N$36m road that never was
The Roads Authority and the Roads Contractor Company are failing to explain why the construction of the N$36 million 40km gravel road between Omakange and Onamatanga in Omusati Region has to date not yet started, despite the tender having been awarded as far back as 2013.
Former minister of works and transport Erkki Nghimtina launched the road construction work in 2013 with his ministry and the RA.
Through the Omusati Regional Council, the tender was awarded to the RCC.
But to date the RCC has only de-bushed less than 20km of the road.
The principal of Onamatanga Primary School, Johannes Shaanika, expressed his disappointment in two parastatals, saying they seem to be unconcerned about the welfare of Onamatanga residents.
He said Onamatanga is only accessible with a four-wheel-drive vehicle, adding the roads are sandy, making it dangerous and difficult to drive.
During the rainy season the area is not accessible at all. He added the RCC has now exacerbated the already bad condition of the road.
Shaanika also said he wrote many letters enquiring about the road, but got no response on any of them.
“It is now four years, but we don’t know why the road works have not started. This road means a lot to the community of Onamatanga,” said an irate Shaanika.
“We thought it was a relief for us to get a gravel road, but now we don’t know what happened. There are many cases of community members who either died or give birth while on the way to the hospital because of the condition of the road. We have a local clinic, but it takes an ambulance from Okahao District Hospital a long time to reach us and during the rainy season they do not reach us at all.”
Onamatanga is about 120km from Okahao.
In 2015, former councillor for Ruacana constituency, Abasta Iipinge, also voiced concerns about the RA’s failure to complete the project after it had been on site for two years.
“They abandoned the construction work for a long time and now we don’t know whether they are constructing an airport runway or they are constructing a soccer field. My office made enquiries on several occasions, but we are not getting satisfactory responses from them and we don’t know what the problem is, “Iipinge said.
Efforts to get comment from RCC and RA yielded no results.
RA spokesperson Hileni Fillemon did not respond to questions sent to her, while the RCC referred Namibian Sun from one office to another and still, no details of the project were given.
RCC’s equipment is still on site, but no construction work is going on.
Last year when RA’s CEO Conrad Lutombi made a courtesy call on the Omusati governor, Erginus Endjala, he stressed the RCC should be given an ultimatum to complete the project by August 2016 or, have its contract terminated, but nothing has happened in this regard.
ILENI NANDJATO
Former minister of works and transport Erkki Nghimtina launched the road construction work in 2013 with his ministry and the RA.
Through the Omusati Regional Council, the tender was awarded to the RCC.
But to date the RCC has only de-bushed less than 20km of the road.
The principal of Onamatanga Primary School, Johannes Shaanika, expressed his disappointment in two parastatals, saying they seem to be unconcerned about the welfare of Onamatanga residents.
He said Onamatanga is only accessible with a four-wheel-drive vehicle, adding the roads are sandy, making it dangerous and difficult to drive.
During the rainy season the area is not accessible at all. He added the RCC has now exacerbated the already bad condition of the road.
Shaanika also said he wrote many letters enquiring about the road, but got no response on any of them.
“It is now four years, but we don’t know why the road works have not started. This road means a lot to the community of Onamatanga,” said an irate Shaanika.
“We thought it was a relief for us to get a gravel road, but now we don’t know what happened. There are many cases of community members who either died or give birth while on the way to the hospital because of the condition of the road. We have a local clinic, but it takes an ambulance from Okahao District Hospital a long time to reach us and during the rainy season they do not reach us at all.”
Onamatanga is about 120km from Okahao.
In 2015, former councillor for Ruacana constituency, Abasta Iipinge, also voiced concerns about the RA’s failure to complete the project after it had been on site for two years.
“They abandoned the construction work for a long time and now we don’t know whether they are constructing an airport runway or they are constructing a soccer field. My office made enquiries on several occasions, but we are not getting satisfactory responses from them and we don’t know what the problem is, “Iipinge said.
Efforts to get comment from RCC and RA yielded no results.
RA spokesperson Hileni Fillemon did not respond to questions sent to her, while the RCC referred Namibian Sun from one office to another and still, no details of the project were given.
RCC’s equipment is still on site, but no construction work is going on.
Last year when RA’s CEO Conrad Lutombi made a courtesy call on the Omusati governor, Erginus Endjala, he stressed the RCC should be given an ultimatum to complete the project by August 2016 or, have its contract terminated, but nothing has happened in this regard.
ILENI NANDJATO
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