Defiant IPC councillor threatens to sue

JEMIMA BEUKES/OGONE TLHAGE







WINDHOEK

Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) City of Windhoek councillor Desiree Davids, who was recalled from her position yesterday, said she will drag the party to court if it does not rescind its decision.

Her lawyers Etzold-Duvenhage Attorneys wrote to IPC’s national general secretary Christine Aochamus, demanding that “our client [be] provided with legitimate reasons for withdrawal, failing which our client will have no other alternative but to consider taking legal action”.

Davids, together with council’s management chairperson Fillemon Hambuda, were withdrawn as councillors.

Davids was withdrawn after she applied to buy land in Windhoek’s Rocky Crest suburb earlier this year, allegedly contrary to the party’s principles.

Namibian Sun understands that Davids used the existing scheme that allows Windhoek municipal councillors to get preferential treatment when applying for land in the city – a scheme approved while Swapo was in control of council.

This, according to a senior IPC national leader who spoke to Namibian Sun yesterday, contradicts the party’s principle that “leaders must eat last”, seeing as there are many ordinary applicants who remain on the city’s waiting list for land.

She is also accused of allegedly using the letterhead of the mayor’s office in an attempt to legitimise her application.

Hambuda and Davids are currently the subject of an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) probe over using their office for alleged wrongdoing.

Hambuda is said to have asked the party to recall him from his post, apparently saying he cannot achieve the IPC mandate at the city council with Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader Job Amupanda as mayor.

This is despite Amupanda last month saying he had a good working relationship with Hambuda.

Blowing the whistle

“He was recalled on his own request and the party followed provisions of the Local Authorities Act to effect the request,” a senior party source said.

Others accused Amupanda of blowing the whistle against the IPC pair, but the youthful mayor laughed off the allegation.

“While I am at the forefront of fighting corruption, it is not me this time around,” he said yesterday.

Davids accused party leader Panduleni Itula of victimising her and “now using her case to cushion that of his childhood friend Hambuda who is also reported to the ACC”.

When these allegations were put to him yesterday, Itula only responded by saying “fascinating”.

There are also talks that Itula was remote-controlling councillors.

Namibian Sun understands that some members from the municipality’s management bypass councillors and approach Itula directly when they have issues they want attended to. Itula would then allegedly impose those issues on councillors to raise at council.

IPC spiteful

Davids accused her party of being spiteful because they know there is nothing that implicates her into fraud, which is why they are jumping the gun before the investigation report is released, she said.

She also accused the party’s leadership of bluffing because they reportedly know there is no evidence that she acted fraudulently and has in the meantime tasked her lawyers to write to the IPC to demand solid reasons for recalling her as a City councillor.

“In the absence of my investigation report not being finalised, it is very strange that IPC called me on Saturday, 7 August, and asked me whether I want to resign because the matter was reported to ACC.

“I asked what then, if the matter was reported to ACC, does that make me guilty? Itula could not answer me and said it is either I resign or they recall me. I said no, the report must be finalised. There has to be an outcome of the investigation. Itula suspended me on the basis of allegations in the newspaper. I told him those allegations must be validated and verified,” she said.

Probing

Aochamus, in a statement issued yesterday, said a team had been appointed to spearhead investigations with regards to any wrongdoing regarding Davids’ conduct.

“An investigation was instituted by an IPC-appointed investigation team, which involved conducting interviews with the councillor concerned and other individual administrative officials in the City of Windhoek with the City’s internal audit team,” Aochamus added.

The IPC had requested the release of evidence it said was necessary to help it make a final decision regarding Davids’ conduct.

“Emanating from the interviews, the investigation team and the IPC requested the release of evidential documentations from the City. Regrettably, the City implicitly refused to release the evidential documentation to allow the IPC to conclude the investigation and to make a final decision,” she said.

A decision was then made to withdraw Hambuda and Davids following a series of meetings held in accordance with the Local Authorities Act, Aochamus said.