WALVIS BAY – Erongo chief regional officer Habate Doeses has resigned and requested for early retirement, citing an unbearable environment at the council.
Doeses was appointed on 1 July 2018 on a five-year contract.
Her term was supposed to end in June 2023.
However, Doeses, who turned 50 years last month, said in her resignation letter to council that she has been victimised on numerous occasions by council members, and opted to resign from her employment contract with effect from 31 August 2022.
“This drastic step is necessitated by the fact that the council has made the continuation of the employment relations extremely intolerable. Since September 2021, council has on numerous occasions engaged in a witchhunt against me,” she stated in her resignation letter. Doeses also submitted supporting documents that apparently speak volumes of the unlawful and unjustified actions against “my office as an accounting officer”.
“The actions of the council are tantamount to a constructive discharge due to a hostile work environment, and this serious breach has triggered me to exit earlier from the employment contract that is set to end only in June 2023,” she added.
After Doeses tendered her resignation, council approached the office of the attorney general on 3 August for a legal opinion, considering that the early retirement age is 55.
Based on recommendations of the AG, the Public Service Commission advised the council that despite Doeses not having attained the age of 55 or served her contractual term to completion, the Public Service Act entitles her to make a request for early retirement.
“In the event that the request is granted, the staff member will be deemed to have retired at the age of 55 years.”
Early retirement refused
However, Walvis Bay Rural constituency councillor Donatus Tegako yesterday told New Era that they turned down the request for early retirement, and opted to release Doeses on “special retirement”.
“We could not allow her to benefit as if she resigned at 55, and get all the benefits that go along with early retirement. It would have been an added burden on government, while we know we don’t have money. She will get the same benefits any normal person gets when he or she resigns as she also did not complete her contractual term,” Tegako explained.