Investigate Rehoboth – PDM

JEMIMA BEUKES WINDHOEKPopular Democratic Movement (PDM) member of parliament Jennifer van der Heever has called for a special investigation into the affairs of the Rehoboth town council and allegations made by former Rehoboth mayor, Rudi van Wyk, before his death in June.She also asked the minister of urban and rural development Erastus Utoni to order an audit of the council and remove the council.Utoni is expect to respond to Van den Heever’s claims in Parliament today.The Local Authority Act of 1992 allows the incumbent minister to remove or suspend the members of a local authority council from office.In an 87-page report, Van Wyk highlighted several alleged corrupt deals and asked the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate the council and the alleged mismanagement by the town’s CEO Simeon Kanime.Van der Heever told Parliament this week that this alleged corruption and abuse of power has birthed a debt crisis, which is part of the reason the town remains indebted to NamPower and NamWater, which it owes millions of dollars.According to her, these “explosive” allegations of corruption, abuse of authority and gross negligence must be looked into urgently. Hold them accountable“The allegations contained in the report are serious, and reflect the state in which the Rehoboth town council has been maladministered over the years without anyone being held accountable,” Van der Heever said.“It is alleged that the CEO abused his position to unilaterally award a prepaid water meter tender to a company by the name of Item Engineering, even after the Rehoboth town council rejected the recommendation to award the said tender to Item Engineering,” she said.The council was suspended in 2018 for failing to perform its duties as required by law after an investigation by the ministry uncovered irregularities, including poor financial management and lack of accountability.jemima@namibiansun.com

Investigate Rehoboth – PDM

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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Investigate Rehoboth – PDM

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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