Suspended Henties CEO faces slew of charges from council
Leaked charge notice raises eyebrows
The Henties Bay Municipality's suspended chief executive officer faces multiple charges from her council.
The Henties Bay municipality is in the spotlight after a leaked misconduct notification revealed that its suspended CEO Elizabeth Coetzee is facing multiple formal charges, including alleged theft, fraud, gross negligence and abuse of authority.
The document, dated 30 December 2024, was reportedly hand-delivered to Coetzee.
Coetzee’s suspension in October 2023 has been a contentious issue among residents, municipal officials and legal experts.
Initially intended to last six months, the suspension has now stretched to 16 months without a conclusive disciplinary hearing – but with pay.
Community activist Willem Jansen expressed frustration, calling the suspension “a big lie".
“How is it possible that for more than a year, no charges were laid, and now suddenly they appear?” he questioned, hinting at alleged internal political manoeuvring.
List of charges
The leaked document, seen by Network Media Hub (NMH), reveals that Coetzee is accused of submitting duplicate subsistence and travel claims to both the municipality of Gobabis and the municipality of Henties Bay.
The claims, amounting to N$5 335 and N$6 390, respectively, allegedly resulted in financial misappropriation and damage to municipal integrity.
The municipality further alleges that in January 2022, Coetzee signed a consultancy contract with Redforce Debt Management that deviated from standard bidding requirements, giving undue advantage to the contractor.
She is further accused of backdating an addendum to the contract to legalise it retroactively, exacerbating the financial strain on the municipality.
“The council has suffered severe financial strain and reputational damage due to her actions,” reads the notification of charges.
On 31 January, the municipality officially terminated its agreement with Redforce, revoking the company’s access to municipal systems. Residents were instructed to cease engagements with the firm.
However, Redforce is challenging the termination in the Windhoek High Court.
Another charge against Coetzee involves the alleged disclosure of confidential information regarding a town councillor to an external political figure in 2021. The leaked information was subsequently published in a newspaper and on social media, leading to defamation allegations.
The Namibian High Court ruled in favour of the councillor, ordering a written retraction and apology from the accuser.
Ministry urged to step in
“This council is failing us,” Jansen said on Wednesday. “They refuse to be truthful, and we are appealing to the minister to step in and conduct an investigation.”
He further accused the municipal leadership of tribalism and deliberate mismanagement of public resources.
When asked to comment, Coetzee referred all enquiries to her legal representative, Olsen Kahiriri of Kahiriri Labour and Sports Legal Consultancy.
Kahiriri confirmed the charges but criticised the manner in which they were made public.
“Labour matters are private and confidential. The fact that this document was leaked raises serious concerns about the council’s motives,” he said.
He added that no further comments would be provided on the charges as the matter was sub judice.
Kahiriri did question the fairness of Coetzee’s prolonged suspension, describing it as “illegal.”
“They keep extending it without justification. My client doesn’t even know her fate. Now, suddenly, the charges surface? This is not how labour matters should be handled,” he argued.
Kahiriri also expressed frustration at the municipality’s handling of the issue.
“Instead of engaging my client in a fair and due process, they have chosen to play this game in the public space, damaging her reputation. We will explore all legal options available to defend my client’s rights,” he warned.
Asked whether Coetzee responded to the charges within the seven-day deadline, Kahiriri said Coetzee has every right to reserve her response and challenge the procedure.
“The real question here is: why was this letter leaked to the media before the case was properly handled?” he asked.
Acting Henties Bay CEO Ignasia Neis refused to comment on the case.
“We have decided not to provide information to Namibia Media Holdings because of their continuous bad publicity against us,” she said.
“The allegations from the public are unsubstantiated, and we are not obligated to respond to a leaked document.”
The document, dated 30 December 2024, was reportedly hand-delivered to Coetzee.
Coetzee’s suspension in October 2023 has been a contentious issue among residents, municipal officials and legal experts.
Initially intended to last six months, the suspension has now stretched to 16 months without a conclusive disciplinary hearing – but with pay.
Community activist Willem Jansen expressed frustration, calling the suspension “a big lie".
“How is it possible that for more than a year, no charges were laid, and now suddenly they appear?” he questioned, hinting at alleged internal political manoeuvring.
List of charges
The leaked document, seen by Network Media Hub (NMH), reveals that Coetzee is accused of submitting duplicate subsistence and travel claims to both the municipality of Gobabis and the municipality of Henties Bay.
The claims, amounting to N$5 335 and N$6 390, respectively, allegedly resulted in financial misappropriation and damage to municipal integrity.
The municipality further alleges that in January 2022, Coetzee signed a consultancy contract with Redforce Debt Management that deviated from standard bidding requirements, giving undue advantage to the contractor.
She is further accused of backdating an addendum to the contract to legalise it retroactively, exacerbating the financial strain on the municipality.
“The council has suffered severe financial strain and reputational damage due to her actions,” reads the notification of charges.
On 31 January, the municipality officially terminated its agreement with Redforce, revoking the company’s access to municipal systems. Residents were instructed to cease engagements with the firm.
However, Redforce is challenging the termination in the Windhoek High Court.
Another charge against Coetzee involves the alleged disclosure of confidential information regarding a town councillor to an external political figure in 2021. The leaked information was subsequently published in a newspaper and on social media, leading to defamation allegations.
The Namibian High Court ruled in favour of the councillor, ordering a written retraction and apology from the accuser.
Ministry urged to step in
“This council is failing us,” Jansen said on Wednesday. “They refuse to be truthful, and we are appealing to the minister to step in and conduct an investigation.”
He further accused the municipal leadership of tribalism and deliberate mismanagement of public resources.
When asked to comment, Coetzee referred all enquiries to her legal representative, Olsen Kahiriri of Kahiriri Labour and Sports Legal Consultancy.
Kahiriri confirmed the charges but criticised the manner in which they were made public.
“Labour matters are private and confidential. The fact that this document was leaked raises serious concerns about the council’s motives,” he said.
He added that no further comments would be provided on the charges as the matter was sub judice.
Kahiriri did question the fairness of Coetzee’s prolonged suspension, describing it as “illegal.”
“They keep extending it without justification. My client doesn’t even know her fate. Now, suddenly, the charges surface? This is not how labour matters should be handled,” he argued.
Kahiriri also expressed frustration at the municipality’s handling of the issue.
“Instead of engaging my client in a fair and due process, they have chosen to play this game in the public space, damaging her reputation. We will explore all legal options available to defend my client’s rights,” he warned.
Asked whether Coetzee responded to the charges within the seven-day deadline, Kahiriri said Coetzee has every right to reserve her response and challenge the procedure.
“The real question here is: why was this letter leaked to the media before the case was properly handled?” he asked.
Acting Henties Bay CEO Ignasia Neis refused to comment on the case.
“We have decided not to provide information to Namibia Media Holdings because of their continuous bad publicity against us,” she said.
“The allegations from the public are unsubstantiated, and we are not obligated to respond to a leaked document.”
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article