Allexer Namundjebo
The former mayor of Omuthiya, Johannes Ndeutapo, says he is still a duly elected councillor.
This comes despite reports claiming he has been dismissed by Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa.
Speaking to the Windhoek Observer on Sunday, Ndeutapo said he had not received any official communication regarding his removal from office.
“I am an elected councillor, and I am still a councillor until those who elected me decide otherwise,” he said.
“I don’t report to the minister. There are procedures that the minister ought to follow. I also just saw the media reporting on the matter. I learnt about it through the media,” he added.
Ndeutapo is currently based in Windhoek and serves as chairperson of the legal committee for all local authorities.
He said councillors had submitted legal opinions to the former minister, aimed at improving working conditions.
“The former minister was not acting. Even though the current minister has the power and is acting now, I appreciate his dedication. Soon I’ll be releasing documents that highlight the legal steps a minister is supposed to follow when dismissing councillors,” he said.
Sankwasa visited Omuthiya Town Council last Wednesday, where he met with council leadership to discuss administrative and land management issues.
During that meeting, matters raised included alleged financial mismanagement, continued payment of allowances to a councillor not residing in town, failure by the CEO to submit financial reports to the council, land administration challenges, disrespect of councillors by the CEO, and internal disunity.
Sankwasa instructed council leadership to submit full reports through the regional governor’s office.
Oshikoto governor Sacky Kathindi, Omuthiya councillors, and the Council’s chief executive officer, Petrus Shuuya, attended the meeting.
In a video posted on the ministry’s X (formerly Twitter) account, Sankwasa is heard instructing current Omuthiya mayor Beata Nashongo to compile and submit a report on who authorised the payments to the absent councillor.
“The report should be submitted through the office of the governor,” Sankwasa said.
Sources within the council indicated that Ndeutapo may be required to reimburse the sitting allowances he received since taking up a full-time position in Windhoek in 2024.
“He has been receiving sitting allowances even if he attended meetings via Zoom,” a source told the Observer.
Efforts to get a comment from CEO Shuuya were unsuccessful. He did not respond to calls or messages.
The Observer also sought clarity on whether the council would act on the minister’s directive or declare Ndeutapo’s seat vacant.
In 2023, Ndeutepo publicly challenged former urban and rural development minister Erastus Uutoni to dismiss him after he assumed an executive role in Windhoek.
At the time, he said the law was outdated and claimed the minister’s threats were legally unenforceable.
“The minister can say things to impress journalists, but if he believes he has the power to enforce this, let him try,” Ndeutapo had argued.
Ndeutapo has been CEO of Nammic Holdings since 1 July 2024.
He insists he is still a resident of Omuthiya, pointing to his homestead and personal property in the town.
“My residence has always been Omuthiya, even when I worked in Oranjemund and Ongwediva,” he said.
He added that other councillors, including bus drivers and pilots, work away from their constituencies but remain in office.
He believes this should not disqualify him from continuing in his role.
