Allexer Namundjembo
The Omuthiya Town Council failed to conduct the election of new office bearers at its last council meeting for the year held on 10 November.
Elections for local authority office bearers are held annually in accordance with Section 11 (2) (c) and 22 (1) of the Local Authorities Act.
According to Independent Patriots for Change’s (IPC) councillor, Nghipudilo yaShiindi, the office elections were scheduled for 10 November.
“The election for political office bearers for the Omuthiya Town Council was held on Friday, the 10th of November last year. The terms of the current office bearers have now lapsed for a whole month. Today is the 12th of December. Technically, the Omuthiya town council has been without leadership since the 10th of November 2024,” yaShiindi said.
She added that councillors were not informed on the way forward and that the council is behind with ordinary council meetings.
According to her, three meetings from the previous term still remain, as they only held seven ordinary council meetings for the 2023 term, which ended on 10 November.
“The Act requires that Council holds at least 10 ordinary Council meetings each year, starting from the first day of January, which is why we have three outstanding meetings to complete. The mayor is a full-time resident of Windhoek, miles away from Omuthiya. What do you expect? We are behind with meetings because our meetings happen according to his availability,” she added.
Omuthiya Town Council chief executive officer Petrus Shuuya has declined to comment on the matter, stating that he was travelling.
“I can’t comment now as I am travelling. Call the office. Obviously, there is someone acting,” he said.
The office number for the acting public relations officer went unanswered.
Johannes Ndeutepo, who is the mayor and who operates from Windhoek, where he is the executive director of Nammic Holdings, said he also doesn’t know when the elections will take place.
“The elections will be held when the magistrate is available. I do not know when,” he said.
Ndeutepo took office at Nammic on 1 July and remains Omuthiya’s mayor despite being 600 kilometres away from the town.
When Ndeuteppo took up the position at Nammic, he said he would not resign from the local authority position and ordered that virtual facilities be set up to enable him to participate in council meetings.
At the time of his appointment to Nammic, Ndeutepo indicated to Shuuya that he would not regularly be available in Omuthiya due to his new duty station but wants to remain a councillor at Omuthiya until the next local authority elections, likely to be held in November 2025.
“With this appointment, I will not be regularly available in Omuthiya, as the appointment is in Windhoek. Hence this notice to inform you that I will also not be available for re-election as chairperson of the council (mayor) for the next year,” he wrote.
