IPC loses grip on City

One of the factors that led to the downfall of the Independent Patriots for Change-led management committee of the City of Windhoek was its failure to unite the council.This according to analysts, after the City council on Monday decided to dissolve the management committee following a vote of no confidence brought by Ilse Keister of the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement a fortnight ago.The decision was made barely hours after the Windhoek High Court dismissed an urgent application by four IPC councillors who served on the management committee, asking for an interdict to stop the Monday meeting.In their plea arguments, the quartet insisted that a meeting on 12 August, where the vote of no confidence motion was moved, was constituted unlawfully and that they were given notice of less than 72 hours.Their greatest concern was, however, that they would suffer irreparable reputational damage since their term was due to expire in four months and they had yet to complete their greatest task - the recruitment of the City’s CEO.Insiders argued that the “restraint culture” of the IPC put the management committee in a vulnerable position and contributed greatly to its failure, adding that it has left no tangible legacy.Dysfunction reigns supremePolicy expert Graham Hopwood argued that the management committee’s failure to agree on a process to recruit a CEO is not an IPC issue, but rather a symptom of the dysfunction reigning at the City council.“The constant chopping and changing at the council cannot be good for governance or service delivery. The pleas for councillors to rise above political infighting and dedicate themselves to serving Windhoek’s residents have fallen on deaf ears.“It seems to be a case of political egos triumphing over the spirit of public service,” he said.UnfairGovernance and management analyst Jackpelins Muundjua, however, said that the vote of no confidence discussion was unfair towards the management committee because council and the mover of the motion had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the committee was indeed incompetent.He added that the dominance of one political party is a “dangerous” factor because they are bound to caucus amongst themselves and vote each other into various positions.The lack of transparency and capacity-building is one of the key fundamental problems of the management committee, he said, pointing out that the institution doesn’t just run with money but with technical skills and knowledge.Muundjua urged the line minister to appoint a commission of experts to hold local authorities’ councillors accountable throughout the country.jemima@namibiansun.com

IPC loses grip on City

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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IPC loses grip on City

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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