The drama continues to grip the City of Windhoek, where the CEO appointment saga drags on, with seemingly no end in sight. In the latest twist of events, urban and rural development minister Erastus Uutoni stopped the city’s management in its tracks as it moved to appoint Roads Authority (RA) chief executive Conrad Lutombi as CEO, pending ministerial approval.
Whether or not Lutombi lands the coveted position now depends on Uutoni, after Windhoek mayor Sade Gawanas dispatched his appointment letter to the minister. If Uutoni gives the appointment the green light, the City of Windhoek will make a formal offer to the RA head.
Uutoni’s involvement in the recruitment process is in line with Section 27 of the Local Authorities Act. “We are waiting for the minister to then move forward with the organisation’s policies in terms of appointing the
successful candidate,” Gawanas said a week ago. In a letter addressed to Gawanas, seen by New Era, dated 8 November 2022, Uutoni seeks clarity to make an informed decision regarding the critical appointment.
He was responding to a 14 October
2022 Gawanas missive in which he was informed of the conclusion of the process of selecting a suitably qualified candidate for the vacant CEO post.
Dodgy
It, however, appears that Uutoni is not convinced the appointment is beyond reproach. “In your letter to me, dated 15 June 2022, you indicated that an investigation was to be carried into alleged irregularities. Please share with me the outcome of the investigation carried out and indicate how much has influenced the change of the position and current decision of the council as communicated in your letter of 14 October 2020,” Uutoni wrote to Gawanas.
The minister also wants to be furnished with a detailed investigation report. Recently, Gawanas poured cold water over the alleged irregularities, maintaining the process was corruption-proof.
Without providing empirical evidence, she told journalists an internal investigation was carried out. It found nothing sinister.
NALAWU
To muddle the process even further, Uutoni also received a petition from the Namibia Local Authority Workers’ Union (NALAWU). The union wants Uutoni to nullify the process, citing a myriad of ambiguities. Chiefly, there is no clarity on how the eventual five shortlisted candidates outperformed the other 20 candidates in the race.
“Please provide me details of how the to shortlist was reduced to five final candidates,” he said.
The minister also advised the municipal council to address any other issue raised by NALAWU. In addition, Gawanas’ comment in a local daily newspaper has come back to haunt her.
Gawanas is alleged to have said her predecessor, Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader Job Amupanda, took some files to his house. “There is no mention of this incident and how it has been dealt with by the council. If true, the alleged act may be a contravention of Selection and Recruitment Regulation 37,” Uutoni said, adding that the mayor must take him into confidence.
“Please provide details of what you spoke about and how it has been handled or resolved by the council.” The minister also took issue with some members of the council, who were allowed to pose questions to the shortlisted candidates during the public presentation interview.
“Is this true, and if so, why was it found necessary and allowed?” the politician wanted to know. He then took the involvement of the city’s strategic executive for human resources, George Mayumbelo, in the recruitment process. The minister paints a picture of Muyambelo being judge and jury in the recruitment process.
“It is further alleged and visible from the documents received from your office that Mr Mayumbelo was not only a member of but also chaired both the shortlisting committee and interview panel. Why was this found necessary and allowed by the council?” Uutoni again further probed.
Mayumbelo is back in the acting CEO seat, following a council endorsement announced by the city yesterday. He will act from 9 to 30 November.
Ties that bind
Earlier this year, this paper reported that Mayumbelo, who steered the recruitment process, allegedly scored Lutombi, an alleged friend of his, favourably on all 16 questions posed to candidates.
This was seen as an unprecedented feat by human resources’ experts, some of whom formed part of the interviewing panel. Internal sources argued Mayumbelo was not supposed to come anywhere close to the interviewing panel, as he also formed part of the shortlisting committee.
He denied any wrongdoing while maintaining that his relationship with Lutombi is a professional one as is the case with other executives in the public and private sectors. In total, Lutombi garnered 460 points in the structured interview - out of a possible 560.
The other candidates were Joyce Mukubi, who is the deputy executive director for administration in the Ministry of Works and Transport, Otjiwarongo municipality CEO Moses Matyayi, researcher and entrepreneur Charmill Zamuee and NamWater executive Eino Mvula.
The return of Mayumbelo is seen by city insiders as a further attempt to smoothen Lutombi’s arrival. The minister is cognizant of the urgency to fill the void left by Robert Kahimise’s unceremonious departure back in 2020. “I will highly appreciate it if I can receive the response of the municipal council soonest,” he said.
- emumbuu@nepc.com.na