The Anti-Corruption Commission has cleared former City of Windhoek Councillor Desiree Davids of corruptly misusing her position on the council to fast-track her application for an erf in Windhoek’s Rocky Crest residential area.

Dawids was further accused of making use of officials from the Office of the Mayor and its letterhead to give the impression that the application was sanctioned by the Mayor’s office.

The ACC however, found that the former IPC councillor applied for the land in line with the provisions of Paragraph 17 of a 2012 Council Resolution which enables the council members to apply for the sale of land by private treaty, pending ministerial approval.

ACC investigations also found that Davids acquired the land after a previous applicant failed to pay the requisite N$30 000 deposit as they acquired a townhouse elsewhere. This, the report says, made the Rocky Crest erf accessible to Davids. 

The ACC says there is no evidence that Davids’ application was treated differently from that of other Councillors who also used the Office of the Mayor’s letterhead in their applications.