Katima CEO defiant over land-for-cars deal

In a pointed rebuttal to urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa, Katima Mulilo Town Council CEO Raphael Liswaniso has refused to comply with a directive to return vehicles that the council allegedly received in exchange for land.The controversy emerged during Sankwasa’s visit to the town last Friday, where he publicly ordered the council to return two Toyota Fortuners and a Mahindra vehicle said to have been received between 2020 and 2023 as part of a questionable land deal. However, Liswaniso dismissed the instruction, insisting the matter cannot be dictated through the media, after the heated confrontation between Sankwasa and council officials were filmed by a local television crew.“We are not directed from a mouth,” Liswaniso told Namibian Sun yesterday. “The minister will have to put it in writing. We don’t act on political statements made to the media. That’s not how it works.”Sankwasa lambasted the council for alleged procedural violations, stating: “It is not right to exchange land for vehicles. Land appreciates in value, while vehicles depreciate. There can never be transactional fairness in that.”The minister also accused the town council of not seeking ministerial approval for the sale of the said land, saying this went against established rules. He expressed concern that the council failed to produce valuations comparing the land and vehicles during his visit. “Every piece of land in this country belongs to the state. Even if it falls under council jurisdiction, that doesn’t mean it can be given away freely. The law is clear: no land may be allocated without ministerial approval.”The minister also took issue with Liswaniso’s perceived combative conduct during the heated exchange, saying: “I do not like the behaviour I’m seeing here. You are acting like a councillor, and it must stop.”Denying that the vehicles were obtained through a land-for-assets exchange, Liswaniso explained that the council sold land and, instead of accepting cash payments, opted to receive goods of equivalent value to streamline procurement and reduce logistical costs.“There was no exchange. We sold land. Because of my health condition, I didn’t want money brought to me in person, so I asked for items to be procured equivalent to the land’s value. That’s not barter - it’s a value-based transaction,” he said. “We’ve acquired around eight vehicles this way. It’s essentially the same as selling land, receiving the money, and then buying the cars - just more efficient.”Liswaniso argued that the approach has strengthened the council’s operational capacity and was an economically strategic decision. He further cited expected economic benefits from the developers involved, such as Risk-Based Solutions, Combo Investment Group, Malena Properties, and M&M Civil Engineering.“For example, one developer plans to construct a resort on waterlogged land that was previously undevelopable. The project is expected to create 100 permanent jobs and employ over 300 people during construction. That’s more than 500 lives impacted when you consider household dependents. Is that not a meaningful economic trade-off?” he asked.Regarding M&M Civil Engineering, Liswaniso clarified that the transaction was a debt settlement for services rendered before his tenure. “The company built roads, and because the council couldn’t pay, land was offered instead. This was a decision by the previous council, and I inherited the obligation.”Liswaniso criticised the minister’s public comments as premature and lacking factual grounding. “With all due respect, he is a minister. But his current instruction carries no legal authority unless formalised in writing.”

Katima CEO defiant over land-for-cars deal

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Namibian Sun 2025-08-27

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Katima CEO defiant over land-for-cars deal

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Namibian Sun 2025-08-27

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