Civil servants to pay for renovations

TENANTS of Government houses will be held responsible for damage to the houses or apartments to ease the maintenance cost on taxpayers.

Works and Transport Minister Erkki Nghimtina revealed this while addressing his staff at Keetmanshoop on Friday.
According to Nghimtina tenants will soon be forced to enter into a lease agreement with Government to bind them to take proper care of state property.
When the tenants vacate the houses, Nghimtina said, a proper report will also be compiled to assess damages on the properties.
‘I am warning tenants not to vacate houses or apartments prior to a damages inspection, or you’ll be held liable for defects detected in the house or apartment during inspection,’ he said.
He said the ‘I don’t care attitude’ must come to an end.
Nghimtina also warned that the Ministry has intensified its campaign against people staying illegally in Government houses.
His deputy, Chief Samuel Ankama, urged the staff to adopt teamwork approach.
He also called on them to refrain from drinking alcohol while on duty.
On their part the employees complained about the shortage of building material and lack of in-service training, while others wanted to know when functions of Government stores would be decentralised.
Nghimtina admitted that the Ministry faced a challenge with lack of building material. He said it was due to underfunding.