The ||Kharas Regional Council Chairperson, Joseph Isaack, says he won't back down from his recent decision to suspend the salaries of three councillors representing the Swapo Party in council amid a legal threat. 

The councillors are Lazarus Nangolo, Suzan Ndjaleka, and Taaimy Amakali. 

Isaack says the suspension of the councillors' salaries stems from a council resolution of January 25, which terminated the council membership of the trio due to their absence from three consecutive meetings. 

The councillors' removal was, however, shelved after the court granted an interim order, allowing them to carry out their duties until the finalisation of the court application they had instituted to challenge the decision to remove them.
  
Following Wednesday's directive, lawyer Sisa Namandje, representing the councillors, demanded that the ||Kharas Regional Council reinstate his clients' salaries by no later than yesterday. 

Failure to do so, Namandje threatened, will leave them with no option but to approach the court to direct the regional council to comply with the standing court order. However, the chairperson of the Regional Council, Joseph Isaack, remains defiant.

"The agreement was that we will not implement the decision of the council. That is the agreement outside the court. Court order on this agreement. Now we are under oath; that's the difference; when you are under oath, that must be effected. The legal representative must rather go to court because litigation takes place in court. And he said, If I am not going to lift the decision and give the councillors the salary by August 6, he will approach the court on an urgent basis."

The Swapo Party Coordinator for the ||Kharas Region, Mathew Mumbala, says the action against the councillors is retaliatory in response to the three councillors not having accepted nominations to serve on the council's management committee. 

The management committee has not been functional since June last year due to a lack of a quorum as Swapo Party members declined to serve on it. 

"When you do not reach 50 plus one, you need to negotiate; you need to form a government, a coalition government. Just like in South Africa, they just did that. Therefore, for them to form a regional government or council, they need to come together and negotiate. Here is not where you say maybe you're four and others three. You can decide what to do. No, that is not democracy." 

Isaack denied Mumbala's claims. "These positions are not appointment positions; they are elective positions. We are electing people; we are not appointing people. So when you are elected, you avail yourself."