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Namibia: CEO Suspended in Karibib Council Merry-Go-Round
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The Namibian (Windhoek)
18 April 2008
Posted to the web 18 April 2008
Adam Hartman
KARIBIB CEO Lydia Kandetu has been suspended again - seven months after she was suspended a first time for alleged "misconduct".
She has also been ordered not to leave town.
Kandetu was suspended on September 14 last year for allegedly being incapable of carrying out her duties efficiently, according to a council resolution, although she was reinstated a month later without any charges being brought against her at a disciplinary hearing.
On Monday, Kandetu returned to her office to find it locked, with a notice of suspension waiting for her at the municipality's financial manager.
The notice, signed by Karibib's Mayor Adelaide Hamukonda and the Chairperson of the Management Committee, Titus Naboth, said a special council meeting on April 9 had decided that Kandetu be suspended.
No reasons were apparently given for her suspension.
It is also not certain for how long.
Approached for comment, Kandetu told The Namibian that she believed it might be based on a recent incident linked to former Local Government Minister John Pandeni's funeral.
She said a special council meeting had been called at which all councillors and staff were granted permission to attend Pandeni's funeral in Windhoek.
According to her, this would have meant shelling out nearly N$30 000 for travel-related allowances.
"I first consulted with the Ministry and they said no.
No official invitation was sent out for everyone to go, so I could not just dish the money out for all of them to go."
Mayor Hamukonda claimed this had nothing to do with the suspension, when The Namibian spoke to her this week.
The issue of travel allowances was not discussed at a council meeting on Tuesday night, she said.
Asked about the charges against the CEO, Hamukonda said the Ministry would first be consulted before Kandetu would receive the charge sheet.
She said this could be by next week.
The suspension notice warned that Kandetu may not enter the council premises without explicit permission from Naboth, nor may she leave Karibib without Naboth's permission.
A prominent businessman at Karibib told The Namibian this week that the town was falling to pieces while council pursued its struggle with Kandetu.
"The community is very frustrated with the way the council is dealing with her.
She's doing a lot for the town's development, and now the council is boycotting it.
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Important progress is being hampered because of this," he said.
"If only she had the support from council, then a lot of productive things would be done to put Karibib on the map."
Kandetu told The Namibian earlier this week that a report on an investigation by the Ministry into the dealings of Karibib Council, which was done at the end of March, was due out soon.
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