Probe into rotten food ‘completed’

A PROBE launched five months ago to establish why more than 6 000 kg of maize meal destined for the food-for-work programme in the Karas Region was left to rot is all but concluded.

Karas Governor Dawid Boois yesterday told The Namibian that the outcome of the investigation could be expected within two weeks. “The investigation team was supposed to brief me yesterday on the progress of the investigation, but failed to turn up,” Boois said.The probe, launched in March this year, was initially expected to be completed at the end of April.The Namibian was yesterday tipped off that the investigation team had completed the probe.However, the investigators still need to finalise the report, which will be forwarded to the Karas Regional Council.A source said that during the investigation it was found that some of the food-for-work projects “only existed on paper”.This came to light when the investigating team visited project sites in the region and discovered that some listed food-for-work projects never existed.The 500 bags of spoilt maize meal, with an estimated value of N$20 000, were discovered in a warehouse when Food Secretariat officials visited the region in November to assess the programme.They were subsequently buried in hush-hush fashion seven km outside Keetmanshoop on the Aroab road at the end of February.It is believed the maize meal, along with canned fish and cooking oil destined for the food-for-work programme, was delivered in 2000.Health officials declared the canned fish and cooking oil fit for human consumption and it has been transferred to the drought-relief programme.”The investigation team was supposed to brief me yesterday on the progress of the investigation, but failed to turn up,” Boois said. The probe, launched in March this year, was initially expected to be completed at the end of April.The Namibian was yesterday tipped off that the investigation team had completed the probe.However, the investigators still need to finalise the report, which will be forwarded to the Karas Regional Council.A source said that during the investigation it was found that some of the food-for-work projects “only existed on paper”.This came to light when the investigating team visited project sites in the region and discovered that some listed food-for-work projects never existed.The 500 bags of spoilt maize meal, with an estimated value of N$20 000, were discovered in a warehouse when Food Secretariat officials visited the region in November to assess the programme.They were subsequently buried in hush-hush fashion seven km outside Keetmanshoop on the Aroab road at the end of February.It is believed the maize meal, along with canned fish and cooking oil destined for the food-for-work programme, was delivered in 2000.Health officials declared the canned fish and cooking oil fit for human consumption and it has been transferred to the drought-relief programme.