Governor defends N$968k cemetery fence

Kavango East governor Hamunyera Hambyuka has defended the close to N$1 million spent on the construction of a cemetery fence at Omega 1 village.

Hambyuka said the N$968 861 spent on the project was accurate and could be independently verified, while adding that the fence was constructed as part of a commitment made to the Omega 1 community.

"The amount is correct. The material is correct. You should just go and double-check or verify with the shop where we bought the material. That amount, to me, is sufficient," he said.

He maintained that the nearly N$1 million price tag covered both the procurement of materials and the contractor responsible for erecting the fence.

"If they are saying it's unrealistic, that's up to them. But that's the amount we used for that project," Hambyuka added.

His remarks come in response to criticism from former Affirmative Repositioning (AR) Kavango East regional chairperson Kandunda Gellasius, who questioned both the value of the project and government's decision to fund it while Omega Combined School in the same village continues to grapple with deteriorating infrastructure.

Gellasius' biggest concern is the state of the Omega Combined School, where learners continue to study in what he described as deteriorating conditions. Some classrooms at the school have damaged walls and roofs allegedly supported by locally sourced wooden poles, while parts of the infrastructure pose potential safety risks to learners and staff.

The governor officially handed over the completed cemetery fence to the Omega 1 community on Monday.

At the ceremony, he said the project was aimed at protecting graves from damage caused by livestock and wild animals while preserving the dignity of those laid to rest there and safeguarding the cultural heritage of the Khwe-San community.

Gellasius, however, argued that the region had prioritised the wrong development needs.

"They opted to fence the dead people while they left the school in the same village to further dilapidate," he said.

Gellasius said he struggled to understand how a cemetery fence could cost nearly N$1 million.

Community request

But Hambyuka rejected suggestions that the cemetery project should have been abandoned in favour of school renovations, saying the fencing initiative originated from the community itself.

"This one came from the community. They are the ones who proposed and submitted it to the government," he said.

At the same time, he acknowledged concerns regarding the condition of Omega Combined School and revealed that steps have already been taken to address the issue.

"The school, as we are speaking, we have the bill of quantity. The ministry of works was there. They did the assessment and gave us the bill of quantity," he said.

Hambyuka added that he personally visited the school on the same day as the handover ceremony to assess its condition and discuss possible interventions.

While he could not indicate when renovation work would begin, he said plans to rehabilitate the school remain under consideration.

Paid for by government

The governor also clarified questions surrounding the procurement process for the graveyard fence.

He said the project was funded through the Office of the Vice President under programmes aimed at supporting marginalised communities, with his office merely tasked with implementing the project.

"The tenders and all the money came from the Office of the Vice President," he said.