Bukalo suspends employee over missing N$2m

BUKALO Village Council has suspended its planning officer, Martin Mathe Sanjahi, without pay after he failed to account for council’s N$2 million which was under his care.

The money was part of N$2,3 million meant for the village’s Build Together programme, which was to be used to build 18 houses at the village.

Sanjahi (47) appeared in the Ngoma District Court three weeks ago on a charge of fraud and was granted bail of N$5 000. His case was postponed to 15 April for further investigations.

Bukalo Village Council’s chief executive officer, Martin Limbo, confirmed the suspension to last week, saying the N$2 million was unaccounted for during an audit in January. Sanjahi reportedly failed to provide the receipts for the spending.

“In October 2018, the Zambezi Regional Council transferred N$2,3 million for the completion and renovations of the 18 Build-Together houses at Bukalo, which was meant to benefit the locals. Bukalo Village Council through the planning officer was supposed to ensure that it finishes building these houses.

“Since I was not in office during that time, I was told that a resolution was taken that the planning officer gets quotations from local hardware shops. After he got these quotations, he was also tasked to run an advert for the tender for local contractors who are interested to apply,” Limbo said.

According to Limbo, Sanjahi decided to work on the project alone after the money was deposited into the accounts of various hardware shops to secure the necessary materials to complete the houses.

“He would then go and collect the materials. However, most often the materials did not make it to the construction site but to his private residence. When he collected the materials from the shops, it was never even reported on the council books that we received them, so the procurement department does not have any record of such materials,” Limbo said.

The CEO said Sanjahi allegedly hired contractors himself, without the authority of the then acting chief executive officer.

The contractors charged N$30 000 per house, but they were only paid N$15 000, the council records show.

“When I came back into the office, the builders approached me and told me that the council still owed them N$15 000. We told them we will try to request extra funds from the Build Together Trust fund to pay them,” he said.

Limbo further noted that Sanjahi gave them invoices, which only amounted to N$340 000, leaving some N$2 million unaccounted for.

Additionally, he was refunded N$30 100 by one of the hardware shops on 27 December 2018 because they did not have materials in stock and this money was never deposited into the village council’s account, it is alleged.

“We opened a criminal case against him for the money he took from the shop and he was arrested but is now out on bail. It is for these reasons that he is now on suspension without pay, as investigations are still pending. All I can say, at this moment, is that we don’t know whether this was organised crime or not. Because for me if you are an accountant and you keep on paying money without getting reconciliation receipts, how is that possible?

“We ran a bill of quantity for the houses and we discovered that the materials, which are on the houses are worth about N$33 000 per house, yet N$2 million is gone. We, as the council, have to ensure now that we safeguard those houses until the ministry decides on what to do with them and that cost will have to come to us now,” he explained.

One of the contractors who also spoke to The Namibian, Patalazo Sinjala, yesterday noted that they have not been paid for almost two years.

As such, the contractors have sued Bukalo Village Council.

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