Governor orders warring councillors to resume meetings
GROOTFONTEIN – Otjozondjupa governor James Uerikua on Friday met the Grootfontein local authority councillors, ordering them to resume their monthly council meetings, which stopped in May this year due to infighting.
Uerikua at the meeting in Grootfontein on Friday ordered the politicians at the town to resume their full council meetings, starting Monday, 28 September 2020, until end of their term in December this year.
He expressed dismay with the internal fights, alleged illegal land dealings and failure for the local authority councillors to convene a full council meeting as per the Local Authority Act No. 23 of 1992.
He said the Friday meeting was third, following the other two he held separately with the six municipality councillors and the municipality managers in the past two weeks at his office in Otjiwarongo.
“I am confident that the council will start to hold its meetings come Monday,
and it should continue like that in order to deliver services to the local residents,” he said.
Grootfontein mayor Absai Haimene and his deputy Emma Taukuheke, as well as their CEO Kisco Sinvula did not attend Friday’s meeting, as they were reportedly on leave.
Chairperson of the municipality’s management committee Jack Tsanigab and his two management committee members: Markus Shinyemba and Priscilla Gawases, and ordinary council member Elizabeth Kastoor attended the meeting and agreed to resume their meetings by today.
They also agreed to freeze all vacancies at the municipality until the concerns of 84 temporary and contracted employees are resolved.
Tsanigab said once the council meetings start today, special focus would be placed on implementing all pending land servicing municipal plans, adding the council meetings are necessary to discuss the municipality’s future strategies and action plans. - Nampa