Written by Patience Nyangove
Thursday, 12 November 2009
THE Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Petrus Iilonga has been accused of victimising a senior labour inspector who is a Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) member.
The officer, Jafeth !Auchab, RDP Gobabis District Secretary, alleges that the Ministry transferred him from Omaheke to Khomas Region as punishment for being an opposition party member.
!Auchab further alleges that Iilonga connived with Omaheke Swapo party youth leader Liberius Kalili to remove him from the region ahead of the forthcoming Presidential and National Assembly elections.
He also said Iilonga frequents his office in Windhoek to ask him what he is still doing in the Ministry.
“There was a lot of interference by Swapo almost daily. Being RDP is the reason why they transferred me from Gobabis, the SPYL and it’s regional co-ordinator were threatening me also,” !Auchab alleged.
In letters to the Ministry and Dr Elijah Ngurare, Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) national secretary, Kalili alleged that labour inspectors in the region were being bribed by commercial farmers and business people to ignore the workers’ plight.
Kalili appealed for the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare’s intervention resulting in the deputy Minister’s visit to the region last year in November.
According to a document compiled by the deputy Labour Inspectorate Director Felix Musukubili, labour officers at Gobabis including !Auchab were dragged to the Swapo party regional office despite their refusal to go.
“At the start, the labour inspector in question was not comfortable to attend the meeting at the Party’s offices, to which he said he does not belong to,” the report stated.
Although the report said issues between SPYL and the labour officers especially !Auchab were resolved at the meeting, the Ministry notified him that he had been transferred to Khomas Region.
“They gave me two days to move as if I have no family. I have a disabled daughter and some of my children were in school,” !Auchab said.
He then wrote back to the Ministry asking them to give him time to prepare for the relocation but his request was turned down, ordering him instead to report for duty in Windhoek on 1 August 2009.
“I complied only to find that there was no decent accommodation for me. They put me in a hotel initially but early this month, they asked me to go to a bed and breakfast where I can’t live with my family,” charged !Auchab.
He added that during the first days, he operated from a corridor because there was no office space for him.
“I cannot use resources here. If I want to use a vehicle, I have to fill in several forms because they suspect I would be going on an RDP business. It’s very difficult for me to work now because there is no trust. I have told my supervisor about this,” !Auchab said.
Correspondence between the Director of Labour Services, Valentina Mulongeni, the deputy Minister Iilonga and the Permanent Secretary Ulitala Hiveluah when !Auchab fell ill reveal suspicion that he was faking illness.
“They queried my illness and investigated me with the intention of instituting disciplinary action,” said !Auchab.
He said, “I will stay on. I will remain a member of RDP. I will resign only when the problems become unbearable.”
Iilonga flatly denied !Auchab’s accusations saying it was news to him.
“How can I victimise him? When I return to Windhoek next week Monday, I will call !Auchab, you and the Director of Labour Services and we discuss this issue. People just want to tarnish other people’s images.
“If !Auchab has problems, he should not turn them into my problems. I have never victimised any of my staff. I have good relations with everyone including the cleaners.”
Iilonga also denied playing a part in !Auchab’s transfer saying he does not have powers to do so.
“People should just leave Iilonga alone and stop fabricating stories. If !Auchab is RDP, how many other people are in the Ministry who support other opposition parties? We don’t ask employees of their political parties.”
Kalili said !Auchab was not transferred because he is RDP but because he is incompetent.
No comments:
Post a Comment