Council may OK tens of thousands for trip

THE Windhoek City Council is likely to be pressurised to approve about N$200 000 of ratepayers’ money so that certain council members can attend the Heroes’ Day commemoration at Omugulugwombashe next month.

News of the latest intended spending spree comes as the Windhoek Municipality prepares written feedback on some 25 queries on expenses in the 2009-10 budget tabled by the Namibian Employers Federation (NEF), the Public Service Union of Namibia (PSUN), the Namibia Consumer Trust (NCT) and the Citizens for an Accountable and Transparent Society (CATS) at a meeting with Windhoek Mayor Matheus Shikongo, City Chief Executive Officer Niilo Taapopi, members of the City Council Management Committee (MC) and municipal management on Friday afternoon.The group has threatened mass protests if the City doesn’t agree to review the budget.The media was barred from attending the meeting, which was described by the NEF, PSUN and CATS as ‘very positive’.The follow-up meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.Meanwhile, The Namibian has it on good authority that the decision for the paid trip to Omugulugwombashe was taken at a meeting of the MC last Monday night. It will be up to the City Council to okay it at their monthly meeting on Wednesday.Nine of the 14 members of the City Council, including all the MC members, belong to Swapo. Mayor Matheus Shikongo is also a Swapo representative.MC Chairperson Elaine Trepper on Thursday told The Namibian she had no comment on the planned Omugulugwombashe trip.Despite dealing with Windhoek residents’ money, Trepper said MC meetings are not open for the public and that whatever is discussed at these meetings, is therefore ‘confidential’.She referred the paper to this week’s City Council meeting, saying that such an expense will have to be approved at that meeting. Approving N$200 000 for the trip would be in stark contrast to the N$100 000 for the upgrading of the Katutura Community Hall the City Council approved in their controversial 2009-10 budget at the end of June.It is significantly more than the N$75 000 the City is willing to pay for a much-needed taxi rank at the Central Hospital.The amount nearly equals the Windhoek Municipality’s entire budget for road safety (N$300 000), for its HIV project (N$252 000) and for the pavements and roads planned for the Single Quarters (N$300 000).The proposed paid trip also represents nearly a third of all bursaries (N$640 000) the City will grant this year.jo-mare@namibian.com.na