Sophia reads riot act Minister admonishes Reho Town Council The rural and urban development minister Sophia Shaningwa has rapped the Rehoboth Town Council over the knuckles warning them to get their act together. The Rehoboth Town Council has been instructed to fire its human resources manager Willie ''Mistake'' Swartz and recover an amount of N$110 664.80 paid to him over five months after his voluntary resignation. An investigation carried out by the ministry of urban and rural development during 13 to 15 January this year recommended that a resolution by an ordinary council meeting held on 14 December 2015 to reinstate Swartz must be revoked, because council was in recess.
The investigation also found that new councillors reinstated Swartz because he had threatened to sue the council if not reinstated before the beginning of 2016.
The investigation also found that council resolved to reinstate Swartz while there was a pending case at the labour court which was set to continue in February this year.
This report was sent to the council by Minister Sophia Shaningwa last week Thursday as well as a letter in which she instructed them to urgently and without fail implement the recommendations of the report.
“Council through your office is hereby requested to come up with and provide my office with an activity plan indicating how and when the recommended remedial measures are to be implemented as well as the person assigned the responsibility,” Shaningwa said.
The council is also instructed to submit monthly update reports on the progress made.
Shaningwa last week threatened to dissolve the council should they fail to sort out the affairs at the town.
According to the report, following his illegal reinstatement, Swartz asked for a refund for a lapsed bond risk policy cover to the value of N$1.1million due to non-payment as a result of the service termination. This is despite the fact that he resigned voluntarily from his position.
The report also states that after Swartz returned to office he claimed a payment of N$15 000 for repairs to his car because his car policy had also lapsed, as well as the reinstatement of leave days accumulated for five months.
It is also states that Swartz had claimed the reinstatement of the lapsed investment policy as well as an MBA study loan and accumulated study leave days lost during termination of service.
According to the report, Swartz, upon his voluntary resignation, received N$19 024.32 for severance while the Labour Act stipulates that severance pay be paid to the employee upon the termination of a contract of employment by an employer.
The investigation further recommended that the pension pay-out to Swartz should be implemented.
Further investigations found that a certain A. Jod who acted in Swartz''s position was paid an acting allowance in December despite the fact that Swartz was already reinstated in this position.
Meanwhile, the report further found that the town council does not have a recruitment policy and that there is no clear segregation of duties between political office bearers and administrative staff.
It also found that officials are appointed in higher acting positions from one department to another without the necessary skills or experience.
Furthermore, it was discovered that staff members appointed to act in higher positions are paid acting allowances that are equal to or higher than their basic salaries.
The report further reveals that some council decisions are or were made whilst the council is in recess.
It is further recommended that the council retrieves all directives from Shaningwa and ensures their implementation and that, council should explain why it has disregarded these directives.
JEMIMA BEUKES