Minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa on Friday expressed disappointment with the Rundu Town Council (RTC) for awarding the prepaid water meter installation tender to a Chinese-owned company.
Sankwasa raised his concerns during a courtesy visit with RTC officials.
While he commended the council for introducing the prepaid water meter system which started with a pilot phase at Safari, Nkarapamwe and Tutungeni involving 1 021 households this year, he questioned the decision to outsource the project.
The initiative is part of the council’s broader effort to tackle a debt of N$300 million owed to the Namibia Water Corporation. The plan is to expand the prepaid system town-wide, ensuring residents pay for water before using it.
Sankwasa praised the system’s intention to control water debt, but criticised the choice of contractor.
“I have a problem with this tender given to the Chinese. I must openly register my dissatisfaction,” he said. “As the English say, ‘charity begins at home.’ This small project could have been handled by a Namibian company,” he said.
The minister emphasised that Chinese nationals are not voters in Namibia, yet Namibians will be expected to cast ballots in the upcoming November elections.
He expressed concern that local authorities seem to place more trust in foreign companies than in their own citizens.
“I have nothing against the Chinese as a people, but I question why even small, non-technical projects are given to them at the expense of our own,” he stressed.
Sankwasa added that foreign expertise may be justifiable for complex projects, like building a bridge or a multi-storey structure, but not for basic infrastructure installations.
“How will our people gain skills if they’re not given opportunities? Experience comes from doing the work,” he said.
He concluded by urging the RTC to prioritise Namibian companies in the next phase of the prepaid water meter rollout.
– Nampa
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