Mayor of Gobabis Liberius Kalili has refuted explosive claims made by the town’s CEO Ignatius Thudinyane, who last week detailed a number of governance issues in a letter addressed to, among others, the urban and rural development minister Erastus Uutoni. 
In the letter, Thudinyane called on the line ministry to conduct a thorough forensic audit at the municipality. 

“I want the ministry to do a forensic audit into the recruitment and appointment of all senior personnel, allocation and execution of capital projects, appointment of private contractors, negotiations and entering into service agreements with third parties, audit trail financial transactions between councillors, council employees and appointed consultants and contractors, governance and risk,” Thudinyane wrote in the letter. 

Kalili, in a statement, said he would welcome a thorough forensic audit as suggested by the CEO. 
He also said the management committee would seat this week Thursday to respond to grievances raised by the CEO. 
“We were still studying thoroughly the letter before any response was to be given to Thudinyane and what remedial action to be taken if any and this was supposed to be discussed in a scheduled management committee slated for Thursday, 8 October 2020,” Kalili said. 
“It is not our tradition to discuss personnel matters involving officials of council in the media; however, I would like to assure the public out there that the appointments follow all due processes and are done by the management committee which is the council’s appointing authority of personnel.” 

Kalili went on to explain that all recruitments and appointments of senior personnel, including that of Thudinyane, was done overboard with assistance of external people.  
He further explained that upon his appointment Thudinyane found a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement in place with regard to the cleaning of the town, which was initiated by the line ministry and also partly funded by government in terms of training and setting up of the PPP programme. 

On the N$3.3 million claims to KSP, Kalili said Thudinyane found the project in place, of which he had no knowledge or background – and it was, however, explained to him that this company was one of the consulting companies appointed by the line ministry to carry out capital projects funded by government and the payment was done with the approval and consent of the line ministry. 
“Thudinyane seemed to understand this explanation and it puzzled us to notice that these issues resurface in open letters and the media,” Kalili said.
- ktjitemisa@nepc.com.na