Allexer Namundjembo
Community and political leaders have questioned the appointment of the City of Windhoek chief executive officer Moses Matyayi to Swapo’s Think Tank.
Matyayi has been appointed to serve in the housing, sanitation, and social development portfolio.
Windhoek-based activist Shaun Gariseb said it is inappropriate for a senior municipal official to serve in a party structure.
He said residents expect the head of the municipality to be apolitical and politically neutral.
“He is now actively getting involved. He must resign from the City of Windhoek because he is conflicted. There are reports demanded that will have major consequences, like the billing system report, the Redforce contract resolution, the Streethouse land deal and the S&T report of 20 million, where Moses Matyayi is the biggest beneficiary,” Gariseb said.
Gariseb said Matyayi should resign from the municipality and focus on Swapo affairs, arguing that Swapo is the majority party in council and that the CEO’s role in the think tank creates a conflict of interest.
“Swapo is the majority in the council, and now you have the CEO as part of the think tank. It’s a conflict of interest; the council won’t be able to do anything; they are paralysed. And must just agree and protect each other,” he said.
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) secretary general Manuel Ngaringombe said the situation is unacceptable and gives the impression that Swapo is operating as if Namibia were a one-party state.
He said the City of Windhoek is a multiparty institution governed through proportional representation.
“The CEO should be an apolitical person serving the interest of the residents of the city without any political intimation, and he should receive instructions from elected officials of all parties represented,” Ngaringombe said in response to questions on Wednesday.
Ngaringombe said it is standard practice for local authority employees to resign once they become councillors as a measure to avoid conflicts of interest.
“Hence, if a senior employee of a local authority, such as a CEO, has to serve in the Swapo Think Tank it will compromise his office as this may make him to be bias in decision making and also receiving and executing instructions,” he said.
He called on Swapo to reverse the appointment.
“If Swapo is serious about leading a multiparty democracy state and Mr Matyayi wants to be an uncompromising CEO of the City of Windhoek, then they should reverse their decision immediately. Otherwise, Mr Matyayi should act honourably by resigning and severing ties with his party,” Ngaringombe said.
Affirmative Repositioning Khomas regional chairperson Sem Imbodi said Matyayi was appointed through what he described as a patronage system.
“Having a sitting municipal CEO as part of the Swapo Think Tank opens the door to centralisation, especially given that he heads a council made up of different political parties. Mr Matyayi has been in office for almost three years, and we still have serious land issues and a housing crisis in the city. There is still no tangible improvement in housing development in Windhoek,” Imbodi said.
He also pointed to what he described as overlapping roles in government.
“While Mr Maanda Fanuel is appointed by the President as head of the task force for land and housing development. Who is who here? Who is Maanda, and who is Moses? This overlap is confusing and contradictory,” he said.
Political analyst Sackaria Johannes said Matyayi should remain neutral given the environment in which he works.
“His appointment makes it difficult because he might make decisions influenced by his political affiliation rather than administrative-based decisions. There is a conflict of interest there,” Johannes said.
Matyayi did not respond to questions sent to him by the Windhoek Observer.
