//KARAS governor Lucia Basson said corruption had left many capital projects incomplete in the region.
Delivering her state of the region address at Keetmanshoop on Monday, Basson called on citizens to report any corrupt activities to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Although Basson did not single out any projects, the region has been in the news for wasteful spending involving about N$77 million.
The urban and rural development mini-stry’s audit team uncovered the wasteful and irregular spending during an audit of capital projects’ implementation last year for the period 2010-2011 to 2016-17.
“It cannot be right that some people are embezzling public funds at the expense of the majority. Therefore, report such people,” she stressed. The Namibian understands that the regional council is yet to act on the findings of an investigation which uncovered these financial irregularities. Reflecting on socio-economic development in the region, Basson said the N$3 billion Neckartal Dam construction expected to be completed by the end of this year has created 2 159 direct employment opportunities.
The dam’s completion will be followed by the cultivation of irrigation crops on 5 000 hectares near the dam, she said.
Table grapes are also being produced on 1 729 hectares in the region, and their total export value was estimated at N$666 million during the 2015/16 financial year, but it is expected to reach N$1 billion by the end of 2017.
Basson said micro financing for SMEs is a way of alleviating poverty and creating self-employment for rural people, adding that a total of N$240 385 was approved for funding projects under the micro-financing programme. The governor, however, expressed concern over the criteria for resettlement allocations, saying the regional resettlement committee does not have the final say in the allotment process as it only recommends beneficiaries for resettlement.
Government bought about 150 300 hectares for a total of N$116,9 million during the 2015/16 financial year in the region for resettlement, and a total of 1 735 applications for resettlement were received during the same period.
According to Basson, 21 out of 22 farmers from //Karas who benefited from the resettlement programme were trained.
“There is a growing demand for resettlement in the region, hence the competition becomes high, and in the process only a few could make it to the allotment stage,” she noted.
One-hundred-and-ninety-two customary land rights and four leasehold rights were also issued in the region.
Basson, who called for the complete elimination of the bucket toilet system in the region during her maiden state of the region address last year, said 468 toilets are under construction at Aus, Koës and Berseba, and are expected to be completed this year.
Rural sanitation is one of the major challenges the region faces, and the //Karas Regional Council has embarked on constructing 140 dry pit toilets at a cost of N$2,4 million as part of its rural sanitation programme to benefit 140 households out of a list of 232.
On infrastructural development, Basson said she had commissioned the construction of a N$120 million solar plant at Rosh Pinah earlier this year.
In addition, construction at the N$134 million regional government office park was progressing well, although she stated that the fast construction process may result in a budget shortfall of N$10 million.
“The only remedy to this predicament is either to slow down the pace of construction, which is not advisable, or to increase the budget allocation in direct proportion to the progress on the site,” Basson noted. The project only received a budget allocation of N$15 million for the current financial year.
Furthermore, talks on the proclamation of Aussenkehr as a settlement, and Rosh Pinah as a town, are still ongoing.
Basson also commended the police for keeping the crime rate in the region down.
She released figures that show that murder cases dropped by 24%, rape cases by 15%, housebreaking cases by 7% and stock theft cases by 5% during the period under review.
“This could be attributed to the citizens understanding the laws, or having a mindset change into being law-abiding citizens,” she added.
