Rehoboth on a knife’s edge
Residents want to sue town council
The Rehoboth community plans to take its former chief administrator, Theo Jankowski, the town’s two former mayors, Eve Maasdorp and Dawid Richter, as well as a senior municipal manager, Willie Swartz, to court for alleged corrupt practices.
The community on Sunday held an intense meeting during which they discussed the legitimacy of Swartz’s reappointment in January after he had resigned in November.
“He left out of his free will and was paid over N$100 000 and ironically in January he was reappointed. How does that make sense?” asked community activist Abes Kaibeb.
Kaibeb added that the community strongly feels that Jankowski must be taken to task for the alleged double allocation of plots and corrupt land deals during his tenure under Maasdorp and Richter.
This follows a recent Affirmative Repositioning (AR) meeting where AR activist Job Amupanda told hundreds of youth that they can lay criminal charges against public officials who misuse the taxpayer’s money.
The meeting also comes at a time when Rehoboth is facing an uncertain water supply as a result of unpaid debts to NamWater, which led to the town’s water being suspended for a few days last week.
The supply was restored after the Rehoboth town council managed to pay N$6.3 million, but the town still owes NamWater N$30 million.
Up in arms
Meanwhile, the community under the DTA’s Lukas de Klerk is preparing for yet another march on Thursday to confront the council over what they term “mismanagement”.
According to De Klerk, the council must explain where they suddenly found the N$6.3 million used to pay NamWater.
“We want to know why they waited until the water was cut before they paid. Why was the water not paid on time?” he asked.
Kaibeb and AR activist Andre von Broen said they plan to join and support this march.
“They are corrupt, we want to go there on Thursday and lock the gates. We will ‘toyi-toyi’ until things change, there is no other way. We want to urge the Rehoboth community to take leave for that day so that we are not only a handful,” said Von Broen.
Unfair treatment
Von Broen said the minister of urban and rural development, Sophia Shaningwa, is turning a blind eye to the problems faced by the Rehoboth community.
“She knew that people planned to occupy land. I told her personally when we were together at the State House. Their silence is telling the people of Rehoboth that they want Rehoboth to explode. Shaningwa drove to Walvis Bay when people grabbed land there but she ignored Rehoboth, why?” asked Von Broen.
JEMIMA BEUKES
The community on Sunday held an intense meeting during which they discussed the legitimacy of Swartz’s reappointment in January after he had resigned in November.
“He left out of his free will and was paid over N$100 000 and ironically in January he was reappointed. How does that make sense?” asked community activist Abes Kaibeb.
Kaibeb added that the community strongly feels that Jankowski must be taken to task for the alleged double allocation of plots and corrupt land deals during his tenure under Maasdorp and Richter.
This follows a recent Affirmative Repositioning (AR) meeting where AR activist Job Amupanda told hundreds of youth that they can lay criminal charges against public officials who misuse the taxpayer’s money.
The meeting also comes at a time when Rehoboth is facing an uncertain water supply as a result of unpaid debts to NamWater, which led to the town’s water being suspended for a few days last week.
The supply was restored after the Rehoboth town council managed to pay N$6.3 million, but the town still owes NamWater N$30 million.
Up in arms
Meanwhile, the community under the DTA’s Lukas de Klerk is preparing for yet another march on Thursday to confront the council over what they term “mismanagement”.
According to De Klerk, the council must explain where they suddenly found the N$6.3 million used to pay NamWater.
“We want to know why they waited until the water was cut before they paid. Why was the water not paid on time?” he asked.
Kaibeb and AR activist Andre von Broen said they plan to join and support this march.
“They are corrupt, we want to go there on Thursday and lock the gates. We will ‘toyi-toyi’ until things change, there is no other way. We want to urge the Rehoboth community to take leave for that day so that we are not only a handful,” said Von Broen.
Unfair treatment
Von Broen said the minister of urban and rural development, Sophia Shaningwa, is turning a blind eye to the problems faced by the Rehoboth community.
“She knew that people planned to occupy land. I told her personally when we were together at the State House. Their silence is telling the people of Rehoboth that they want Rehoboth to explode. Shaningwa drove to Walvis Bay when people grabbed land there but she ignored Rehoboth, why?” asked Von Broen.
JEMIMA BEUKES
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