Ehafo centre stalled
While Ehafo's workers are still being paid by government, the board of trustees has N$21 million since 2015 and yet, no land has been purchased to date.
After selling the Ehafo property in Klein Windhoek for a lucrative N$21 million in 2015, the Ehafo board of trustees is still looking for suitable land to buy in order to construct a new centre for the disabled.
This is according to Ehafo's chairman, Andrew Matjila who last week told Namibian Sun that they are still in the process of acquiring land.
Matjila assured the public that the process of constructing a facility “closer to the people” somewhere in Katutura is still in the pipeline.
He however could not give an exact date or a timeline when this process will be completed, stressing only that the property has been sold.
In December 2015, government took legal action against the Ehafo trustees after they sold erf 235 in Klein Windhoek for N$21 million to Ehafo Property Developers while official documents indicated that the property belongs to the state.
The case was launched against the Ehafo board of trustees, Matjila, Rolene Boer, Dora Lebereki-Thlababella, Paul Helmut, Walter Louw and security company TIA Protection Service CC.
When asked about the court case, Matjila said there is nothing at the courts and that the issue of the court only arose when the disabled people were not granted permission to enter the Klein Windhoek premises which was sold.
“That case was only there when the disabled were locked out and we then unlocked the gates for them but now they are no longer there as the property has a new owner,” Matjila said.
The saga at the closure of the Ehafo Centre for disabled people started in 2007 when it owed about N$4 million to several financial institutions and the trust could not pay back the money or the severance packages of its employees.
Matjila, as chairman, then approached several government ministries for help.
Then Prime Minister Nahas Angula intervened and the debt was paid off.
The workers and Matjila confirmed a few weeks ago that they were all on the government's payroll as part of the agreement.
A resolution adopted at an Ehafo board meeting on 7 March 2007 clearly stated that the property would be handed over to the government if it settled all the debts and continued to pay the workers' salaries.
The document states: “All immovable property [shall] be transferred to the government of Namibia by the legal representative of Ehafo Trust against settlement by the government of Namibia of all outstanding liabilities owing in respect of the properties.”
It further states that “possession and occupation of the immovable properties will be given to the government of Namibia with immediate effect, from which date all risk in respect of immovable property will pass to the government of Namibia.”
The board also resolved to terminate the trust. However, the constitution of Ehafo Trust, section 8, states that “the terms of this trust deed may be varied by way of a notarial deed at any time by a majority decision by the trustees.”
In 2015, Andreas Vaatz, counsel for Ehafo, when asked about the resolution, said as long as there was no agreement between both parties that they actually signed, the property still belonged to its original owners.
Vaatz, who has represented Ehafo since 2012, said that year there was another meeting between the trust and the education ministry where another resolution was made that the handover would no longer take place.
When asked why government then continued to pay the salaries of the workers since 2007 and did not stop when that resolution was made, he said he did not know but it could have been part of the government's charitable support to the disabled.
Yesterday, Matjila confirmed that the disabled are still on the government's payroll since 2007.
KENYA KAMBOWE
This is according to Ehafo's chairman, Andrew Matjila who last week told Namibian Sun that they are still in the process of acquiring land.
Matjila assured the public that the process of constructing a facility “closer to the people” somewhere in Katutura is still in the pipeline.
He however could not give an exact date or a timeline when this process will be completed, stressing only that the property has been sold.
In December 2015, government took legal action against the Ehafo trustees after they sold erf 235 in Klein Windhoek for N$21 million to Ehafo Property Developers while official documents indicated that the property belongs to the state.
The case was launched against the Ehafo board of trustees, Matjila, Rolene Boer, Dora Lebereki-Thlababella, Paul Helmut, Walter Louw and security company TIA Protection Service CC.
When asked about the court case, Matjila said there is nothing at the courts and that the issue of the court only arose when the disabled people were not granted permission to enter the Klein Windhoek premises which was sold.
“That case was only there when the disabled were locked out and we then unlocked the gates for them but now they are no longer there as the property has a new owner,” Matjila said.
The saga at the closure of the Ehafo Centre for disabled people started in 2007 when it owed about N$4 million to several financial institutions and the trust could not pay back the money or the severance packages of its employees.
Matjila, as chairman, then approached several government ministries for help.
Then Prime Minister Nahas Angula intervened and the debt was paid off.
The workers and Matjila confirmed a few weeks ago that they were all on the government's payroll as part of the agreement.
A resolution adopted at an Ehafo board meeting on 7 March 2007 clearly stated that the property would be handed over to the government if it settled all the debts and continued to pay the workers' salaries.
The document states: “All immovable property [shall] be transferred to the government of Namibia by the legal representative of Ehafo Trust against settlement by the government of Namibia of all outstanding liabilities owing in respect of the properties.”
It further states that “possession and occupation of the immovable properties will be given to the government of Namibia with immediate effect, from which date all risk in respect of immovable property will pass to the government of Namibia.”
The board also resolved to terminate the trust. However, the constitution of Ehafo Trust, section 8, states that “the terms of this trust deed may be varied by way of a notarial deed at any time by a majority decision by the trustees.”
In 2015, Andreas Vaatz, counsel for Ehafo, when asked about the resolution, said as long as there was no agreement between both parties that they actually signed, the property still belonged to its original owners.
Vaatz, who has represented Ehafo since 2012, said that year there was another meeting between the trust and the education ministry where another resolution was made that the handover would no longer take place.
When asked why government then continued to pay the salaries of the workers since 2007 and did not stop when that resolution was made, he said he did not know but it could have been part of the government's charitable support to the disabled.
Yesterday, Matjila confirmed that the disabled are still on the government's payroll since 2007.
KENYA KAMBOWE
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