KEETMANSHOOP – The //Kharas Regional Council late last week, during a special meeting, appointed Benedictus Diergaardt as acting chief regional officer following the suspension late last month of Beatus Kasete.
When approached for comment, Diergaardt said that he, after careful consideration, decided to accept the responsibility of leading the administrative wing of the regional council.
“Initially, all members of senior management declined to act as CRO, but when I realised that our community in the region are mostly at the receiving end of this suspension, I agreed to act,” he explained.
The director for finance,
human resources and administration added that all activities at the council have come to a standstill since Kasete vacated his office.
“New and ongoing projects aimed at developing of the region were put on hold whilst council also failed to assist or provide residents in the region with services required in these difficult times of Covid-19,” he raised concern.
Diergaardt also said it would not have been fair to let all the good work the suspended CRO started and implemented going down the drain. “This can then be seen as a waste of public funds and also sabotaging the development of our region,” he added.
The acting CRO continued that he would, in his new role make sure things turn back to normal and move in a forward direction at the council. “As a team, we now have to finalise all outstanding administrative matters in order to implement it accordingly,” he emphasised.
Diergaardt added that the staff morale was at a very low point when they did not a leader to guide and support them.
“It is my belief that all of us will now be motivated and assertive with things going back in the right direction as was the case before the suspension of the CRO,” Diergaardt said.
He called on all members of management and staff of the council to render him the same assistance as they did with Kasete and that they, as a team should guide and advise each other in order to succeed in this new, challenging assignment lying ahead.
On 25 June 2021, a special council meeting of the //Kharas Regional Council resolved to suspend Kasete for a period of 120 days, pending further investigations.
sklukowski@nepc.com.na