WINDHOEK – The Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development (Retired) Major-General Charles Namoloh has ordered the City of Windhoek to constitute a new interviewing panel for the vacant position of the chief executive officer and to be more transparent.
He made it clear he wants the interviewing panel to be more transparent to ensure a qualified Namibian fills the highly coveted position with the requisite experience, unlike the previous interviews where some officials allegedly wanted to manipulate the exercise and sideline well-qualified applicants.
Speaking to New Era, Namoloh confirmed having instructed the City of Windhoek (CoW) on the unfulfilled exercise to find a permanent replacement for the former CEO of Windhoek, Niilo Taapopi and said the previous panel, which consisted mainly of city councillors was not transparent.
Sources at the City previously said a coterie of councillors was so keen to sideline much-qualified applicants whom they did not even call for the hastily convened interviews where they would have rubberstamped the names of less qualified and less experienced applicants for the coveted job.
“I gave them guidelines on how things should be done and about the panel composition to make the process more transparent, this is also to ensure that the panel consists of knowledgeable people. You cannot just have a lot of councillors as panelists,” stressed the no-nonsense Namoloh.
“The process must be transparent and this is only possible if panelists do not harbour pre-conceived ideas,” a City insider said.
“The screening must also be done in a strict manner to ensure that applicants who do not meet the requirements are not allowed to sit for interviews.”
Questions forwarded to Windhoek Mayor Muezee Kazapua last week have gone unanswered.
New Era wanted to know the exact interviewing panel composition as well as information on when an appointment will be made.
Some of the names mentioned to feature on the interviewing panel include Professor Tjama Tjivikua and Inge Zamwaami-Kamwi and two councillors who would have served on the panel while two others would have served as observers.
The previous interviewing panel was reportedly compromised as it already had a favoured candidate and would have conducted a sham, make-believe interview to hoodwink the public.
“This is a very high-level position, which subsequently requires qualified panelists who think like professionals and not politicians,” said a source.
The closing date for those interested in the race to succeed Taapopi was on Monday.
Meanwhile, land activist duo Job Amupanda and Dimbulukeni Nauyoma on Monday also entered the debate surrounding the vacant position, questioning why council appointed a foreign national to act as a CEO.
Zambian national Edward Kawesha in December took over as the acting chief executive officer until the position is filled permanently.
Kawesha is the strategic executive manager for electricity at the City of Windhoek.
“Comrade mayor, evidently the Local Authority Act of 1992 empowers the municipal council for Windhoek to appoint the incumbent to such position of chief executive officer. As residents of Windhoek, we are indeed having an interest in governance of our city and that such governance is in accordance with the law and standards set by our parliament,” read the letter by the two activists.
They said Kawesha’s appointment as acting CEO undermines the law because “it stipulates that the position of CEO can only held by a Namibian citizen”.
In the letter, they said the powers and functions, which Kawesha is exercising as acting CEO, are illegal and cannot be binding on the city.
“The powers and functions by the acting CEO may thus be challenged as null and void in terms of the law,” they said.