AG opinion stalls Tsumeb CEO appointment
A legal opinion sought from the Office of the Attorney General in November last year is reportedly stalling the appointment of a substantive CEO for the Tsumeb municipal council.
It has been 10 months since the interviews for the Tsumeb CEO position were conducted but the position is yet to be filled.
Early this year Namibian Sun reported that the local authority has been waiting on the urban and rural development to pronounce itself on the matter.
At its council meeting on 29 January, the local authority resolved to re-advertise the CEO position, despite having held interviews in August last year.
The decision was prompted by the fact that only one of the three shortlisted candidates reportedly attended the interview.
Namibian Sun has been reliably informed that Nkurenkuru Town Council CEO Petrus Sindimba was the sole candidate to appear for the interview.
Tsumeb’s acting CEO, Frans Enkali, told Namibia Sun last week that the council forwarded its recommendations to the line ministry last year, but no feedback has been received since.
It remains unclear whether Sindimba was successful in the interview.
Another reason the post was re-advertised was due to a complaint lodged by an applicant who met all the requirements but was reportedly disqualified after botched paperwork – the applicant mistakenly ticked the female box instead of the male one on the application form.
Legal opinion
When contacted for comment recently, the urban and rural development ministry indicated that they have sought a legal opinion from the attorney general’s office for the way forward.
“The Tsumeb municipality has been operating without a substantive chief CEO since 2 September 2024, following the resignation of Ms Victoria Kapenda, who took up a similar post at the Walvis Bay Municipality,” the ministry said.
“The ministry is aware of a complaint raised over the recruitment process," it added.
“The interview for the position was conducted in August 2024, and the municipality submitted the request for ministerial approval on 28 August 2024," the ministry confirmed.
“However, the process was put on hold by the ministry due to notable administrative issues that have to be reviewed and resolved," the ministry explained.
“Therefore, the ministry referred the matter to the Office of the Attorney General on 21 November 2024 to seek a legal opinion or advice in order for the minister to pronounce himself on the way forward.”
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It has been 10 months since the interviews for the Tsumeb CEO position were conducted but the position is yet to be filled.
Early this year Namibian Sun reported that the local authority has been waiting on the urban and rural development to pronounce itself on the matter.
At its council meeting on 29 January, the local authority resolved to re-advertise the CEO position, despite having held interviews in August last year.
The decision was prompted by the fact that only one of the three shortlisted candidates reportedly attended the interview.
Namibian Sun has been reliably informed that Nkurenkuru Town Council CEO Petrus Sindimba was the sole candidate to appear for the interview.
Tsumeb’s acting CEO, Frans Enkali, told Namibia Sun last week that the council forwarded its recommendations to the line ministry last year, but no feedback has been received since.
It remains unclear whether Sindimba was successful in the interview.
Another reason the post was re-advertised was due to a complaint lodged by an applicant who met all the requirements but was reportedly disqualified after botched paperwork – the applicant mistakenly ticked the female box instead of the male one on the application form.
Legal opinion
When contacted for comment recently, the urban and rural development ministry indicated that they have sought a legal opinion from the attorney general’s office for the way forward.
“The Tsumeb municipality has been operating without a substantive chief CEO since 2 September 2024, following the resignation of Ms Victoria Kapenda, who took up a similar post at the Walvis Bay Municipality,” the ministry said.
“The ministry is aware of a complaint raised over the recruitment process," it added.
“The interview for the position was conducted in August 2024, and the municipality submitted the request for ministerial approval on 28 August 2024," the ministry confirmed.
“However, the process was put on hold by the ministry due to notable administrative issues that have to be reviewed and resolved," the ministry explained.
“Therefore, the ministry referred the matter to the Office of the Attorney General on 21 November 2024 to seek a legal opinion or advice in order for the minister to pronounce himself on the way forward.”
[email protected]
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