Another Wasteful Purchase?
WE are confounded by the request by Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab for a new official residence at Swakopmund, given the prevalent state of the economy in general and the predicament facing the country in terms of Government finances in particular.
The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, in a letter to the
Swakopmund Municipality, said the problem was that the present
residence in Hage Heights was not ideally suited as it is "in the
middle of a residential area"! Could any statement under the
circumstances be more bizarre? The incumbent Prime Minister lives
in a home in Windhoek that is situated squarely in a residential
area, yet he does not want to do the same when holidaying at
Swakopmund.
The letter from the Prime Minister prompted the Swakopmund Town
Council to recommend last week that the Mayor and CEO take up
discussions with his office regarding Erf 101, which is situated at
Mile 4.
This is one of three erven in that area that are considered
suitable for township development, and therefore very valuable.
To make matters worse, the Ministry of Works, Transport and
Communication has already bought three erven situated behind the
current residence of the Prime Minister in Swakopmund from the
Council in 2003.
This prime land was at the time withdrawn from an auction list
and sold to the Ministry.
Guardhouses had already been built on the perimeter of what is,
to all intents and purposes, a luxury dwelling.
This request by the Prime Minister's office would therefore seem
excessive under the circumstances.
Added to this is the fact, already emphasised by Finance
Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, of the Government's serious
financial situation.
Reports this week also revealed that Government overspending,
which is fast becoming a habit, spreads across the board in
Government, from the Office of the President to the Ministry of
Local Government and Housing, and it is not difficult to see why
this is the case when arbitrary and expensive purchases of the
abovementioned kind are being contemplated.
It is obvious that purchases of expensive erven to satisfy the
whims of a Prime Minister are simply going to add to the burden of
largely self-inflicted over-expenditure and unauthorised
expenditures with which Government is currently saddled.
Given that the current Prime Minister lives apparently happily
and unharassed in a residential area of Windhoek, we fail to
understand why a similar situation is untenable with regard to the
holiday house at Swakopmund, for that, after all, is what it is - a
luxury holiday home that was refurbished at not inconsiderable
cost.
Could it be that the present Swakopmund residence isn't located
on a sea-facing plot and that this is the real reason for the
proposed acquisition of a new one? A new residence is currently
being built in Windhoek for the head of state and this, too, comes
with an enormous price tag, when there are undeniably bigger and
better priorities for Government spending than this.
The letter to the Swakopmund Council did not raise concerns
about the Prime Minister's security, which surely would be the only
acceptable reason for shifting the current place of residence, and
so it would seem to be purely spurious factors that are
necessitating the acquisition of a new luxury home with an ocean
view.
We can only once again raise the serious issue of Government
failing to prioritise properly and doing so at increased cost to
the taxpayer.
We would urge a rethink of a purchase like this at the present
time.
The letter from the Prime Minister prompted the Swakopmund Town
Council to recommend last week that the Mayor and CEO take up
discussions with his office regarding Erf 101, which is situated at
Mile 4.This is one of three erven in that area that are considered
suitable for township development, and therefore very valuable.To
make matters worse, the Ministry of Works, Transport and
Communication has already bought three erven situated behind the
current residence of the Prime Minister in Swakopmund from the
Council in 2003.This prime land was at the time withdrawn from an
auction list and sold to the Ministry.Guardhouses had already been
built on the perimeter of what is, to all intents and purposes, a
luxury dwelling.This request by the Prime Minister's office would
therefore seem excessive under the circumstances.Added to this is
the fact, already emphasised by Finance Minister Saara
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, of the Government's serious financial
situation.Reports this week also revealed that Government
overspending, which is fast becoming a habit, spreads across the
board in Government, from the Office of the President to the
Ministry of Local Government and Housing, and it is not difficult
to see why this is the case when arbitrary and expensive purchases
of the abovementioned kind are being contemplated.It is obvious
that purchases of expensive erven to satisfy the whims of a Prime
Minister are simply going to add to the burden of largely
self-inflicted over-expenditure and unauthorised expenditures with
which Government is currently saddled.Given that the current Prime
Minister lives apparently happily and unharassed in a residential
area of Windhoek, we fail to understand why a similar situation is
untenable with regard to the holiday house at Swakopmund, for that,
after all, is what it is - a luxury holiday home that was
refurbished at not inconsiderable cost.Could it be that the present
Swakopmund residence isn't located on a sea-facing plot and that
this is the real reason for the proposed acquisition of a new one?
A new residence is currently being built in Windhoek for the head
of state and this, too, comes with an enormous price tag, when
there are undeniably bigger and better priorities for Government
spending than this.The letter to the Swakopmund Council did not
raise concerns about the Prime Minister's security, which surely
would be the only acceptable reason for shifting the current place
of residence, and so it would seem to be purely spurious factors
that are necessitating the acquisition of a new luxury home with an
ocean view.We can only once again raise the serious issue of
Government failing to prioritise properly and doing so at increased
cost to the taxpayer.We would urge a rethink of a purchase like
this at the present time.