Renthia Kaimbi
The Kunene Regional Council has bowed to the demands of the urban and rural development minister, James Sankwasa.
The council agreed to immediately remove George Kamseb as acting chief regional officer (CRO), appoint a legally recognised accounting officer and pave the way for the release of withheld employee salaries.
The breakthrough ends weeks of administrative paralysis that had crippled the council’s operations and left employees without pay.
Confirming the agreement, Sankwasa, who held a closed meeting with regional officials on Wednesday, said Kamseb would vacate the position with immediate effect because he was not legally qualified to serve as the accounting officer responsible for public funds.
“He must go with immediate effect, and they must appoint an acting CRO who will legally be an accounting officer to account for the money of the government in the regional council,” Sankwasa said.
He dismissed suggestions that the ministry’s intervention was politically motivated, insisting the dispute had always been about compliance with the law.
“How do you get a person who is not appointed legally to account for state funds? That was the bone of contention. Nothing to do with politics at all. It has got to do with adherence to the law,” he said.
According to the minister, the council accepted the government’s position that Kamseb could not continue performing the functions of chief regional officer.
“We agreed that George Kamseb does not qualify as a CRO. As a result, he cannot handle government funds. We agreed he must go with immediate effect.”
Sankwasa said the government would immediately release the funds needed to settle outstanding salaries once the council appoints a lawful acting chief regional officer.
“Since we agreed there, the government is now releasing money to that acting CRO to pay the salaries tomorrow,” Sankwasa stated.
He said the council was expected to meet to appoint the acting CRO on Thursday.
“They are still going to sit tomorrow (today) and appoint an acting CRO. People must simply follow the law, not their own opinion and not political wills, but the law,” he said.
The minister’s position is reinforced by a 2025 High Court judgment, which declared invalid the Kunene Regional Council’s decision to reinstate Kamseb without first consulting the line minister, as required by the Regional Councils Act.
In its ruling, the High Court found that meaningful consultation with the minister had to occur before the council took any decision regarding the chief regional officer.
Instead, the council informed the minister only after passing its resolution, which the court ruled “did not constitute consultation.”
The court further held that the Regional Councils Act does not provide for the reinstatement of a chief regional officer after the expiry of a fixed-term contract and ordered the council to advertise the position within 30 days.
The resolution reinstating Kamseb was accordingly reviewed and set aside in its entirety.
The dispute over the legality of Kamseb’s position also spilled into a broader governance conflict between the council and the office of Kunene Governor Vipuakuje Muharukua.
On Tuesday, Muharukua proceeded with the State of the Region Address (SORA) in Opuwo despite a boycott by most regional councillors, who argued that the event violated constitutional and statutory procedures.
Explaining his decision, the governor said several councillors had informed him beforehand that they would not attend.
“Four or five contacted me saying they would not attend and true to their word, they did not, except for the two councillors,” he said.
Muharukua maintained that postponing the address was never an option.
“It would have been easy for me to say, ‘Let us postpone this event,’ but today I am giving the State of the Region Address not to the regional council per se, but to the Kunene Region and Namibia. When the regional council gains maturity, political maturity, that is, I will go to them and respond to their questions with all the love from my heart.”
The Kunene Regional Council defended its boycott, arguing that the governor lacked the legal authority to convene councillors independently or alter the statutory process governing the State of the Region Address.
Council chairperson Western Muharukua stated that the governor does not have the authority to convene councillors independently or transform a statutory reporting process into a public town hall.
The council also rejected suggestions that financial constraints had influenced the boycott, insisting its decision was based solely on legality and respect for institutional processes.
