Africa-Press – Namibia. SOME candidates vying for the City of Windhoek’s chief executive officer (CEO) position are considering dragging the municipality to court over alleged irregularities in the ongoing recruitment process.
This follows recommendations by the municipality’s management committee last week to revoke the ongoing process due to alleged discrepancies. The management committee (MC) met last week to discuss a report by a panel that conducted the interview process which recommended Roads Authority’s boss Conrad Lutombi for the position.
Apart from the decision to revoke the recruitment process, the MC also recommended removing current acting CEO George Mayumbelo from the acting capacity to replace him with Pierre van Rensburg.
If the management committee’s recommendation is upheld by the municipality’s council, the position will be readvertised. However, The Namibian has been reliably informed that some candidates are preparing to sue the municipality.
Lutombi was ranked at number one, with 80% from the three-staged interviews. Should Lutombi decline the offer, the panel recommended that Otjiwarongo CEO Moses Matyayi, who scored 74%, should be considered as second choice.
Former Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) acting CEO Eino Mvula took third position, scoring 71%, while Charmil Zamuee, and Joyce Mukubi both scored below 60%.
SWAPO AFFILIATES Last week’s special management committee meeting considered a myriad of allegations, including claims that Mayumbelo favoured some candidates over others.
Mayumbelo was one of the members of the panel that considered the candidates for appointment. Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) councillors are said to be spearheading the plot to revoke the ongoing process.
One of the reasons allegedly given by IPC councillors to substantiate their move to revoke the process was that all the candidates recommended for the position are compromised because they are affiliated with Swapo.
Sources claimed that IPC councillors want to make it possible for former CEO Robert Kahimise, who left the municipality last year, to qualify for the position again in terms of municipal rules.
Other councillors are allegedly aggrieved that people from their tribes have not been shortlisted and interviewed for the position. Politicians are questioning inconsistencies in the scoring of candidates.
Mayumbelo is being accused of deliberately scoring Lutombi higher than other candidates. The acting CEO scored Lutombi at 80%, Matyayi at 67%, Mvula at 62%, Mukubi at 40%, and Zamuee at 45%.
Scores from other panellists show mixed results, with the highest being 75% given to Lutombi. ‘SENSITIVE & CONFIDENTIAL’ The city’s MC chairperson, Ndeshihafela Larandja, refused to comment on the matter yesterday, saying it was sensitive and confidential. She said she cannot discuss the matter until it is considered by the council. Mayumbelo did not respond to questions sent to him yesterday.
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