WALVIS BAY – Restrained Independent Patriots for Change member and chairperson of the Erongo regional council’s management committee Ciske Howard, through her legal representatives, has poured scorn on a disciplinary hearing that is expected to take place on 18 December in Windhoek.
Howard was notified on 9 December about the hearing, through a letter seen by New Era.
“The purpose of the hearing will be to establish whether Howard committed any misconduct or bridged provisions of relevant legislation and the IPC governance act,” the letter reads.
Howard, according to IPC, will not be allowed to have outside legal representation, as it is an internal matter.
However, she can make use of witnesses within the party.
Howard was restrained by the party in October this year after being accused of fraudulent activities involving documents she submitted to verify her proof of residence as required by the Regional Councils Act 22 of 1992, and was prohibited last month by the IPC from carrying out any official duties of the regional council.
IPC leader Panduleni Itula in a meeting earlier this month indicated she is not resident in the constituency she represents.
“There is no doubt that Swakopmund constituency councillor Ciske Howard is not a resident in her elected constituency,” Itula said.
However Howard, through her legal representative Weder and Kauta said that she will not be available for the hearing until the last week of January 2022, and also demanded that the hearing be held in Swakopmund.
“In any event the investigation report provided to our client is extensive and we thus need sufficient time to consider and adequately prepare for the hearing. Kindly indicate what article of the IPC constitution expressly or tacitly prohibits our client from having legal representation at the disciplinary hearing,” Weder and Kauta wrote on behalf of Howard.
According to them, the allegations made in the investigation report are extremely prejudicial to Howard and would significantly negatively impact Howard’s political ambitions.