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Maltahohe HR Manager Locks Self In Office…Claims Threats From Acting CEO

By: Kelvin Chiringa

A Maltahohe Village Council human resource manager claims that she has become the victim of intimidation and threats of arrests for standing in the way of the Acting chief executive officer, whom she claims is hellbent on cancelling the advertisement of the CEO’s position.

Mariana Afrikaner told The Villager that the Maltahohe police threatened to break down the door of her office on Thursday morning.

She said this is after accusations were made that she has been leaking information to the media. She has also been accused of using a fellow workmate’s phone to lodge complaints with the line ministry concerning what she alleges to be a deliberate delay by the council in putting in place a full-time CEO.

In another development, the wife of the unnamed colleague reported to the police that Afrikaner was using her spouse’s phone to contact the ministry with complaints concerning the CEO’s recruitment.

A video in which the HR manager shut herself in her office as the police attempted to pick her up to answer to the case has also been made available to this publication.

“I am being threatened. Two weeks ago, we wrote a concern letter to the ministry for its intervention (in the hint for) a substantive CEO. I am part of the employees who signed that letter to make sure that the ministry makes sure the recruitment process is completed. Currently, as we are speaking, the advertisement for the CEO’s position has been done, shortlisting, only the interview process is due,” she said.

Afrikaner, in documents seen by The Villager, had advised the council to be fair and professional in the process of getting a full-time accounting officer.

She has also claimed that the acting CEO, Gerson Tjitaura, wants to break the rule of confidentiality by insisting on getting his hands on the list of shortlisted candidates.

But Tjitaura has, in the meantime, rejected Afrikaner’s accusations saying that the police made a turn at the Village Council’s office for a charge in which a colleague’s wife had opened against the HR manager.

He has also put it on record that there was nothing amiss about his request to get hold of the list of shortlisted candidates.

“I really don’t know where this is coming from. Since Friday last week, Mariana and I have not spoken. She is at the office every time I am at the office, so I don’t know where she is getting this from.”

“Since we returned from Windhoek, we have been discussing other developmental issues. We have never spoken to Mariana. I come to work to do my work. I am a very professional person with all my staff. I don’t have any other personal issues with Mariana,” he said.

In the meantime, the Maltahohe Police denied that they had intentions to arrest Afrikaner and that there were threats to break down her office door on Thursday mid-afternoon.

“No, no, she is not about to be locked up. We received a complaint from one of the Village Council workers’ wife, and we are bringing both parties together so that we can hear both of them out. Let her not give you false information. That is false information that she is providing to you,” said the Maltahohe station commander.

Afrikaner is said to have also opened a case of victimisation from other councillors, the police said.

The Villager last week reported that the Maltahohe Village Council found itself in a difficult position in connection with a recruitment drive for a substantive CEO as it is failing to get money to advertise for the position.

Documents disclosed that the Village Council is running against time to secure a CEO at the back of complaints lodged with the urban and rural development ministry that the process is being delayed.

The Village Council then resorted to sending a begging bowl to the minister of urban and rural development, asking for funds to place an advert.

But Tjitaura later denied this, saying the Village Council was in a sound financial state and that there was no attempt to scuttle the CEO’s hunting process.

He also said there was nothing amiss about asking the ministry for assistance.

Julia Heita

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