Ondangwa defends mayor's plot allocation
The Ondangwa town council has defended its decision to allocate three business plots to Huhu City, a company owned by the town's mayor, Paavo Amwele, saying he had applied for plots before he was elected as councillor.
Notices were placed in newspapers last week announcing that the council had approved the sale of three business erven in Extension 23 to Amwele's company for N$229 856.
Council spokesperson Petrina Shitalangaho told Namibian Sun that there was nothing wrong with the allocation of plots to Amwele's company, as it was done procedurally.
Shitalangaho explained that Huhu City had applied for 20 000 square metres of land for business purposes on 19 December 2014. The plots in question were approved at a council meeting on 22 October 2015.
She said that was before Amwele became a town councillor in December 2015.
Most of the officials currently employed by the council were not working there in 2015 either, so Amwele could not have influenced the decision, she added.
She further explained that when Amwele was presented his provisional letter in 2014, he could not develop the plots as it was part of the agreement that he could only buy them from the council once they were serviced.
“By then the land was not serviced and there were conditions that he could only buy that land if it was serviced,” she said.
Amwele had specified that the plots he wanted should be near the Ondangwa airport but that area was not serviced.
Shitalangaho said Amwele wrote a letter to the council earlier this year asking about the progress made with his plots.
She said the council then took a resolution on 18 May this year to rather grant him the three plots in Extension 23.
Asked whether Amwele was present during the deliberations, Shitalangaho said the mayor was excused.
KENYA KAMBOWE
Notices were placed in newspapers last week announcing that the council had approved the sale of three business erven in Extension 23 to Amwele's company for N$229 856.
Council spokesperson Petrina Shitalangaho told Namibian Sun that there was nothing wrong with the allocation of plots to Amwele's company, as it was done procedurally.
Shitalangaho explained that Huhu City had applied for 20 000 square metres of land for business purposes on 19 December 2014. The plots in question were approved at a council meeting on 22 October 2015.
She said that was before Amwele became a town councillor in December 2015.
Most of the officials currently employed by the council were not working there in 2015 either, so Amwele could not have influenced the decision, she added.
She further explained that when Amwele was presented his provisional letter in 2014, he could not develop the plots as it was part of the agreement that he could only buy them from the council once they were serviced.
“By then the land was not serviced and there were conditions that he could only buy that land if it was serviced,” she said.
Amwele had specified that the plots he wanted should be near the Ondangwa airport but that area was not serviced.
Shitalangaho said Amwele wrote a letter to the council earlier this year asking about the progress made with his plots.
She said the council then took a resolution on 18 May this year to rather grant him the three plots in Extension 23.
Asked whether Amwele was present during the deliberations, Shitalangaho said the mayor was excused.
KENYA KAMBOWE
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