Renthia Kaimbi
Urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa has told the Walvis Bay municipality to restart the shortlisting process for the general manager of human resources and corporate communication services.
He said the earlier process was tampered with and did not follow national rules.
The directive follows a complaint from the Namibia Public Workers Union (NAPWU), which alleged that the council removed candidates who were properly shortlisted and replaced them with names not approved by the official committee.
In a letter to Walvis Bay mayor Trevino Forbes, Sankwasa said he reviewed the complaint and found that the council acted outside established procedures.
“I have received a complaint letter dated 24 October 2025 from the Namibia Public Workers Union alleging that the shortlisting process for the position of general manager, which was conducted on 25 July 2025, was meddled with, which is a violation of sections of the recruitment and selection regulations,” he wrote.
He said the actions were not in line with section 15 (1) and (2) of the recruitment and selection regulations for local authority councils, which require fair, transparent, and equitable recruitment.
Sankwasa ordered the council to restart the entire process.
“I hereby direct the council that the entire shortlisting process of the position of general manager for human resources and corporate communication services be redone in full compliance with the provisions of section 15 (1) and (2) of the recruitment and selection regulations,” he said.
Sankwasa instructed the council to set up a new shortlisting and selection committee and submit a report confirming full compliance once the process is complete.
He said the directive seeks to restore fairness and public confidence in local authority hiring.
The decision is a win for NAPWU, which had opposed a new shortlisting process scheduled for 27 October under chief executive officer Victoria Kapenda.
The union had said the attempt to redo the shortlist was “a deliberate attempt to regularise an unlawful process.”
NAPWU’s complaint stated that a properly constituted committee met on 25 July 2025 and approved four candidates for interviews: Francina Mwandingi, Sylvia Schubert, Matias Lukas, and Elizabeth Swarts. The union alleged Swarts was later removed and replaced with Jafet Nelongo and Rosina Muatunga without approval.
The union also flagged irregular payments of subsistence and travel allowances to certain candidates.
Documents show Lukas received N$10 480 and Schubert N$8 795, despite rules prohibiting such allowances.
When asked about the allegations at the time, CEO Kapenda refused to provide details and referred enquiries back to the reporter’s own sources.
The council began a new shortlisting process on 27 October, but it will now stop because of Sankwasa’s order.
Sankwasa’s action adds to ongoing friction between the central government and some local authorities over following administrative rules.
He has also recently pushed other councils to improve governance, including service delivery in Windhoek and water management in Kavango East.
