Maltahöhe CEO challenges suspension

WINDHOEKFRED GOEIEMAN

Lawyers acting for the Maltahöhe Village Council's chief executive officer, Eliphas Shipanga, are challenging his suspension on the grounds that it was unprocedural and therefore illegal.
Murorua and Associates recently sent a letter to the village council demanding their client's reinstatement.
In the letter they allege that the council meeting at which he was suspended was not properly constituted, as the majority of councillors were apparently not present.
The lawyers further claimed that the chairperson of the council, Simon Haikwiyu, who was supposed to convene the meeting, was not present and that councillors were informed about the meeting at short notice.
Shipanga's earlier suspension for insubordination was lifted after the intervention of Hardap Governor Katrina Hanse-Himarwa.
However, a letter signed by three councillors, Markus Saal, Johannes Jacobus Schmidt and Adam Frederick, informed Shipanga that the council resolved at an extraordinary meeting held on May 8 that he be suspended from May 14 with full pay. No formal charges have been laid against the CEO to date.
Saal, who is the acting chairperson of the village council, as well as Schmidt and Frederick, visited the Office the State Attorney in Windhoek yesterday.
They have indicated that they will oppose Shipanga, should he take legal action against his suspension.
Saal said they have asked for advice regarding the formulation of charges against Shipanga.
They also visited the Ministry of Local Government for consultations, where they informed deputy director of local authorities, Karl Ndoroma, about the developments in the Shipanga matter.
Ndoroma had headed an investigation team that visited Maltahöhe last month to probe the fall-out between the council and its CEO.
According to Saal they informed Ndoroma that cooperation in the matter was not forthcoming from two other councillors, Simon Haikwiyu and Anna-Marie Swartbooi. The two are allegedly not attending council meetings.