Katima council slams Sankwasa over ‘tribalism, political meddling’

The Katima Mulilo Town Council has accused urban and rural development minister Sankwasa James Sankwasa of tribalism, political interference and spreading misinformation.In a strongly worded statement issued last week, the council described the minister’s recent actions as an “abuse of office” intended to destabilise the council ahead of upcoming local authority elections.The statement was issued in response to allegations made by Sankwasa during a visit to the town in May, where he accused councillors of selling public land without ministerial approval and ordered the return of three high-end vehicles allegedly linked to a questionable land deal.Councillors, including Katima mayor John Ntemwa, have now come out swinging, rejecting the allegations and describing the minister’s conduct as undemocratic and damaging to national unity.They claim Sankwasa's actions are based on a personal vendetta stemming from labour cases he lost while serving as a labour consultant representing employees at the council before his ministerial appointment.“It is now regrettable that he appears to be using his ministerial position to enforce decisions he previously failed to secure through due process, thereby threatening council operations and governance,” the council alleged.Pushing back The statement further condemned Sankwasa for reportedly saying “Masubia councillors must go,” and pledging to end what he described as “tribal dominance” within both the Katima Mulilo council and the Zambezi Regional Council. The council labelled the comments as “tribally charged and politically motivated”, warning they risk fuelling division in a diverse region.“These comments not only undermine the democratic processes that brought the current leadership into office but also promote tribal division, which is against the spirit of national unity enshrined in the Namibian Constitution,” the council stated.The minister was accused of allegedly spreading false information, including claims that council had sold the town’s sports complex. Hitting back, the council said the facility remains under the ownership of the sports ministry and that no formal valuation was ever conducted on the adjacent land, which lies in a riverbed zone and is not worth the N$50 million figure publicly cited by Sankwasa.Easy target Further, the council warned that Sankwasa’s threat to downgrade the municipality to a village council would cripple service delivery and roll back years of developmental progress in the town.Councillors slammed the minister of targeting Katima Mulilo unfairly, saying delays in obtaining ministerial approval for land allocation are common across the country. “We challenge the minister to commission an audit across all local authorities for transparency and fairness,” the statement read.“The council remains committed to transparency, accountability and public service,” the statement concluded.'Nothing personal'In response to questions from Namibian Sun yesterday, Sankwasa dismissed the allegations as “low-level thinking” and questioned whether criticism of his actions was simply an attempt to shield poor governance behind tribal lines.“In our local Silozi language, it’s said that only the frog which was used to the cool mud will make loud noise when the cool place it enjoys is engulfed by the heat of the fire,” he said. The minister questioned whether the tribal sentiments cited by the council were an admission that both the Zambezi Regional Council and the town council were dominated by one ethnic group. “Are people saying the mismanagement or lack of good governance is a result of tribal affiliation?” he asked.He added: “I seriously have a problem with a person whose vision does not go beyond such person's shadow simply because the individual does not engage the five mental capacities.”The minister dismissed the criticisms contained against him in the statement from council, saying the reaction by mayor John Ntemwa – who issued it – is “highly misplaced”.“All I am doing is directing the council to avoid unnecessary wastage of public funds,” Sankwasa said in a written response. “There’s nothing personal in ensuring accountability in public office.”- phillipus@nmh-hub.com.na

Katima council slams Sankwasa over ‘tribalism, political meddling’

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-17

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Katima council slams Sankwasa over ‘tribalism, political meddling’

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-17

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