SIBBINDA - The community of Sibbinda is divided over the recent appointment of a cleaner at the constituency office, as the aggrieved parties feel the recruitment process was unfair.

At the core of the issue is that some 32 aggrieved community members, including a casual worker, who has since been replaced with the new cleaner, feel they were left out of the recruitment process as the vacancy was not advertised.  Sibbinda constituency councillor Mickey Lukaezi confirmed the chaos, saying it all started after the retirement of the permanent cleaner, Treffina Libuo, at the end of May 2022. 

On 10 June 2022, Sibbinda constituency control administrative officer Kingsley Bebi wrote to Zambezi chief regional officer Regina Ndopu-Lubinda to seek permission and authorisation to employ a casual labourer for six months to clean the office. 

Nampwa Tuombale was then nominated for the position of relief cleaner for the office as she lives in Sibbinda village, and won’t need accommodation or transport coming to work. The aggrieved community members say, to their surprise, a new cleaner was recruited and started work in January without the position having being advertised.

“Vacant positions are not placed on the notice board, which resulted in the recent filling of the cleaner vacancy which was not applied for by the local residents, especially the temporary cleaner. We strongly object to the placement of the cleaner, and demand for her removal,” Sibbinda village development committee chairperson Stephen Tuombale wrote to Ndopu-Lubinda. 

The issue got out of hand, with the aggrieved parties causing a commotion, which led to the closure of the constituency office for two weeks as the employees, including the new cleaner, allegedly feared for their lives.

Although the office was reopened on 20 February 2023, the cleaner has since been moved to the Zambezi Regional Council to work there while the fire is being extinguished at the sleepy settlement of Sibbinda.

Lukaezi apportioned the blame largely on the regional council for not sharing information that they were sourcing applicants to permanently fill the cleaner
job from the ministry of labour’s new recruitment portal, the Namibia Integrated Employment Information System (NIEIS).

The lack of knowledge of the new system also led to some community members feeling sidelined in the recruitment process.

“The aggrieved members want the position to be re-advertised. In government, one needs to seek approval from the Secretary to Cabinet to re-advertise. The latter had already instructed the regional council to recruit through the NIEIS. 

“The only problem is that the community did not know about this system. The regional council was supposed to write us a letter so that we could encourage our people to apply, and tell them about this system. The regional council is to blame; that’s why we have this problem,” Lukaezi charged. 

Ndopu-Lubinda as well as Zambezi regional council chairperson Warden Simushi were not available when contacted for comment.

Meanwhile, Lukaezi indicated that he met the aggrieved group on 4 March 2023, and explained to them that no one has a right to close a government office or block any worker who was duly appointed from carrying out their duties. He said he had a discussion with the aggrieved community leaders that they should leave the cleaner to continue her work. 

“The leaders agreed, and they said they will talk to the 32 complainants, including the one who was there as a temporary cleaner. The issue is solved. The regional council should just bring the cleaner so that she can start work. I don’t see any problem. She must just return to work. I am waiting for her to come back. She was appointed, why not?” he asked rhetorically. 

–anakale@nepc.com.na