electricity outages.
He alleged that water has been cut two to three times a week, while electricity outages occurred three to four times a week and lasted between two to three hours.
He also questioned why the municipality had allegedly returned N$10 million to the Treasury while residents continued to face service-delivery challenges.
“The CEO has not delivered what the people were really expecting from the CEO to do,” Haindere said.
He further questioned the municipality’s land allocation practices, saying some residents had waited years for residential plots while applicants with greater financial means appeared to access business land more easily.
Haindere said the municipality had not made sufficient provision for low-income residents, including those earning about N$3 000 a month, to acquire land through affordable instalment arrangements.
He questioned why residents who could not afford to buy plots outright were left renting for years, despite having applied for land.
The activist also raised concerns about infrastructure in some residential areas, saying residents lacked proper roads, electricity, police stations and clinics.
He said pensioners in some areas such as 5 Rand had to walk in the dark to relieve themselves because of inadequate sanitation facilities.
He further questioned the absence of recreational facilities for young people, saying Okahandja previously had a swimming pool but no longer offered the same opportunities for youth recreation.
He argued that the municipality needed leadership that engaged residents and addressed their needs rather than allowing the same problems to continue.
Meanwhile, community activists Johannes /Gerub /Gâseb said he was equally disappointed with the renewal, arguing that Tjitombo had failed to deliver meaningful development during his previous term.
He criticised the municipality’s waste management, saying rubbish continued to accumulate around town and questioned why the dumping site had not been relocated.
Gâseb also dismissed the municipality’s acquisition of vehicles and equipment as evidence of achievement, saying residents should not be expected to regard the purchase of six vehicles and a compactor truck as sufficient progress after five years.
“That’s a real failure. I mean, you cannot be boasting with 6 cars like that or even posting about it in the name of accomplishment. What achievement is there to post? What else is he achieving?” he said.
He also questioned the alleged instruction preventing municipal employees from receiving land application letters prepared with his assistance.
“The council does not belong to him. It belongs to the people,” Gâseb said.
Gâseb has been assisting residents to prepare individual land application letters at a N$30 charge to cover printing costs since last week.
He maintains that he does not allocate land, issue municipal application forms or promise residents plots, but helps them prepare letters which they submit to the municipality themselves.
He said residents had previously been applying for land in groups, with some failing to follow the correct procedures or receive guidance on how to submit individual applications.
He said his initiative was intended to help residents prepare applications in line with the Local Authorities Act of 1992 and the municipality’s internal requirements.
In a letter seen by the Windhoek Observer, dated 10 November and addressed to Tjitombo, Gâseb requested written clarification over an alleged directive issued from the CEO’s office on Monday, 9 November, at about 11:00.
According to the letter, municipal employees responsible for receiving correspondence were allegedly instructed not to accept further residential land application letters from members of the public assisted through his initiative.
Gâseb said approximately 190 individual applications had already been submitted and stamped by municipal officials, with applicants receiving acknowledgement stamps on their own copies.
He asked Tjitombo to confirm whether he had issued or authorised the alleged instruction and, if so, to identify the law, municipal policy, council resolution or administrative procedure on which it was based.
He also requested confirmation of whether the approximately 190 applications had been registered and forwarded for consideration, and what would happen to them following the alleged instruction.
Gâseb further asked the municipality to clarify whether there were concerns about the format or contents of the applications and, if so, allow applicants to make corrections.
He gave the CEO five working days to respond in writing.
The letter followed a municipal public notice issued on 6 November under the heading “Disclaimer: Land Application Assistance Services Circulating on Social Media”.
In the notice, the municipality distanced itself from the social media initiative, saying it was not an official municipal programme or service.
It said all land applications had to be submitted and handled individually in accordance with established municipal procedures and requirements, with each application subject to assessment by the relevant municipal structures.
The municipality advised residents to approach its offices directly for guidance and cautioned them against unofficial initiatives that could appear to be affiliated with it.
Gâseb, however, maintains that his initiative is intended to help residents who struggle with the administrative process and does not replace the municipality’s land application procedures.
His initiative targets residents in Klein Saamstaan, Promised Land, the former RCC Camp and surrounding areas, as well as people who are renting and seeking residential land.
He said approximately 2 500 people had benefited from his efforts since 2020 and that he intended to assist another 2 500 over the next four years. He said his current initiative was targeting 2 000 applications during November.
He said he would give the municipality eight weeks to act on the applications before approaching the courts.
He also said he had spoken to the Otjozondjupa governor and would take the applications to the governor if the municipality did not respond by Friday.
Gâseb said residents should not be denied the opportunity to apply for land, even where their applications might eventually be rejected.
“Everybody has a right to apply for land. Whether they’re going to approve it or decline it, and if you decline it, you must tell the reasons why,” he said, adding that applicants should be given an opportunity to appeal or correct their applications.
He said access to land was important for people’s dignity and ability to establish secure homes and provide for their families.
The municipality acknowledged receipt of his 10 November letter, saying the request was receiving attention. The acknowledgement did not confirm whether the alleged instruction had been issued or address the questions raised.
The dispute has also put the municipality’s stated target of delivering more than 6 000 erven through the formalisation of informal settlements under scrutiny.
In its announcement of Tjitombo’s contract renewal, the municipality said the formalisation process had been initiated and was expected to yield more than 6 000 erven once completed.
Both activists questioned the municipality’s ability to meet the target, with Haindere asking how many residential properties had actually been made available to lower-income residents during Tjitombo’s previous term.
The municipality, meanwhile, cited projects undertaken during Tjitombo’s previous term, including the Okahandja Fire Station, SME Market, Nau-Aib Mini Police Station, renovation of the Nau-Aib municipal offices and the provision of basic services in Ekunde Extensions 4 and 5.
It also listed the acquisition of six motor vehicles, two heavy earthmoving units and two compactor trucks, the establishment of the Okahandja Electricity joint venture with CENORED and the initiation of a performance management system.
Gâseb said the activists would continue holding the CEO accountable during his renewed term.
“For the next five years, we’re not going to make his life easier. We will make sure that he performs. If he’s not performing, he must move out,” he said.
Haindere called on Sankwasa to intervene and explain the grounds on which Tjitombo’s contract had been renewed.
“The minister should come in,” he said, questioning the basis for reinstating a CEO whose performance residents considered unsatisfactory.
“A CEO being reinstated should be measured by the achievements that they have made. It’s not just about the salary,” Haindere said.
He said residents wanted a CEO who would engage with the community and work towards improving conditions in the town.
When contacted for comment, Tjitombo asked that questions be sent to his email.
“Do you have my email address? Put the questions in writing.” No response was provided by the time of publication.
