ANGERED by alleged misappropriating of council money, poor service delivery and skyrocketing municipal services, Mariental informal settlement residents plan to stage another protest march today.
This will be the third protest march in less than two months. Giving notice of the planned march, the residents of Donkerhoek, Takarania, Ombili, Oshatotwa, and Oshiwana Penduka claimed they have remained trapped in ‘structural poverty and unemployment’ since 2004. Accusing the council of misappropriating money earmarked for structural development, the residents claimed N$10 million Government had allocated through its Targeted Intervention Programme for Employment and Economic Growth (Tipeeg) for the construction of toilets had gone missing. They claimed the council had spent the money on paying its water and electricity bills.They called on the Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate their claims of mismanagement. They claimed corruption was continuing unabated despite complaints made in a petition handed over to the council. The residents demanded the removal of the council’s chief executive officer, Paul Nghiwilepo, and a senior manager Hendrik Meyer, claiming the town’s economic growth had stagnated since they had taken the reins. Nghiwilepo rubbished the residents’ claims as ‘unsubstantiated’.He challenged them to take their grievances to the Ombudsman’s office or ACC for investigation.He said the complaints about the N$10 million allocated through Tipeeg for a sewage system at the informal settlement are driven by some individuals because they want contracts for the project awarded to them. ‘Some of them instigating the community are not even council account holders,’ said Nghiwilepo.
