Aranos council probes recruitment scandal
Conflict of interest and irregularities prompt investigation
A recruitment process at the southern town is mired in allegations that a panelist might have been romantically involved with the recommended candidate.
The Aranos Town Council has launched a full-scale investigation into the controversial appointment process of a licensing officer, amid allegations of conflict of interest and irregular scoring during the initial recruitment phase.
The controversy stems from interviews held on 24 January, where a certain H. Shipingana emerged as the recommended candidate after scoring higher than the two other interviewees. However, the council's management flagged the process, citing concerns over “unsatisfiable uneven scoring by the panelists” and potential undisclosed conflicts of interest — including rumours that a panelist was either romantically involved with the recommended candidate or a relative of another candidate.
“Aranos Town Council does not condone unlawfulness, hence the deliberate council decision for the re-interview of the position to promote public trust and transparency,” said Chief Executive Officer Gerson Tjitaua in an interview with Namibian Sun on Thursday.
Tjitaua confirmed that an independent investigator has been appointed to probe the matter and ensure that any individuals found culpable are held accountable.
“Currently, the council is extensively engaged in this matter and has appointed an investigator to hold the perpetrator to task. This is a measure to uphold law and order and to promote trust among stakeholders,” he said.
In a letter dated 1 April addressed to the Roads Authority's regional manager, Johannes Shuuya, Tjitaua confirmed that the issue had been presented to the management council on 25 March. He stated that while the council accepted the panel’s recommendation, candidates had requested a re-interview — a request for which the council said there is no provision under the current recruitment and selection regulations.
Despite this, a re-interview was scheduled for 19 March 2025. However, both Shipingana and a certain E Simon declined to participate, demanding formal explanations for the re-interview. Only one candidate, named Kahorere, attended, but failed to meet the 60% score threshold required for appointment, leaving the position vacant.
In response, the management council has requested the Roads Authority to consider lowering the job requirements in order to accommodate more local youth — particularly those with Grade 12 qualifications and computer literacy, in line with the standard for council C2-graded positions.
“The current requirements for the position are only suitable for candidates who have worked for NaTIS, as some components of the job can only be attained through internal NaTIS training,” Tjitaua explained.
“It is against this background that we submit and request a lowering of the requirements, to align with the council’s grading system. All administrative positions at C2 level typically require only a Grade 12 certificate with 20 points and computer literacy,” he added.
Looking ahead, the council is developing several internal policies aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future.
“One such policy is a confidentiality policy, which will address issues like this and educate staff on proper information handling and dissemination,” Tjitaua said.
The controversy stems from interviews held on 24 January, where a certain H. Shipingana emerged as the recommended candidate after scoring higher than the two other interviewees. However, the council's management flagged the process, citing concerns over “unsatisfiable uneven scoring by the panelists” and potential undisclosed conflicts of interest — including rumours that a panelist was either romantically involved with the recommended candidate or a relative of another candidate.
“Aranos Town Council does not condone unlawfulness, hence the deliberate council decision for the re-interview of the position to promote public trust and transparency,” said Chief Executive Officer Gerson Tjitaua in an interview with Namibian Sun on Thursday.
Tjitaua confirmed that an independent investigator has been appointed to probe the matter and ensure that any individuals found culpable are held accountable.
“Currently, the council is extensively engaged in this matter and has appointed an investigator to hold the perpetrator to task. This is a measure to uphold law and order and to promote trust among stakeholders,” he said.
In a letter dated 1 April addressed to the Roads Authority's regional manager, Johannes Shuuya, Tjitaua confirmed that the issue had been presented to the management council on 25 March. He stated that while the council accepted the panel’s recommendation, candidates had requested a re-interview — a request for which the council said there is no provision under the current recruitment and selection regulations.
Despite this, a re-interview was scheduled for 19 March 2025. However, both Shipingana and a certain E Simon declined to participate, demanding formal explanations for the re-interview. Only one candidate, named Kahorere, attended, but failed to meet the 60% score threshold required for appointment, leaving the position vacant.
In response, the management council has requested the Roads Authority to consider lowering the job requirements in order to accommodate more local youth — particularly those with Grade 12 qualifications and computer literacy, in line with the standard for council C2-graded positions.
“The current requirements for the position are only suitable for candidates who have worked for NaTIS, as some components of the job can only be attained through internal NaTIS training,” Tjitaua explained.
“It is against this background that we submit and request a lowering of the requirements, to align with the council’s grading system. All administrative positions at C2 level typically require only a Grade 12 certificate with 20 points and computer literacy,” he added.
Looking ahead, the council is developing several internal policies aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future.
“One such policy is a confidentiality policy, which will address issues like this and educate staff on proper information handling and dissemination,” Tjitaua said.
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