The Mayor of Otjiwarongo says they are carefully crafting the process for the recruitment of a new Chief Executive Officer for the town.

Gottlieb Shivute says once the report on the recruitment process is completed, it will be forwarded to the Minister of Urban and Rural Development for his approval no later than next week.

Shivute revealed this to nbc News during the launch of the five-year strategic plan of the town council recently.

Shivute dismissed rumours that the process is delayed due to some irregularities associated with the handling of the recruitment process by the town council.

The mayor is confident that the process will be flawless, adding that the onus rests with the Minister to make his final decision on the matter before the end of the month.

The optimistic Shivute reveals that the council will meet towards the end of this week to deliberate on the report and is hopeful that the discussions will be smooth.

The Chairperson of the Management Committee, Godhard Hoko, acknowledged that they have exceeded the six months required by the Local Authority Act for the position to be filled.

Hoko was quick to defend the town council, saying that they wanted to make sure that the process of appointment was carefully implemented in adherence to relevant legislation.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, has refused to divulge any information regarding the delay, stating that he will study the report first to establish the facts.