Walvis Bay
Usakos Town Council yesterday came short of losing a fleet of its vehicles and heavy-duty trucks in an auction meant to recover over N$400 000 owed to its former chief executive officer Joseph Jantze, whom the council dismissed without a hearing.
The council and the lawyers for Jantze reached a last minute agreement, prompting the deputy sheriff for the district of Usakos to call off the auction. “The council and the lawyers reached an agreement and the auction was stopped,” Deputy Sheriff Danie van Wyk told New Era.
According to the Jantze’s lawyers, Murorua and Associates, Usakos Town Council agreed to make a payment of N$100 000 at the end of October and thereafter N$50 000 on a monthly basis until the debt is settled.
The auction is the latest attempt by Jantze to get compensation of slightly more than N$400 000, as awarded to him by the Labour Court in December 2012.
On September 16 the High Court dismissed and struck from the roll an interdict application by the Usakos Town Council to prevent Jantze and his lawyers from executing a writ to attach and sell properties of the council to recover the money owed to him.
The recent victory prompted Jantze to again mount the bid to attach the council’s properties and sell it after roping in the services of Mururoa and Associates.
Efforts to get comment from Usakos Mayor Gustav Hoaeb, as well as from Jantze, were unsuccessful yesterday afternoon as their phones went unanswered.
Usakos Council has a reputation of suspending, or firing its chief executives without due process. Its current CEO, Gruzi Goseb, has been on suspension for six months now. When contacted yesterday with regards to the charges against him, Goseb said he has not received any documentation or indication as to what the charges are that council levelled against him.
“I’ve not yet been contacted, so I don’t know, but I’m on suspension for six months,” Goseb told New Era yesterday.
Jantze, who was first appointed as CEO of Usakos Municipality for a period of five years in November 2006, was suspended in May 2011 due to allegations of misconduct and was charged three months later. The council, however, later served him with a letter of termination of his contract, three months before the end of his contract. Jantze appealed to the Labour Court to issue an arbitration order for the town council to pay him an amount of N$401 360.60, which was granted.