ERONGO chief regional officer Ludmilla Doëses has resigned, citing alleged victimisation and an orchestrated witch-hunt against her by regional councillors.
The Erongo Regional Council on Wednesday last week during a special council meeting approved her resignation.
Doëses has been in the service of the regional council since July 2018 on a five-year contract, ending on 31 June 2023.
Her last working day was Thursday.
In her resignation letter, dated 17 June, which The Namibian has seen, Doëses cited victimisation and a witch-hunt against her as the reasons for her early exit.
“This drastic step is necessitated by the fact that the Erongo Regional Council has made the continuation of the employment relationship extremely intolerable,” the letter reads.
She referred to a certain council resolution made this year which, she says, spoke volumes and of which the actions are unlawful and unjustified.
“The actions of the council are tantamount to constructive discharge due to a hostile work environment, and this serious breach has triggered me to exit earlier from the employment contract that is set to end only in June 2023,” the letter reads.
The chairperson of the regional council, Benitha Iimbamba, last week confirmed the events.
The council has allegedly declined to give Doëses a golden handshake and will treat the move as a normal resignation.
Early retirement in the public service can be embarked on at the age of 55, and normal retirement at the age of 60. Doëses is 50 years old.
According to a legal opinion in a letter from the Public Service Commission seen by The Namibian, the attorney general’s office indicated that Doëses could have requested her early retirement to be treated as normal retirement for Cabinet approval.
The director of development, planning, monitoring and evaluation, Seblonica Kauari, has been appointed as acting chief regional officer.