Lahja Nashuuta 

Urban and Rural Development minister Erastus Uutoni has nullified the appointment of the strategic executive for finance at the Khorixas Town Council. 

He slashed the appointment of Jorgen /Urib on 22 August 2024, citing the council’s failure to comply with recruitment and selection regulations as per the Local Authorities Act.

The Khorixas Town Council recently conducted the interview for the position that /Urib and four other candidates were shortlisted and interviewed for. 

However, this publication is reliably informed that the council has resolved not to comply with the ministerial directive, but to stick to their guns and the preferred candidate. 

People with intricate knowledge about the matter said the council is arguing that the law does not make provision for the ministry to meddle in the recruitment affairs of local authority staff, a sentiment that /Urib echoed. 

Recommendation 

The panel recommended the former Kamanjab finance manager for the position. 

However, the minister has issued a directive to the contrary. 

Khorixas officials, preferring anonymity for fear of reprisals, opined that the minister is not allowed to get involved in the recruitment of local authority officials.

/Urib confirmed the directive, although he said he had not received the termination letter yet.

“Yes, I was informed that my appointment has been cancelled by the minister because I did not meet all the requirements, which is not true,” he stated.

The minister’s missive to the council, which was copied to Kunene governor Marius Sheya, said /Urib did not meet all the criteria in terms of years of work experience.  

Information seen by New Era shows that he completed his tertiary education in 2019. 

He only has one year and 11 months of work experience at the local authority level.

One of the requirements for the position is that the candidate should have worked in a finance management position for at least five years, of which two must be at the local authority level.

“It should be noted that his work experience at Naltech Group as financial supervisor is conflicting in his time period of tertiary education,” the letter reads.

“Nullify the interview results and recommendation of the interview panel, and constitute a new interview panel with the approval of the council, as required in terms of Regulation 23 (2) and (3), and interview the only candidate who meets all the requirements within three months since the initial candidates were disqualified in terms of regulation 16 of the recruitment and selection regulations of local authority councils,” the minister’s letter reads.

Disqualified

Uutoni also disqualified the other three shortlisted candidates for failing to meet the requirements for the position. 

In the letter, the former Ongwediva mayor instructed the council that the recruitment process must be finalised within three months. Should there be a reason for the cancellation of the recruitment process, the cancellation must be provided with a council and management committee resolution.

He further cautioned the council that the exercise is not only crucial to safeguard the scarce resources of the town council, but that of the applicants too as well as being in the public interest.  Uutoni also urged the council to stick to the set requirements as per the advertisement, do a thorough reference check, and ensure that all interview panel members have signed the declaration of interest before the commencement of the interview process after the perusal and verification process of all candidates’ details.

Irregularities 

A document seen by New Era states that the nullification of the appointment of the strategic executive officer was reached following a thorough investigation after the ministry received a tip-off regarding irregularities in the recruitment process for the position.

A council document, dated December 2023, reveals that Uutoni penned a letter to the Khorixas Town Council to have the position put on hold to pave the way for the ministry’s investigation into the allegations.

As part of the methodology, the investigating team was assigned to assess the applicants, and to verify if they all meet the requirements as per the recruitment and selection regulations of the Local Authorities Act. 

“The council tried to fill the position between February 2023 and December 2023, but it could not be finalised, and no proof of cancellation has been provided,” the document reads. This is the third attempt, leading to the interview process. 

However, it was found that the shortlisting process had some flaws, prompting the ministry to investigate.

It was found that out of five applicants, only one candidate met the requirements in terms of academic qualifications, years of work experience, and attached academic qualifications and testimonials, among others.

Qualified

Reached for comment, /Urib maintained
 that he was told that he did not attach the correct document after he attached his master’s degree in finance, instead of an undergraduate degree.

“I don’t understand why I have to be disqualified for attaching a master’s instead of a first degree. I possess extensive experience in finance management, as I have been in the fraternity for more than nine years. Hence, the investigative findings do not hold water,” he said.

/Urib, who is currently unemployed after quitting the Kamanjab Town Council finance position, confirmed to this reporter his intention to approach the court to seek recourse. 

“I am currently consulting my lawyer, and we will take it up as soon as we receive the formal confirmation,” he stated.

Efforts to obtain comment from the ministry did not bear fruit, as they did not answer detailed questions sent to them.

The Khorixas Town Council’s chairperson and mayor could likewise not be reached for comment.  -lnashuuta@gmail.com