City suspends staff over billing errors

City of Windhoek employees accused of manipulating the municipality’s billing system have been suspended pending disciplinary proceedings.

However, the municipality told The Namibian on Friday that it will not reveal how many employees remain suspended due to the matter.

This comes after the Khomas Ratepayers and Residents Association last week demanded the release of a forensic audit into the municipality’s billing system during a meeting with the city council.

City spokesperson Harold Akwenye says disciplinary cases cannot be discussed because they are labour matters.

“The city confirms that internal disciplinary processes relating to certain employees are ongoing.

As these are labour-related matters involving individual employees, the city is legally and ethically constrained from disclosing details relating to the number of employees involved, the status of individual cases, or the outcomes of disciplinary proceedings while these processes are underway,” he says.

Akwenye says the municipality remains committed to handling the cases fairly and in line with labour laws and municipal policies.