Rehoboth rocked by tit-for-tat politics Town''s financial manager suspended Suspensions of municipal officials are apparently all the rage at Rehoboth. The Rehoboth Town Council (RTC) on Tuesday suspended its financial manager, Jennifer Kays, after apparently discovering she could not draw up a financial statement.Lennie Pienaar, United People''s Movement (UPM) Rehoboth Town Council member, confirmed the suspension.
“There was evidence that she had forged her CV and qualifications from the University of Namibia,” said Pienaar.
Kays recently served as acting chief executive officer when Christophe //Uirab was unceremoniously removed from his position after questioning the manner in which the town''s financial affairs were handled. According to Pienaar, Kays''s suspension was the result of an investigation initiated by //Uirab, who has since resumed his job as CEO.
Although reluctant to comment on the matter, //Uirab confirmed that he instituted the investigation, but said it was not necessarily about Kays''s ability to draw up a financial statement.
“I can confirm, yes, I am the one that investigated the whole matter,” he said. Meanwhile, Pienaar said following Kays''s suspension the Swapo councillors decided to suspend the town''s chief of technical services, Ernst de Waal.
“There is still a bit of uncertainty around his suspension but we understand it is mainly because he testified against the former CEO, Theo Jankowski,” said Pienaar.
However, when contacted yesterday for comment, De Waal said he had heard the “rumours” of his suspension but had not been served with a suspension letter.
By noon yesterday, Hardap Governor Esme Isaak said she knew nothing about these developments.
One of the Swapo councillors, Jonas Matthew, also declined to comment on the issue.
Community
Rehoboth community activist Abes Khaibeb feels that the town''s human resources manager, Willie Swartz, must also be investigated.
Khaibeb also commended //Uirab''s “bravery” to expose what he termed “corrupt elements” and called on the Rehoboth community to throw their weight behind
//Uirab to “clean up” the town.
“This is the best thing that has happened to our town. But if Kays was suspended over forged documents then the person that appointed her, who is Swartz, must also be investigated,” Khaibeb argued.
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