WINDHOEK – The dust refuses to settle at the Okahandja Town Council as animosity reaches boiling point between the CEO, Frans Enkali, and the suspended chairperson of the management committee Vallery Aron after Aron suspended the CEO.
The chairperson of the management committee served the suspension letter on the CEO last week Thursday as the row between the two officials escalated. Last Friday, workers at the beleaguered town council, backing the CEO, downed tools, saying they would only return to work if Enkali is reinstated immediately. An employee who did not want her name mentioned, said they went on strike from 08h00 to 12h00 on Friday, but returned to work after Enkali was reinstated. “He is a good person. On what grounds is Valerie suspending him?” asked the employee, adding that the suspended councillors, who include Aron, Computer Mieze and Andries Bezuidenhoudt formed a quorum to suspend the CEO last Thursday.
Another insider said the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) already interrogated Aron last Wednesday on the house that she apparently built in a public park and land she apparently sold for peanuts to some Chinese business people. The ACC probe apparently exacerbated the already soured relationship between Aron and Enkali prompting her to retaliate by suspending the CEO based on unfounded allegations. On Friday, the mayor Dawid Urikhob, Frederick Shimanda, Paulina Kuyandeka and Estha Garoes apparently formed a quorum to reinstate Enkali. Approached for comment, Enkali said it was all a misunderstanding created by Aron.
“This is not even a suspension. They have been removed from the management committee,” said the CEO, adding that what Aron did amounts to obstruction of justice, since the councillors had no right to suspend him while under investigation by the ACC. The management committee has already been dissolved and he wondered on what grounds Aron acted. But Aron is adamant that they are still members of the management committee and that the CEO acted unilaterally when he had them suspended. “I am his direct supervisor,” said Aron, insisting that her suspension together with Mieze and Bezuidenhoudt was invalid. She said they have not been served with any suspension letters and they are therefore still active members of the council. “We are doing what the law says. We are not happy with service delivery. This is the dirtiest town and it’s a clear testimony,” she lashed out, saying that they brought up the issue with the CEO, but to no avail. Aron said that they did not recognize the CEO, since he is the one behind the motion to have them suspended. She accused Enkali of instigating the workers against them. The animosity between Enkali and Aron appears to have a long history.
According to inside sources, Aron apparently threatened to report the CEO to the police for alleged death threats against her last month. Two witnesses apparently signed her statement to the police, but later distanced themselves from it. The latest episode started after Aron, Mieze and Bezuidenhoudt were removed from their positions following a vote of no confidence in which a series of accusations were leveled against them ranging from abuse of power to conflict of interest and self-enrichment.
The source said Aron apparently became unruly and insubordinate by lashing out at Enkali before walking out of the meeting together with the other two councillors. Enkali would not confirm nor deny the allegation, but said he did not want to comment on the matter since it was a serious issue and he would rather contact his lawyers. He said that he had heard of a case being opened against him but no police officer has approached him yet. Aron also did not deny or confirm the incident although she declined to comment on the matter now. “If you give me time, I will divulge more information,” she said. It is not clear what led to the bad blood between Aron and Enkali since some dissatisfied employees at the time of Enkali’s appointment claimed in past reports that Aron pulled all strings for the current CEO, who was employed at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) as Director: Performance Management Unit, to get the CEO position at the Okahandja Town Council.
By Magreth Nunuhe