Martin Endjala
The residents of Outjo have criticised their town council following changes in requirements for the chief executive officer position re-advertised in local newspapers last week.
The previous requirements were that the candidate should have a minimum of eight years of working experience, five of which should be at the senior management level in a local authority environment.
The new requirements entail eight years of working experience, of which five years should be at the middle management, senior management, or executive management level in the local authority environment.
The reason for changing these requirements is unclear.
The urban and rural development minister, Erastus Uutoni, ordered a re-advertisement of the position after his office received complaints about irregularities in the CEO recruitment process last year.
In March, the ministry issued an order to reverse, re-due, and complete the entire process in three months.
According to a petition dated 25 July that was seen by the Windhoek Observer, the residents are demanding the immediate cancellation of the re-advertisement or, alternatively, proof of compliance with the advertisement with national Local Authority standards.
They also want the vacancy re-advertised in accordance with the standard requirements for the Local Authority Council with Municipal Status (Part II LA).
The residents are also demanding that these actions be completed within three months, starting on 1 August.
“We, the residents of Outjo, hereby express our profound anger and dissatisfaction with the recent developments regarding the re-advertisement of the CEO vacancy for the Municipality of Outjo. It is clear that the Municipal Council has no respect for the residents of Outjo or the office of the Minister,” read the petition.
They also want the ministerial intervention to oversee and ensure the CEO’s recruitment and timely completion.
Uaundja Koos Mazenge, the Outjo community’s spokesperson, stated that if their demands are not met by the set date, they will organise a larger protest and initiate legal action against the Outjo Municipality.
“We require a written formal response from both the Outjo Municipal Council and the Minister by 1 August 2024, acknowledging receipt of this letter of demand and outlining the steps they will take to address our concerns,” said Mazenge.
Mazenge acknowledged that the re-advertisement for the CEO vacancy last week appeared to have worked because of community pressure.
He, however, pointed out that the relaxed requirements appear to be a manipulation to favour a pre-selected candidate.
“In our opinion, the manipulation is driven by outside influence, a blatant act of disrespect to both the residents of Outjo and the office of the Minister,” said Mazenge.
Manzenge demands that the fair and transparent recruitment of a competent CEO be ensured.
Mazenge argues that the Outjo residents group extended support to the Outjo Municipality; however, the situation has now become intolerable due to a lack of service delivery.
He claims that residents must live in filth, drink contaminated water from wells, and travel long distances to get clean water.
“The sewage project in the informal settlement had been stalled for over eight years, a testament to the former CEO’s incompetence in running the town’s affairs to the residents’ satisfaction. Despite our vehement opposition, the Municipal Council extended his contract, influenced, in our opinion, by external political forces, blatantly disregarding our community’s concerns, argued Mazenge.
Questions sent to Outjo Municipal acting CEO Sieglende Amamus could not be responded to, as she was out of the office and only returned on Thursday when she would be able to attend to the matter.
Questions sent to the line ministry’s executive director, Nghidinua Daniel, proved futile at the time of publication.
