Amutse mum on investigation

While Modestus Amutse maintains his silence on matters of financial mismanagement and the accompanying investigation against the chief regional officer (CRO) and deputy director for finance, the Omusati Regional Council''s financial crisis appears to have deepened, as the council''s employees, have not received their 5% salary increment.

At the beginning of November, Amutse the chairperson of the council told Namibian Sun that the investigation into the alleged mismanagement of funds by the suspended CRO Protasius Andowa, and deputy director of finance, Elizabeth Mutota has been concluded and the full council would meet on 18 November to discuss the outcome and pass a resolution.

After the 18 November meeting, Amutse turned silent and is alleged to have instructed fellow councillors not to speak to the media. The council met again on Friday last week on the same issue.

These meetings were conducted behind closed doors and only councillors and urban and rural development ministry officials were present.

Council suspended Andowa and Mutota in September. The Public Service Commission endorsed this suspension last month and the council launched the investigation into the duo. According to Amutse, the urban and rural development ministry assigned a team of investigators headed by the ministry''s chief auditor.

Amutse confirmed to Namibian Sun that the council has met twice to discuss the outcomes of this investigation, but he refuse to share what was deliberated.

“I have no idea. It is not in our hands as politicians, it is in the hands of the administrator. I don''t know what is going on or how far they are with it. I hope once they complete their work they will inform me,” Amutse said.



Financial crisis

Sources are saying that when the head of investigation presented the report to the councillor on 18 November, there was evidence that Andowa had allegedly been operating without following the council''s budget. This mismanagement of council money apparently dates back to 2012.

Currently employees of council have not received their 5% salary increments which were announced in April by the Namibia Public Workers Union affecting all public servants.

Capital projects also came to a standstill as the council has no funds while the ministry refuses to allocate additional funds for the council.

Namibian Sun has been reliably informed that Andowa and Mutota''s alleged mismanagement of funds came to light after they failed to explain how the council had spent N$12.3 million that it borrowed from the line ministry to finance projects.

Amutse refuted all these allegations saying there are people within the council giving misleading information to the media.

ILENI NANDJATO