Workers of the Gobabis Municipality staged a demonstration demanding that the council investigate financial status, progress on capital projects, maladministration, lack of good governance, favouritism, and unfair labour practices affecting development at Gobabis.
The group's spokesperson, Betuel Jamuine, said the council has an N$80 million debt owed to NamWater and NamPower.
Protestors said the Gobabis municipality's infrastructure continues to deteriorate and the development remains stagnant under the current leadership.
Jamuine also added that political interference in the administration of the municipality has led to instability and poor relationships between management and workers, which have led to a decrease in productivity, discouraged potential investors, and eventually affected the growth of the local economy and job creation.
The group made the following recommendations: "Enforce the council personnel rules consistently, ensuring that all employees accused of violating disciplinary codes undergo a fair and transparent disciplinary process, respect the organisation structure, job description, and channels of communication to prevent organisational irregularities, and discontinue the appointment of junior staff members to act in the position of the CEO as this has caused administration concerns, review the debt collection process, prioritise debt collection and payment of statutory expenditures, and implement aggressive measures to prevent violations of the local authorities act."
Gobabis Deputy Mayor, Katrina Gorases, informed the workers that their petition would be channelled through the relevant authorities and feedback would be provided through their union representative.
The workers are demanding the council provide them with feedback within seven working days