Councillors allegedly acquired plots for N$5
• Sankwasa urges Swapo peers to fight graft
The urban development minister has made the explosive revelation ahead of a planned visit to the town at the centre of the alleged scandal.
Urban and rural development minister Sankwasa James Sankwasa has made explosive claims that councillors at an unnamed local authority acquired plots for as little as N$5, only to resell them at huge profit for personal gain.
Speaking on The Agenda, airing this Sunday on NTV, the outspoken minister said he is in possession of documents that prove this practice.
However, he withheld naming individuals or the specific local authority, pending a scheduled visit to the town.
“These councillors are treating land like their own stock,” Sankwasa said. “They acquire plots for next to nothing and sell them within their circles. This is the situation happening in this country right now.”
He cited the Katima Mulilo land scandal – where plots were reportedly exchanged for vehicles – as an example of how corruption is not limited by political affiliation.
“Katima Mulilo has opposition leadership, but municipalities under opposition control are equally guilty. This is not just a legal issue – it’s a systemic problem,” the minister said.
State land as barter
Sankwasa confirmed that the Katima case has been reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and said he has recommended that the vehicles involved be treated as proceeds of crime and forfeited to the state.
“If the vehicles were obtained through corrupt means, should they not be forfeited?” he asked. “Do we have a law in this country that allows state land to be bartered? We don’t. So when someone says it’s just an administrative issue – what do they mean?”
He continued: “It’s like stealing government land, giving it to your friend and then claiming there’s no criminality. The little I know about the law tells me there’s a lot of criminality in such actions.”
‘Shooting ourselves in the foot’
Just two months into his ministerial tenure, Sankwasa has challenged fellow politicians to honour their oaths of office.
“When we’re sworn in, we declare before a magistrate or the chief justice to uphold the laws of the republic. Yet once in office, many start violating the very laws they vowed to defend,” he said.
He also attributed Swapo’s declining electoral fortunes to the party’s failure to act decisively against corruption.
“We sit and watch wrongdoing and are afraid to speak out because we fear losing members. But by staying silent, we’re already losing members,” Sankwasa warned.
The minister repeated remarks he made recently to Namibian Sun, after some in Swapo claimed his anti-corruption stance was tarnishing the party’s image.
“Is Swapo winning now? If we’re being forced into coalitions, is that winning?” he asked. “I’m a proud Swapo member. But seeing our votes drop with every election is not winning.”
He added: “The people we appoint to political structures – from party coordinators to councillors to MPs – must be leaders who live by the principles our voters expect. If they go into those positions and abuse them, we’re just shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Doing the job vs compromise
Sankwasa also questioned the competence of officials appointed to top posts at municipalities.
“Jobs like the CEO of Windhoek require skills, experience and qualifications. So we must ask: Are we seeing those qualifications in action? Where is the leadership? Where is the skill?”
Drawing from his own experience as former chief regional officer (CRO) of Hardap, Sankwasa acknowledged the real pressures municipal executives face.
“Political interference is real. CEOs are told: ‘If you don’t do what we say, we won’t renew your contract.’ I’ve experienced it. I had to choose between doing the job properly or keeping it through compromise.”
He added: “As a CRO, I used to ask: Am I bound to follow a resolution that goes against my legal duty? Because my appointment is not just political – it carries real responsibility.”
Speaking on The Agenda, airing this Sunday on NTV, the outspoken minister said he is in possession of documents that prove this practice.
However, he withheld naming individuals or the specific local authority, pending a scheduled visit to the town.
“These councillors are treating land like their own stock,” Sankwasa said. “They acquire plots for next to nothing and sell them within their circles. This is the situation happening in this country right now.”
He cited the Katima Mulilo land scandal – where plots were reportedly exchanged for vehicles – as an example of how corruption is not limited by political affiliation.
“Katima Mulilo has opposition leadership, but municipalities under opposition control are equally guilty. This is not just a legal issue – it’s a systemic problem,” the minister said.
State land as barter
Sankwasa confirmed that the Katima case has been reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and said he has recommended that the vehicles involved be treated as proceeds of crime and forfeited to the state.
“If the vehicles were obtained through corrupt means, should they not be forfeited?” he asked. “Do we have a law in this country that allows state land to be bartered? We don’t. So when someone says it’s just an administrative issue – what do they mean?”
He continued: “It’s like stealing government land, giving it to your friend and then claiming there’s no criminality. The little I know about the law tells me there’s a lot of criminality in such actions.”
‘Shooting ourselves in the foot’
Just two months into his ministerial tenure, Sankwasa has challenged fellow politicians to honour their oaths of office.
“When we’re sworn in, we declare before a magistrate or the chief justice to uphold the laws of the republic. Yet once in office, many start violating the very laws they vowed to defend,” he said.
He also attributed Swapo’s declining electoral fortunes to the party’s failure to act decisively against corruption.
“We sit and watch wrongdoing and are afraid to speak out because we fear losing members. But by staying silent, we’re already losing members,” Sankwasa warned.
The minister repeated remarks he made recently to Namibian Sun, after some in Swapo claimed his anti-corruption stance was tarnishing the party’s image.
“Is Swapo winning now? If we’re being forced into coalitions, is that winning?” he asked. “I’m a proud Swapo member. But seeing our votes drop with every election is not winning.”
He added: “The people we appoint to political structures – from party coordinators to councillors to MPs – must be leaders who live by the principles our voters expect. If they go into those positions and abuse them, we’re just shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Doing the job vs compromise
Sankwasa also questioned the competence of officials appointed to top posts at municipalities.
“Jobs like the CEO of Windhoek require skills, experience and qualifications. So we must ask: Are we seeing those qualifications in action? Where is the leadership? Where is the skill?”
Drawing from his own experience as former chief regional officer (CRO) of Hardap, Sankwasa acknowledged the real pressures municipal executives face.
“Political interference is real. CEOs are told: ‘If you don’t do what we say, we won’t renew your contract.’ I’ve experienced it. I had to choose between doing the job properly or keeping it through compromise.”
He added: “As a CRO, I used to ask: Am I bound to follow a resolution that goes against my legal duty? Because my appointment is not just political – it carries real responsibility.”
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